FUE Hair Transplant

I had been researching a hair transplant for about the past year and a half and through Reddit and Hair Transplant Network I decided to go with Dr. Jimmy Cortez with Capilar Hair Center in Tijuana. I knew that he and his brother Jorge (HMR) had done work together for a decade and wanted to give Jimmy a try based on their solid results together. Here is a detailed review on everything from start to finish! Consult/Scheduling: This process was so easy! I submitted information on their website and a receptionist/coordinator named Sofia reached out within a day or two asking for all the pertinent info (pics, info, etc.). I was able to schedule the month and date I wanted with zero scheduling issues. There was a nonrefundable $500 deposit to be made at the time of booking that would subtract from your total. It was determined I needed about 2450 grafts to help with my diffuse thinning in the frontal part of my head. The total price quoted was $4900. The price includes pick up/drop off from San Diego Airport, 2 nights at Hotel Lucerna in Tijuana, one lunch during surgery day, and of course the transplant itself. I found this to be an incredible value. Day 1 - Pick up I was contacted by a driver that works for both Capilar and HMR named Manuel. He was very good about texting about 2 days before arrival getting flight information, times, etc.. Manuel was I think about 15 minutes late picking me up which is totally normal since he has to cross the San Ysidro border to get there. We had to wait around a little because we were also taking another guy across for a procedure at HMR. Again, no big deal. We parked near the airport at the harbor and got to walk around and take some great pictures of San Diego and the ocean while we waited. Day 2 - Surgery Woke up around 6AM and had a super light breakfast. Walked the 3 minute walk over to the Capilar office to start the procedure at 7AM. We spent a good amount of time drawing the hairline and making slight modifications. Make sure to spend time making your hairline perfect! Remember that they are working for you and do not rush through that part! Once we got the hairline approved, they shaved me and took me into the operating room where there was about 4-6 techs and Jimmy waiting. Everyone is absolutely correct when they say the worst part of this whole thing is the anesthesia shots in the head. Those are a 9/10 on the pain scale, and get worse on the sides of your head. Once you are numbed though, you cannot feel anything except maybe a little pressure when they are doing the procedure. More than likely you will need more numbing, do not be afraid to ask for it! I needed more numbing injections I think 3-4 times. Surgery itself is a 0.5/10 on the pain scale. At first it is a little weird with the sounds and thought of whats going on, but you quickly forget about it and end up kinda dazed and sleepy the whole time once the good stuff kicks in. Jimmy did all of the extraction from the donor area in the first half of the day (about 3.5-4 hrs), had a 30 minute lunch provided by them (its a salad with chicken and ham) that was pretty tasty. Then we got back to the remaining half, implanting the hairs. I was very nervous about this part, but I slept most of the time and only had to get one extra round of injections for pain. This part took until about 4:30PM, so another 4 hours of work. Towards the end, they did the PRP treatment and Jimmy even asked if I wanted him to inject my crown with Dutasteride ($600 value in the US), which I took him up on! That was a really nice added benefit that I didn't expect. Once you are done, they provide you a post op bag and send you back to your hotel to rest. I had little to no pain after the procedure and ended up sleeping so well that night. Day 3 - Post Op Woke up early again and walked over to Capilar to check in before I headed back up to San Diego for the night. They checked and washed my donor area and left it uncovered as well as made sure the receiving area looked solid. This was about a 20 minute visit. Once I left there, Manuel picked me up from my hotel and we headed back to SD. Crossing the border took literally under 20 minutes as Manuel has a medical pass to get through quickly, so do not worry about the timing on that. I decided to stay a night in SD to just allow a little more healing time. This is totally optional and not necessary btw. Day 4-7 - Travel & Recovery I flew home early the next day with nothing on my head. Thought about wearing a hat but decided I really dont care what people think of me in an airport, I'd rather be as safe as possible with the investment I just made in myself. Two people in the airport asked me where I went and said they always wanted to do it but were too afraid, so I referred them to Jimmy (you're welcome Jimmy!). Got a couple double takes but other than that, nobody really cared or noticed. Fast forward a couple more days and I have arrived at Day 7 which I was informed via email that I could now wash the scabs off. It was a pretty scary process only because I didn't want to mess anything up, but holy crap was I shocked when I saw the finished result! My advice is take your time. Do not rush it and go slow. Make sure your scabs have plenty of time to soak and they will come right off. Overall Rating: 9.8/10. I would recommend Jimmy Cortez at Capilar to anyone. They really do care about your hairline need and want to see it exactly as you want it. The whole process was soooo smooth and easy. If I ever need one for the crown, I will absolutely go back. Let me know if you have any questions! I'll be posting monthly progress updates. Onward to the ugly duckling phase (can't wait..)