esrec

Sounds like a good strat. Nice that you have such downtime. I'm not in condition for public, and want to avoid conealers for first 1.5 months. Laying low as well. Keep us posted.

Nice to know I've been bothering the best during my post-op Congrats Janna!

Nail. On. The. Head. The only thing worse than entering surgery prematurely is entering surgery without consideration for the future. When people talk of conservative vs aggressive the narrative often focuses on the result we see in 12 months. Thats simply shortsighted. Gillenator is spot on.

patient profile and biology is always understated when making these comparisons. A really good candidate with moderate loss will see great results with either. A more complicated candidate with more advanced loss will almost always find FUT to be a safer bet. The debate remains centered on surgeon skill and extraction processes, as it should, but the wild card is always the candidate.

Also, as a fellow NY'er, it was tough for me to shake my ignorance that the "best of the best" surgeons were here. Plenty of super solid ones, but with the assistance of the group here I ended up with Dr. Shapiro. Do meet with Feller and Wes. I'd take a good look at Konior too. He and Ron were extremely extremely meticulous in my pre consultations with them. They explained in detail where every single placement would go and why--accounting for right now and the future. I was drawn by that. I cant speak for Rahal but obv he has a great rep too. Speak to as many docs as you can.

Not everyone is on meds prior or post HT but most have at least tried. Some discontinue w side effects or personal decision due to complications associated with Fin, but any good doc will at least push for you to be on it first before moving ahead. The aggressive hairline question requires explanation: More aggressive than your native hairline, or restoring back to your native hairline? Big distinction. Its not about how you ''should look'' at your age, but how you ''should look'' at your age relative to your existing hair loss.

Definitely a good call. SMG connected me with Dr. Wesley who was kind enough to assist in removal. Great guy. I'm definitely looking more than touching. I negotiated those terms with myself. haha. I'm off from work for a bit so time is my enemy. Good exercise in patience though. Also allows me to avoid concealers for solid 2 months. Like you said, waiting is easily most challenging part, particularly mo 1-3 as the biggest non-positive transformation is occurring. You're in great hands (as you know) with Lorenzo. How many grafts?

Serious gains right there. Nicely done.

Thanks man. Im trying to avoid speculation about anything. Save my sanity. I had no scabbing or redness at all (maybe ATP assisted) to recipient area so basically just been looking at the same since post op. As you called out, hair is getting long which is obviously just a tease. But its clean so trying not to fuss with it..... Did you mention bathing/showering before removal? Whoever did, that was clutch. Hurt a little but relief once done was fantastic.

Can you share pics / age / stats? Might be useful for feedback.

Thanks doctor. SMG super responsive as always. Appreciate the detail. I realize this is part of the waiting game so not scrutinizing so much as curiosity around the process. I never really scabbed, just some light film at the tips and dryness. I presume the next 2 weeks are when shedding is most likely to escalate. Bye Bye hairline for a while

I'm 3 week post op without much shed. I understand this may take some time and varies by the individual. As a result though, I've obviously had time to stare at the revised hairline created by Dr. Shapiro a few weeks back. I'm wondering how closely (or how great a departure) does the post op design compare to the final result? I understand thickness and density cannot be predicted, but strictly in terms of the "lines". I'm happy with placement, just looking for general feedback as to how closely their hairline design post surgery matched up 6-12 months later. (3 week post op attached)

Im in the same boat. Im 22 days post op FUT (posted recipient area pics yesterday) and no shed at all. I had no redness or scabbing at any stage so there wasnt really a big visual transition to monitor. I think the best thing you can do is nothing....unless theres still scabs present. When I shampoo I "press" my recipient area delicately but deliberately rather than massage. I've also been taking baths, which I find much easier. You can soak your head which I find allows some of the debris to dislodge more easily than if you powered through it with a showerhead. Also, from what I've read, not everyone sheds, not all areas shed at the same rate either. Personally, It's extended my downtime, but it'll also allow me to stay away from concealers longer.

Not sure you needed work done but congrats. Surprised he went to work on you.

Where do you live? If it were me Id come on here to vent and get suggestions (you have) then schedule a consult with a legitimate surgeon in or around your area to come up with a "whats next" framework. You're in the midst of a thought loop. Nothing but action and game planning is going to alleviate what youre feeling. Think whats next instead of what happened. You got this man.

can we narrow the scope here? Its impossible to address more than 2-3 legitimate concerns. what is your biggest gripe? It feels all over the place. Donor area looks fine.

3-week post op. No signficant changes to recipient. Still full and pretty clean, minimal shedding to date. Donor feels fine, better than anticipated. Stay tuned.

I agree... you do need to calm down...not for us, but for yourself. Worrying will bring you no closer to the outcome or resolution you desire. Try and take a step back..... I take no issue with you being panicked, I understand it. The difference between electice and non-elective surgery is most often mental vs physical. The former is usually more difficult. We've all suffered.. I've had some of my darkest hours due to my hair loss...I dont judge your panic, if anything, you're just being vulnerable. In the end, You maybe trusted the doctor more than you should have... we can all debate the merit in that. I think you'd agree if you were as thorough on the front end as you've been since, you'd be content with your decision. But remember, its early in the game... this is still a good doctor and no matter how bad the outcome it'll still be an improvement. Next time you'll do things a little differently... I think we can all say that about most things. Try and stay positive and be patient.

Good thoughts above. Agreed as mentioned earlier there's sufficient evidence of negligence to move forward more aggressively than usual. Documenting and logging everything should be first step. Every last detail. Agreed, though, that time wasted in court will likely accomplish nothing. Exposing him much easier to accomplish. Could even contact a local news station and detail. Right up their alley.... But I would take the high road and focus your energy on corrective measures. I think contacting your CC company is a good idea too. Just be careful what you share. AMEX for example will refund just about anything you claim to be fraud. Chase is pretty good with matters like this as well. Depending on your credit and history your chances will vary.

Fair enough--Thank you. Was mostly curious how much you used previous hairline to gauge this one because it looks solid. I brought in pictures pre-op of me at age 22, 25, 28, and now 34 so doc could see the de-evolution of mine. hopefully that proves useful in a few months.

I wouldnt allow myself to be seen without. So for me that meant a haircut that didnt address my front/middle. This was ok bc my hair was pushed back so he could still trim from sides and back. I'm likely an anomaly with how extreme I was. I also left my toppik in 48-60 hrs. Not the best idea, but it looks so much better in your hair after it binds for more than 24 hrs. Probably wasnt the best idea, but it meant I didnt overcomb and abuse my hair like i was previously. Net/ Net : if it doesnt bother you, def wash it out.

Depends. My loss bothered me to the point where I wouldnt be seen without it. I would go in for light trims frequently as to avoid a full haircut. Maybe a little insane but I own it. If youre ok with being seen without it, all the better for your haricut.

Some shady before / after pics.

All valid and objective feelings. Bedside manner is a big consideration for most. You paid a lot of $$ and trusted this person with your head. A little empathy goes a long way. Big reason why I called this out in OP post--if you dont care during the surgery, whats that say about afterwards. Any recipient or donor area concerns? Understand if you want to wait before commenting.

I think theres enough evidence of negligence already to move ahead more aggressively than your average "poor" result would allow. Would love to see the Mods contact some of their top docs and see if they could assist this gentleman sooner than later. Even if its just a consult with a plan of attack once timing is right. Its great to celebrate the victories on this forum, but situations like these are much more important. OP- do you have a log of events, timelines, play by play? I would document every single thing from start to finish as a beginning point.