Photos to follow soon to this blog. Just had my procedure with Dr Feller and waiting to sort out my pics. Will post soon.
Had one HT in Oct 2007 with Dr Kiely in Cork, Ireland. Had 2nd HT in Jan 2009 with Dr Feller, New York

I'm from Cork, Ireland, and when I originally decided to get a HT, I felt it was so daunting that my choice was to stay local. Within Ireland if I could. I had no idea results could differ so much from doctor to doctor. I wasn't aware of forums such as these - if I'd researched more and found them, it would have saved me a lot of trouble.

So I got a HT from Dr Conor Kiely in Oct 2007 in Cork, Ireland. I was 28 then. The results were poor. He only managed to get 700-800 hairs growing in the front area. Hairs were very spaced out. No density at all. Plus there was a huge gap between the hairs he inserted at the front, and my natural hair. I was really disappointed with the outcome 12 months on. At the time of surgery, he was saying stuff like "that should give you enough coverage" . . . "depends on the light" . . . "you'll definitely need another one soon after". So I don't think he or his team were capable of inserting large numbers of grafts. I certainly didn't even get a thousand, more like 700-800.

Ok, so when I decided to have a second HT to rectify the situation, I researched a lot more and came to the conclusion that my best bet was a US doctor. I took notice of Dr Feller's patients on various forums, and he certainly had proven results and a great reputation. So with the help of Spex I booked and just had the surgery on Jan 22nd 2009. (I've just turned 30 now, btw.)

Travelling was not so much of a big deal after all. My advice to anyone from Ireland is to head to Dr Feller in New York. Stay in a hotel for a few days afterwards, then hop on the plane back home. It will be worth it and it's not as much hassle as you think, believe me.

Dr Feller put in 3200 grafts.
Gave me a more rounded, natural hairline than the 1st surgery in Cork.
Went well back towards my natural hair so there wouldn't be any big gap between natural hair and new hair.
Put some grafts into bridge that was developing between my front area and my crown. This should save me from having a bald strip  between crown and front over the next while.
All in all, the number of grafts look really nice and dense. I'm a few days after the surgery and I can see all the little hairs, how many there are, and how close they are together. I'm extremely happy with the results and I'm sure will be even happier in 10 months time.

Ok, so Dr Feller has all the pics on his computer and is going to update them soon. I don't have any post-op pics of my first surgery in Ireland. The pics Dr Feller will post here are all from the day of the surgery, where you will see my hair before surgery (take note of the lack of density at the front from my 1st procedure), and then you will see some post-op pics, etc. So we'll get these up really soon - I just wanted to create this post as a placeholder for Dr Feller to upload the pics he took.

Once the pics are up, etc, I can talk more about Dr Feller's procedure, etc. How there was a whole team of super professionals working on me. Two techs at all times, one working either side of my head to place the grafts. Techs were swapping out as well as it's very tiring work that goes on for a few hours. Dr Feller's clinic is a really professional, results-driven operation - you couldn't go wrong with Dr Feller.

Naturally, it affects confidence, especially with the opposite sex.

1st HT: Dr Conor Kiely, Cork, Ireland, Oct 2007.Very unhappy with results. He only managed to get in 700-800 hairs in the front area. Hairs were very spaced out. No density whatsoever. Also left a huge gap between the new hair at the front, and the natural hair behind it. Overall, very poor job.

2nd HT: Dr Feller, New York, Jan 2009. 3200 grafts. Just had the surgery and it looks excellent. Dr Feller's covered the front area back to my natural hair, and also put some grafts into a bridge that was developing between the front and my crown, so that should save me having a bald strip in the middle of my head.

A HT with Dr Feller.

I'll have to wait until Dr Feller's grafts kick in down the line.

1. Research on forums like this. The pictures on doctors' websites mean nothing - forums like these will give you a real indication of how good\bad a doctor is. If I'd researched on forums like these, I would've come straight to Dr Feller in the first place.

2. Travel. Don't be afraid to travel. It's no big deal. I live in Cork, Ireland, and that's why I chose Dr Conor Kiely for my first HT (who is based in Cork). The HT was bad. I found it daunting back then to travel for surgery, but after Dr Kiely's HT, I knew I would have to leave Ireland for my 2nd surgery if I wanted it to be any good. And I've realised that travelling is no big deal at all - you have the surgery, stay in a local hotel for a few days, then hop on the plane home. You should look at a doctor's results and reputation, and ignore location. That is why I picked Dr Feller for my 2nd procedure.