BDK081522

Here's a simple litmus test. Do you see any of the other elite surgeons who achieve the most natural, dense, jaw dropping results implanting in rows? Ever see this from Zarev, Couto, or Konior? If no, then this is not the way. 

From the pictures, the density difference can be attributed to how the hair is styled. The hair on the left (pic) is layered on top of itself creating a visually denser result. The hair on the right (pic) is fully exposed and this is the most vulnerable spot for any transplant. You have a high skin color to hair color ratio making it even easier to see underlying scalp. Remember, you'll never have native density but visually it could look slightly more dense with a touch up procedure. Your first transplant was really well done in my opinioin. The hairline is very soft and natural looking and the density overall is pretty good. Konior could help with the density issues and give you the temple points you're looking for. 

Glad you took our advice to heart as not many do! And avoiding Diep was a blessing in disguise. You would have regretted having surgery with him. Check out Dr Barthougthi as well as he does excellent beard work. 

You're about to make a huge mistake so take a step back and just breathe. Your pattern is showing NW 5/6. You're not willing to get on medication. You look young. This is the typical recipe for disaster that we try to warn against. If you get a transplant now in the front you will continue to lose and it will look extremely odd. Especially if you're going to a hair mill. Please take our advice. Visit a reputable clinic and rethink medical therapy before doing anything else. Any of these clinics your thinking about don't care about your long term well being. They will all take your money and do whatever you ask them to. 

I've never really been blown away by True and Dorin's results. While this certainly lacks density I wouldn't classify it as disastrous. Hopefully your second transplant continues to mature and gives you the result you are seeking. I would like to ask though, if you'd be willing to pay $30K for 1100 grafts why didn't you go to Konior?

I voted emphatically yes. His practice has been putting out some of the most egregious results of any clinic on this forum for the last 4 years. Donors have been destroyed by larger than needed punches, one sided harvesting, linear line FUE scarring, and lastly some of the worst FUT scars that have ever been produced. His implantation technique leaves chunky grafts placed in cornrows, angles that are too perpendicular to the skin, and very odd temple closures that sometimes show low yield. I have personally experienced many of these shortcomings after receiving a 2024 graft FUE from him in 2017. I was still very naive in my understanding of hair restoration at the time of my choosing him as my surgeon. Like many others I saw his YouTube videos and a few results here that looked dense. I had no appreciation of donor management or naturalness of the hairline. I can honestly say I made a mistake by choosing him. I flew across the country, paid a ton of money, only to have an experience of never remembering him doing any work on me, a mangled donor where absolutely no planning was done, and a recipient area that had bad angles and chunky grafts. These are all technique and surgical related issues. I think what is even worse is his recent lack of ethics that have been demonstrated on a few occasions here. The latest of which is doing a terrible FUE/FUT combo case on a 21 year old with slight recession leaving him with a horrible FUT scar for only 550 grafts. Just why would this ever be suggested in 2022 with how good FUE has become. His whole practice seems like it is driven by revenue rather than patient satisfaction. From the front office to the young inexperienced techs that seem to do the bulk of the heavy lifting. Everything should be questioned at this point. He does not meet the standards of what this highly regarded forum represents and as such, in my opinion, should be removed from the recommended list. 

The time has come. Dr. John Diep should no longer be recommended by this forum. This patient is just the latest case of a long list that question his abilities and ethics when it comes to hair restoration. The emotional turmoil that he has caused this patient and the many before him is simply not acceptable. @Melvin- ModeratorThis case needs to be reviewed and a decision made on whether this type of ethics and subpar work is something the forum stands behind. 

This is an absolutely unethical surgical intervention and the surgeon needs to be held accountable. There are so many things wrong with this whole scenario and OP we are here for your guidance and reassurance that you can still be helped. You need to seek help from the repair experts that deal with these types of cases. Search the forum for repair cases and see what can be done. You should have never been operated on as a 21 year old. You should never have been given an FUT for 500 grafts. That is absolute absurdity in 2022. The angles are almost perpendicular and the pluggy look is just downright wrong on so many levels. Please let the forum know who is responsible for this as there are ethical issues as well as the obvious technical ones.

To achieve the density you will want (considering how detailed you scrutinize your hairline) you're more than likely going to need two procedures. Surgeons have to plan for graft survival as they compete for new blood supply. As such not all of them grow so you'll never get 100% from any surgeon. So, implanting at lower than natural density and not getting 100% regrowth will more than likely lead you to do two passes. Even with Konior, results are limited to your own physiology. I had to have two passes with him myself. So, keep that in mind that this will be years of your life with his waiting time and  growth waiting times etc. 

Why are you narrowing your search to Turkey or India? It's a common misconception that Turkey is the hair transplant capital of the world simply because there are so many clinics available and medical tourism is a huge part of the country's economy. Most of those clinics are full on hair mills. You're very early in your research journey. Many knowledgeable members of this forum have been around the hair transplant industry for a very long time so take advice from the senior members here. This is probably the most unbiased forum out there but it's only one tool. 

I think there's a rule where you only have like 72 hours to remove pictures. If you're outside that window from the initial posting then they cannot be removed by yourself. 

If money is no issue than Dr. Konior is a great choice. Also, look into Dr. Zarev and Dr. Couto. Keep in mind they all have waiting lists of over a year. You should also entertain the idea of getting on finasteride if not already on it. You're a diffuse thinner and it works very well in this scenario. 

Are the post op pictures from immediately after graft placement? As in the first couple days?

4 hours ago, AlexMeister21 said:

Is this another one of those reviews from a newly created account that mention they received a hair transplant from Dr. Diep in Los Gatos with an exceptional result, but they don’t include much personal details about their experience and only provide photos taken by the clinic and then never return to these forums again?

That's exactly what this is. He joined yesterday and this is his first post. 

I've had four hair transplants from vastly different skill levels of surgeons. In all my surgeries most of the grafts grew before eventually shedding. This isn't to say they have to grow but it is a sign of an established new blood supply. However, I have also had a few grafts that grew initially but never came back. I've had grafts that never grew, nor shed and eventually I just lightly tugged on and they fell. So, point being I don't believe there's only one way to a successful surgery. That being said though, it is slightly concerning that none of the grafts have grown at all after two weeks. Not sure who you went to but the work looks very clean and reminiscent of some top clinics work. Nothing you can do but wait and hope for the best. 

0 grafts currently. At only 20 years old and on medical therapy for only 4 months you have no idea how your hairloss will progress. Especially because you seem to have a diffuse pattern rather than typical male pattern. Even on medical therapy you could end up a NW 6 and grafts used at 20 years old would be insufficient and potentially look odd. You just need time at the moment, not a hair transplant. 

You're only at 4 months. The most impressive growth (visual change) typically occurs between month 4-6. You're just entering the noticeable growth phase so I would say that yes what you see right now is not indicative of your final result. Patience is one of the hardest aspects of hair restoration surgery. 

My experience has been that hairs in the immediate front of the hairline have always come in thicker and actually softened around the 6-7 month mark. Could just be my physiology but the hairline always looked less dense and more natural after some 6 months. 

1 hour ago, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

SLA,

Minoxidil is a vasodilator and was originally used to treat high blood pressure.  Thus, minoxidil can thin the blood which can make surgery much messier and cause complications.  Therefore, whether you’re taking oral or topical minoxidil, the effect is similar.  Therefore, I recommend following your doctor’s pre and postoperative instructions.

Best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant 

Minoxidil does not "thin" the blood. Please learn the pharmacokinetics and dynamics of how medications work before disseminating false information. Especially, being a representative of a hair restoration clinic. 

Neograft is a marketing tool and used by inexperienced surgeons looking to make extra income by offering hair restoration services. No elite surgeon uses it. That being said your post op photos don't look unnatural. The implanted grafts don't look like they were trimmed very much but this may be due to the limitations of the neograft system. 

Comfort suites worked well for me. I had no car and just walked to the clinic on all my trips there. It's an easy walk through some back roads and you only pop out to cross the main street to get to his office. There's a drugstore, fresh market, and Starbucks/Dunkin within walking distance as well. It's nothing fancy but has a microwave and refrigerator in your room.

If you have techs extracting misangled implanted grafts then you're at the wrong clinic. It's highly delicate work and must only be performed by the skilled hands of an experienced surgeon. 

Neither H&W or Dr Konior would operate on 20 year old who isn't even willing to try a DHT blocker. You may think your hairline has stabilized but it truly has not. As others have mentioned, all those short thin hair at the front of your hairline were once thick mature hair. They are showing signs of miniaturization and will be gone soon. Get on medication and revisit hair restoration in 5 years. 

12 hours ago, braun453 said:

Do you mean it can be shaved off clean if mostly singles are transplanted?

If they are implanted at the correct depth and angles then yes. 

More than likely, the shadow is present because the grafts were not placed at the appropriate depth. This along with thicker singles or doubles are probably why he can't shave without it looking very odd.