SXP92

I think your running assumption in this case has to be that the poor growth is related to poor technique by the operator. Nobody will ever know for 100% sure, but that's how I would approach it. Look for a good repair surgeon and as others have suggested, think about doing a "test" case of a smaller number of grafts first. Look for someone who's focused on getting as close to 100% survivability as possible. There are some surgeons out there that are very meticulous and don't do a large number of grafts per day. That's the kind of surgeon you need. I think the focus should really be just homogenizing things and filling in obvious gaps so it has a more "even" look

No doubt there is some variation of results patient to patient, but hard to know what to attribute this to. Did the doctor do the extractions and incisions him or herself? or did an assistant/ technician do that part? It's weird to see such low yield in the hands of a skilled and experience operator. Especially when it's being placed into normal tissue. Not like this is being put into some thick FUT scar with low vascularity I would definitely seek second opinions on your situation. Which region are you located in? maybe the forum can give you some recommendations on other people you can consult with Definitely wouldn't take your doc up on an offer for a free second procedure. I know you have some faith left in your doc but you need to be singularly focused on who can get you the best cosmetic result from this point forward. Seek those who are expert in repair cases

who did your surgery?

Cut 'em and let us know! Only one way to find out..

Out of curiosity, who are you going to go to for the beard grafts into donor? back to Mwamba?

If Mwamba's beard grafts to your donor area grew in well, I feel like it would be a safe bet to use him again for additional donor area repair work. Also, I definitely think it's smart to maybe go for something smaller in the botch corners the next time around. To at least see if anything will grow there before committing to putting in a larger number of grafts in there.

Any updates on how meeting with Mwamba went? what's next?

He also mentioned some issues related to moving and storing his equipment since he was using shared clinic space (at least for New Jersey). Either way I hope it's all sorted. He's aware of the demand for his services in the US. If you can verify that's he's back to operating here, do let us know!

Are you sure about this? I had a virtual consult with him back in December and he was actively working towards finding a clinic space in Atlanta and/or Washington DC. I called his office a few weeks ago just to check the status of things and one of his staff members said he would back for select dates in the US beginning mid/late July. You may want to call and clarify with them before committing to Brussels

Appreciate the update. I'm curious to know why the implants grew well in the donor area and temples, but not in the front corners. After all, it was the same surgeon, same operation, and (presumably) same technique.. Def let us know what Dr. Mwamba has to say. Do you think you will attempt another procedure to address that area?

@VladRojas Please keep us all posted as you go through with the procedure. I would love to see immediate post-op pics as well. Are you going to Brussels for the procedure? I heard from one of his staff members that he is officially coming back to Atlanta, most likely starting mid-July. And the goal is for him to be operating out of the US on a recurring basis

Would you mind sharing which surgeon did your beard harvest?

That's a good question. My situation is unusual because I don't have male pattern baldness (very favorable family genetics in that regard). But I do have persistent chemotherapy induced alopecia from cancer treatment I had 9 years ago. This led to more of a diffuse thinning type appearance across the top of my scalp without any truly bald areas. So yes, the beard grafts would be placed in between native scalp hairs (and not in any truly bald area) My standard donor area has only been able to support ~2600 grafts (done over two procedures). Since I don't have any personal or family history of male pattern baldness, a couple surgeons are willing to harvest around ~500 grafts in the temporal region (which is an area of relatively normal density still for me). The idea would be to use those to help bolster the density up front toward the hairline further and then use beard grafts to help fill in behind it. I was also offered the option of a beard transplant "test" to see how things heal

Also, would you mind sharing which surgeon did your procedure?

WOW that looks great for 3000 grafts! When you grow it out, does the area they harvested from look noticeably thinner than the rest of the beard when you grow it out?