Disappointed in my results

[Anonymous]

I'm so disappointed in my results thus far and I'm 8 months post op. I had hairline work done with one of the supposedly most well known HT doctors in the world. I've done tons of research and it seems to have been in vain if this is my result. My new hairline looks thin and transparent. I was given a density of 30-40 grafts per cm2. FYI, I'm asian and my density is lower than caucasians but still, it's too low. I was told that I would have no further hairloss given my family history, and if I did, it would be very little around the temple area so I don't know why more grafts couldn't have been used to thicken up my new hairline. I don't know what my doctor was thinking when he gave me this density. My donor area has suffered some sort of nerve damage, one part of my scar is extra sensitive. Although it's triclosure, I'm still unable to buzz my head, not even to a #4 or #5, it becomes quite obvious than. I don't know what to do right now.. I'm just very disappointed.

[Anonymous]

I'm so disappointed in my results thus far and I'm 8 months post op. I had hairline work done with one of the supposedly most well known HT doctors in the world. I've done tons of research and it seems to have been in vain if this is my result. My new hairline looks thin and transparent. I was given a density of 30-40 grafts per cm2. FYI, I'm asian and my density is lower than caucasians but still, it's too low. I was told that I would have no further hairloss given my family history, and if I did, it would be very little around the temple area so I don't know why more grafts couldn't have been used to thicken up my new hairline. I don't know what my doctor was thinking when he gave me this density. My donor area has suffered some sort of nerve damage, one part of my scar is extra sensitive. Although it's triclosure, I'm still unable to buzz my head, not even to a #4 or #5, it becomes quite obvious than. I don't know what to do right now.. I'm just very disappointed.

[notgoing2gobald]

anonymous,

 

sorry to hear about your situation. who was your doc? they say numbness in the donor area (is that what you meant by nerve damage?) is pretty typical. If its just sensitive then this might go away with time.Your hair has not reached full maturity yet and could still get thicker. Im really curious as to who your doc was. I would encourage you to share your entire experience including who your doc was, because that is what this forum is for.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Anonymous,

 

I'm sorry to hear that you are disappointed in your results so far, but I do feel that you should give it until at least 1 year before you make a full determination.

 

Based on what you are saying however, it sounds like you MAY have had too high expectations.

 

FU graft density at 30 or 40 FU/cm 2 may have been all that could have been accomplished with the number of grafts extracted and the area needed to be covered. In all honesty, that is not BAD density! One can rarely achieve a "full head of hair", but rather an illusion of density. Have you and your doctor discussed a long term game plan? Perhaps a second hair transplant is needed to achieve the density you desire?

 

It's not possible to predict with 100% certainty that you will not experience future hair loss. Are you sure the words "most likely" weren't used? Anyone who tells you this with certainty is lying. Hair loss is unpredictable.

 

At 8 months post op, your donor area should be pretty well healed. Anything extra sensitive to the touch (especially pain) at this point should be reported immediately to your doctor.

 

Did you have strip surgery or FUE performed?

 

"Thinning" in the donor area as a result of removed follicles and patterned scarring is typically a risk FUE - especially when too many hairs are removed in the same area whereas noticable linear scarring can be a risk associated with FUT (Strip surgery).

 

Consult with your doctor about your donor area though I would still give you surgery at least another 4 months before making a final determination of your surgical results.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[MrJobi]

Hi A

 

8 months is pre mature to make a conclusion..

Give it another 4-6 months.. I saw major progress in the 10 month time frame. As far as someone telling you that you will not experience future loss, I would question their rationale.. You don't know as hairloss cannot be predicted.. Sorry to hear about the nerve damage etc.. You should talk to your doc ASAP ..

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies-

I had a strip scar done, when I asked about future hairloss after having him examine my hair, telling him what I'm taking for my hairloss, and showing him pictures of family members, he said something along the lines of.."you most likely will not have any future hairloss.. and if you do, than it will be around the temple area.. stick to the propecia". Something along those lines. ( Can't future hair loss be determined from family history and meds you're taking?) I've stated to my doctor that I only plan on one surgery during consultation and he didn't mention that I may need a 2nd pass.

 

My hairloss was very minimal to begin with. My goal was to create a lower hairline. When I asked about my original density, he said 50-60 cm2. If this is really the case plus what he said about my future hairloss, I don't see why he couldn't have given me a new hairline closer to my original density.

[MrJobi]

Hi

 

Family hairloss cannot predict future loss. Nothing can.. My dad has a full head of hair & his brother is a N7..

 

Sounds like you need to talk to your doc. Only he knows what was said and promised.

[bverotti]

Mrjb that is a very good comment indeed !

 

Do NOT bet on family hairloss to predict future hairloss, it really means little IMHO.

[Guest wanthairs]

annonomous......

 

We would like to assist you here......

 

Ho wmany grafts did you recieve? Do you have a hair count? and

 

YOU MUST TELL US WHO THE DR. IS......

[its752]

Anonymous, Please give us the size of session you had--asap. We need to compare it to our own sessions. Thanks!!!

[Lightseek]

Anonymous got a fairly conversative amount of grafts due to his young age.

 

His doctor is within the coalition. I know who he is.

 

I have a gut feeling on whether or not he was prescribed antibotics post-op.

 

In addition to lower density and thicker hair shaft, the other hair characteristic of East Asians and Pacific Islanders that is often overlooked is that the hairs grow more perpendicular relative to scalp thus exposing more skin and increasing the visibility of donor scar.

 

Until Anonymous says so, I am forced to remain in silence.

[notgoing2gobald]

Lightseek,

 

where did you get this information regarding East Asians / Islanders and perpendicular gair growth?

 

how do you know anonmyous's age and graft count? do you work for the doc who performed the surgery?

[Bill - Seemiller]

Hello everyone,

 

I can understand how devastating it can be and how bad it sounds to the community when somebody comes to our forum and expresses their disappointment with their hair transplant results.

 

But I want to encourage everyone not to jump to conclusions!

 

I can already hear people pleading that the doctor's name be revealed. And though this information can certainly be useful, I know the tendency will be to put ALL blame on the doctor because someone is disappointed.

 

I am not trying to take anything aways from Anonymous' feelings, but let's try to remain objective!

 

We simply do NOT have enough information at this point to conclude anything.

 

Regarding prediction of future hair loss...

 

Stating "you most likely will not have any future loss" is definitely much more viable than "you WON'T have any future loss". I believe that a hypothesis can be made as to the nature of future loss however, there is NEVER a guarantee. A hypothesis is simply just an educated guess and although educated, isn't always accurate. I do however, feel better that the doctor used the words "most likely" rather than a definite.

 

Anonymous,

 

Any chance of you posting some before/after pictures for us, both of the recipient and donor area? Though pictures aren't always 100% conclusive either, certainly a picture is worth a thousand words. Please try to post before/after pictures in similar lighting and angling so we can get a more accurate understanding of your situation.

 

Again, I am sorry to hear that you are disappointed in your results. If I can do anything for you, don't hesitate to PM me.

 

Bill

[Bill - Seemiller]

Lightseek,

 

Who are you?

 

I am not sure how you know about Anonymous' case, but if you work for the clinic or are involved in some way, please reveal yourself and how you are involved. Any compensation from any clinic should be disclosed in your signature according to our terms of service.

 

Bill

[Jotronic]

The first and only relevant question is if you have contacted your doctor about your concerns? This should always be the first and foremost effort on behalf of the patient to express any concerns or questions about their procedure.

[Guest wanthairs]

anonomous.....

 

if you really want some help and valid support here, you must tell us about your session size, hair count DR's name and if possible some pics. We also need ot know if you have complained to the Dr and if so what was the outcome.

 

Without this, really there is no use repeatedly complaining to us and going round in circles. Plus your complaint will come to the Dr's attention who will be much more willing to rectify this somehow, assuming what you say is true and not one sided....

[scooping around]

I just love these kind of complaints and random rants that we get here. Some new member just come up and rants for a couple of days, and decides to never come back on and do anything to help other members from falling into the same chair that he sat on. Instead of calling his doctor, he'd rather come here and rant... Won't be surprised if we never get another response from him again.

[Lightseek]

notgoing2gobald & Bill,

 

I know about the perpendicular hair characteristic of East Asians/Pacific Islanders through observation, being from Brunei myself as well as from talking to a doctor.

 

I know of Anonymous age and graft counts because I know him and he told me as well many others about this info. I do not work for any clinic.

 

I have a question since I am not familiar with this site. In the past, what have doctors done when a patient expressed a reasonable/fair dissappointment about his results? I was thinking of getting an HT myself, but now I am terrified to get one.

 

 

 

scooping around,

 

What are you ranting about? Are you Asian?

[MrJobi]

Well,

 

if we do not hear back we have to side with the doc in my opinion. Again, many people have HIGH expectations for one procedure.. I did too, but realized that Hair transplantation is a long term planned venture.. Most people do not acheive the desired look in one procedure.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Everyone,

 

Just as I've suggested that we wait to draw conclusions about Anonymous' hair transplant results until we have more information on Anonymous' surgical details and pictures, I think it's important that we give Anonymous some grace also.

 

The fact that he hasn't replied for a few days could simply mean he is busy with other aspects of life. Let's give him some time to respond as well.

 

Patience is a virtue .

 

Lightseek,

 

If you are a personal friend of Anonymous, you most likely have insight into the surgical details and how he looked and how he looks now. But until he can provide this information himself, nobody can make a proper evaluation.

 

I'm not sure the intent of your posts however, you are not doing this thread justice by posting your fears of surgery based on Anonymous' experience when the details are not known to us.

 

All it is doing is creating HYPE for no reason. Please let Anonymous speak for himself and provide the details of his surgical experience and photos so we can make a proper evaluation of his situation. If you have questions yourself about hair transplantation, I suggest starting your own thread and keep Anonymous out of it until we have details.

 

But to answer your question...

 

GENERALLY SPEAKING,

 

Regarding patient disppointment, the first recommendation is to contact the clinic to see how the doctor can help the patient. Most ethical physicians will work with the patient to ensure their satisfaction as long as their expectations are reasonable.

 

Additionally, this forum provides an outlet and a voice for the patient to express themselves truthfully and freely. Anyone and everyone is allowed to share their experience and photos whether they are satisfied or not.

 

Consistent legitimate patient feedback (positive or negative) is vital in order to continually evaluate a hair restoration physician which ultimately helps determine the longevity of a physician's recommendation on this site. We believe in only recommending hair restoration physicians that perform state of the art hair transplantation therefore patient feedback is always taken seriously.

 

Pat and/or I will be happy to contact a hair restoration physician on behalf of a dissatisfied patient if a situation warrants it in order to facilitate a resolution. I have found however, that when hair transplant patients share their disappointment with the clinic directly, our recommended physicians are more than accomodating and the need for Pat or I to intervene becomes unnecessary.

 

Ultimately it is through hearing both sides of the story that the truth of a situation is unveiled. After all, if a hair transplant patient makes their story public, it is only fair that the patient give permission to the clinic (sometimes it is necessary to give permission in writing) to share their side of the story. The public deserves to hear both sides in order to make a proper evaluation of a situation.

 

I hope this helps,

 

Bill

[spineguy1]

Anonymous,

I'd be very interested to know if you've discussed your concerns with your doctor and what his/her reply was. Also, would you be willing to post pictures of your hairline and donor area?

[Bill - Seemiller]

Anonymous,

 

Though I can understand your disappointment and frustration, I think waiting it out by going the distance to the 12 month marker is indeed a good suggestion.

 

It is certainly possible that you are a late bloomer, but the only way to tell is by going the distance.

 

Pat (our Publisher) had work about 8 months ago by Dr. Shapiro and hadn't seen much growth yet and has posted some of his disappointment publicly. But just the other day in live chat, he stated that he thinks he is starting to see some new growth.

 

I still would like to see you post some pictures (before/immediately post op/monthly/current) and clinical details so we can follow you in your journey. In my opinion however, a full evaluation however, should be held back until 12 months.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[MrJobi]

Wait it out man .

 

I see a huge progress from 8 -14 months personally