Follically-Challenged

These are awesome results. Considering your starting position was much worse than mine, you have a much better result than me with only 900 more grafts with the same Dr.

That is what I expected when I went to Dr Rahal having looked at numerous amazing results. I am sure there is more to come.

Wow - stunning result. Damn. I might seriously consider Bisanga for my repair.

I wish my results had turned out like this. I only had 200 grafts less than you but a vastly inferior result.

I appreciate it but I mentally prepared myself to go through the procedure but I am not sure I could do it this time especially since I know how painful the post HT recovery period is. Even if I decide against a free procedure by Dr Rahal, I am not sure which surgeon I will go with. Time will tell. Thanks for the advice bro, I appreciate it. Will keep you posted.

Thanks for the advice and support bro. Appreciate it. I will pm you for your before and afters.

I am not sure at this moment whether I am ready for a free touch up with Dr Rahal. I know he has a strong reputation and is well respected (including by me). But my question is and always will be - why are my results below par? There are so many questions are going through my head which I intend to discuss with Dr Rahal in person. There is also the issue whether I want a 2nd procedure with Dr Rahal or any other Doctor. To be honest, having gone through so much pain and then to see average results, I am not sure I could face that again. However, this does not mean that I am questioning Dr Rahal or his ethics. I believe and maintain Dr Rahal is a genuinely decent guy. I still plan to go and see Dr Rahal in person and will then decide. I want to thank everyone on this forum for your advice and support. I really appreciate it.

There is no furious back-pedalling. I have merely admitted that I went over the top in my initial comments as those were borne out of frustration. I need to be balanced and maybe I have gone to other extreme. This does not mean that I am happy with where I am. Au contraire. I am very disappointed at how it has turned out thus far. However, I want to give it some time before I make the final call on this. Despite it being 8 months Dr Rahal has offered a free touch up. Whilst this does not really seem that appealing given that I will have to go through the same pain again, the gesture is very much appreciated. I also want to add that I still do not know the reasons behind the average results thus far. I will post 9 month pictures soon for everyone to give their opinion. However, I am willing to see Dr Rahal in person to see where this ends up.

Glocktop, I just wanted to clarify a few points. I had high expectations about my HT and am naturally disappointed with the results. I am looking for reasons why the results are not as good. There were things I said that were too strong and not right. It was not fair to Dr Rahal or his clinic and for this I have apologised. Whatever, the reasons are/were, Dr Rahal said he and his team will do everything to rectify the situation. I am okay with that. People have also told me to wait at least 12 months before saying it is a failed HT. I am okay with this as well. I want to reiterate a few things about the procedure: Dr Rahal removed the strip and did the sutures Dr Rahal did the incisions and planted the initial grafts His staff were friendly and courteous. Mike, in particular was fantastic. My results may not have gone as expected. One of the reasons why I chose Dr Rahal was due to the positive feedback from other patients and people on this forum. In terms of the people I met and how they dealt with me, I cannot complain. I want to reiterate this point again. The people at Rahal clinic were fantastic. The fact that Dr Rahal has agreed to fly me over at his expense is a positive step in the right direction to help resolve this. I am more hopeful now that I will reach a satisfactory conclusion.

It is a very nice gesture. As I said before I have grievances about the procedure but I cannot say anything negative about Dr Rahal the person. I will keep you posted on how things go.

Hi Joe. Thanks for the feedback. I have received an email from Dr Rahal. He said that his European trip has been cancelled and that I will have to fly to Ottawa. Dr Rahal will cover the cost of the trip. I just have to find the right time as it is a long way away from the Middle East.

Hi All, I thought it would be useful to give an update. Dr Rahal has agreed to see me in person to assess whether I do have a failed hair transplant (as pictures do not tell the full story) before he takes any course of action. He said he is going to be in Europe in August and that he will inform me of the dates so I can fly to meet him. He said he will cover the cost of the ticket. Following this meeting, if there is any touch up required (in my opinion there is), Dr Rahal has agreed to do this free of charge. He said he is happy to do the surgery on Friday or Saturday and he will do this personally. This was on 9th July. I subsequently emailed Dr Rahal on 15 July with some concerns and grievances I had regarding my procedure. Dr Rahal took the time to give a detailed response which was much appreciated. I have not received any feedback from Dr Rahal regarding his European visit. I have emailed him a couple of times and am awaiting a response. I am keen to see how I can resolve this. I will keep you all updated.

I had a HT with Dr Rahal and it has not turned out too well. Dr Rahal is now working with me to resolve it. Whilst the results have not been great, I cannot fault him for his manners and him looking out for his patients. He has been understanding and willing to help resolve my situation. I will have a more detailed write up in my own thread. I cannot fully endorse Dr Rahal at this moment in time as my results have not been great. However, in time I may change my opinion.

Stay at the guest house. That is the best part of the experience. You meet other people that you can share your experience with. It has a good atmosphere where you can meet a lot of different people. I preferred that instead of cooped up and stressed out in a hotel.

Really - is there really such a thing? How many cases have you come across that are poor responders. So my left side was a good responder but my right side was a poor responder. Hmmm.

We are talking about 2 different things here. I am talking about FUT. My procedure was FUT and so was this patient's. Also dont get me wrong, I am not doubting Dr Rahal's ability or integrity. I know from speaking to him and his representatives that he takes pride in his work and takes every case seriously. He is currently taking my case seriously. I am just bemoaning my luck that I had a poor result and wondering where it all went wrong.

Nonsense. 2,700 is not a mega session. 4,000 plus grafts are a mega session.

I got 200 grafts less than this guy with Dr Rahal and have ended up with a much worse result. Still trying to get my head round that.

I dont think you have anything to worry about. I know Dr Rahal and Mike personally do FUE. Mike is very experienced so you have nothing to worry about there. My outburst was probably my own frustrations bubbling over. I have spoken to Dr Rahal and he mentioned that the technicians he used were experienced enough.

All. I just want to clarify a few things. Firstly, as I mentioned before the way my post was worded was completely inappropriate. What I said and the way I said it was out of order. This is not to say that I am happy with my hair transplant. I am not. But there is a way of doing things and I did it the wrong way. I should have contacted Dr Rahal first. Even though I have been speaking to patient services, I should have given Dr Rahal thr opportunity to discuss my case. Secondly, given where I am I need to give it some more time. I was so upset that I did not realise what I was saying. I have since spoken to Dr Rahal and will mention this in a separate thread as it will get lost if I mention it in this thread

Problem with physiology. How do you explain my left side growing out really well yet the right side looks bare. If it was physiology, then the left side would not have grown out. The lack of hair on the right side has everything to do with grafts failing to grow as they were not transplanted properly.

I appreciate that. I just want to make a couple of things clear. Firstly, I said somethings last night on here that were heat of the moment stuff at a time when I was at boiling point. I am still pretty upset but I take back some of the personal stuff I said. That was out of order and I apologise. In no way do I want to personally attack anyone. However, this still does not take away from the fact that I am sitting with a below par HT after a 2,700 graft procedure. I will never be able to get those grafts back. In addition, I still believe that I did not have the most experienced staff during my surgery. That is just my opinion. I am sure Dr Rahal's opinion will differ from mine but I am the one who has to live with this result. Maybe the poor results are clouding my judgement but I am sure you all appreciate that it is never easy to have a failed transplant.

Yes on rogaine before and after and propecia before and after.

Why would I give it another shot? He has just wasted 2,700 grafts. I have a limited amount of grafts. Can I trust him to screw up precious grafts?

I dont know. I have not had my hair that short to see how it turned out. I am now bricking it on that front as well.