Ittiaz1

Hi all 

Sorry for the very late reply. Life has been hectic for me recently (in a Good way )

Well, I had my touch up procedure with Dr ferreira in Nov 22. So it's been coming to nearly a year and a half since then. And wow, what a difference the touch up made. I am literally over the moon with my hair now. It's all filled up and I can just let it grow long or cut it short, can do lots of different styles that I haven't done in years (41 now, and for 20 years it was one style, shirt and combed down) . All my worries were addressed and I can honestly say I'm so grateful for the touch up procedure. 

I must add, from about month 10 after my first procedure the implanted hair was still growing and even so, Dr Ferreira booked me in as soon as possible so he could address my worries. He added more to the front, and the temporal peaks. 

Overall, I really am so happy with the outcome and even though I haven't got any pics of my donor area, not a single barber I go to, stops and looks closely at the donor area. I have to tell them I've had a HT and they then look closely and realise I have, otherwise they would never have known. That just shows the skill used by Dr Ferreira. Even though I was not happy 6 months after first transplant, I should have exhibited more patience as by month 10 it was looking good, but Dr ferreira still had me in and did a touch up and made it much better. He really is a artist in this field. I love my fuller hair, the hair line look so natural, and the temporal peaks look really good. I hear he's booked up all the way to end of 2024. Just shows how much in demand the man is. 

I have attached some photos, not great but let me know if you want to see more I'll take some and send them.  

First 4 are before any hair transplant ever took place. 

Photos 5&6 are day after touch up.

Rest of the photos are from a variety of times from 7 months onwards. You can see I can push the front up like a quiff , and also where I have cut it short. 

Last one was today. Need a hair cut !!

Hi guys I will wait until the full 12 months before posting new pics. I feel that would be ideal as a lot of guys in here have said to wait for the full 12 months. I do believe a touch up will do the trick. 

Thanks for your support guys. Really appreciated. 

10 minutes ago, Mycroft said:

Thanks for coming back and updating us. I agree that the level of aftercare described and shown here on the forum is top notch. 

I think if you're still seeing some additional improvement since the last photos, you're likely going to be in a position to reach your goals even if it does require another operation. I know it would be ideal to have that home run result on the first go, but since both you and the doctor are committed to getting you to a result you can both be satisfied with you are going to be just fine. It may simply take a bit longer than initially expected. 

I applaud you for taking a step back to evaluate your situation as calmly as possible. I'm sure it's a bit distressing but that big picture mindset is really important for this sort of thing since it's a lifelong struggle. I'm looking forward to your next update and hoping that you'll keep us in the loop all the way to your expected result.

Thanks  very much. I will keep you updated. 

1 minute ago, JohnAC71 said:

Thanks so much for the update. Its great to hear you have had some improvement and that the clinic are in regular contact. Be interesting to see your pics whenever your ready to post them. Fingers crossed that your growth 

Thanks man. Hope you been well.  The main thing is that dr Ferreira will work to make it a desired outcome for me if at the end it is not what i expected. Thats keep my worrying amd stress  levels minimized. 

Hi all

I know many of you have asked for updates, and spoke about there being agreements with the doctor and me not to post on here but that is absolutely not true. 

I emailed Dr Ferreira about my concerns and we both agreed i would update him every month until the 10 month mark. To be quite honest, he was actually happy i made a post on here. Each month i show him photos and videos if how its going and he analyses it. His after care is actually very good as he does care and wants the patient to be happy. Thats the feeling i am getting anyway.  A free of charge touch up is offered if the result did not meet the expectations. Not many clinics offer that. 

So, an update. Its been 8 months and yes there has been some improvement but i would like to wait until the final result has been achieved before i show more photos.  I would have expected  more coverage at this stage especially in the frontal area but i will wait the course before making any judgements. It looks better than it did at 6 months, thats for sure. I do believe i will need a touch up and am sure that will give me what i want. Furthermore i know dr Ferreira will want the desired result probably more than me. 

Ill keep you all updated and thank you for showing interest in my post. 

5 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Btw I did briefly speak to Dr. Ferreira, he said he was in communication with you and will stand by his work. A good sign of an ethical surgeon, while I know it doesn’t help your current feelings. I think it’s important for full context. I hope you end up satisfied in the end.

Thanks Melvin. I felt it the write thing to do by rewriting the post. Kept it simple and sincere. 

1 hour ago, SD1984 said:

Damn that is some super high harvesting 😬

2 hours ago, Dr. Bruno Ferreira said:

Wow! Just, wow!

 

Melvin was kind and diligent enough to bring this to my attention. I came to this thread expecting to feel quite distressed and annoyed as I read it. I take my work and the trust that patients put in me very seriously. Just thinking that a patient might be unhappy with how his/her hair transplant is evolving would ruin my day, regardlessly if I believe the surgery and result was a success or not.

 

Yet, I feel humbled. I am left in awe and gratitude.

 

I am truly amazed with how knowledgeable this community is, and how supportive you have all been to Ittiaz.

Ittiaz is going through a rough time. I can definitely understand what it is like to invest much of your time, effort and money into something that you want so badly to go right. It’s really hard to just wait for progress to come, especially when it isn’t within what you expected. It’s really frustrating and disheartening.

Therefore I am very grateful that you all gave him a massive amount of support and guidance. I’m definitely doing all I can to reassure Ittiaz that not only it’s too soon for us to make any conclusions, but also that I will be with him every step of the way. I don’t want to discuss too much of Ittiaz’s specifics (or post photos for that matter) without his proper authorization, but I believe I can say he is currently at day 178 post-op of his hair transplant. I completely understand and validate his concerns as well as say that in fact, I would like to see more growth now, but also that it’s not out of the ordinary to have slower growth and that we can’t really come to any conclusions or make any decisions now. We just need to be patient.

I’ve read what Ittiaz has written and, aside from the title of this thread, I believe what he’s said has been mostly fair to me. I can understand disappointment as that is a subjective emotion, but I can’t really agree with the word “results” as this is not a result. It surprised me a bit as I have a really good relationship with Ittiaz. He’s a really nice, well spoken and gentle man with good spirits. I remember us discussing football and boxing during his surgery. I even remember him explaining me how to throw a few punches while we were in my office. But I really don’t blame him. He is simply manifesting his frustration and I don’t take it personally. I’m actually glad he came here because now he can benefit from the support of this incredible community.

Apart from that, I’ve always stood and will stand by my work. Nobody wants a surgery to have an amazing result as much as I do (and nothing makes my day as much as that either). Therefore, when the time comes, if the results are not up to par, I am happy to invite Ittiaz back to our clinic for a touch up at no extra charge.

And all my patients know this (and Ittiaz can confirm this too because I tell this to each and everyone): At the moment of the initial consultation I always say “As with all hair transplants, an additional procedure or a touch-up might be required afterwards, albeit it’s usually not needed.”

And speaking in broader terms, as with all medical procedures, sometimes things can go wrong. Even when you do everything diligently and even when you prepare yourself the best that you possibly can. Lewis Hamilton still crashes his car and Cristiano Ronaldo still misses penalties from time to time (and by saying this I don’t mean to compare myself to their greatness). But I don’t need to explain this to most of this community. These people here know a lot.

As for the “stubble” Ittiaz mentions. I really didn’t mean to evade anything. As I explained, the photos and descriptions he sent me weren’t clear enough for me to offer an answer that I’d be happy with. I will work with him to get better photos and together we’ll understand what he means.

 

Ittiaz is lucky that this community exists. I’m lucky that this community exists. We’re all very lucky for all the people who come here to help others and themselves everyday.

 

Thank you all.

I have felt it the right thing to do my rewriting my post.  

Thank you all

Ittiaz 

1 hour ago, Dr. Bruno Ferreira said:

Wow! Just, wow!

 

Melvin was kind and diligent enough to bring this to my attention. I came to this thread expecting to feel quite distressed and annoyed as I read it. I take my work and the trust that patients put in me very seriously. Just thinking that a patient might be unhappy with how his/her hair transplant is evolving would ruin my day, regardlessly if I believe the surgery and result was a success or not.

 

Yet, I feel humbled. I am left in awe and gratitude.

 

I am truly amazed with how knowledgeable this community is, and how supportive you have all been to Ittiaz.

Ittiaz is going through a rough time. I can definitely understand what it is like to invest much of your time, effort and money into something that you want so badly to go right. It’s really hard to just wait for progress to come, especially when it isn’t within what you expected. It’s really frustrating and disheartening.

Therefore I am very grateful that you all gave him a massive amount of support and guidance. I’m definitely doing all I can to reassure Ittiaz that not only it’s too soon for us to make any conclusions, but also that I will be with him every step of the way. I don’t want to discuss too much of Ittiaz’s specifics (or post photos for that matter) without his proper authorization, but I believe I can say he is currently at day 178 post-op of his hair transplant. I completely understand and validate his concerns as well as say that in fact, I would like to see more growth now, but also that it’s not out of the ordinary to have slower growth and that we can’t really come to any conclusions or make any decisions now. We just need to be patient.

I’ve read what Ittiaz has written and, aside from the title of this thread, I believe what he’s said has been mostly fair to me. I can understand disappointment as that is a subjective emotion, but I can’t really agree with the word “results” as this is not a result. It surprised me a bit as I have a really good relationship with Ittiaz. He’s a really nice, well spoken and gentle man with good spirits. I remember us discussing football and boxing during his surgery. I even remember him explaining me how to throw a few punches while we were in my office. But I really don’t blame him. He is simply manifesting his frustration and I don’t take it personally. I’m actually glad he came here because now he can benefit from the support of this incredible community.

Apart from that, I’ve always stood and will stand by my work. Nobody wants a surgery to have an amazing result as much as I do (and nothing makes my day as much as that either). Therefore, when the time comes, if the results are not up to par, I am happy to invite Ittiaz back to our clinic for a touch up at no extra charge.

And all my patients know this (and Ittiaz can confirm this too because I tell this to each and everyone): At the moment of the initial consultation I always say “As with all hair transplants, an additional procedure or a touch-up might be required afterwards, albeit it’s usually not needed.”

And speaking in broader terms, as with all medical procedures, sometimes things can go wrong. Even when you do everything diligently and even when you prepare yourself the best that you possibly can. Lewis Hamilton still crashes his car and Cristiano Ronaldo still misses penalties from time to time (and by saying this I don’t mean to compare myself to their greatness). But I don’t need to explain this to most of this community. These people here know a lot.

As for the “stubble” Ittiaz mentions. I really didn’t mean to evade anything. As I explained, the photos and descriptions he sent me weren’t clear enough for me to offer an answer that I’d be happy with. I will work with him to get better photos and together we’ll understand what he means.

 

Ittiaz is lucky that this community exists. I’m lucky that this community exists. We’re all very lucky for all the people who come here to help others and themselves everyday.

 

Thank you all.

Hello Mr Ferreira 

May I say I'm just so happy you got onto this post. What other surgeon would do that. I was emotional and still am but much calmer now. Last two days have been tough. Thank you for the reassurances, it means so very much to me. 

There are very knowledgeable people on here and they have helped. But sometimes I may read to much into post and start thinking negative. Something I need to cut down on. 

And yes you are right  the title of this post was rather crude. I have since changed it. I want to be able to post again and say "look at my wonderful result now". 

Your post has put a smile on my face thank you 

Ittiaz. (Cheers melvin)

11 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Btw I did briefly speak to Dr. Ferreira, he said he was in communication with you and will stand by his work. A good sign of an ethical surgeon, while I know it doesn’t help your current feelings. I think it’s important for full context. I hope you end up satisfied in the end.

Thanks. Like i said earlier I was in communication with him and our next contact would be in a months time. I do hope I end up satisfied. Thanks melvin

12 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Here’s my 6 months vs. 12. 

Wow look great Melvin.  

2 minutes ago, teeplant said:

They could be transplanted hairs that haven't shed yet. If that's the case, new hairs should push them out.

I would doubt that. It's been six months and nothinghas happened 

2 hours ago, asterix0 said:

@Ittiaz1 I am sorry to hear you are going through this. I can only imagine the frustration you must be feeling, you have my sympathies and I hope things turn around. 

I have a few points:

For the surface area covered, it doesn't seem like 3400+ grafts were used. This may be tedious, but with the additional pictures you have that are zoomed in and high resolution, could you do a manual count and see if indeed that is the amount that was applied?

Additionally, the transplantation was done around native hair, which is always tricker. Do you suppose that the combination of shock loss, plus native hair competing with donor hair for blood supply, may have compromised your yield? Perhaps this is something to ask Dr. Ferreira in a follow up e-mail. 

Also, for how long did you discontinue minoxidil before surgery, and when did you start using it again?

If you want to pm me any other details in addition to sharing them here publicly, I will be happy to talk to you more. 

This was just aftwr scabs cane off. No issues there either 

Just now, Melvin-Moderator said:

Can you share pictures? I’m not sure they could be dead bulbs. 

I have tried to take pictures but they are too small and difficult to see . I can only feel them. But they have'nt done anything. Not the slightest growth. If they are dead then they could be blocking hair from pushing through. 

2 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

The example I posted on the video was @Cahustler the top picture is before surgery and the bottom is at 5 months. In my opinion, he looked worse at 5 months than he did before surgery. You must’ve not seen the full video. 

 

Now at 12 months 

I did see it and that is a brilliant result. Fair play to him. 

Any idea about the short stubble that has been sitting on the scalp for months and not growing? What's becoming these? Are they dead ? Damaged ? I'm so curious about them 

1 hour ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Did you watch the video? It’s important to understand that not everyone grows at the same rate. There’s two very good examples there. 

Yes I have see the video, and to be honest it's not very helpful to me. You see those people in the video, they were having growth and then it turned out good. I've hardly got growth and it's month 6. But thank you very much anyway 

10 hours ago, qui bono said:

Everyone who has had a bad HT experience understands your concerns and frustrations, and while Im not trying to dismiss any of them it might help to focus on some of the positives;

- You are only 6 months and there is far more time to assess things. Realistically these are just the beginning stages of growth and its still far too early to judge - its really around month 9 -10 when all the transplanted hair has penetrated the surface and begins to thicken and mature. here is a link; 

Some guys are just slow growers as well. Try and take a break from looking in the mirror and focus on something else. take photos in the same lighting conditions then check again in a month. if you are overly concerned/self conscious about the density of the hairline concealers like dermatch of toppik would work pretty effectively given your pre-existing hair. 

- you have a doctor that responds to your emails, acknowledges your concerns and is offering to fix things. I tell you this from personal experience but finding a doc who does one of these things let alone all of them is RARE. Realistically clinics cant guarantee growth or anything like that, and it's you as the patient that takes on all the risks .. so the support youre getting from your doctor is the best it can possibly be.

- Ferriera has a reputation for great donor management and the extraction patters/size from the post-op pics look top notch. As long as you have a viable donor you have options. It also looks like you have a good beard, so again you have options. 

If you can put aside the time and money spent its not like you are disfigured or anything (i.e. your pre-op state is not dissimilar to your current state), and even you yourself admit you still have more time for growth. Give yourself a few more months before judging things and then assess how you want to proceed. Should the results not improve It might be good to get a 2nd opinion.

Other than that all I (or anyone else) can do is wish that your results improve as your transplanted hair goes through its various hair cycles and matures. 

It isn't just the time and money it's the emotional rollercoaster  one goes through. Maybe you have gone through yours but at the moment I'm going through mine and I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel. This is 6 months growth. I should be seeing at least 40% growth. This ain't that!!

I understand the Dr is trying his best to help and I really appreciate that. I just feel really down by the way my hair is. It's also the time and effort that was put in we seem to forget that. People have hair transplants to feel better,  I do not feel better at this stage. 

I don't use toppik and won't. Not for me. As far an another hair transplant is concerned... I don't know.. I don't think i can go through  this again. This has really be so stressful and depressing. I don't think i can do it again to be honest  

1 minute ago, Coady said:

Does not look on track for 6 months being honest. There are no guarantees in hair surgeries they are a risk. Bruno ferrreria seems like a top doc so I would trust he did everything he could. Sometimes our bodies don’t react well to surgery eg lack of blood flow etc maybe check that out. 

All the test were done before hand so I don't know 

3 minutes ago, asterix0 said:

You can use the envelope icon above to send PMs.

From what I can see, you have thick caliber donor hair, so I don't believe graft transection would be the issue. 

If you discontinued minoxidil for more than 2 weeks, this may have caused your anagen/telogen cycles to become desynchronized, and perhaps that could have triggered a massive shed that has not recovered.

I stopped minoxidil for two weeks after hair transplant as Dr advise. Then I started it again. 

My donor hair is thick that's right, but what about the hair that popped up on the scalp surface at 3 months and still hasn't grown. What are they doing? And what happened to them?

Just now, Melvin-Moderator said:

Did you watch the video? It’s important to understand that not everyone grows at the same rate. There’s two very good examples there. 

I will watch that video, but when true Dr who has done your procedure also states that should have been more at this stage, for me, it is worrying.

Thanks Melvin, I will watch the video.

7 minutes ago, asterix0 said:

@Ittiaz1 I am sorry to hear you are going through this. I can only imagine the frustration you must be feeling, you have my sympathies and I hope things turn around. 

I have a few points:

For the surface area covered, it doesn't seem like 3400+ grafts were used. This may be tedious, but with the additional pictures you have that are zoomed in and high resolution, could you do a manual count and see if indeed that is the amount that was applied?

Additionally, the transplantation was done around native hair, which is always tricker. Do you suppose that the combination of shock loss, plus native hair competing with donor hair for blood supply, may have compromised your yield? Perhaps this is something to ask Dr. Ferreira in a follow up e-mail. 

Also, for how long did you discontinue minoxidil before surgery, and when did you start using it again?

If you want to pm me any other details in addition to sharing them here publicly, I will be happy to talk to you more. 

Hello mate. Thanks for your advise. I had crown done too so maybe overall it is 3400+ 

I will definitely ask him about the compromised yield die to competing for blood supply.

Stupid question but how do I PM on here ? 

Just now, Melvin-Moderator said:

@Ittiaz1

Here’s the problem “disappointing 6 months results” virtually everyone is disappointed at 6 months. It takes a full year to see growth.  Always keep your surgeon informed, from my experience Dr. Ferreira seems like a genuine person. I’m sure he would like to be in the loop of your feelings.

Unfortunately, the only thing we can do is stay patient and wait for the results to fully manifest. Please pm me your name and surgery date, I’ll try and reach out to Dr. Ferreira. 
 

Please watch this video

 

1 minute ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

@Ittiaz1

Here’s the problem “disappointing 6 months results” virtually everyone is disappointed at 6 months. It takes a full year to see growth.  Always keep your surgeon informed, from my experience Dr. Ferreira seems like a genuine person. I’m sure he would like to be in the loop of your feelings.

Unfortunately, the only thing we can do is stay patient and wait for the results to fully manifest. Please pm me your name and surgery date, I’ll try and reach out to Dr. Ferreira. 
 

Please watch this video

 

I have already reached out to him thanks. He will check with me month by month. I'm just disappointed with how it looks. Surely that must have been more growth. And the question about the stubble hair is really worrying me.

But thanks for your help. As I have said, I have reached out to him already and he is good with his replies.

5 minutes ago, AB2000 said:

When is it ever a good idea to go back to the same doctor for a no cost repair?  Donor hair is finite.

And also I need to take into account fitting into a slot with the dr. getting time off work, recovery time, and months of patience. I don't know if I can do all that again. It gets very emotional and depressing  for me. To be truly honest, when I lool in the mirror,  I really wish I didn't ever bother with it in the first place.

5 hours ago, qui bono said:

yeah for the average patient at 6 months its about 50-60% have popped through. But this doesnt necessarily include the hair itself being noticeable at any length or very thick (as its still immature). By 9 months around 90% of the hairs should have grown through the surface and the results should be easier to assess.

Give it a few more months I think. 

What about the short stubble hairs that have popped up to surface but just sit there and do not grow ?

4 hours ago, JayLDD said:

Realistically I think its unlikely that the growth will ever be a home run if this is the situation at six months, however its definitely possible it can improve reasonably substantially over the next three months or so. 

As Bono said,  the responses from Ferriera are well above average for patient aftercare, and the fact that he is he supporting of potentially remedying the situation at twelve months if still not satisfied is as close to as good as you will get anywhere in the industry. 

"One thing I will do if after 10 months my hair transplant has failed ( and yes i am jumping the gun here) is to find out why it failed otherwise it would bug me forever."

One can safely say you will never, and should try to find out why a transplant failed, because no one in the world will be able to tell you (unless its related to some rare physiological condition). No other surgeon is likely to be able to even get a rough idea either. Any surgeon or any person who can claims exact reasons in a case like this lying or being misleading. If it fails you have to move on and the best option in your case would likely be to have Ferreira attempt to remedy through a touch-up. 

Thanks for the reply. It definitely doesn't look a home run and to be honest I can't see it getting better. Again, as I mentioned to someone else, would I go back somewhere which hasn't left me happy the first time? I don't know.  

And yes his responses so show he cares.

If this does fail then I would like to know why. It would bug me all the time, not knowing why. Paying alot of money to suffer a failure,  I don't know anyone else but I would like to know the reason why 

2 hours ago, j1mmy said:

Everyone understands your frustration, but it is too early to jump to conclusions, and to defame your Dr. in the title is a not the most tactful thing. He is the one that is offering to follow you up at his expense, should the growth be poor in a few months.  

What is your hair loss and medication history before/after the surgery? Would be nice with a balanced write-up so we can follow your progress and support you. 

I am.nit defaming the doctor. I'm telling it as it is. 6 months post of with Dr Ferreira and my results are disappointing. Yes he is offering a no cost touch up but to be honest  I don't know about that. Would I go back somewhere I already been and wasn't happy? I don't know

Propecia for over 10 years.

Minoxidil  for over 10 years.

No health issues