Talking Hair Transplant with Los Angeles native ‘Dave’

What made him decide to get a hair transplant? Los Angeles native ‘Dave’ had a milder case of hair loss. But it was enough to make him self-conscious about his appearance. He had the desire and the means to do something about it. Today, he’s got full confidence—and a full head of hair.

I started losing my hair in my 20s and it was frightening. No matter how much or how little you’re losing, it’s not a good feeling for anyone. I was lucky to respond well to Propecia and Rogaine and it felt good to do something about it.

But when I hit 30, I decided to do something permanent about my hair loss. My hair loss was about a Norwood 3. My big thing was to fill in my temple area. It wasn’t so much that I was terribly insecure about my hair. For some guys it’s a big thing like, “I got my life back.” For me it was kind of wanting to regain my mature hairline. And I wanted to stop feeling self-conscious about putting my hair a certain way because the hair loss would show. Now I feel liberated.

After surgery, I can’t believe I have all this hair on my head, back and front. I look at my head and think, “Wow, this whole thing is amazing – my head is like a little science experiment, moving hair from one place to another and have it actually take root and grow! The gap in my temple area is gone. I’m glad to have more styling options and not have to feel self-conscious about combing my hair one way or another.

My advice for others is, if you have the desire and the means to have a hair transplant, you should. Life is short and it really is possible to get your hair back. I believe if you look good, you feel good. If getting a transplant helps you look better you will feel better. I look good and I feel good. And my hair transplant is permanent!

A Smart Decision

Dave’s decision was based on research, forethought… and decisiveness. Once he’d made up his mind, Rahal was the smart, easy, and only decision for his hair restoration procedure.

“Dr. Rahal is a safe bet, and hair transplantation works. If you want to do it, you should do it.”

I didn’t really come to a turning point, it was more the idea of turning 30 and thinking my hair loss was pretty minimal, and it was a decision I’d considered for a while. I’d researched it for four or five years. I first considered it about five years ago. I got educated about the extent of my loss, how many grafts I’d need, that sort of thing. I was never certain I’d go through with it.

I say to myself sometimes, I can’t believe I actually had a hair transplant. But once I learned more about it, and talked to friends, I found they either had hair transplants themselves, or are concerned about hair loss and are on Propecia and Rogaine.

Hair loss didn’t cause me terrible anxiety or depression. It was more that I’ve researched the options and chose Dr. Rahal. He proposed a plan to restore my hairline before I lost more hair and I said, “Well, let’s go for it.”

Now that it’s grown in, it looks great. Right now it’s pretty short but as it grows in more it’ll be even better. It’s exciting to see hair grow where there wasn’t hair before, having my new hairline grow in. Every few weeks, I look in the mirror and see new hair; that’s fun!

Dr. Rahal is a safe bet, and hair transplantation works. If you want to do it, you should do it, whether you’re really desperate or just want your old hairline back. It seemed like a smart thing to do. Do did choosing Dr. Rahal who has a great track record.

‘Dave’ Did His Research

Like a lot of men considering hair restoration, he wanted to find the best. That meant putting time into research. He didn’t just want a solution, he wanted a permanent solution that looked great. That’s how he chose Rahal.

“When I met Dr. Rahal, he was very personable. You can tell he’s someone who loves what he’s doing.”

I had minimal hair loss and was on the younger side, but I was attracted to the idea of a full head of hair; full results. Some doctors’ work looks like a glorified comb-over. I’d rather have kept it as it was than have a result like that. So that was my decision to choose Dr. Rahal. I did a lot of research, read a lot of reading on forums, reading patients’ experiences.

When I met Dr. Rahal, he was very personable and humble. You can tell he’s someone who loves what he’s doing and has a lot of confidence in his work. I felt like this throughout the whole process. His office is like a well-oiled machine.

A Simple, Comfortable Procedure

‘Dave’s procedure was easy enough. Recovering was even easier thanks to Rahal’s team of representatives, who were there to help him by sharing their own experiences.

I was surprised how easy the procedure was. It was so quick, really a piece of cake. Dr. Rahal and his team were so personable. Doing my research, I came to Dr. Rahal’s website and saw his work on people’s hairlines. His work really stands out from other doctors.

For the procedure, you arrive at Dr. Rahal’s offices and meet with Dr. Rahal. You discuss your goals and questions. He draws in your new hairline and off you go. They take photos and take you into the operating room. It’s all very easy. They give you medication to chill you out. I slept through most of the procedure. There was no pain. The first night they gave me pain pills, and I didn’t even take them because I had no pain. Dr. Rahal used a machine that vibrates while you’re being injected. That tricks your mind, takes your attention off the shot.

After surgery, I went through what I call the ugly duckling phase. I had moments like everyone has. I didn’t look that good, I had a shaved head, I wondered if I’d made a mistake, thought maybe I shouldn’t have done this, hoped it really would grow. I had worries, that sort of thing. But talking to some of Dr. Rahal’s representatives who had had hair transplants themselves, I felt better right away.

Beside the Peak the Temples No Longer Lie in Ruin

‘Dave’s biggest concern was his widow’s peak that stood out prominently thanks to the hair at his temples miniaturizing and receding. Rahal’s specialization in temple points and temple angle closure meant that when the hairs started sprouting, ‘Dave’ got a hairline that worked for his facial features and bone structure.

I had kind of a widow’s peak but it was really the corners, the hair in the temple area that had receded quite a bit. I got about 2500 grafts. Dr. Rahal did my temple points as well. He paid great attention to detail and gave me back my youthful look.

I didn’t obsess on my hair loss but looking in the mirror, it seemed like my temples looked so bald and so big. It’s not a great feeling. For example, I’d come out of the ocean and my hair looked flat and thin in places. I’d get occasional reminders and think, “Oh, that really sucks.” After my transplant, it’s great that I just don’t have to think about these things anymore.

I’d consulted other well-known doctors who either didn’t have much experience working in that temple area. I understand that’s a difficult area to transplant and have it look natural. It came in great and Dr. Rahal restored a full, youthful look.

Then my hair started to grow and fill in pretty quickly, within three months or so. Meanwhile, I got very busy with school. It happened so quickly. Two weeks would go by and I’d look in the mirror. “Oh my God,” I’d say to myself. “Look at all the hair that’s grown in!”

After six and a half months, my hair’s about 45% grown in. I have a full, mature hairline now. My friends joke, “You’re only 45% grown in? We don’t even want to dream what it’ll be like at 100%!” They’re impressed with the density and thickness that wasn’t there before. They’re stunned.

For An FUE Hair Transplant, Los Angeles to Ottawa Wasn’t a Problem

‘Dave’ settled on a follicular unit extraction, or FUE, hair transplant. Los Angeles to Ottawa wasn’t much of a distance for ‘Dave’ to get access to the top hair transplant doc, one of few to offer specialization in FUE in North America.

“FUE gave me options. It’s less invasive and easier to come to terms with.”

Hair transplanting is no longer about hair plugs. Dr. Rahal does Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). He takes individual hairs from the back of your head and places them in balding areas in a calculated way. It looks very natural.

I was considering Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) where a strip of scalp is removed from the back of the head. I hadn’t even considered FUE. But the more I thought about the process, I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of having strips of my scalp out. I thought, “With my minimal hair loss, am I really going to cut into the back of my head to fill in these little areas?”

As I became more serious about going forward, and saw Dr. Rahal’s results with FUE, I realized the FUE style was what I wanted, even though FUE is more expensive. It wouldn’t leave a scar, and I wanted to be able to shave my head without feeling self-conscious about having a scar. FUE gave me options. It’s less invasive and easier to come to terms with. I don’t think I could have done the FUT strip method.

‘Dave’s Final Thoughts

So what did ‘Dave’ take away from his procedure? His new hairline, of course, but also his goals, his new lifestyle, and his youth. Would he recommend it to anybody? In a heartbeat.

I’ve achieved my goal: To reestablish my hairline. I didn’t want to alter or change anything. I wanted to get back the original, natural hairline. Other surgeons don’t get the density right; in terms of shape and density, Dr. Rahal does a great job. Nobody can tell I’ve had a hair transplant. Nobody would ever know if I didn’t tell them.

If you’re considering having a hair transplant, it’s good to do a lot of research on doctors, transplant methods, and even the different tools they use. You want to be sure you’re making a good decision and trust your doctor. I felt like I was in really good hands with Dr. Rahal and I can tell you that what they say on the Rahal website is true.