In my ongoing quest to see and experience things firsthand , I decided to attend Dr. Cole's seminar last thursday the 25th of March. Strange as it may sound, I have really begun to enjoy meeting other patients(past and prospective) to exchange information and continue to further educate myself and in the process hopefully help others.

Shari, Dr. Cole's very gregarious assistant greeted all those for registration. (Hope , i spelled your name correctly) The seminar began at 5 o'clock sharp with Dr. Cole's power point presentation. It was very informative. Dr. Cole delved into many topics. There was very good insight shared regarding the intricacies of hair transplant surgery,strip and FIT , and broader aspects of hair loss in general There was a question and answer period with good interaction between the participants and Dr. Cole.

Then, Dr. Cole had volunteers come up in front of the room for general consultations for all to see. There was also private consults for all those who wanted them. As with other seminars, there was a variance of hair transplant knowledge in the attendees present. During the Q and A section, Dr. Cole was very patient in addressing all of the questions posed to him. Questions on dutasteride and other non-surgical options were discussed. I asked Dr. Cole
about his progress in splitting the follicular unit. He said that he would like to have more volunteers have grafts placed in the underside of the wrist area where there is no other hair to confuse it with native hair.


Some highlights of his presentation included Dr Cole's indication of the distinct possibility of the geometry of the scalp becomiong misaligned during the strip suturing phase. The severing of the erector pili muscle is a major concern in this component. Also, The telogen phase of body hair is thought to be as high as 41-68% at a given time. This definitely makes the density coverage issue more tedious if the body hair doesnot assume all of the characteristics of the scalp. In addition, he cited that he believes Propecia and Minox is thought to extend the anagen/catagen/telogen phases and may not actually restore the follicle. This may still be useful as the prospect of multiplication may occur in our lifetimes. Another topic was The superiority of using the thicker diameter hair along with the importance of the identification superior and inferior side of the grafts. The inferior side being where the sebaceous gland sits. This is very important in recreating the proper angulation of naturally growing hair. ( A good mental image might be a taper sawn wood roofing shingle) The variance of normal density throughout different parts of the scalp was also discussed. Of course, the consensus reading is just above the nuchal ridge.There was a lot more of good information. Dr. Cole might elaborate on this if he chooses to do so.

The latest photos of Chizljd (large body hair session) were shown on the overhead projector and were really encouraging. Though the growth cycles are still being evaluated, The crown was improving at a very good pace. There were also some really good closeup photos of scalp,chest,leg,back grafts and their traditionally different characteristics.

During the group consultation portion, I was able to get a consult with Dr. Cole in front of the class and it was great to have him review my difficult case. I enjoyed getting his insight and it was also helpful for some of the younger attendees to make sure they thoroughly review their options. His webmaster Forhair snapped some photos and took down some notes.(BTW, I was able to see Forhair's FIT work and looked very good.) He is still healing and the full growth has not matured yet. The real bonus, though, was that Dr. Cole invited me to the clinic the following day to visit and further discuss my complex situation and my goals.

Dr. Cole's staff, Forhair,Shari, Patrick,etc,among others (too many others to list) were very pleasant and were a joy to talk with. Dr. Cole took more photos and was very thorough in measuring my scalp, BHT growth, examing BHT donor sites,etc. He is definitely very passionate about his work. I like the fact that he is open to industry innovations and seems to have a curious nature to tweak things in hopes of finding and building a "better mousetrap" I would reference this to his desire to make FIT/FUE sites (scalp and BHT) even less detectable across the board for all patients irregardless of their own characteristics.

It's late and I just skimmed through my notes,so if there are questions, or anything important that I might have left off, I'll do my best to address them.

I enjoyed meeting with him and his staff. A big thanks to all of them for their good hospitality



Edited: 04/03/2004 at 11:18 PM by Juiceman

The severing of the errector pili muscle?? What?? I thought each hair had a pili muscle which causes it to contract like goosebumps? How is this a big issue? Anyways, how are these muscles not affected when doing FUE?

Backnats,

I pondered that as well. Perhaps he was referring to the peripheral erector pili muscles affected during the incision portion of the strip procedure. He is the doctor and histological expert so I will defer to him to elucidate on his beliefs.

What does Cole say about transections during FIT.
I havent heard of any percentages from him.

Ericgomes,

This would be a percentage subject to the patient's individual characteristics. The area being harvested should also have an impact. I would suggest emailing Dr. Cole or his staff for a generalized quote. His office also has their own forum.

Juiceman- how was your experience with Dr. Woods and Campbell in Australia? How does their experience compare with Dr. Cole's. I have had three transplants and am trying to see where I should go next.

many thanks

drhairlost,

It is a differernt scenario as I actually had surgery with Drs. Woods and Campbell. They improved my situation and gave me the hope as a repair patient that I could begin to regain my normal appearance. I had a very good certifiable yield of head and body hair grafts albeit at platinum level pricing. Other gains as removal of hairline ridging and some scar camoflouging were performed. I do ponder the cost/benefit ratio at times and hope that some changes are made. I had a smaller margin for error and progress was made. That was my goal.

I enjoyed meeting with Dr. Cole. He was very hospitable to me the short while that I was there. It is good to travel and meet these folks in person and to get a feel for them individually and their clinic and see how they fit your needs.

Keep reading the forums and check the archives for any additonal queries that you might have. I wish the best in your pursuit. PM me or email me If I can be of furher help.