Mycroft

The initial result was very good, even with the unflattering lighting conditions of the clinical photography and the hairline pulled back. I have to imagine it's going to be mind-blowing once the second procedure grows in.

One of the better European clinics that I have seen, especially if you need to consider using FUT at any point. The results also tend to look very natural in my opinion, and graft placement never looks too patterned or or "manufactured."

Most accounts on the forum say the texture of the hair starts to normalize more in the 12-18 month range. Sometimes later like 24. I wouldn't worry about it right now, but I'm sure you could ask Dr. Bisanga's office what his patients generally report if you want a more specific timeline.

The result looks really good and you're not quite at the final stage, so the texture is really just a matter of patience. The hair is basically not "matured" yet but should get there with time.

Definite improvement even with the hair combed forward and the hairline concealed, which is impressive. Even the weaker side looks good given the stage you're at. Congrats.

Nice closure on the corners. It blends very well with his native hair. A small graft count as you said, but definitely a noticeable difference in the facial frame.

The light isn't as harsh in these photos as it was in some of the last batch, but this looks pretty robust. A case like yours can be a little tough because realistically you seem like you've got a pretty good head of hair aside from the frontal recession so in some respects you have higher expectations. With that said even if you do want a little more, a small number of grafts would be all you need as you've said.

Very nice result, and great new photography setup. The lighting and image quality is very good in the after images and it really helps showcase the details. 

Definitely some shock loss but that's a reasonable expectation given that the area was diffused. This doesn't mean that the shock loss is permanent, but you may need to wait a few more months before they come back.

Nothing to be concerned about just yet. Too early to really see much appreciable growth in most cases but long enough that shedding has already kicked in.

Interesting to see some photographic documentation of this. I recall discussing my PRP with Dr. Arocha around the five or six month mark after my first treatment and mentioning that my facial hair seemed slightly more robust even though that area had not been directly treated, but I had no way to know for sure because I hadn't thought to take photos of those areas.

So, just to clarify my understanding of the nuances here, the discussion is fine if links to the threads are used lieu of posting the photos directly? Or is it that we are permitted to share the threads but sharing them in addition to discussing their contents is a no-go? 

I read more than I post these days other than to give what I consider to be good starting advice to newbies who seem like they need guidance, but I do occasionally like to discuss and compare different surgical approaches and methodologies. Are we able to link to multiple clinic-posted results and discuss in this manner, or would this only apply to threads published by patients?

That thread seemed like productive and civil discussion to me. While I don't pretend to have been following everything minute by minute, I didn't notice anyone becoming hostile or taking shots at other forum members. I think members discussing the pros and cons of each surgeon in a subjective manner is part of the reason that forums like this exist, and doctors or members who post their results on the forums are inviting a certain level of discussion regarding the result.

This does not mean that anyone needs to be hateful or aggressive in the context of this discussion, and if something along these lines ended up being posted that's not okay, but it seems to me like a situation like that would warrant a moderation of the offending comment itself rather than the removal of the entire discussion.

To me, this seems counterintuitive to the discourse and support we are all presumably looking to the forums for. If the OP requested removal of the thread for some reason, that would also be another story, but I didn't see anything that would have indicated that. Threads like that one have proven to be an invaluable educational resource for me over the years.

I remember seeing this guy's old "after" pictures" and the updated ones look just as good. The work has really held up.

For whatever it's worth a lot of the results patients post have asymmetrical growth rates, meaning one side often comes in far more quickly than the other. That doesn't mean it won't even out by the end of all this. If you were seeing zero growth in a big patch that could be cause for concern, but this looks fine so far. Just be patient for now.

I'm a little surprised to hear that the clinic thinks your donor is tapped out already. I would have thought you would have at least a little left. Did this information come from the doctor? What did he say about future reserves during the pre-surgery eval?

The design seems fine to me. Nobody can really speak to the whether the result will be good until it grows in, but so far I don't see anything problematic.

3k seemed a bit light from your description of initial goals so I'm not surprised that the count went up once they had a chance to examine you in person and isn't uncommon, although 1,500 is a big fluctuation and a cost differential that could be problematic for some people. Doesn't seem to be the case for you though and as long as you have some don't left just in case I wouldn't worry 

Still looks conservative and should provide a good face frame. You just have to wait now and try to relax a bit. Waiting is the part people always complain about.

Huge improvement from the starting point. Even as is this looks fantastic, especially considering it's wet. Nobody would look twice at the hairline now, which is the optimal result.

This is a really nice educational piece. I don't often see doctors discussing design variables and graft placement on such a specific level.

21 minutes ago, Min12 said:

Yeah but how did the 1st surgery go? Was it a success or is he getting a 2nd one because the first surgery was a disaster hence no updates??

The OP explicitly says in the first post that they planned for two surgeries. There were always going to be at least two.

I like the design you two settled on. I hope you'll continue to update us to the end because I'm very interested to see how it looks once it has grown in.

He's already got the outline of a good result at four months. I'm sure he's very excited.

Honestly, I think there's a noticeable difference between months 4 and 6 based on the photos you've shared. I think you're just a little too close to the process right now and had your perception thrown off by that large initial growth burst.

 If you're really that concerned with what percentage of grafts seems to have sprouted, I'm sure you could email Dr. Bisanga and have him give you a rough estimate of what he thinks.

Having said that, it's also important to remember that the caliber of each of these hairs will improve as well, which will contribute to better coverage and a natural appearance. I see a lot of guys with abundant but pluggy looking growth at six months who have a great result by month 12 even though they swear up and down very little new growth happened after month six. I totally understand why you're anxious to get to your goal, but try not to work yourself up over a crisis that may not come to pass.

I've heard a number of surgeons comment that early growth isn't necessarily linear. In other words, a patient who sees a burst of early growth may often slow down and see a bit of a lull into a more gradual evolution, ending around the same timeframe as a late grower. That may be what you're experiencing here. I certainly don't think there's any reason to be concerned at this point as you've got very noticeable growth even though you're pretty early in the process.

I'm going to reiterate what everyone else said, that this is too early to know how good or bad it is going to be. The post op photos make it look as though a reasonable number of grafts were placed in the area, so right now you need to chill and wait.

You are 100% off about there not being many other cases that are like this at month four. In fact, I have seen many that look far worse after a patient suffers significant shock loss. It's also pretty common for patients to have a problem spot that grows slower and patchier than other transplanted areas. In some cases this spot needs a small touch-up surgery, but it is by no means a failed transplant.

I'm not sure if you went into this with unrealistic expectations or if it's just that you're having trouble dealing with it in the moment, but straight up you need to wait 8-12 months to get a good idea. In your case it's likely closer to 12 because it doesn't look like you're going to be a particularly fast grower. Just relax.

For what it's worth shedding 15 hairs isn't abnormal or even a sign of hair loss. That is very much within normal range. I wouldn't stress about that in and of itself.

Buddy, I am here to tell you that you will 100% care in your thirties if you care now. Do not fall into this mindset because it's a trap.