NathanJ2095

On 11/17/2023 at 5:29 PM, hybonix said:

I think the result is quite nice, but I do see the gap between the hairline and the right frontal third. The curly hair also highlights this a little bit more, but I think you look good imo. Can I see pictures of your hair before the transplant?

Lastly, I agree with Gatsby on playing with hair lengths. I had to try many different cuts to find something that worked for me.

Interesting that curly maybe highlights that a bit more over other types. 

-Sure I'll get a pre op photo uploaded

Yeah the next plan would be to mix up the hair lengths and see what I can get away with, 

I appreciate the feedback thanks. 

On 11/17/2023 at 4:15 AM, Gatsby said:

I would definitely stay on the Finasteride and minoxidil. It wouldn’t hurt to even see a good dermatologist. But everything is even. Your donor hasn’t been ravaged as we have seen in some cases. Your case is actually very good considering you took a risk in Turkey. What I would do is to play around and try and change the length. Perhaps cut your hair much shorter so the hair doesn’t clump up or go the other way and grow it much longer and pull it back. The one thing you have in your favour is that you are able to tolerate meds. The hairline looks natural and just gives you a younger, more rounded appearance. 

I agree it could be wise to check out a dermatologist...

True continuing the meds are also key, I'll definitely play around with hair lengths and see what works then. I have found that the angles are more manageable with longer hair, although I prefer the low maintaince of shorter lengths. 

Cheers again for your time and the response. 

@Melvin- Admin @JayLDD @Gatsby I’d really appreciate your thoughts on this. What would you do in my situation? 
Thanks 

1 hour ago, jjalay said:

Dont beat yourself up over this. I have seen a lot worst cases from cosmedica. Dont rush and jump into a second surgery before doing your research. Bisanga, Couto, HDC, Hattingen hair, Pinot, thee are same examples of doctors considering for a repair. It looks as they overhrvest the donor area on the left side, so its important to get a really good assesment of your donor area before even considering a second surgery.

I agree, considering the clinic that I went to it could be a lot worse. I'm still very much in the research stage of this, far from another surgery. That's why an in person assessment with Bisanga would be valuable I hope. Yes it's important to keep the long term in mind also, thanks for the advice. 

12 Month result & Advice 

Hello all,

I’m just sharing my 12 month update after 3,000 grafts from not the best clinic in the world.. However, as I’m more or less at the final result and over 90% of hairs have grown in I think it’s fair to assess what I’m working with at this stage.

-Everything else at least seems to be stable and I’m continuing medication.

Overall, I know I don’t have the worst HT result to come out of Turkey. But it’s left me far from satisfied, and the low quality of work is evident.

Main concerns:

• The Horn like angles in the hairline, including large gaps between hairs.
• Poor temple work (Grafts chaotically placed)
• Low density in frontal third -Unsure exactly why this is, did the grafts there simply not survive?

I do also have signs of over harvesting even wearing my hair longer gaps are still visible particularly

on the left side of my scalp.

As far as what I’d like to achieve goes, a result that is more acceptable would mean a lot to me.

I understand the need to be realistic, due to scalp scarring and the significant amount of grafts (3,000) already taken. I can also appreciate the complexity of repairs, my case could likely require several sessions. However, even if the worst of the angled grafts can be relocated to more suitable areas that would be a huge improvement.

This community has been a brilliant source, particularly documenting the work of elite surgeons. I have reached out to Dr. Bisanga and have a in person consult with him in December. Hopefully his assessment will provide insight on my options moving forward. I’ve seen a lot of his great work on this forum, including excellent repairs.

As disappointed as I currently am, I’m not looking to rush this process. If anyone can recommend any other elite repair surgeons, I would be very grateful. Also it would be great to hear any of your thoughts.

Thanks for reading! (Apologise for the huge photos)

Avoid both.

After making the mistake of going to Cosmedica myself, I was left with a poor result in my eyes.

There are far better clinics listed on here. Your future scalp will be grateful

18 hours ago, duckling said:

Your result looks impressive to me (For 6 months that is) . With more growth yet to come, i think you will have a nice new hairline. Sure its a bit low than you wanted but many people have low hairlines naturally too. Atleast that is true for us asians. Any new person who meets you wont find it unusual. So just be confident with new look and happy growing for next 6 months. 

As far as using 3k grafts is concerned, definitely it was a mistake but looking at postitve side of things the results came out great. Try to focus on that as whats done is done.

Yes, as far as the density is concerned it’s pretty good for this stage. 
I can definitely see your point about the hairline, and that’s good to know and remember. 

The graft count was unfortunate.
-But yes, despite the donor area things are improving. That’s true, more patience and positivity is important.

I appreciate the feedback on this, thank you

18 hours ago, BaldV said:

Thats a totally fine result, no need for repairs or touchups and its gonna improve even more for the next 6 months, enjoy your hair 😉

That’s very encouraging to hear. Thanks for the comment 😊 

19 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

To be honest, overall, it looks pretty good. Another case study of why you should wait and be patient. I don’t see any gaps in graft placement, so it’s possible that the grafts haven’t grown yet. 6 months is still early, give it more time.

I agree. Patience is something I’ve really had to learn on this journey. I’m interested to see what the next 6 months will look like. I appreciate the feedback thank you. 

Hello all, thought I’d just post my 6 month update. 

The hair has been growing steadily with reasonable density. Despite the hairline being slightly too straight for my liking, including the poor temporal work. 

I have also noticed some large density gaps behind the hairline. Where it seems an inadequate amount of grafts were placed, I’ll continue to track those gaps and monitor growth. 

However, one of my main concerns is the left side of my donor area. Which is still thin and showing potential signs of over harvesting.
I’d be thrilled if it recovered more from this point, but I have doubts due to my clinic selection. 
I’ll have to reassess it over the coming months, and hope it recovers.

I’d really appreciate any feed back on my current result. Including when it’s acceptable to start considering touch ups and repairs. 
(Of course with a better Clinic)

Thanks guys! 

On 2/7/2023 at 5:18 PM, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

@NathanJ2095,

Let’s look at things from a positive point of view.

Firstly, what’s done is done so there’s no sense in focusing on regret.

Secondly, you’re only four months postop. There’s a possibility that you’ll be satisfied with the results and everything will turn out better than you expect. As you said, you don’t have aggressive hair loss, you had a very high hairline so even though the hairline was lowered more than you wanted, you might like it when it all grows in.

Thirdly, since you are only four months postop, you have a lot of growth left. Looking at your hair now will not do you much good because you are nowhere near your final result. If everything grows in as one would hope and expect, your hair will be a lot fuller and thicker than it is now at four months.

So honestly, the best thing you can do is wait it out and see what your hair looks like 12 to 18 months after the procedure.

If at 12 months you feel far less than satisfied, then start researching surgeons and go to somebody else who you feel will meet your goals.

I can post some criteria that will help you select a qualified surgeon that is best for you. They are general guidelines and steps that will help you research selecting a surgeon based on their consistency in producing excellent results regardless of price and location, which should only be a last criteria when selecting amongst a few surgeons you are most impressed with.

But like I said, I don’t think you are anywhere near that step yet as four months is only the very beginning of the regrowth phase. Hair transplant growth typically starts between 3 to 5 months after the procedure and continues to grow,, thicken and mature up to 18 months.

In looking at the post operative photos, I can say that I have some hope for the final result.  What I mean is, if everything grows in the way we hope and expect, you might not be as disappointed as you think you will be.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant

 

I really appreciate the advice, yes healing and waiting it out is the best thing I can do now. 

1 hour ago, JayLDD said:

Glabella talk aside, the hairline height looks totally fine. In fact proportionally it still looks slightly high. This is nowhere near an ultra low or risky hairline, sounds like body dysmorphia talking. 

You didn’t go to the best clinic in the world, but the graft numbers are reasonable and the work looks not amazing but above average.

At this point chill and hope for the best. It’s not half as bad as you’re suggesting right now. Still plenty of time for the result to emerge, at the moment you don’t have enough information to draw strong conclusions. 

3000 grafts for this procedure is also totally normal. Absolutely nothing unethical or reckless going on in the graft count. 
 

Not saying I know the result will be good at 12 months, but I know at 4 months it would be ideal to take a deep breath and let things take their course.

Also would recommend posting the donor.

I disagree, this isn’t “body dysmorphia talk”. My disappoint surrounds how the post op hairline was lowered more than initially agreed, including needless work done on my temples. 

Of course even the elite surgeons in the world, may not always meet patients envisions. However, I do feel a more natural result was lost here nonetheless. 

I also do think 3,000 grafts just to slightly lower the hairline, on a NW3 under 30 is risky. 

-Granted, given the clinic that I went to this isn’t unusual 

You’re right it is early only 4 months, so I could be surprised down the road. Let’s review it at 12 months when all has healed

Yeah I’ll also post my donor soon, 

Thanks for the feedback 😊

15 hours ago, Belve said:

Your hairline height is fine and I don’t find any problem. 
4 months is too early. So you can’t judge your result now lmao. Be patient until 12 months and then see if your are still not happy. I think you will get happy by getting A good result by then. You have to be optimistic…and not the opposite. 

Very true. Staying positive is important, and to not judge fully until 12 months. 
Cheers for the advice. 

18 hours ago, Xanadu said:

I definitely see what you are worried about. The usual length from Glabela is about 7-8 cm as far as I remember so 5.5 cm is low. What I would find more worrying are the way the temples are drawn. 

On the positive side, it looks quite densely packed. Also, if you have no history of balding in your family and you are on medication, then you might never actually need another HT - meaning that you can live with the 3000 grafts being taken so early.

I agree the temples are slightly out of proportion. But I’ll just have to wait for everything to heal fully, then rectify later if need. 

1 minute ago, Rafael Manelli said:

I honestly think it might turn out better than you think. It doesn't look terribly unnatural to me. It will get denser too. I don't think the grafts are wasted either because if you really want them removed, they can be moved back instead of taken out and destroyed.

There is hope for you yet 

Yes I can appreciate it is still very early days. It’s the shape and unnecessary placement of grafts on my temples that is worrying. It’s nice to know I still have options if I need them,

thanks 😊

2 minutes ago, Archan said:

Thn start medication if u dnt find any side effects..tht wud be helpful ...lucky u dont have family history ...thn dont worry..now its already done...nw u focus on achieving good results by doing proper aftercare and keep medication on  to stabilise ur further loss...😊

Yes I agree, medication is certainly the best preventative right now.
Thanks for the feedback 🙂

5 minutes ago, Rafael Manelli said:

How many cm above the glabella is the hairline? 

I’d say roughly 5.5cm. I naturally had a very high hairline 

4 minutes ago, Archan said:

A conservative approach is good for first surgery but if ur baldness is nt progressive thn u will not have any problem ..do u have family history of baldness?

I would advice u to be on medication (minoxidil and finasteride ) after consulting ur doctor so tht u can preserve ur hairs better and it will slow down ur baldness...

Can u tell the name of the clinic or surgeon u hd ur surgery from and they did not take your opinion about ur hairline like hw much r u considering to lower it..

My hairloss was stabilised with medication for 2 years prior. 

-Yeah I requested it to be lowered slightly, not by this much unfortunately. 
I don’t have aggressive hairloss in my family, just concerned by the large graft count so early. 
 

it was Cosmedica, Turkey

12 minutes ago, HappyMan2021 said:

surgeon name?

Cosmedica, Turkey. 
(2 Technicians)

Hello all, 

4 months ago I had my first FUE (3K grafts) the aim was to slightly lower the hair line, I am around a NW3 + 27 years old. 

I came out of surgery and was disappointed to see how low and unnatural they made my hairline. As well as wasting so many grafts in one area, my temples are now dense and blocky. 

-My main concern is that I’ve now reduced the ability of being able to have future FUE’s if I need them. By using too much of my donor carelessly early. 

I really failed to do future planning trusting an unethical clinic. 3,000 grafts was far more than I ever needed.

I know it’s only 4 months, but I can already see how unnatural it is just from the reasons mentioned. 

*Pictures of Week 1 + Month 4 attached* 

Any advice for me moving forward, Can this be repaired down the line? 

I’d love to achieve a more natural result and rebuild the donor, if it’s still possible. 

I appreciate any help, thank you. 

-I’ve been on fin/min for 2 years prior to surgery. 

To judge the final result fairly I know I must wait 12-18months. However, it would be good to know my options.