Mike Flaherty

A few more of my current situation. 

The "completely messy frizzed up state" is how it mostly is now. 20 minutes after washing, drying, styling this is the state it reverts to. I wanted the emphasis the overall thinness.

One from 2016. The hairline is pretty even with some decent thickness at the temples and the front, 

Looking at the photos I posted today, how much coverage will 1500 grafts give me? Guess I\m looking at the front and temple areas again. That crown thinning is alarming though. I've never experienced crown loss until the past six months.

Okay, I finally managed to take some photos. This is where my hair is at now. I didn't even realize my crown was thinning so harshly. It's all very thin hair with nothing near the temples to bind what hair I have onto. This is basically the state of my hair just before first transplant. 

Strangely enough I never did develop sides from Fin. Yes, I gained weight but I chalked that up to not leading that active a lifestyle. I have never developed any sexual side effects at all. My libido has remained extremely high. I've even grown body hair in places I never had coming up on 16 months of daily Fin usage. I've been a bit depressed lately but I've had bouts of that since I was 15. I don't feel Fin is a cause there.

On 10/10/2021 at 1:59 PM, digi23 said:

I get it that you freak out, and I see what you are writing, but you are posting photos which basically tell us the opposite so its abit difficult for anyone to understand.

If you want us to be able to try to help you out you need to send better photos which confirms all these points.

I understand. I am trying to get photos taken to adequately depict my situation. Complaining about it on these boards is not going to determine the cause or options I have. I have however decided to see the Dr. in person next month. I can't wait any longer. Until he sees this in person we're all at a loss (no pun intended). I'll be in touch with the clinic to arrange a time tomorrow.

I am just wondering how the exchange rate is regarding a procedure at Euginex. Also, if you don't mind, what typically does a round-trip ticket cost?

1 minute ago, JDEE0 said:

Can is a given, yes. That it 'most likely will' is a fairly preposterous, strong statement.

In your case just like this one, we really need to see before/baseline pics to have any idea of what's going on. 

My surgeon used the word "will."

I can say with 100% authority that transplanted hair can and most likely will thin again and fall out beyond the 10-year mark. My surgeon told me a few months ago that transplanted hair will continue  to fall out along with native hair. It was quite distressing to hear this as myself and my mother asked the surgeon at the time how long transplants last and the response then was they "last forever,"

This photo actually makes my hair appear thicker than it is. I honestly believe it's getting worse by the week. 

The hair on the sides of my head have ceased growing. 

The hair around my crown will not grow to any length.

I've developed bare patches on my right front, left front where I part my hair, the area on the right side of my head near the top of of strip scar.

The hair on the front of my scalp which was always the thickest area has now become thin, wispy flyway hair that is unable to bind to any hair towards the side.

Temple recession and even slight frontal thinning/recession.

Something detrimental is occurring and my hair is regressing to pre-transplant levels to the time when I first met Dr. Rahal and he told me the hair I had wasn't going to last "much longer."

Most of these issues have occurred within the last year.

So, basically I'm freaking out.  

16 minutes ago, digi23 said:

Its a bad quality photo, but it does not look bad at all?

To be able to answer anything we need good quality photos in good light, on all of the areas you are considering to add density in and also on your donor area/sides.

This one is probably slightly better quality as it's not zoomed. 

This is what I'd LOVE to wind up with after three procedures. 

Thinness in the left part of the scalp. If you look closer through my front thin waves you can see other bare areas. The area towards the back cown is thin as well as there's hardly anything there to bind my hair together. Would another 1500 grafts (maybe a little more) really add density? 

11 minutes ago, Curious25 said:

What’s it done to you in the past year ? 

It's thinned my crown, sides, front, center of my scalp. I only started it up again to help with some patchy spots I showed and addressed to a Rahal representative back in 2019.

On 8/8/2021 at 7:42 PM, Mark Wolfer said:

Your second procedure was 10 years ago, and you've only been on finasteride for 11 months as of this thread in June. I'd say your native hairs and your transplant hairs both were affected by DHT for 9 years and a month and this is why you've had more thinning.

Maybe the fin you're on now has caused a shed and it will grow back to how it was before you started on fin.

 

The second procedure was nine years ago. I've been on Fin for 15 months now and there's no doubt it has ravaged my hair. It's beginning to recede now at the temples and front where it's always been the strongest. I hope this is just a shed because when my hair is wet my scalp appears nearly 50% sparse. Gels, pastes, sprays work for ten minutes then the hair feels deflated again. My hair is in the same condition as it was right before my first transplant (maybe worse). 

In my Zoom call with Dr. Rahal there couldn't be much to diagnose as the lighting wasn't great and he recommended I fly to Ottawa to see him in person. The only thing he was certain of was that I was going to continue to lose hair, including transplanted hairs. I was advised to continue using Fin which despite what it's done to me in the past year, I intended to do. He recommended an additional 1500 grafts to address some of the more thin areas. Half of me believes that would help greatly, the other half worries it will help little. But he did feel my situation was urgent enough to see him in person. 

I'm deciding between Eugenix and my regular clinic for my third transplant to address my patchy spots and thinning areas. Right now Eugenix is looking better by the day. 

4 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

@Mike Flaherty

I ask that you please authorize Dr. Rahal to speak on your case. To keep our forum fair and open, it is in everyone’s best interest to discuss this openly. I don’t feel we can host a one-way discussion. Please respond to the request.

Yes. I did respond and grant Dr. Rahal (who PM'd me and I will be Zooming with him I suppose in the relative near future) permission to do so long as personal details are not shared (as stated, I'm in journalism and don't want this to be the first thing people find when searching my real name).

On 6/17/2021 at 2:16 PM, 5BetaReductase said:

This. I believe scalp health is underestimated.

 

do you have any redness or flaking as well?

I don't.

On 6/17/2021 at 1:59 PM, Dr. Rahal said:

Hi Mike.

Great to see you here and thanks for sharing. Definitely understand your frustrations. It's not a good feeling losing hair after a hair transplant. 

Would you be ok with us sharing information about your situation? We can explain what's going on... from a medical perspective... and what treatment options were presented to you? 

It would be helpful for those considering a hair transplant and what to expect long-term, also taking into account hair characteristic, donor availability, hair loss history, medications, etc. 

Of course any personal information will not be shared. 

Please let me know. Will also pm

Thank you. Yes, of course you are welcome to share this information. I also responded to your PM. 

On 6/17/2021 at 10:54 AM, champybaby said:

I'm just realizing I responded to a post that was more than a year old lol

I do that too. lol. My initial post is well over a year old. I posted additional comments last week. 

8 hours ago, Mycroft said:

I am actually unclear whether any of the photos thus far represent the peak strength of your transplant results. The way I've read it all photos here reflect your hair after the additional thinning you described in the original post. Is that correct?

It's hard to comment on the original result without being sure of what I'm looking at, but I agree with others that it doesn't look terrible, but I also see why you're frustrated with it. 

You said you're 11 months on Finasteride, but in the original post you referenced a previous thickening with meds. Was that Minoxidil or did you have a previous stint with Finasteride?

I'm trying to explain as best as I can and as I mentioned in a previous comment  I did have a video conference with a Rahal rep and showed them my thinning concerns. I can't say my results were ever on the "full" or "thick" side, hence the need for a second procedure just two years after my first. There's no doubt my hair has thinned considerably since then, naturally though I'm half convinced shock loss was a factor as the point end of the strip is as thin as it's ever been. I did continue to use Fin for some time, left it and restarted last July - pretty much on it an entire year again now. Speaking with the doctor in Sept. he  advised me thickening and growth would happen in time but it's just the opposite. Hairs are falling out on my laptop, on the edge of my sink and my scalp is extremely itchy. Between my patchy spots on the sides, back, and top of my head my transplanted hair is weak, thin, brittle, and difficult to comb or style. Perhaps my expectations were high but this is incredibly frustrating to me as meds (Fin not minoxidil) aren't working, what hair I have looks  and feels terrible and I'm gaining more sparse thin patches.  I understand It's difficult to visualize without photos and determine what is actually going on. If I was reading this from another member I'd want to see them too. It's difficult as I live alone and just can't get the angles right, I will be posting some. 

I thought I'd update this post and sadly things have gotten much worse. I'm on month 11 of daily Finasteride per doctor's instruction and I fear it's shredded my hair. I have more patchiness/sparseness and I'm thinning greatly on top now along with my crown. My hair has no density at all and I can even see how it's flattened from my shadow when I'm outside. I haven't grown anything on the side and the hair I have just sticks out as there's thin patches of hair but not enough for it to "catch" onto other hair if that makes sense. To maintain even a little bit of volume I have to shampoo twice a day at least. My hair is extremely very thin (practically pre-transplant thin), soft and you can even see light through it. Over $20,000 spent and my hair feels worse than before my transplants. Unless I spend close to another $7000 for a third procedure there's nothing to be done. I know those of you reading this wish to see photos and I will have them posted here within a few days. I'll send them to the doctor's clinic first. It seems all my procedures bought me wasn't a lifetime of hair but only seven-eight years. 

Concealers didn't really work for me. I tried one - it was Marc Anthony thickening fibers and it made a mess of everything. As you can see my bare patches extend to half the top area of my scalp. I don't feel concealers can make up for that. It's the amount of money I paid out only to have bare areas that's concerning to me.

Dr. Rahal (or someone from his clinic) has messaged me. I've been on assignment yesterday and today but should hopefully be able to discuss my concerns with him tomorrow.

Slightly higher quality pics.

7 hours ago, John Doe said:

That doesn’t look too bad. A bit thin on top but nothing near 1500-2000 more grafts (given the $7000 price) what about pics before your HTs?

I don't have any pre-op photos but I'm sure the clinic has them.

1 hour ago, John Doe said:

I had a surgery of 2740 grafts with Rahal in May and I’m in a place where I’m gonna need certain issues resolved where hairs weren’t placed or placed poorly. Gonna give them the chance to make it right. I’m giving it the 12 months to be fair to Rahal but I’m 99.9% sure this will not magically fix itself. Sucks Ill have to make another 8 hour drive one way and time off work so I feel your pain

That's not good to hear. Giving it the full 12 months sounds fair. You should see even more growth by Christmas and after (seeing the new growth come in is so awesome!) and it will take that long before near maximum results but  bare patches are a letdown. I know it was nine years ago but I do recall Dr. Rahal doing most of the work on my first procedure but the second one two years later was mainly done by - I believe his name was Mike (younger technician) and the female technicians who were all really very nice. Dr. Rahal was very present though and did the initial important steps. The first procedure went by smooth as caramel but during the second one, there was trouble getting the strip extracted. It took some effort so I'm not keen on another strip procedure at all which I feel could case some permanent major damage. Now that I'm graduated and working in the field of reporting I am more aware of how my bare patches have progressed (I see them on video - ugh). I hated to make a public post but didn't know what else to do.