MsAyeBeeCat

I am going to. I just have another life stuff going on. Its all in hand already. I'm not going to stress over it at the moment as its not getting worse.

The issue happened last April and had tricologist look at my hair last year. There is no fungal infectioin. My hair hasn't worsened, it is just back to how it was before my transplant. I have tried Minoxidil which doesn't work. I have a Hairmax doesn't work. PRP will not work long term months after when I needed my surgeon the address the issue when I flagged it up as soon as it happened. The urgency is not there as this happened months ago. A biopsy may show something like scarring, but I will sort that out when I find a competent dermatologist soon.

I'm basing my opinion purely on my bad experience in that my surgery 'failed' and 1. I still don't know the answer as to why - my surgeon was fine on the day, and was fine when things were going well month to month, but let me down big time when it started to go wrong in month 5 and in the beginning got quite defensive and then when pushed just give me generic suggestions of things to try to remedy which I did until month 10 when things were still not right. Though I was due a in-person review at month 12, I decided it was probably not going to help in anyway and I would probably just be really angry and wasn't worth the energy. So, this is why I am seeking the help of a dermatologist/surgeon who will give me 100% and who will do all necessary tests and biopsy (If absolutely required) so they can determine a) why mine failed (poor graft handling or an undiagnosed condition) b) when we have a possible diagnosis if I should consider another transplant with a different surgeon. I'm determined to solve this hair loss issue and get my life back one way or another as I'm sick of waking up everyday to the same depressing reflection for years.

Thanks for your honest feedback with pros and cons. I don't know about anyone else, but I find with any service, no matter how great they are, if the aftercare/customer service is crap, it completely puts me off. As this is essentially when you are going to need them the most. Things can go brilliant on the day with the surgery, but if/when things go wrong or you need urgent advice and they just can't be arsed, bad communication or just bad customer service, it can make or break a successful transplant if it comes too late or not at all.

In an ideal world, only real patients would recommend a certain doctor for a surgery with photographic evidence. I dare say, many members will jump on a bandwagon or have other motives to push certain ones and we never know who's who. So, always always ask a lot of questions directly to doctors and research reviews from multiple sources. Playing with your life/health/physical appearance based on hearsay is no joke.

Did you end up finding and choosing a afro hair transplant doctor/clinic? If so, how are things going?

I'm researching a dermatologist to look into my hair growth issues. Anyone heard or used any of these hair loss specialists/Dermatologists UK? https://www.topdoctors.co.uk/doctor/dermatology/hair-loss/ https://www.topdoctors.co.uk/doctor/hair-loss/london/ This woman Dr Eleojo Achimugu was listed after the hair loss doctors as a hair transplant surgeon in London specialisting also in afro hair. I've never heard of her before. Rare in any case to see a woman hair transplant professional. I'm looking more into her background and experience, even if to use her dermatologist expertise and get some answers. https://www.topdoctors.co.uk/doctor/eleojo-achimugu

I had a scalp biopsy via an NHS hospital about 6 years ago in this area. I believe they only took a single sample. There was a tiny mark there, but this eventually went away, as I forgot about it after a few weeks/months. If I went to look for it now, I can't find it. If it heals properly scarring should be minimal. If having biopsy done gives me the answers I need to move forward, its a risk, but I would at least know I can treat a condition and/or decide if 2nd transplant is advisable. Do nothing, and I am stuck where I am. Damned if you do, damned if you don't!

Yeah, i got an NHS biopsy done maybe 7 years ago. They were useless. Before the biopsy, the derm just looked at my head for 10 secs and already made up her mind it was traction. Did the biopsy and just said the same thing. No other tests or things were done to rule out other conditions, so I was in two minds over it. Anyway, I'm trying to move forward and sort this sh!t out! re: location. I'm in the Southeast/Greater London area. Thanks.

Cicatrical alopecia usually affects the mid and crown areas. My hair thinning is on the temples only. But yeah, another biopsy with a competent dermatologist is i guess my only way to determine what may be going on. Couple questions, if you or anyone can answer: 1. What should a professional hair transplant check for during a consultation and/or ask you to get confirmed in terms of conditions BEFORE they determine you are a good candidate for hair transplant? 2. Are there any recommended dermatologists on this forum or outside of that would be competent enough to diagnose a scalp/medical condition? Not necessarily a specialist in afro hair, but this may help.

Hi Melvin, thanks. However, the reason I made the big decision to have a hair transplant was because I was 'told' my original hair condition was a result of traction alopecia. But the circumstances which destroyed my hair 10 years ago, happened over a 2 week period after a hairdresser botched up a hair relaxer chemical treatment. My hair never recovered. Note: I used to wear braid loosely, but my hair was not showing any signs of traction issues.After all the stress and depression of this, I knew if I had a hair transplant I would NEVER ever wear braids again. What you see in the photos I have shown are the days commencing my hair transplant over 10 months. These transplanted hair is barely long enough to hide my scalp, never mind pull into a braid or any other tight hairstyle!! This is a botched hair transplant and/or I have a scalp condition I was never diagnosed with that effected my results 5 months in from the surgery. This is why I am on here, to figure out how to go about getting an answer to how to move forward. Was it a bad surgery or was it a condition to do with me that makes me not a good candidate for a hair transplant. Thanks.

I see a link in your signature, showcasing the repair job Mwamba done for you? Are you saying you are not happy with his work, or are you just expressing a devil's advocate opinion about his lack of afro hair work?

Sorry to hear your results haven't improved. Its the worse kind of feeling, I totally understand myself. since the photos I show in my post, some of my temple hair has thickened up a bit, but not enough that I feel confident to go out in public without covering it up. Its still short hairs, lacking density and thin and not growing like the rest of my native hair, so its like miniaturised hair just in a dormant state I've been looking for black patients online who have completed hair transplants with Mwamba. This channel is the only one I see (aside from his own) that has what they show as successful surgeries on some afro hair patients. But yeah, on the official websites the afro before and after details are not many... I understand with patient privacy, so maybe there are more than they show as Drs need patient consent, but I would definitely ask to see at least a dozen recent cases before deciding in the future which Dr. I went with again... And this one guy: Bisanga Youtube showcases some afro results, but then as with all clinics, we don't hair about the failures unless a patient comes public with it, so as all failed surgery patients realise, extensive research is absolutely needed, before you make this big decision to go ahead a first time or 2nd time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBMroJDi-gY&t=1s&ab_channel=BHRClinicHairTransplantSpecialists

Funny, I was just reading some posts after doing a search for 'Afro' and found your post. I forgot who commented here and coincidence it was you about Dr Mwamba. Sorry you had that experience and I'll definitely keep this in mind in my future decisions. As much as the surgery itself, its also important to me that the post surgery care is excellent. From what I read in your post, you had very bad experience with staff not responding to you and being rude and defensive. This is something that concerns me. How are things now with your hairline? Did you end up getting more work done or did your work grew in after 18 months?

Yeah, would have no problem paying for a private derm. I requested a NHS derm in December 2022 via my GP, I was told there was a 6 months+ waiting list which as far as I know I'm still on, but haven't been 'waiting' or holding out for as they seem pretty useless already from their e-consultation. I told my GP I had a transplant a year ago which failed to take, sent pics, etc which was sent to the NHS Derm.. they got back saying 'yeah traction alopecia from tight hairstyles etc BS BS ' !!! Its like they ignored the part about a TRANSPLANT, and from the photos I sent, just saw a black, female with temple hair loss and decided 'Yep, traction'!! This is why if I do ever get an appointment to see a NHS derm i'm probably going to walk out half way through the appointment LOL Anyway, I'm doing my own research and topical treatments while I decide what to do next i.e find a private derm and/or consult with one of the two mentioned Belgium based Drs for a consultation to see if maybe a non-surgical treatment can help and/or if a 2nd transplant would work for me or not.