Vann

A little over 4 months (approx 126 days post op) 

I gotta say… I am usually an early responder to medications so I am a little disappointed that my hair isn’t fully grown out at the 12 month mark (joking).

but my hair is curling which makes it hard to see the hairs underneath. I will probably get my first cut soon, the sides of my head are growing longer than everything else making me look more bald on top. So once it all reaches the same length I think it’ll be easier to measure. 
 

however, can’t tell if it’s from the surgery or PRP but my right side temple has almost regrown. I wish I was a little more aggressive with the hairline design looking back now. It’s probably just hair greed. Nonetheless, I am still content with my choice in being more ‘conservative’ of grafts.

Wow… for 6.7k grafts I definitely would’ve expected a much uglier duckling phase but you already have some good uniform density (across the midscalp). 
 

hopefully everything continues as they are and it grows out exactly the way you want. Happy growing and thanks for sharing.

12 minutes ago, Hah6788887 said:

I'm thinking of going to a really good surgeon. My donor is limited but I have a lot of leg and arm hairs. Do leg hair specifically work solid in a transplant?

Not really, they have very poor survival rate and have very terrible growth differences than scalp hairs.

Even beard hair is different than scalp hair but has a higher rate than other forms of body hair.

I would recommend starting off with medication. A hair transplant should be your very last option when all other "solutions" have reached their limit or failed. Waiting till the age of 25 is usually recommended due to the way male physiology works. I wont go into too much detail, but look into minoxidil, finasteride 1mg, dutasteride 0.5mg, derma-rolling/micro-needling and other medications people have tried to address their balding.

I suggested calling your dermatologist for an appointment or go see your primary care for a general check up and ask these questions (or to get a referral). If you're in the US I knwo you have to see them to get a prescription, so it shouldnt be an issue to talk about fin/dut. Topical (liquid/foam) minox you can get over the counter. 

2 hours ago, Oxiborick said:

I don't want a legal battle or to put them out of business or anything, I'm just amazed that this happened. I'd be happy with a refund I suppose.

uhh, I think you should speak to other people about their opinions before coming to any conclusions and seeing what you can do. Also I would ask the mod of this forum about any resources he knows to help guide you better. 

5 hours ago, Oxiborick said:

I don't think they set out to scam me initially because they did take out the 3800 grafts. The surgeon just screwed up half the FUE units somehow so they couldn't be implanted, and didn't bother to tell me about it. In fact they provided me with very friendly consultations/advice over email and chat for the 2+ weeks I was in their city after the procedure, and didn't say a word about losing any of the grafts. About 10 days ago I actually texted the guy and asked him to tell me the final graft count so I could figure out the final charge I would be paying over the next six months and he wrote back with 3800 (actually 3810 now that I go back and look at it). So it looks like it started out as a serious attempt to do all 3800, they screwed it up, and now they're trying to cover it up, hoping I won't notice.

 

This is a serious case of negligence and malpractice. Keep records of everything and document everything you do going forward. Don’t accept any type of repair they offer, no discounts, or refunds (at this moment). Speak to someone who went through a similar experience. Match their story with any records you can find in your situation or get attorney help. 
 

i think you should really focus on next steps and less on what could they have achieved better at this moment. Regardless of the outcome you are left with a damaged donor, poor graft management, and lack of tissue/donor capacity. You said this happened in the US so there are options you can explore. No matter what you do I hope for the best next alternative you are most ’content’ with. 

14 minutes ago, civic said:

4 Month update. As promised, including photos under various light conditions, outside with direct sun & in room under normal lighting. 

its coming along. You didnt really shed too much and the ugly duckling phase  wasnt too bad either. Only way is up from here.

Plus its nice to see someone else thats close to the same post op date as me. Youre only 2 days ahead but have better growth than me.

2 minutes ago, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

Baldissh*t,

Personally, I think before proceeding with her transplant surgery that you should get some clarification on your situation. If you have retrograde alopecia, your donor area will be much more limited.  In other words, your donor area safe zone is reduced irrespective of donor density in the area hair is being taken from.  So if you only have about 60 follicular units per square centimeter in the safe donor area and your donor area is reduced because of retrograde alopecia, there’s not going to be a lot of hair available for transplanting.

Depending on your level of hair loss and your goals you may not be a good candidate for hair transplant surgery.

Best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant 

Not to derail the thread, but I always love when you address the people by their username... this time you did it but I feel like you may have smiled when writing this.

Also, I think you said this pretty well.

This is really tough to say... first and foremost thanks for sharing your experience. 

I think... they started with your crown with all the grafts and ran out of grafts when working on your hairline. If you can recall the process, you can probably try and figure out what they did with all the grafts they took out. Were there multiple people working on you, who did the extractions, implants, anesthetics? It doesn't seem right that they took out that many grafts, unless they were making an error and needed to take more(esp. if this was a one day procedure). How did they examine your donor, did they use any instruments when checking or did they just eyeball it and tell you? I only ask these questions because I really want to know if this would be considered malpractice (a, legal, case you can use if this was in the US you may have some grounds) this doesnt seem like something a surgeon should do to your finite donor.

16 hours seems like a ridiculous long time. I wouldnt be comfortable with someone working on me that long. If I feel tired I cant imagine how the people working on me would have felt. 

Once again, I really dont mean to attack you in any capacity, I just hate to see this type of work done on people who place their trust into 'doctors.'

Next steps I would consider doing a repair at a different doctor perhaps 9-12 months for now. 

Best wishes man.

7 minutes ago, HugoX said:

Hairline obviously would have the higher cm/grafts, not the front front as those are single grafts but not more than 40 grafts/cm 2, this picture after the first procedure, around 10 days post op after scabs fell off shows a better view of the spread. 

 

this looks beautiful man. Absolutely mind blown you had this much chilling in your donor.

2 hours ago, exhibito said:

Can anyone advise me on what steps to take next?

Just wait honestly. If worse comes to worse I have seen a few cases of donor restocking or SMP to camouflage the area. 

29 minutes ago, exhibito said:

@Vann, @StillAlive Can I apply minoxodil to the right side per the clinic's request? They asked me to complete two bottles of Rogaine. if this helps, will I lose the hair when I stop the Rogaine? 

First I think you should take a step back. Most often I read people taking a pause from minoxidixil for a month to three months depending on what their surgeon recommends. 
 

in terms of over harvesting/shock loss it’s hard to say early on. If you have any prior photos with natural lighting it might help. Also, remember minox doesn’t solve any of the issues your currently facing. It helps to have your hair grow back faster (if it works as intended) but even when you stop using it. Those gains may go back to what they were previously. 
 

do you mind disclosing the clinic you went with?

It doesn’t really look good. But then again you are only 7 weeks post op. 
 

if it’s any consolation it took me about 2ish months to get back to “normal” in my donor area. I don’t have the same curls as you but I do have curly hair if it helps for reference on how it heals. 
 

do you have any immediate post op pictures between the extractions and implantation? Having side burn hairs implanted is a strange thing to hear. 

5 hours ago, Bandit90 said:

Melvin kindly provided these collages. Just puts into context how far ive come in little under 8 months! Thought id post before the 2nd HT shed kickis in!

Bro no f***ing way. Just knowing you had your crown done at the same place you got the top done must be reassuring to know what type of results you have the potential to yield. 
 

thanks for sharing and happy growing man. 

1 hour ago, mountain said:

Thank you for your feedback

I have attached some photos 25 days post OP. It grows slowly. I have fear because of the missing density and the slow growing in comparison to my sides and the back head. Can someone please evaluate the status/photos?

Best

mountain

25 days post op is no where near the right time to measure density. Just give it time. You have a ton of multi grafts that were placed so give it time to evaluate.

22 hours ago, BaldingEye said:

Thank you all again for your support, I really appreciate it.

I keep noticing improvement.
I don't know whether to go and get a good haircut or let it grow at least until Christmas. What is your opinion?

 

 

And this me just before starting this incredible adventure... I see myself and I don't recognize myself anymore 🙈

 

 

definitely grow it out a bit longer and enjoys these follicles doing their work by existing. Then cut it when you see fit.

Its taking shape. It already looks pretty good early on. I wonder if you grow it out will it cover more, but for the length its at now its very good straight on.

17 minutes ago, Phillyman1996 said:

Do you see alot of diffuse thinning on me with the short hair or is it only slight?

Hard to say since I dont really see many consistent photos in the same lighting. Plus I am not that trained of an eye to really make that call. You can kind of tell more live with diffuse thinners. Its a difficult case sometimes where you have different areas of hair that are beginning to weaken next to certain stronger areas.

Its honestly hard to say when your hair is that short. But remember, a hairtransplant only gives you an illusion of density and is not the same as native density.

I am also a diffuse thinner but probably worse than you but with curly hair to hide a lot of the "empty." Personally, I think im closer to the concepts of female pattern hairloss. Nonetheless, I still got a transplant done and sent my photos to various clinics who all gave me different answers based off what they would do and recommend vs what I had asked for (only a few agreed to do it and a few rejected the case). 

So I would recommend you to grow out your hair, send those photos of short and long to surgeons who are skilled in diffused thinners (or reputable clinics I am sure they get many dt) and get a consultation live/email. Probably see one in your area if you are able to.

2 hours ago, Viper1991 said:

Hi All,

I have had a FUE around 1.5 years, around the Hairline/temples, and little bit on the crown during covid. Post covid, now, we are called to office once in a while, and soon to be started on a daily basis. I was just wondering, if we should be telling our manager/colleagues that we have had a HT. The thoughts/these questions are distressing me. Am i going to be accepted telling them about the HT or will they judge me wrong. What if they look at my hairline and question me in front of many people? Will i be ridiculed in front of other team mates?

@Gatsby  @Melvin- Moderator @Karan Chawla @pkipling @ciaus@asterix0 @Berba11

@GaryStruthers 

I think you answered your own question by asking it. Not many people care enough to notice most of the time. Someone could get a haircut and probably 80% of the people around them will even notice. The mental image you hold for your self that others view you as is skewed because youre thinking about it from your point of view. Think of another coworker in your position who went through the process. Would you mock someone, or would you mind your own business?

10 hours ago, zerocool said:

4 months:

Definitely improving on one hand, but still very patchy. The center of the scalp is lagging and the area that was infected (about 2 sq/cm) is almost completely bold. 

4 months is still very early so I’m continuing to wait patiently for a more uniform/dense outcome. 

Bold patch where the infection occurred:

 

Before (top) and +4 months (below) under sunlight:

 

The skin in your recipient area looks like its still healing slowly so thats a good sign (last photo and super close zoom in). Slowly but surely. Thanks for the update.

2 hours ago, BaldV said:

any updates?

+1

should be at what… 7 months 2 weeks and 6 days?

I think what we dont see in the photos is the surface area. Some people have smaller/curved/round shape skulls so its easier to judge it off the photos as needing more/less.

Nonetheless, you are getting another opinion from the same surgeon (who is world class) to work on you again to add more (that you dont need to pay for). So on top of the clinical care of reporting back in you get better results in the end. I can only see this as a plus. Yes it sucks you have to shave it down, but at least you get to have more hair implanted in the end, at no additional cost. an extra 6 months is nothing compared to a 'life time' result.

21 hours ago, washingtondc said:

so fingers still crossed as hard as humanly possible haha.

With time I bet you will forget this 'urging' feeling of hoping your hair grows in.

On 10/13/2022 at 3:02 PM, gxm100 said:

4 month update:

the last month brought some improvements. I really don’t know what to think. Looking at me straight on is actually pretty good at this point, as you’ll see in the pictures below. But from an overhead view, it’s still pretty bad. I’m just hoping that it thickens over the next few months.

 

these pics are taken directly underneath of the light from a ceiling fan, so it is a harsh depiction to be sure but it’s just crazy to me how from one angle it looks great and from another it looks much less great! There are a lot of hairs in that area, it’s just that I do have a fine hair so I’m not sure how much maturation I’m really going to see.

 

 

I think it’s definitely improving slowly. The lighting definitely doesn’t help but given your hair contrast and tone I think it’s at its worst look and will only get better. 
 

Just gotta keep staying strong the early phase. Short term ugliness for the long term beautiful duckling. 
 

time may feel like an enemy but by the time it all grows out I’m sure you’re going to completely forget this slow feeling.