What can go wrong......after HT...any nightmare stories

[bizzybiz]

I've seen plenty of positive posts that make me go "wow" and "whoa" at my keyboard...I've been on here since this weekend...i consulted with Dr. Buchwach of Kansas City on Friday the 16th and then joined the next day on the 17th. I've been in awe of the results of a lot of the HT blogs that I went through. I'm Black and have only seen a couple blogs on here but the 2 that I saw were excellent and one was identical to mine so that helped..

 

 

...but I haven't come accross to much negativity...besides "i wish my Dr. wasn't as conservative with graft #'s"

 

So what are the negative effects....besides of course the worst one of all ...NO HAIR GROWTH WHAT SO EVER!!! I'm sure everyone dreads that in the 3-6 month waiting process.

 

 

thanks in advance for posts

[bizzybiz]

I've seen plenty of positive posts that make me go "wow" and "whoa" at my keyboard...I've been on here since this weekend...i consulted with Dr. Buchwach of Kansas City on Friday the 16th and then joined the next day on the 17th. I've been in awe of the results of a lot of the HT blogs that I went through. I'm Black and have only seen a couple blogs on here but the 2 that I saw were excellent and one was identical to mine so that helped..

 

 

...but I haven't come accross to much negativity...besides "i wish my Dr. wasn't as conservative with graft #'s"

 

So what are the negative effects....besides of course the worst one of all ...NO HAIR GROWTH WHAT SO EVER!!! I'm sure everyone dreads that in the 3-6 month waiting process.

 

 

thanks in advance for posts

[stumper]

bizzybizmarkie as long as you have a good doctor,ron shapiro hasson wong feller imo you will be fine.There is plenty of bad stories on here trust me.

[Guest]

Hey bizzy, you mentioned Dr Bucwach in your other post. He is in the coaltion of doctors that are recommended on this forum, so thats a good thing. Although I would ask to see some photo's of other black patients if he has them.

As for nightmare stories, I asked the same question when I first started posting here.

There are some, in most cases not related to a coaltion Doctor.

Some of the things that can go wrong,

1) As you mentioned, The hair not grow at all. Although this is rare, especially when you use a coaltion Doctor.

2) A permanent donor scar. You will have a scar in the back & sides of your scalp from where the strip is harvested. Usually very fine & undetectable, they can stretch. You can't shave your hair down to close or you will be able to see it.

3) Numbness of the scalp. This is caused by severed nerves & capillaries in the scalp & is usually temporary lasting several weeks & sometimes months. A few cases I have seen have been a year or more.

4)Shock Loss. This occurs where the donor strip is harvested. Usually on one side or the other side of the scalp. It is usually temporary & will grow back.

5) Smaller bank account

 

These are some of the basic side effects that most likely will occur to some degree.

In the hands of a competent surgeon, Most of these issues will be minimal.

Iam sure you have already read that Black men ususally obtain better coverage with less hair due to the characteristics of Black hair. So thats a good thing. The least amount of trama to the scalp the better.

I hope this helps, But take your time & research alot before you jump into anything.

Good Luck!

[bizzybiz]

stumper,folica thanks for the responses

 

i've been doing about a weeks worth of research...i've only met with Dr. Buchwach, so i probably will meet with one or two more in my area.

 

I've heard nothing but good things about Dr. Buchwach and he seemed to be a really good guy upon meeting him. I've been a pretty good judge of character up to this point in life so ....

 

His charge is 4200 for 1500 graph's broken up into 2 sessions with $1 for each addtional graph...so he says itwill probably be a grand total of 5000 when said and done....is this pretty fair....I know Bosley is way heftier than that...

 

...also why do you suppose he's only going with 1500 when i see a lot of people on here talking about "megasessions"

 

...my situation is very similar to this guys

http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums?a=displayal...deshow&x_startwith=6

 

i'm 29 and in the beginning stages of male pattern baldness like this gentleman I just posted....i might be slightly more severe in that you can see my pattern baldness more than his because i'm shade thinner than he is and mine is going to the crown...

 

...i'm at the point where people have started to notice that I will be bald like in the next 5-10 years...you can see exactly where its going to be bald....even though if I cut it down to a #1 all the way around i can easily cover it up....

 

...so again i'm in the beginning stages...do you think thats why he said to go with 1500 in two sessions...

 

and most like will i be back for more in about 10 years???....i believe the answer is yes...because even if he fills me up now i'm guessing once the others fall off i'll be right back to the stage i'm at now...

 

...also like the fellow that I posted up...i'm thinking about filling in my hairline about .5 to 1 inch...do you guys recommend that...i mean it looks great on the guy that i posted and my hair texture and style is similar to his but i don't know if i would get the same results

 

thanks again in advance for your comments

[hairbank]

bizzybiz-

 

Welcome to the forum. I do need to point out to you that Dr. Buchwach is not a member of the Coalition Surgeons for this site, but he is recommended by the site. I hope this makes sense. The Coalition Surgeons are considered the "best of the best" when it comes to the quality of work you receive and the ability of each to produce mega sessions of at least 2500 grafts or more. I believe Dr. Buchwach does solid work but do not believe he has the ability to produce sessions of larger than 1500-2000..........also, I'm not sure he can provide the "dense packing" that you would receive with a Coalition surgeon.

 

I would like more information so I can assist better. How old are you? Where are you at on the Norwood scale and what are your goals? Are you doing anything for loss prevention like taking Propecia (Finasteride) or using Minoxidil? I'm all for HT's (I've had 2 ) but don't want to needlessly push you in that direction.

 

I will point out that 1500 grafts isn't that much if you want any appearance of density. Since you're black, and if you have curly hair, you can get better benefit from fewer grafts. I had around 1200 grafts for HT #1, take a look at my blog for the result. It was a fill in around existing hair and it did thicken things up a bit but, even after a 2nd HT of 3886 grafts mainly into the crown, I could still use more for density and a little hairline work.

 

I don't want to encourage you to get more grafts than you need when getting a HT, but, there's no since in doing 2 or 3 times what you may be able to get done in one session assuming you choose a surgeon that can get you there safely.

 

Please reply do my questions if you can and continue your research. Hope this helps.

 

OOPS! - missed the part in your above post where you stated your age and possible pattern of loss. It sounds like you have diffused thinning on top. If your not taking Propecia i would encourage you to look into it.........maybe even try it awhile before having a HT. It's a little different transplanting around existing hair. If that hair is MPB susceptible and possibly closing to leaving you for good due to this, you may experience some permanent shock loss.............it's a crap shoot and something you can't really determine.

[Guest]

Hairbank, I didn't realize Dr. Bucwach was not a coaltion surgeon. So he is recommended but not in the coaltion?

Bizzy, I would listen to what Hairbank has to say & follow up with answers to his qusetions.

He has a wealth of info he can share from his own experiences & knowledge.

[hairbank]

Right, Folica !

 

There are two classes of surgeons here............those "recommended" by the site, then the ultra spectacular "Coalition Surgeons" who are the cream of the crop all producing ultra-refined results with dense packing and they all must be able to produce mega sessions (no number is given but I believe it's accepted that it should be above 2500).

 

Can be a little confusing, huh?

 

Peace..

[YoungGuy]

Bottom line: use a coalition doctor and drastically minimize your risk. Even if you have to travel, heck, this is an expensive decision that will affect the rest of your life. It's worth it.

[bizzybiz]

Thanks for the advice...what i gathered is that Dr. B might not have the neccesary skills to do sessions over 1500...and actually he's telling me to break those down into 2 which makes it worse.

 

I really need to consult a couple of others ...the fact that he's right down the street from me is a mega plus but like you guys said this is a big investment and it might be best to take a trip if needed...the only thing about that is...i would have to take the trip for consult and then go back again for the actual procedure...which kinda blows...but again might be worth it

 

 

thanks for the advise and let me get on the horn...do you guys know exceptional ones in this area...someone recommended a doctor in Minnesota...might try him out

[hairbank]

bizzybiz-

 

Though there's nothing like an in person consultation, I'd encourage you to try and take some quality pics and start via email with different respected clinics. Take a variety of pics with your camera in a fixed position which helps clarity, take them without flash in good lighting, then maybe some outside in the sun. Most HT consultants/surgeons have been doing this long enough they can provide you with a very close estimate of the work they think you need.

 

The Dr. recommended in Minnesota is Dr. Shapiro (brothers, Dr. Ron and Dr. Paul). Though Dr. Ron has been at it longer both do exceptional work. As a matter of fact, I believe Dr. Paul is the one that posted the link you referred to above showing results for a black male. Review the listing of Coalition Surgeons I referred to earlier, do some searching here and other places to see the results they're producing, then plan accordingly.

 

Since you have diffused thinning as you mentioned earlier, you may want to go a little more conservative in order to have less risk of shock loss. Consult with several of the experts and see what they say.

 

Best of luck,