Post OP . Dr Blaine Lehr (1955 grafts)

[dreams4me]

Hello guys,

I had a hair transplant procedure with Dr Blaine Lehr two days ago (Oct 23, 2007). This is how my scalp looks now. Any comments. I know its too early to comment. But the more experienced amongst you might be able to note some finer points. I am eagerly awaiting your comments. Keeping my fingers crossed till then

 

Thanks in advance

[dreams4me]

Hello guys,

I had a hair transplant procedure with Dr Blaine Lehr two days ago (Oct 23, 2007). This is how my scalp looks now. Any comments. I know its too early to comment. But the more experienced amongst you might be able to note some finer points. I am eagerly awaiting your comments. Keeping my fingers crossed till then

 

Thanks in advance

[scooping around]

not sure if it's because the picture is really zoomed in, but it looks like the grafts are spaced too wide apart.

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

Hey there . Well the good news is that you healing good

The not so good news is that 2000 grafts spread over that wide of an area is not going to give you much coverage.

To transplant that big an area with so few grafts the doctor has to place the grafts farther apart then usual

The good news is that your on this site with people that care .

You are going to more then likely want another surgery after this grows in

I suggest when that time comes you go elsewhere,because that doctor has been around long enough to know what that final result is going to be.

Take care

[hoose]

I agree, with PGP, the grafts appear to be spaced farther apart than usual, so you are not going to have the density you probably are hoping for. From what I found on this site, I don't think DR. Lehr does very large sessions. You will end up wanting another surgery to add density. Providing you had the proper donor characteristics, you could of done a megasession of 4000 grafts and be done in one shot. Dr Lehr is a coalition doc. so I think you will have a natural result, just not high density.

[dreams4me]

Yes i do think that i might need one more transplant of around 2000 grafts and thanks (scooping around) for noting that the pic is really zoomed in and allaying my fears (somewhat). It doesnt look that farther spaced when i look at it in the mirror.

 

The thing that i liked abt Dr Lehr was that the expectation was set right at the beginning. I was told that i wouldnt get a very dense coverage. Also what started as 2200 grafts ended with 1955 and he was very honest abt the number of grafts that he had transplanted. Will wait for around a year. If not satisfied will be back to OKC after that since Dr Lehr told that the donor area is really dense...Thanks to all who replied back.

[NervousNelly]

Dr. Lehr is a recommended doc but not a coalition doc, there is a difference.

 

The work is refined and should turn out to be pretty decent coverage but density will no doubt be lacking. Personally I do not like this approach but it a matter of opinion. I would like to have seen the hairline and frontal core built up more and then if there is a second transplant other areas could be addressed. Just my preference but does not say that is the only approach.

 

Dreams4me, give things about a year and then you can decide as to how content you are with things. Good luck with the growing.

 

 

NN

[dreams4me]

I am already starting to feel a bit nervous now. Will someone help. Guess i will make Jagdish my mentor now after his amazing results inspite of not so encouraging views. JAGDISH where are you......

[maxzor]

Dreams4me,

 

allthough from the picture it doesn't seem very dense you should wait for 8-10 months before you can evaluate the final outcome of the procedure. I think that you will see a noticeable difference in your appearance. The best thing is wait for the outcome and you don't need to be nervous

[NervousNelly]

Dreams4me,

 

Jagdish had a horrific HT. You have had refined work and will no doubt better your appearance, but it is a thinner look than what I personally believe the doc should have gone for.

 

 

NN

[dreams4me]

Thanks guys...I will keep you all posted abt my progress. By the way did anyone experience noticeable swelling after the surgery....its the third day after the surgery and my eyes are all swollen. Dont have any pain or discomfort though...I hope to join office from monday and dont want to disclose to anyone out there abt my procedure

Also i managed to upload my Pre and Post OP photos. Here it is

 

http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums?a=albumtopi...1003643&f=2566060861

[Bill - Seemiller]

Dreams4me,

 

Welcome to our community.

 

In all honesty, I'm not impressed with the immediately post op pictures.

 

The incisions arelarge and the grafts are spaced far apart. It also appears that there MAY be some two hair grafts in the hairline.

 

I understand that the grafts may be spaced further apart due to desired coverage over density. The long term hair restoration plan may also include a second hair transplant session. However the seemingly larger sized incisions concern me.

 

I don't want to scare you with the above observations. In the end, growth yield and naturalness is what matters - however, in such a large area, you will need at least 1, but more likely 2 more sessions in this likeness to achieve any illusion of density - not to mention subsequent hair transplant procedures that may be needed in the event of future hair loss.

 

Because Dr. Lehr is recommended on our site, I have also sent a email to Pat, our Publisher to also evaluate these pictures.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[dreams4me]

Thanks for being fortright Bill...I will wait to hear from Pat. Thanks to all you guys for your generous feedback...

[hoose]

I apologize for the incorrect info in my above post; I said that Dr. Lehr was a coalition doc, but he is a recommended doc; my bad. The post op picture reminds me of Jagdish's pictures post op--grafts far apart and large incisions

[Toad_NW3]

Hey HTers,

 

Just a drive by. I just wanted to share that I'm now 10 months post-op and thrilled with my results from Dr. Lehr. He told me right up front that I would need two HTs. My girlfriend thinks I'm crazy for thinking that in about 6 months I will get a second on.

 

I only hate certain lights now. A direct beem of light from right above is not to flattering from my perspective, but again my girlfriend thinks I'm just a little obsessive/sensitive. I have some new pics to put up but have been extremely busy.

 

I just want dreams4me to know I'm happy. Look at my blog. I had a little less grafts than you. There is still a school of thought that Dr(s) like Lehr and Bernstein subscribe to that two sessions of 2000 grafts will yield better results than one session of 4000. It is just a different school of thought. Also, the incisions probably look larger than what others expect b/c Lehr (and I think Limmer) and some docs use needles to make the incissions rather than blades.

 

I agree that in order to get the full density you will want you will need an additional HT, but I think you will be pleased in about 10 months (I certainly am) at how your face is framed and you have the appearance of hair.

 

Used to I would once in a while have a good hair day, now, once in a while I have a bad hair day mixed in with mostly good hair days.

 

I have more pics and will post some soon, and one day I'll get with Bill to create a montage of my almost 70 pics of my complete journey to date, but dreams4me hang in there. Now comes pimples, shockloss, doubt, etc that is associated with the re-growth, but trust me the year does go by quicker than you think, and I'll bet you will be pretty happy. Dr. Lehr is a good doc.

 

Also, on the idea from Nervous of building up the front. Dr. Lehr believes in density further back and a softer hairline. That way as aging takes place and thinning in areas where propecia (which you absolutely should be on) starts to falter, a natural look overall remains. Just different schools of thought. Dr. Lehr is very conservative.

 

OH, and hello all, sorry for my absence I do check in and read posts from time to time, but rarely have time to do anything but that. This place made my HT so much easier and I appreciate you all!!!!

 

Toad

[Bill - Seemiller]

Toad,

 

It's good to hear from you. I don't know if this is a coincidental post or if you received my comment on your blog asking how your progress is coming along.

 

I am really glad to hear that you have had a good experience and are happy with your hair transplant results from Dr. Lehr. I will be happy to get with you and help you post pictures if needed. I hope you will update your weblog with recent pictures so we can see your excellent results.

 

As I stated above - it IS the end result that counts.

 

But in this particular case, the picture seems to reveal the use of larger blades and very spaced out grafts. Perhaps the incisions weren't that large after all and dreams4me just happened to scab a lot. Perhaps the picture isn't revealing the whole story. Pictures after all can sometimes be deceiving.

 

Keep in mind, I'm only sharing my observations from this immediately post op picture and not making a full conclusion on the end result.

 

However, it is obvious based on how spaced out the grafts are that at least 1 more if not 2 more sessions of a similar number of grafts will be needed for dreams4me to achieve decent hair density in this area.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Neptune]

Bill:

 

Unless he has changed, Dr. Lehr uses the stick and place method using needles, not blades to create the recipient sites. I'm not saying which is better, if any, for long term results, but I decided to go with Dr. Epstein almost as a direct result of this simply due to post surgical traume. I felt custom cut blades were less abusive than needles. True or not, I just did. Dr. Lehr said my scalp may stay red/pink for weeks or even a month or two. Dr. Epstein on the other hand said if I followed the pre and post op directions I would be back to normal in 10 days (which in fact was true).

 

Just a point that the needles may be causing some of the more significant scabbing you are seeing in this case. He may be using blades now in which case something else may have caused that scabbing.

[baldcasanova]

i don't think you will be happy with your HT, unless your goal is to simply start to cover up your bald spot. your best case scenario is that the doctor used 1s and 2s as then it could possibly look normal, but i am afraid that you will most likely not be happy with this first HT.

 

but, just get another to fill in the gaps. so don't fret too much, you'll just need to get the same amount in 6 months if you can to fill in.

 

best of luck.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Neptune,

 

Thanks for your feedback. I am aware that Dr. Lehr uses stick and place. I'm not a huge fan of that technique, but I'm not going to knock it either since there are a few hair restoration physicians that seem to have good success with it.

 

I also believe that flat blades cause less trauma to the scalp - but I have also seen quality results from hair restoration physicians that use needles as well.

 

Postoperative discoloration is related to scalp trauma and individual physiological factors (healing characteristics, skin tone, etc) however, no doctor can really guarantee that someone's scalp will be completely normal color by 10 days because of the two variables I mentioned - especially physiology. In my experience, I had extended postoperative discoloration in my second and third surgery due to extra scalp trauma due to dense packing. It took longer for discoloration to go away due to my personal healing characteristics.

 

Either way - obviously we are only seeing immediately post op pictures, but in my opinion - even with high growth yield, at least 1 more if not 2 of a similar session size and graft placement will be required to create an adequate illusion of density.

 

Bill

[Toad_NW3]

Hey All,

 

Gotta be quick.

 

dreams - my whole point is hang in there, as Bill said the end result is what matters. I do think as everyone has said you might need/want a second HT, but happiness (the subjective state that it is) may well befall you after about 10 months. Hair quality, expectations, age, surrounding hair thickness, amount of donor hair, etc all come into play.

 

Bill - I did a quick update from the same angles on 8.5 and 10 months - so go check it out! I am so darn busy that I rarely have time for much. The coincidence was I just took 10 month pictures and wanted to see if my account still worked. I'm always interesed in a few people's results (one of which is yours) because you guys were the ones around when I got my HT. Your results are studly by the way!

 

When I get time (I won't predict when that is) I'll take you up on your offer to assist me. I only give top down, but the real money shots are the profiles.

 

Happy growing everyone!

 

Toad

[Bill - Seemiller]

Toad,

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

I went to check out your results.

 

Overall I'd say they look very nice! It is a definite improvement from your before condition - especially for the number of grafts you received. Clearly however, the results are a little thin - but that is expected with the small number of grafts you received. Any chance of going back for more density?

 

I also took a moment to study your 3 day post op pictures. It is difficult to tell because they are a little blurry, but your recipient incisions look much more refined than dreams4me above. The incisions appear closer together with smaller incisions.

 

As I said, perhaps dreams4me's picture isn't telling the whole story - but the incisions do appear larger and the grafts are definately spaced out more.

 

I'll be happy to help you if/when you want help.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Bill - Seemiller]

Dreams4me,

 

I'm sorry if I am jumping the gun a little bit - but I felt it was important to share my observations. Reallly what I want is what is best for you and to ensure Dr. Lehr is still providing state of the art hair transplantation. Toad's results should be some comfort for you (and are for me as well) because his results really did turn out nicely. Of course, your grafts are spread out over a larger area which will mean a thinner appearance, but you will be able to go back for more density.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[NervousNelly]

Toad,

 

Good to hear from you. Things do look awesome. You have come a long way. Remember though, what you are happy with, others might want more density. We all have different desires. Your incisions do appear more refined though--confusing?

 

I believe that in this particular case, dreams4me likely scabbed a little bit more than usual and do to the spacing of the grafts things look a little worse than they are. Needles do infact seem to create a larger incision as depicted by Jotronic in one of his famous vidoes with a mellon. (I think that he had farva beans and a fine Chianti at the time )

 

As pointed out, there are different approaches by every different HT physician and that is OK. That is why it is important for all of us to research and find the doc that works for you.

 

NN

[hairthere]

imo, this does not look like state-of-the-art ht work. i had a similiar experience (wide spaces, 2-3 mini-grafts in hairline) and i am getting a 2nd ht because the density was nowhere near enough. i would suggest you consult with some top ht docs before returning to lehr for more work. and by top i mean: feller, h&w, armani, alexander, shapiro, cole, wolf.

[hoose]

Bill,

 

Can you keep us posted on the investigation?

 

Thanks