Hairguy650

He planned on making the points of incision larger to account for the rapid closing of the skin. He also mentioned placing the grafts in such a way that they would form a solid result irrespective of the current transplants future growth (or lack thereof).

Just had my 1st in-person checkup with Dr. Bloxham this Friday. We talked about law school and my plans for the summer before we got into it and it was nice to see his interest in his patients lives outside of the procedure. He proceeded to take pictures and comb through the hair and check the scar. Said the scar was coming along nicely. The frontal band was an interesting conversation. He immediately noted that while the result was a cosmetic improvement, it was not one of the stronger results he encountered. While he couldn't pinpoint why exactly my results were what they were at 11 months, he noted an interesting observation during the procedure that may have impacted the results. When he was making the incisions on my scalp he said that the holes were closing incredibly fast. Not only may this have been a cause for the popping, but also may have limited the maximum thickness the hair was able to achieve. As someone noted above, the yield was actually pretty good. Dr. Bloxham estimated somewhere between 80-85%. However the scalp especially on the right side almost looks like it is composed of substantially single hair grafts because of the phenomenon above. This all was not the exact language he used but this is how I understood what happened. He said at this point we could either wait for the full 18 months to see if some additional thickness of the follicles occurs or we could go in for a 2nd procedure. Due to my schedule I likely wouldn't be able to come in until December and he noted he would be able to fit me in despite his busy schedule. Additionally he offered a very substantial discount on this 2nd procedure which we both agreed was a fair amount. Based on the flexibility he his providing me with timing and the reduced cost, I will be undergoing a 2nd procedure with him likely in mid-December. What I found amazing is that Dr. Bloxham told me that he reviewed my file and deliberated on my case for some time after my concerns arose at 6 months. During the checkup he already had a game plan in place of approximately 1500 grafts (FUT) to fill in the area with different techniques he would use during the procedure to account for my unique case. It really put me at ease to know he was already a step ahead before I even brought up the idea of a 2nd procedure. While the results of my 1st procedure had not met my expectations, there is no doubt in my mind that I am in capable hands. Dr. Bloxham has a reputation as being one of the best and it is a blessing to know that even if you are an outlier case like my own, he will go out of his way to make things right. I'll continue posting pictures here until the next procedure but will be making a new journal come December.

Just sent Dr. Bloxham my 11 month pictures. Noted that the left and center are coming along nicely albeit sill being immature. Also noted right side still looks immature and I will continue to see some thickening. I'm hoping that time simply may be all that I need and he put me at ease saying would be able to beef it up at the end if need be. Will update after my checkup this Friday

This was my only procedure

The frontal portion of my head was the only portion with native hairs and is actually the area where the transplant turned out best. Blends in with the native hair beautifully. The bald areas, and especially on the right side are the places where the yield was lowest

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask. Just from eyeballing it compared to his other ~2000 frontal band results this looks like a poor yield and am hoping there is no debate on that. Biggest hurdle I think will be is if he would be willing to recognize this possibility and repairing it

Also just from eyeballing how many grafts do you think made it based on the photos?

That's going to be the major conversation I think that is going to happen. I want to ask if he realistically thinks that this will blend in with the native hair based on what he sees here. I'm almost hoping he claims that the despite 18 months being the usual endpoint that my growth is pretty much done so we can at least move on to the next steps. Really don't want to drag this out until the end of the year when its possible I'm done growing. I'm actually off for the summer until my next semester starts in the fall so it would be ideal if he would be willing to do a 2nd surgery then. Like I've mentioned above he has been excellent to work with but I don't seeing him agreeing to be so hasty and performing a 2nd procedure at ~11/12 months. I don't know if this is relevant in regard to the results so far but the procedure itself was pretty rough. I don't remember how long the procedure was but I think it neared 7 hours and I experienced a ton of "popping". Also my tolerance for pain was quite low so they had to keep numbing the area.

Dr. Bloxham

It was a mutual decision before the procedure. He showed me a 2000 graft "dense frontal band" result on a patient with similar loss as mine. He also stated that FUT would result in better coverage and would leave a healthier donor area behind in the future if need be. He mentioned my donor area was very thick. I was on fin briefly but got scared off from the sides. I dont think I mentioned this yet but most of my loss occurred from 19-21. At almost 27 I've had no more noticable loss so I figured I'd just keep an eye in it

Hey all here is my 11th month update. First off all after thinking it over I figured there was really no benefit to keeping the doctor anonymous. Someone mentioned above that these posts should be used to guide people through the entire hair transplant process. With that said, and to the surprise of nobody who had guessed, it was indeed Doctor Bloxham. I am going to his office next week for my first in-person checkup that I mentioned above. He and his staff have been incredibly responsive for all the questions I had post surgery and have been helpful in addressing my concerns when they arose. So here are my 11 month pictures. So my concerns from the prior month are still around. Fortunately from my last post I think my left side has filled in even if just slightly. The right side is still my major concern as I can't really tell a difference from the prior month: Also is there a way to change the title of this thread? Would be more helpful to people if I could

Just got done talking to him. Here is his response: Here is the information I have about graft break down: 1,204 multis 796 singles As far as microns go, this isn't something I typically measure. However, fine hair is typically considered 60 microns and less; "normal" hair is 60 - 80 microns; and "coarse" hair is 80 microns and over. Just based on the appearance of your native/donor hair and the size of my incisions the day of surgery, I would say you are slightly on the coarse side; so my estimate would be around 85 microns or so.

I'm pretty sure he told me on the day of surgery but I didn't note it anywhere. I'll shoot him an email and report back

I wonder what could have caused this. The examples he showed me at 2000 grafts resulted in perfect coverage hence why we agreed to 2000 grafts. The only thing I can think of rather than pure chance is that perhaps a technician messed up? I had a different technician for each side and there is a noticeable difference between by left and right side

I have no idea I will be sure to ask during my follow-up. What is the impact of hair caliber on a final result? Knowing the doctor he will insist on waiting until the 18th month mark until the next steps. Based on his reputation I am hoping if anything he would be willing to touch up the right side free of charge. I'm not too familiar on the nature of touch-ups but from I've gathered many good doctors would be willing to do this.