HappyMan2021

depending on your end-goals, a hair transplant might not even make sense for you. For 2000 grafts definitely not, for 3500 grafts its pretty dicey.... For 3500 grafts you are only going to get your frontotemporal region filled in, and that is a best case scenario and ONLY IF surgery goes well With a lifetime total of 3500 grafts you are getting no work on the midscalp or crown.

I agree with this. @Harry90 I wasn't thinking about body hair at all when I was writing my previous comments. If you have a lot of usable body hair, that does bring a lot more optimism to your case.

1) Its interesting there was no talk about your donor during the online consult, particularly as a NW5. For reference, I am a NW3 and for my online consults doctors always ask about my donor. Maybe something fell through the cracks, maybe you do have some sort of unique/uncommon donor issue that Dr. Mwamba never would have suspected before seeing you in person. It is unfortunate this issue couldn't have been raised much earlier, but it is in the past now. It is what is it. 2) I do think Dr. Mwamba could have come to his conclusion without shaving your head first. For example, say you are visiting Dr. Mwamba (or any hair transplant doctor), solely for an in-person consult. The doctor would do a bunch of comprehensive exams on you - including donor and donor density, without fully shaving your head. No one who is just going to a consult ends up with a shaved head. Points 3-6 (all kind of related) Ultimately it is your body, your hair, you know yourself better than anyone else, you should trust your gut on what actions you should take. My 2 cents is that you should still proceed with some work, seeing as you are already in Brussels, have already scheduled this surgery into your life, already have the shaved head lol Is there any way Mwamba can work only on the 100% true and conservative safe zone, non-minoxidil-needed grafts tomorrow? And then he can work on the minoxidil and nape hair grafts during the 2nd surgery? Smaller surgeries usually bring better growth as there is less graft competition for blood supply. Even if Dr. Mwamba only did say like 750 or less grafts on this current round - while it may be a pretty small amount and aesthetically miniscule - it would be improving your odds for end-result success. If that makes sense. But yes regardless you should continue this conversation with Mwamba and go through all the different scenarios. For example, if you for whatever reason do only end up with 3800 lifetime grafts, maybe it would make more sense to not fight this war at all and avoid hair transplant route entirely. If I were you I would ask Dr. Mwamba directly "If I only have 3800 grafts, what could be done in that case?" You really just need to explore and understand every potential scenario and what your hypothetical action plan would be for each one. Also, not to be a Pessimistic Peggy, but in hair transplant world, you should never expect the 'best-case scenario'. You can certainly hope and pray for the best outcome, but never assume it. I mention this because at this very moment, it seems your hair transplant goals require a 100% dependence on Minoxidil performing as expected and boosting your donor hair. But....Minoxidil/Rogaine did nothing at all for me, and does nothing for many other guys as well. I mention this because its a super important reason you need to come up with actional plans for ALL potential scenarios (i.e. minoxidil not working for you) so you have all your bases covered.

@Harry90 1) Did you send Dr. Mwamba pics of your donor prior to your webcam consult, and did you both discuss your donor during the consult? 2) He really shouldn't have shaved your head for surgery without 100% confirming you were proceeding, no? If for whatever reason you refuse to go ahead with surgery, you now have to walk around with a buzz cut for no reason... 3) The proposed 2350 grafts is only a 150 graft different from the original 2500. This is negligible and I think you should proceed with surgery. You are not a one-and-done case so if you dont get any work done during this current trip, you are just delaying work that is needed. I really hope you don't think you can delay the work, and get all this knocked out of the park in a single future visit, as that is false. Since you have already made the enormous effort to have this surgery scheduled into your life, get progress done now at least. 4) Why was no work done on the 1st day? Did you need time to gather your thoughts and think about your decision? Dr. Mwamba does surgery at a relatively slow-pace and at the moment I cannot recall him doing 2350 grafts in 1 surgery. For reference, Dillpickle had 1500 grafts and Dr. Mwamba made that a 2-day procedure. I feel like there wasn't be any issue for Mwamba to do this all in one day if he absolutely needs to.... but keep in mind it is not how he prefers things and its not his standard operating procedure. Depending on his clinic bookings, perhaps he can ultimately still make this a 2 day procedure, and you just revise your hotel and flights. I have no clue though, that is entirely speculation. 5) I don't understand this reasoning. Donor hair is called donor hair because it is resistant to DHT and does not need Fin, Rogaine, etc. in order to survive. Hair that needs meds in order to strengthen should not be considered "donor hair" IMO. I am not sure, perhaps this hair can indeed be used fine, but it sounds like it will be taken from outside the traditional donor safe zone, and my be prone to DHT. It is an important note, because while traditional donor safe zone hair should last your whole lifetime (in theory), hair taken outside this region may serve its purpose now, but may weaken just like other non-donor hair with time. This may not happen at all, it could happen in decades, could happen in 5 years, etc. Regardless, any transplant hair other than from the true donor safe zone is a risk that must be accounted for. Try to get more clarity from Dr. Mwamba on this. 6) What is your end-goal? 6800 grafts (including the non traditional safe zone hair) is an average to below average amount, but your MPB is worse than average as a NW5 (potentially turning into a NW6?). I am not sure what your hair texture is either. What is your end-goal? Be sure to discuss your end-goals with Dr. Mwamba as that will play a fundamental role in his plans for you.

@mustang Dr. Mwamba and Clara are solely responsible for the rebates. No one else. It sounds like you are trying to shift blame to Justine the customer service rep, who has no control over the rebate. Accountability starts at the top.... Dr. Mwamba and Clara should take ownership and responsibility of this issue they alone created. Throwing their innocent employee under the bus would likely make this issue messier than it already is. The solution is simple - the clinic needs to honor the rebates they promised patients. Anything else is filibustering and avoiding the issue.

personally I have no clue, but this is the type of deeply technical question that only a trained medical professional can answer. You should ask both your dermatologist and your hair transplant doctor. Hopefully their answers are very similar so you can be confident in the explanation. If the dermatologist and HT doc both come back with very different answers, idk I guess reach out to even more MDs Accutane is a very very very powerful medication and significantly impacts your skin. You may not like the answers you hear, but at the same time you may simply not be able to have it both ways. It may indeed be very risky to be on this super powerful skin medication and simultaneously get a surgery that is doing some heavy duty stuff to your scalp.

@Harry90 If you are looking for a high-growth clinic with a short-ish wait-time, I think some of the high value Turkish clinics are likely better than Mwamba given his recent performance, and you won't have to pay the ridiculous 25% VAT tax either.

If you are mass starving your body anorexic style, that will heavily stress your organs and body out and I actually could see such great stress negatively impacting recovery and hair growth If you are just going on Weight Watchers or some other type of casual diet, you have nothing to worry about.

I do think it is time for a review of Mwamba's place on the recommended list 1) hypothetically if Mwamba was not already on the recommended list and he was up for a 1st evaluation, i doubt he would be placed on the list There are multiple cases on here that should have been really straightforward, where Mwamba has failed with growth 2) there are very concerning ethical issues regarding the rebate. This is not simply a communication issue or human error. The clinic intentionally and purposefully puts effort into denying the rebate. I just want to reiterate that I am a former Mwamba patient and stand with @RTC and corroborate his rebate issues, as I have literally experienced the same The clinic has shown they are willing to destroy patient relationships over a few thousand dollars, or even just a few hundred dollars depending in surgery cost. In @RTC case correct me if im wrong but his rebate is less than $1k. This is chump change for the clinic, but they are still willing to burn the bridge... One does have to wonder if this unethical behavior seeps into the surgery room

Did Nadimi extract any of Dieps grafts? Solely because I am a hair transplant obsessive, I will say I think I can point out Dieps grafts from Nadimis. I would say Dieps grafts look a bit harsh (if that is the right word?) but still look properly angled I think...they just seem a bit rigid Of course this is only something a fellow hair transplant patient would notice. To me it seems you are done with your HT journey...congrats

I am just answering the Mwamba-centric questions 1) if you arent asking questions, the clinic has no reason to contact you out of the blue before surgery. What are you expecting them to contact you about? If you have logistical or travel questions or anything else non-surgery related, the clinic staff is pretty responsive in that regard If you have super specific technical questions about your surgery, I do think it will be hard getting directly a detailed answer from Mwamba via email beforehand. That being said, if I were you you might as well email him anyway if you have any important surgery questions. You don't have anything to lose by reaching out. 2) the only additional items to buy are baby shampoo (i prefer vanicream), aloe vera for post-op itchiness and a travel pillow. The kit has everything else 3) contact the clinic beforehand to confirm, but you can likely go back to the clinic the next day and one of the techs will wash your scalp for you. IMO the benefit of the scalp wash is moreso to make you feel fresh and clean. You can skip this wash and it should have zero impact on actual transplant results If you do go back the next day, you can also likely have a post op meeting with Dr. Mwamba. This is really patient dependent though and depends on his schedule so definitely plan that in advance

Even elite doctors are forced to be humbled by nature, science, and the technology of our time It is very very hard to achieve good density in one go, even in the best if hands. There are exceptions of course, but I would seriously say 90-95% of guys need multiple procedures. If you do indeed end up being a 'one and done' case I would advise you to buy some lottery tickets as you certainly would have lady luck on your side

Agree OP should steer clear of Mwamba. The lack of growth is troubling and unfortunately the significant number of recent cases with lack of growth indicates a pattern....

I would say every patient is different and some fue scars might be more visible than others. There is no one size fits all answer I will say that broadly and generally, the visibility of fue scars is an unnecessary worry. Even if fue scars are truly visible, it is highly doubtful that a random person with no knowledge of your hair transplant is going to spot the scars, etc.

looks like a completely normal post-op hair transplant to me. Redness can last up to 3 months. Redness without any other symptoms can be considered completely normal. Also, many docs will prescribe Doxycline 2x day for the first 5 days by default, follicitus or not. So it is interesting to me that you were not prescribed antibiotics until you presented with follicitus. And taking it for 2 weeks as opposed to just 5 days.

Pictures??? Is the grey hair "blended in"/does it appear in sporadic pockets? Or does it look odd where you have a bunch of grey hair surrounded by normal-colored hair? If it bothers you i think the only solution is dying your hair.

100% of the 3500 grafts should go in the front and mid-scalp. None for the crown. If you try spreading the 3500 across everywhere you will simply end up with cr*p density everywhere Honestly im a bit skeptical that 3500 will be sufficient as you have so much surface area to cover, even if we are excluding the crown If this upcoming repair isnt satisfsctory i would advise you to consider a wig, or simply shaving everything off. Based on what youve said i dont think current status is sustainable, and im not sure how you feel or if you even have enough grafts for another hypothetical surgery after this upcoming one

I am sorry to see this poor result. I always considered this a layup case since you are only a nw2 and this is before your surgeon's density problems became known. A NW2 straightforward implantation should not be this lackluster... Even considering this is only your 1st HT, i would have expected significantly better density in the temples, especially considering this doctors reputation. Especially the right side temple, it is hard justifying that result You seem satisfied using fiber, so if you truly want to leave HT world for the time being then fiber seems like a great solution.

If OP is indeed 20 (i dont have time atm to read OPs previous posts to confirm), then yes it is silly and impossible to be declared 'MPB-free' at such a young age. You easily could still be severely balding at 25... 20 is a horrible age to predict MPB.... That all being said, sure it does make sense to start Fin now so you can avoid the fates of thw rest of us on here. Why not..

@hairywannabe, unless @RTC specifically requests @Melvin- Moderator contact Dr. Mwamba, I think it would be inappropriate for Melvin to do that without RTC's permission People should have the freedom to post criticisms of their doctor without the doctor being notified. It will create a chilling effect on posts if people think anytime they raise an issue about a doctor, that doctor is going to be notified without the patients consent Additionally, please keep in mind that patients may have continuing, long-lasting relationships with a surgeon even though they may publicly have a critical review of that doctor An honest yet critical review of a doctor doesn't inherently mean the doctor-patient relationship is over, and certainly doesn't mean the patient wants to completely burn the bridge Lastly, Dr. Mwamba is undoubtedly already aware of these issues. All of the patients who have recently had issues with Dr. Mwamba have mentioned they have been in contact with the clinic about them I assume RTC's intent with a critical review is to better educate and inform the patient community. It is content meant for the patient community. It's not meant as a direct message to a surgeon's inbox. If RTC wanted to communicate directly with Dr. Mwamba, he would do so. None of this should involve @Melvin- Moderator unless RTC explicitly says that he would want Melvin to reach out

The operating clinic will never admit a botched result to a patient. I think it doesnt hurt to reach out, but regard their feedback very objectively/critically For truly honest feedback you should get a 2nd opinion from a different clinic If your entire transplant hair was just like subtly frizzy, then I would say you should wait and see as it very well may correct itself But....the fact you say (in your main thread) that there is a very specific region on the right side that looks unnatural and sticks straight up, to me that does indicate bad angles. Bad angles do not autocorrect with time. If this is indeed bad angles and you wish to get it fixed, it will require a repair surgery In the meantime, styling options are: 1) Trim the right side hair before it gets to the bad angle length. This may entail an overall short haired or buzz cut look 2) Use gel or another styling product to 'force' the hair into a style you want 3) Let the badly angled hair grow out. While it definitely will still be technically flawed and perhaps still look aesthetically flawed, longer hair really can lessen the stubbornness of bad grafts. Long hair will make the bad grafts more malleable, etc.

if it is significantly frizzy/wispy, it could be badly angled/a botched result. In this case it will be permanent. If it is just a pretty minor issue, perhaps it will get relax and tame itself in a few months. But keep in mind when people say frizzy/kinky hair gets better with time, these are just very subtle changes. If your hair is massively crazy or kinky, it will likely not get better as again any changes in hair texture are just going to be subtle. From your picture I'd say this is a significant texture or angling issue, its not a minor thing. Hope I'm wrong though.

Once you are all recovered post-op, you can use any old shampoo you were using pre-op..... Specifically when you are in the recovery period, you should be using baby shampoo. I personally like Vanicream (spelling?) Once you are past the recovery period, if you are still nervous or wary at all, just keep on using the baby shampoo or whatever your recovery shampoo was. There is no reason you cant indefinitely stick to a baby shampoo

I have flown 2x now the day after surgery. You will be surprised how little other people will care about you at the airport. Everyone is stressed out and in their own little world, and you won't see any of these people ever again. No one will care about your hair transplant. Even people sitting next to you on the plane won't care. Worst case, you will have a few children staring at you, but even then you shouldnt care if some 5 year old is giving you a few quick glances 🤣 Definitely keep all necessary bandages on. But even then, you really shouldn't be actively bleeding a ton after surgery. A travelers pillow is optional depending on how long your flight is. If it is like 4 hours or less its probably not needed. It will be too soon to wear a hat. But ask your clinic for a surgeon cap (if they don't already provide you one) and that should be enough covering. Be careful to not bump your head on the overhead luggage compartments, but that is just common sense and applies whether you fly out 1 day after or a few days after. You may have to go to the bathroom multiple times on the plane to apply the saline spray, but again no one else will care about this and its just not a big deal. In short - flying post HT is not as bad as you may be imagining.

While i do think you have plenty of valid criticisms with your Mwamba surgery, i think anything race-related is false and misleading As a very Caucasian looking person, I felt race truly formed 0% of my Mwamba journey For all of my own criticism of Mwamba - i will say that when i was having surgery with him, i did feel that he was sincere, earnest, and truly trying to give me the best result possible. If I was black, white, green, orange, purple, etc. I think he treats patients the same regardless of skin color.