The FUE Hair Transplant Patient Experience
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in August 2014 after Dr. Matthew Lopresti performed Dr. Robert Leonard’s FUE hair transplant. It reflects Dr. Leonard’s personal experience and the postoperative guidance and hair loss treatments discussed at that time. Dr. Leonard retired from Leonard Hair Transplant Associates in 2018 and no longer sees patients or performs hair transplant surgery. Treatment and recovery information below is historical and should not be considered current patient guidance.
Dr. Matthew Lopresti recently performed a hair transplant on me using the Follicular Unit Excision (FUE) method. As far as things that I learned from being the patient instead of the surgeon in this experience, it is important to realize:
- that the back of the head will have small holes that will be visible after the procedure. These heal within three or four days.
- that the donor area will be shaved closely so the procedure should be properly planned around business and social events.
- that it is a good idea to see your hair stylist a few days after the procedure to fade in your longer hair to provide a better aesthetic transition until the shaved areas grow back in.
- that the patient will need to properly care for their surgical sites in order to achieve the expected results.
- that it is common for the density of your existing hair to be temporarily less thick after a transplant than before due to post operative shedding.
- that it is very important to use proven treatments to slow progression of non-transplanted hair: Propecia, Rogaine Foam, and Auto A300 laser cap. Two are better than one and all three together is the best option for all men.
- that it is necessary to be a patient patient! You do know that doctors are the worst of all patients—right?
I hope this synopsis of my FUE procedure is helpful for you to get an idea of how it will be for you. I’ll be adding more of my personal experiences as time goes on…
