fortune11

This one (FUE , #4) unfortunately is not turning out as I had expected based on my prior results from FUT #1, or FUT #3. At the 9 month mark I had expected to see better growth in the area behind the hairline and the side channels , which were the focus of the hair transplant, but as I told Dr Ron Shapiro, I am willing to patiently watch the result until 1 + year to see the extent of full growth. Maybe it is the fact that it was FUE this time and not FUT, maybe it is the fact I have switched from oral to topical finasteride, maybe at this stage and after 4 hair transplants, luck simply runs out. Whatever it is, right now I am not getting the improvement I expected from this process. Anyways as I said, lets give it some more time before passing judgement. And I will post pictures as well. The acne side effect is something that I had never experienced since I was in my early 20s and thats where I think the beard hair extraction is the culprit. I have been on antibiotics for more than six months now and it is clearly not a good long term solution. One dermatologist I consulted has even recommended going on accutane (that I once took as a teenager) to fix this problem. Again, I have had good success with prior HTs (#1 and #3 esp) so can't really complain but this is a good reminder to me that there is a limit to what one can achieve using hair transplants. I am what people would consider a veteran (13 years and 4 HTs). I still hope it all works out . I will keep you guys posted. Dr Ron has been helpful and supportive as always.

I was on it for. about 4 weeks total if I recall correctly. By restlessness I mean just that , had trouble sleeping, and generally felt more stressed . Nothing related to work and the symptoms persisted even when I was on a mini vacation. I didn't see a reason to continue oral when I already had no side effects from topical rogaine.

I have actually stopped oral minoxidil a few months ago and switched completely to topical -- both for minoxidil (back to old regimen) and also for finasteride (topical solution from Italian pharmacy). Oral minx did not suit me and I didn't want to continue after getting some early side effects like increased restlessness etc . I am due for my 6 mo consultation with Dr Ron shortly. I will post something here after that along with pictures.

Update on this issue . I have started a new course of prescribed (by Dr Shapiro) antibiotics and those, along with the antibiotic cream, have helped a lot with reducing the beard acne and even the donor area acne has been going down quite a bit. One thing I will note is I did have acne as a teenager which did not go away until I took accutane and cleared it up by age 25. I have not had any incidence of acne since then now until this FUE episode. Ultimately it will all have been well worth the acne hassle once the growth kicks in. Eagerly awaiting the results over the next several months.

Thanks David91 . I replied to your PM as well. With the problem I am facing with these ingrown hair , I wonder why this is not raised more often in FUE related discussions. I always expected a few ingrown hairs here and there but none to this degree. Maybe my situation is unique.

Thanks for the helpful responses, I am continuing with the antibiotic cream, that seems to be working so far. Hopefully this will go away within a few weeks.

How does topical fin actually work. ? I mean I know the oral fin suppresses 5 alpha reductase which in turn decreases production of DHT. Wouldn't topical have to do the exact same thing to be equally effective ? That is , first get absorbed into the skin and then blood and then do the exact same suppression of 5 alpha reductase. which means topical fin may be a lot less effective than oral fin given this extra step of absorption into the skin. ? maybe I have this whole thing wrong but can someone more knowledgeable than me explain the process by which topical fin achieves the same efficacy as oral fin ? Thank you !

Maybe this has already been asked and answered but if anyone w experience can shed more light here -- I had an FUE (Donor was back of scalp + beard hair) about 2 months ago. I saw a few ingrown hair pimples in the donor area at month 1 mark which I addressed via some antibiotics (prescribed by my HT surgeon) and also topical anti bacterial cream. Recently I have been seeing much greater incidence of ingrown hair esp in the beard section as well a a few spots in the donor scalp. I have been told that it is sometimes expected as the hair growth starts around the 3 month mark. I have continued to apply the antibacterial cream as advised and even though the number of pimples is now more than a dozen, it is still somewhat manageable. Have others faced the a similar experience post FUE ? I never had this problem before w my prior three FUT transplants. One reason I was told by the Dr was that sometimes there is transection of other hair during the FUE extraction process that can cause this, a factor which is less relevant during FUT.

The doctor did say I have some hair left for one more transplant . If I had to guess based on current density , I would cuff it at ~ 1000. I may save them for a future emergency fix transplant if needed way down the road, but nothing in the near or medium term.

2 days after surgery grafts are pretty secure, I don't think your bump affected growth of hair follicles buried deeper inside. As gillenator said, it is probably a coincidence. I actually bumped my head once getting out of the van back to the hotel after surgery in Bloomington - was really mad at myself for being so stupid but fact is you are on so many meds that it is hard to stay in full awareness of your surroundings at all times. That bump didn't affect anything in terms of growth in that area.

For hairline work such as yours, you have to at least talk to Ron Shapiro even if you eventually end up going with someone else. His expertise in this area is unique.

I have never fully understood why don't surgeons take a crescent moon shaped strip -- so thinner at the sides and thicker at the back of the head (where there is more donor hair and more scalp laxity) - that would solve most of the side scar issues. The strip could be smaller in length as well . All you can do now is move on and hope for the best, but if my experience is any guide , that side scar will never show enough improvement to be rendered invisible at short haircuts. This is the single biggest drawback of FUT that cannot be overcome. There are many who live happily ever after with pencil-thin scars and I counted myself among those until my HT#3 when the scalp finally gave up and said " no more" . Nonetheless , like i said , the growth from the HT was so good that for me the trade off was worth it in the final analysis.

Update -- I am now little more than 3 weeks post op . Some new experiences this time around (compared to prior HTs) -- 1) Beard hair extractions resulted in some ingrown hair / folliculitis for which i am taking anti biotic as prescribed by the dr. also started applying an anti infection cream. 2) For some reason, the hair neighboring the transplanted area has started thinning as well and looks off balance when compared with the hair on the back / donor that has grown back in a more normal fashion. Per Dr culprit could be shock loss , or it could be a combination of oral and topical minoxidil is causing faster shedding (and hopefully faster regrowth later) . Hair below the scar (where grafts were put in) is also experiencing some shock loss. I have been discussing these regularly w Dr Shapiro who has been immensely helpful every step of the way. Hoping that these issues resolve themselves within a month or two. Concealment is becoming a real challenge now considering the client facing nature of where I work.

SMP is very hit or miss . I shelled out some real $$ for an SMP here in CA at a supposedly reputed outfit and it faded within 8 months -- I thought they were very meticulous . Maybe it was my skin type which rejected it , maybe it was their technique . Who knows, these things are hard to pin down as that clinic also has some other patients who are happy. But I am an SMP skeptic now, especially considering how expensive it can be for what it involves and the bigger variability of results , in my opinion at least.

Also I must mention the scar area is really tender compared to rest of the scalp. And since grafts were placed into the scar , there is quite a bit of lingering pain there which will probably fade away with time but there is that constant sensation of tightness along that region in the meantime

Thanks . I changed docs as Dr Ziering was somewhat local and I had some issues w travel around that time. But to be frank with you , the best results came from #1 and #3 . that explains why I went back to Dr Ron for #4 as well. As you know he does not do all the FUE extractions himself - it is actually Dr Josephitis - but he makes the incisions and designs the plan and is intimately involved with the whole process. The only issue is the scar from #3 was a little too big on the right side for my taste and in hindsight , maybe we could have been a little less aggressive in taking the strip on the right side where the scalp laxity was poor . But we are fixing that now with this FUE . Ultimately , my biggest issue is getting good coverage given the poor donor availability and being a NW6 . HT #1 and #3 went a long way in giving good coverage with relatively few hair . I credit Dr Ron's planning , design and placement techniques for that. I am hoping this FUE gives me the same results as those prior FUTs .

We did transplant into the scar as well , thats where many of the beard singles went actually. Right now you still see that scar line because there seems to be some shock loss right below where the grafts were put in the scar. I expect them to cover the scar (thats the intent) but Dr Ron said that we might need to still do some SMP down the road if needed . My goal is to be able to buzz down to a 3 or 4 . Right now anything less than a 6 shows the scar on the right. Like with all previous transplants, I am reserving judgement on this one until at least one year out when I see the results develop . Hope this helps.

Shouldn't be a problem at all generally speaking but you may have to check w your doctor as to how much is feasible. When i went in I had the mindset of getting at least 1600-1800 , but we were only able to safely extract 1200 or so. The two scars maybe visible for a while while the shaved donor area grows back.

I tried to take these against backdrop of natural lighting (how others would see you if you were walking around outdoors) but it was kind of overcast so maybe not the best conditions. The donor is bouncing back as expected but the hair on top is painfully slow growth , probably a result of shock loss . On advice of spex, I have begin taking some Biotin starting today. Lets see what happens Other regimen cocktail includes vitamin B12, vitamin D, propecia 1mg daily, 2.5mg daily oral minox, nightly 5% rogaine topical application.

Thanks , I will give biotin a shot as well . Any particular brand you recommend . I think you are right , recipient probably going through a shock and dr Shapiro explained it as such to me as well , I was really puzzled initially since donor probably went through a shock as well given the fue extractions . But maybe the donor area is more resilient to begin with I guess and hence this outcome . Unfortunately I am in a work situation where I cannot wear a hat and it is a constant challenge to look presentable for meetings etc.

Hi all While I am a veteran of many HTs I have never had hair cut really short / shaved until my FUE now. What I am finding is while the donor area (which went through FUE) is nicely bouncing back as I would expect based on historical growth rates, the recipient scalp (which got trimmed as hair were placed in between existing hair) is painfully slow growth to the point of almost non existent, even at 3 weeks post op. Note that I am not talking about new grafts , but regrowth of the old hair that was trimmed down (some of which were native but many others were also there from prior transplants) Not only have I continued my old regimen of topical rogaine plus oral propecia, but I have also added 2.5mg daily oral minox to my regimen and some MSM as well. Nothing seems to be helping so far. Anyone else experience this difference before -- thoughts / feedback ? thanks !

I just had FUE as well and have a pre existing scar . I am using "Joan Rivers" fill in powder (sold on amazon) to conceal the scar and it actually works very effectively in the short term until your hair grows back fully. But yes , it is a painfully slow process. At the rate my hair is growing right now, it probably won't be anywhere close to full growth (for the prior hair) until 2-3 months out .

One item -- I know this is maybe not the answer you want to hear but seeing your hair pics , I personally don't think a transplant is even needed at this point. If you decided to get one, concealment would be very easy given you have plenty of coverage all over the scalp. Trimming the hair short well before the transplant would be a good strategy. Do give Ron Shapiro a call though, he is certainly among the very top few in the world when it comes to designing hairlines.

You have listed some solid names up here. I recently had an FUE with Ron Shapiro but he does like to trim the recipient area for better placement . But if you are looking at hairline, I would strongly consider Ron Shapiro nonetheless, or atleast get his thoughts on what you prefer and if it is feasible in his opinion. My hairline transplant with him in 2004 was as solid as can be and he designed it accounting for my future loss pattern, looks very natural. That was FUT, but he still trimmed the recipient area to get in between hairs. The one time i did not get my hair trimmed was 2011 (different doctor though) and that transplant did not turn out to be as well as the others. Was that the only factor - probably not , but did play a role I think. I also work in a client facing industry and was very concerned about trimming / shaving since I cannot wear a hat at work. But I often only had 1-2 weeks off from work unlike what you have. Personally I think a month off from work is plenty of time for regrowth. You can also manage with hair concealers in the meantime (if you post pics , it may be easier to comment on this aspect) . And before heading for a transplant you can clip your hair short so that people get used to it and it is not that big of a surprise when they see you again after a month.

I recently had FUE and started using Rogaine 7 days post op. My FUE clinic (Shapiro Medical) was ok with it as long as it did not cause irritation in the grafted area. That is really the main concern here. I have also started taking prescription oral minoxidil (2.5mg / day) to see if it helps with regrowth.