Bushy

HT #1

After long and thorough research, I decided on having my surgery with Dr. Victor Hasson of H&W in Vancouver, BC (http://www.hassonandwong.com). I flew out from New York the day before surgery. From start to finish, the experience was superb. The staff was professional, warm and courteous. Most of all, Dr. Hasson is a terrific guy! Now this is more or less a bonus point, because a surgeon's demeanor means absolutely nothing to me if the results shine. But he turns out to be friendly, charming and positively hysterical, like when they were about to take my frontal before-picture and he chimes in "OK, now look sad." I can hardly imagine feeling more comfortable with a doc upon first meeting.

During that meeting the evening before surgery, I was introduced to Dwayne, whose 6-month results blew me through the ceiling! Any lingering fears or concerns were gone before I could say "holy s--t!" I almost went through the roof of Dr. Hasson's office!

Tuesday was a long day. The surgery was relatively painless, except for the big, bad anesthetic needles into my forehead -- 4 times 3 seconds of major ouches. I took in About Schmidt and Monsters, Inc, a bunch of CNN and some silly cartoons, and was treated to lunch and dinner. My day that began at 7:40 AM ended at 7:30 PM. It could simply not have asked for anything more, except for having my girlfriend (now fiancé) from New York be there with me, but she was busy professoring.

The night after was pain-free, with slight discomfort in the donor area. The next 13 days were a bit uncomfortable, primarily because of the staples. Once they were removed, everything pretty much went back to normal. I experienced numbness for the next three months. The pictures below track the progress.

My surgery has changed my life. My self-confidence has skyrocketed. I am once again comfortable in my own skin. It is hardly possible to overpraise Dr. Hasson and his entire staff. I recommend them without reservation.

HT #2

Well, after nearly two and a half years, I finally had my second installment ordered, installed and delivered with perfection. It's hard to overestimate the thoroughness, professionalism and, of course, quality H&W deliver. Round two brought not only unexpectedly high graft numbers, but a whole new insight into the process, viewed against a backdrop of so much more research, knowledge and information on the subject.

My intention in round two was twofold: 1) Refine the hairline and some of the temple angles, and 2) fill in behind the frontal third covered by HT #1. At first, Dr. Hasson predicted he'd get only about 2,500 grafts. Accordingly, he delineated an area on top that would not quite reach back as far as the crown, leaving some area uncovered. I was a bit disappointed, but Dr. Hasson said he wants me to start on Dutastride anyhow, and was very confident that it would fortify the area not covered by surgery.

The surgery began at around 7:45 AM. Dr. Hasson first consumed about 400 grafts refining the hairline. We did not shave down the existing frontal hair, as it was my intention to have a small hairpiece designed for the recipient area and, thus, appear at work as if nothing had changed. As soon as the hair grew back, I'd remove the piece and get a short haircut.

Dr. Hasson then started the top area, behind the existing hairs from HT #1. Late in the afternoon, as he progressed with the incisions and the techs inserted the grafts, Dr. Hasson finally came back with the great news: We got over 3,500 grafts! So he covered the entire area on the top, and then came back and told me he had another 500 grafts left. He now wanted to shave me down up front and implant the extras up front to increase the density there. Well, I gave him a hard time about shaving down the front, considering the problems this would cause me. But my voice was quited as he pulled out the clipper and started cutting away. :) We both laughed and I was, of course, happy about it in the end.

In all, I received another 3,537 grafts and the process ended at 8:15 PM. Dr, Hasson's incredibly talented and friendly staff helped make the experience so successful and relatively enjoyable. Particularly noteworthy were Slava, Anna, Rebbecca and Farah. And the ever-delightful Christina, of course.

Above all, Dr, Hasson is the consummate professional. He is charming, funny, honest, ethical and, of course, supremely skilled.

I have been using Propecia for 10 or 15 years now. As of May 18, 2006, Dr. Hasson had me switch to Avodart.