The procedure: The day of the procedure I was nervous. It's natural. You probably will too. I even thought about calling it off. Again, what if something goes wrong? Complications?  I thought about just postponing it. But quickly I got through the jitters dressed and left for his office. 

The surgery itself was remarkably painless. I was given a Valium and after a bit was seated comfortably to begin the procedure. Dr. Epstein himself is there during the entire procedure. There is a small sting as the scalp is injected with a local anesthetic.

After a while both the Valium and the anesthetic take effect and the procedure begins. It is not painful in any way and you are awake and talking to Dr. Epstein's assistants. Depending upon the number of grafts you are having done the surgery takes anywhere from 2 to 5 hours. The time goes by very quickly. Some people read a book, some listen to a CD, some drift off to sleep. Mostly I chatted with Dr. Epstein and before I knew it I was done.