Hi All. Here is my 6 month update. Overall I have to say I am not happy with my results but again will continue to wait and assess at my 1 year mark.

The things I am specifically unhappy with is first off my density which seems very sparse and uneven. As you can see in the pic there is clearly a high density area in my right side. I have heard that eventually this all evens out but at 6 months I would expect that the difference would not have been so dramatic. Also there seems to be very visibility places where there is no growth. Some areas that are probably about a centimeter. I am also going to send these pics to Dr. Keene who in my last visit told me that anything that will grow will have done so by the 6 month mark at which point the hair will just thicken up. Suffice it to say I am probably looking at doing a second transplant which I was hoping to avoid.

Right now I would say my look is worse then it was before. A completely bald head would have been better than a head of patchy and thin hair. It just looks very unnatural and freakish. I wish I could just go with the shaved look but I can't because I have a nasty scar across the back of my head which by the way isn't even straight because there is a 45 degree angle at a point where the doctor had to open me up again and cut out some more skin because someone didn't accurately get the right amount of hairs before she first closed me up.

I will continue to provide updates, however if you are looking at this forum to make a decision I would suggest you don't take the decision lightly. You can select a highly reputable doctor and still not achieve the results you would expect and may find yourself regretting the whole thing as I am now. I have been a long time lurker of this forum (probably reviewing results for about 4 years before going for it) and felt like the technology and advances pretty much assured a satisfactory result. I am proof that good results aren't always guaranteed.

- SROD

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That is a pretty bad result, but it is only 6 months. While some may, I won't sugar coat it and say you still may end up with an awesome result, but it will likely get better.

Hopefully, you end up at least more satisfied, it's still early days.

I am scheduled for the end this month and stuff like this scares me.

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2110 FUT grafts by DR. Raymond Konior on July 30th, 2012

Best HT advice I have ever heard: "Find a doctor that you need more than they need you." Author Unknown

Click Here to View Spanker's Website

I'm no expert, but looking at your "before" pictures, I'd have thought you needed considerably more than 1,800 grafts to achieve a satisfactory result in a single pass. Were you led to believe otherwise?

Appreciate the candidness and honesty. I spent many years researching and went back and forth on this decision. I felt that getting a subpar result was minimal given the advances of surgery. I had thought that as long as you pick a great doc then you should be ok. This goes to show you can still get poor results from a reputable doc. I also followed the instructions to a T. I used rogaine and hair vitamins. Saline solution early on. I babied the hell out of my head to give myself the best chances and this is what I got instead. There is no way to go back. Now I need to commit to follow up sessions just to get myself to not look freakish. The only concern is whether I will have poor results no matter what doc I pick. Am I just genetically inclined to have weak hair that doesn't transplant well? How much of this was doctor technique versus my hair predisposition?

In my consult with Dr. Keene I didn't have any limitations on money. I actually wanted to do FUE at first but she recommended strip. She said I should be able to get the result i wanted with only 1800 grafts. I should have went to get a second opinion but there aren't a lot of options in Tucson. I figured I was lucky to have a coalition surgeon in Tucson so didn't think twice. In hindsight I wish I did maybe 2200 or more. Now I'll probably have to go under the knife again but maybe I can get 500 FUE grafts to fill it in where needed.

Sorry about your ordeal, sr0d. Your point is well-taken - there are no guarantees. You're already committed, so focus on an improvement with this procedure at month 12 and achieving your goals with the next. Best of luck.

Yes, I would have said you need 2500 or more for a wow result, but it still looks low yield so far.

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2110 FUT grafts by DR. Raymond Konior on July 30th, 2012

Best HT advice I have ever heard: "Find a doctor that you need more than they need you." Author Unknown

Click Here to View Spanker's Website

Is a low yield the result of a poor transplant by the dr staff or can someone just have poor hair genetics tht don't transplant well? I ask because I am contemplating whether to continue with a second surgery or do I cut my losses and go with the buzz cut and get the tattoo pigment procedure (can't recall formal name).

It all depends. Just another crap shoot IMO. I have seen people do well the second time and seen people do not so well. I don't thing it looks bad enough to have to shave. I would wait a year and see how dr Keene deals with it. It may worth your while search for another doc. I don't know a lot about that doctor but you shouldn't take traveling off the table to get the right doc.

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2110 FUT grafts by DR. Raymond Konior on July 30th, 2012

Best HT advice I have ever heard: "Find a doctor that you need more than they need you." Author Unknown

Click Here to View Spanker's Website

i have no idea why she would only told you 1800 would give you the results you desire...