My transplanted hair is really starting to grow in.  Although it is still quite early, the change is very evident.  It seems strange that I have almost as much improvement now as I did on the procedure day.  Having it done with the Sneak Peek Technique provided me with instant reassurance of my results instead of having to wait 4 months to know for sure.  I would recommend it to anyone who has any doubts about the final outcome.  Because the procedure is more interactive, you will know what you are getting right away and have some input as well.  This speaks volumes about Dr. Ziering's confidence and talents.

I had my sutures out today.  The incision is thin and looks great.  There are no visibility issues with either recipient area or donor area.  The transplanted hair has begun to shed, which is not a surprise to me but is somewhat a disappointment after seeing it there for the last 12 days.  I know it will continue to do so but I know that to be normal.  I believe having the transplant done in this manner gives a patient more assurance of how things will look and is especially helpful to the first time patient.  It could be a bit of a disappointment to see the hair go away for a while, but seeing the result early on definitely provides encouragement during the grow-in period.  Like with my other procedures before patience is now the name of the game.       

I'm nearly back to normal at this point.  There is hardly any visibility except under close inspection, it does not appear that I had a transplant 8 days ago.  Hair shafts are still there.  I decided to leave sutures in as I will leave to go out of town for a few days.  I went to the airport without a hat on and did not have any concerns that it would be obvious that I had a procedure.  Normally I would be covering up with a hat.  When I got to my destination, someone remarked that my hair really looked good.  They haven't seen me in a while and noticed a difference.

Having to work again on this day I got myself ready and realized that the healing process was moving along a little faster than in other procedures I had before.  I am sure this is due to the post op healing programs of GraftCyte and laser therapy.  There was minimal visibility and much to my surprise, minimal swelling.  I was still extra careful in washing and styling my hair.  A few extra minutes, no big deal.  Took medicines as directed and went off to work.

I had another laser treatment over lunch hour.  This seems to help quite a bit.

Later that evening, still no swelling and barely any discomfort.  Followed all of my post op instructions and took medicines as directed.

I slept surprisingly well, despite the recommended elevated position.  No discomfort at all.  I knew that it would be important to be extra careful at this point in fixing my hair.  This is a big difference between the traditional procedure and the long hair one.  There is more of a chance of dislodging grafts with the long hair shafts.  Because of this I did very little to improve my appearance that morning.  Better to look like I just rolled out of bed than to ruin a lifetime result.  I looked in the mirror one last time before I left and decided that my hair still looked better than it did the day before.

I went to work and proceeded with my day as usual. It really was not very obvious that I had a hair transplant the day before.  I had my first post op laser treatment over the lunch hour, which aids in the healing process.

That evening I washed my hair for the first time.  It is a simple but special process and again, I had to be more careful than before.  Used cool setting on hair dryer, took medicine as directed and used GraftCyte.  My hairline still looks great.  Knowing how this hair transplant thing works, I wondered how long I would get to enjoy my immediate result.

"It's not quite "The Simpsons," but hair junkie John and friends will open their lives to Ziering Medical for a new reality blog, "The Sneak-Peek Chronicles".  Starting this month, cyberspace will capture the 1st Sneak-Peek long hair transplant patient's as they adjust to life from going bald to beautiful"

10/18/07: Day of Procedure, Hair Junkie

After having several hair transplant procedures, both with modern and old technology, I decided to pursue one last attempt at perfecting my hairline.  I selected Dr. Craig Ziering to perform the procedure.  His design concept impressed my critical eye and was better than what I thought was possible.  While I shared my thoughts on this I felt comfortable with his ideas.  I became more excited upon seeing where my new hairline would be in relation to the existing one.  Dr. Ziering explained to me on the procedure day that he wanted to perform the procedure with long hair shafts instead of the usual stubble length.  I must admit that I was intrigued and more excited mainly because I would get to immediately see a result that normally takes several months to develop. 

The anesthesia process was comfortable and I did not take a sedative.  Being aware of every detail, I was impressed with how easy every step was.  The donor harvesting was quick and the closure was performed flawlessly by Dr. Calder.  After the harvesting, the surgical technicians began dissecting the donor strip into the grafts.  I am sure the graft preparation was more intricate with the long hair shafts and I applaud the team for the extra effort. 

While the grafts were being prepared I relaxed comfortably and watched a movie.  I was able to get up and use the restroom as much as needed and was never in any sort of discomfort.  The time passed quickly, and I was quite surprised to learn from the team the number of grafts that they had prepared- over 500.  This amount greatly exceeded the amount I estimated could be harvested due to the depletion from the older procedures. 

Both Dr. Ziering and Dr. Calder made the recipients sites, which is the artwork portion of the procedure.  While this part does not take long, all of the subtle nuances of the result come together- hair orientation, hair angle and direction.  The pattern was done exactly as planned.  The positioning of the new hairline was more youthful and I knew at that point I was going to be pleased.

The placement portion of the procedure was done with efficiency and skill.  Again, with the long hair shafts the work was much more tedious and time consuming.  After about 5 hours from start to finish the last graft was placed.  I was handed a mirror and was able to see something I had never seen before- a completed transplant result on the day of surgery!  It was quite amazing to see this knowing full well that it normally takes 3-6 months to see the same thing.

All post op instructions were provided both verbally and in written form.  I was given a GraftCyte healing kit to take with me and my post op medicines.  I got in my car and drove myself home.  The most painful part of the day was navigating through rush hour Orange County traffic.

Once home, I began taking the medicines as directed, applied GraftCyte, used some ice on my forehead and went to sleep.  I had to work in the morning, you know.