FUE/Hair transplant is the worst decision I have ever made

[keysersoze]

15 days post op and feeling like the op. I cant even sleep. Just cant see how this is going to possibly look any good at all. I wish he came back to update. Could seriously use some hope.

[OtherSyde]

15 days post op and feeling like the op. I cant even sleep. Just cant see how this is going to possibly look any good at all. I wish he came back to update. Could seriously use some hope.

 

Relax man, just make your own thread and post a few decent pics. You're probably fine. I've gone through two of these things.

[keysersoze]

I have mate. Here's how it looks right now. Not the best because hotel lights and phone. But had 1700 grafts into hairline. Just all the results i see at this time and pretty much everything I read makes me think its way too sparse for now before the hairs even really start falling big time. Just struggling to see how when they fall out and come back how it could look better.

 

The fact that I'm flying home tomorrow and meeting my gf and mates who have no idea is destroying me. Let alone what I will do if im stuck like this.

[Paulygon]

Don't end up like me, already regretting your hair transplant before your new hair has even fallen out!!!! This is supposed to be the "honeymoon phase", but trust me, it's anything but!

 

I hope this post gets searched and read a whole lot, so someone else can avoid such a huge, costly, and pointless mistake.

 

Bummed, I feel for you and I hope that eventually things turned out okay.. wish you would come back and update us.

Clearly your expectations were not met and perhaps your doctor should have managed your expectations better.

I like the term you used, "Honeymoon phase". The first 10 day days of my HT, before any of the new hairs fell out, I was sooo happy.. I remember telling my doctor and then my family,"I never thought I would have such strong hairs where my hair line is!".

 

keysersoze, looks like we've been discussing on another thread, and that you are flying home tomorrow.. maybe 'trimming'the new hairs isnot a bad idea, considering you are desperate to make sure your friends and gf do not notice any difference.. but you need to make sure the scabs are gone.

[OtherSyde]

I have mate. Here's how it looks right now. Not the best because hotel lights and phone. But had 1700 grafts into hairline. Just all the results i see at this time and pretty much everything I read makes me think its way too sparse for now before the hairs even really start falling big time. Just struggling to see how when they fall out and come back how it could look better.

 

The fact that I'm flying home tomorrow and meeting my gf and mates who have no idea is destroying me. Let alone what I will do if im stuck like this.

 

Oh yeah, you're in the ugly duckling phase for sure, but that was to be expected, right? And no, no hair transplant will ever be quite as thick as the thickness of the natural hair behind it, so I hope you aren't planning on keeping your hair short like this. However, once it all grows back in and the redness of the skin is gone and you grow the length out a bit longer than it is right now, it'll look good. 1,700 grafts is pretty good; I only had about 1,550 on my hairline, and look at my blog to see how well it turned out (and you've got 150 more grafts than I did).

 

You'll be in good shape soon. Don't worry.

[keysersoze]

Your hair looks great mate you should be pleased.

 

Ugly duckling? Yeah but its only 2 weeks post op. There hasn't been much shed I don't think except if they out with the scabs. Only saw a little bit.

 

And to be honest no this is not wbat I expected. I asked orginally if it lowering the hairline would be notica le and was told no it wouldn't. I didn't know I couldn't wear my bair short until post op when I was concerned about this otherwise why not fut. I wouldn't be concerned if it does produce a decent result when longer but man. Is this wbat yours looked like at 2 weeks just real sparse and so obvious? What I expected was pretty decent densjty and not that noticeable when I go back home as I asked. Then about 4 weeks to lose it then go through the ugly stage. I didn't expect the grafts to come off and be totally destroyed by such thin trickle of hairs.

[Paulygon]

hey keys,

length and waviness of hair are important factors in how your hair will look when it is grown out...

you seem like you may have nice curl to your hair, that will help density of that front portion... i think you still might actually have nice results.. just will need to wait 6-10 months to start seeing it.

[OtherSyde]

Yeah, mine looked like that at 2 weeks post-op. All my new hairs shed by the 10-day mark. That's normal.

[keysersoze]

Thanks mate.

 

 

What im saying is tbough I don't think they've shed at all. It's 15 days post op. So pretty much these will shed and then come back after 6 months I know but even if tbey all come back its still just so bare. I think I want them to shed and not come back if its like this.

Are fue transplants reversable or able to be stopped. Right now im in a very dark place. I was originally told it would not be noticeable with my existing hair as 45-55cm2 would appear the same and over two weeks would be sufficient to return to work and also not obvious.

 

Well I'm heading back home and getting picked up by my gf who has no idea and I really don't know how she will take it plus work. I really can't show up to work like this. I want to go back but can't so want to hide my mistake asap.

 

I know exactly how the op feels. Im just a mess. Can't eat cant sleep. Cant stop being upset. Why go this low if its going to look so bare and obvious.WHY? What am I going to do? I know I should wait 6 plus months but how will I even get there and honestly who has had thicker/better looking results than before the grafts sbed?? No one ive read. I thought I did everything right. On top of it all looks like ive got bad dermatitis all over my scalp as it's patchy and red but don't care just the hairline is so bad. Don't think I can handle it.

[keysersoze]

And unfortunately I guess my hair is pretty straight not that curly. I usually wear it messy spiked.

[OtherSyde]

...honestly who has had thicker/better looking results than before the grafts sbed?? No one ive read.

 

Exactly - and look how good most of them turned out! Because of the redness, patchiness, possibly a little swelling, and the hairs being very coarse and short right now so you can see your scalp, it will look far better in 6-7 months. Once all the redness and patchiness is gone and the new multi-graft hairs have grown out, you'll be in way better shape. Just tell them the truth, that it's a little weird right now but will be back to normal soon. If your girlfriend cares about you she won't freak out over it. And although the new hairs won't be grown in yet, it will also be much less red/patchy/noticeable in only one month, really. Maybe just a few weeks. Just face it down, and you'll be happy your did. I did the same thing - twice now - and I'm happy about it, and planning a third time.

[Skyline8]

7 weeks post FUE.

Was so down, panic mode, and edging towards depression, during my 2nd week.

Kind of regret it but still looking forward for the best to come.

Made a daily journal, but now tend to write weekly as I have learned to live with the ugly duckling stage.

Getting bored of being impatient.

Tired of so supplements in the hope of doubling the pace of hair growth.

So I will just have those biotin and L-cysteine if feel like.

Pace of Nature did not change no matter what I take.

So I now try to relax and sleep more.

Little bit of exercise twice a week, once for legs, once for upper.

My doctor strictly advice not to exercise until 30 days past post op.

As newly transplanted follicles needs all the energy to recover and not divided attention due to exercise recovery pains.

It turned out that I gain more muscle mass with 2x per week exercise, once for legs and once for upper either only shoulders, chest or back, alternating every week.

More rest the more gain worked for me.

Max 45 mins per session, broken down to 10 mins stretch, 5 mins warm up 15 mins routine, 15 mins static stretch.

No more than that 45' as cortisol develops after that and not good for adapting follicles.

More time for family too.

Before I was so impatient at building muscles doing gym daily, sometimes 2x daily sacrificing my social and family life.

More gym time did and heavy resistance training did not really gain more, than what I do now.

Good form more stretching or yoga during cool down to neutralize lactic acid build up during resistance training.

It seems the HT had forced me to be more mature, patient and disciplined.

I learned how to keep natural process work.

Few things I can't remove in my new habits are shampooing everyday sometimes 2x a day w sebamed everyday shampoo, massaging scalp with olive oil 30 mins before shampoo (as doc recommends)

Then massage with Alpecin Caffein Liquid (from Germany) in the morning.

I don't know if it helps but I just did it despite doc says no.

Doc also recommended within first two weeks and continue until contents last of sebamed body lotion to be patted lightly on hair for two weeks 20 mins before shampoo.

After two weeks massage lotion on scalp alternating with olive oil, seems to improve break out of pus-filled pimples, which doc says a natural event.

Anyway, i will just finish the bottle and leave it to nature.

At night before sleep, shampoo and massage with kaminomoto from Japan (not recommended by doc), now it's finish so i will stop.

I just realized how helpless I become trying everthing.

But no clear evidence if it worked.

Perhaps I will just start with Minoxidil, as it did work, 2 years ago but I stopped it as I feel Im getting vain with the addiction of daily minox massage and missing my life.

Anyway, Ive got the intense habit of massaging scalp with unproven stuff after FUE.

So I realize I will come back to what work, which I stopped because I became lazy, now I realized I might not have done FUE should not I stopped minox.

In addition to Minox I used propecia too two years ago and stopped it all together then I saw dramatic balding in the next year that followed, which put me on panic mode and HT.

After 53, days I am seeing 2-4 thicker hairs sprouting per sq cm among the 15-20 hair follicles transplanted in the recipient area.

Panic mode with the thought that what about the other follicles to be not growing.

The idea of transplanting 15-20 from where they flourished in the donor area and having 75% mortality is not cool at all.

But I hope the others are still on its telugen phase.

2-4 out of 15-20 planted sounds a big loss.

But I try to think positive coz anyway I cant bring back the day when I was considering not to push through with HT.

Now I realized Minox daily forever and propecia forever should have been accepted as a daily routine starting 2 years ago when I was 37.

Now getting back to the lazy me, getting my own experiment on dutastiride, once a week only, ha, I became disciplined at last, strictly every weekend only so that I will never forget and making the habit not so expensive. Still horny after getting used to it after 2 weeks of daily duta dose.

Minox, finastiride, and duta are not recommended by my doc. Not started with minox yet, no fina, just duta I tried on experimental basis.

Impatient as I am and on panic mode.

After all the transplanted hair and its neighboring miniaturized hairs all fell off in a rate of 70-100 hairs per day.

Now I barely notice hair being washed away during shampoo, sometimes less than 5 a day, sometimes 1 only or sometimes none.

Good sign, but I can see my hair density (about 1 - 2cm in length) now improved because of the reduction of hair loss not because of the transplanted hair adding volume because only 2-4 thick hairs about 2mm are observed to be growing per sq cm on what was agreed as 15-20 hair follicles transplanted per cm in the recipient area.

I think I could have done away with HT should I just resorted to daily massage of minox and prepecia.

However, I remember 2 years ago that still gave so many falling hairs even with the minox - finastiride regimen.

Perhaps the Alpecin caffein liquid, kaminomoto, olive oil,

Doc strictly prohibits alcohol until 30 days, as it robs oxygen needed by newly transplanted follicles.

Now at 7 weeks, I learned how to live without alcohol.

Perhaps I will only drink to socialize.

Quit smoking finally and never to come back.

Now I realized I have learned to be patient, mature and disciplined, and getting the most result out of it.

Except for those 3 virtuesI gained from HT, aesthetic gains is difficult to justify after all the sufferings and depression.

[DavidF88]

I'm in my mid-20s and My hair is starting to thin on top reasonably fast. It's been happening for about the past year. My dad went all bald on top by the time he was 29, but still has the sides. I'm working abroad at the moment in a developing country, but when I get back in about a year I plan on seeing a doctor about surgery, I don't want to leave it too late to get a consultation as I've read that if the sides/back thin too much it's too late.

 

I'm a bit concerned reading this threat about how there is scabbing/ redness after the surgery. Does this persist in a visible way for very long? In my job I couldn't really be working with it looking odd, and I can't really take more than 2 weeks off at a time. After two weeks does it still look very obvious that you had an operation? Thanks for the help

[DavidF88]

I'm in my mid-20s and My hair is starting to thin on top reasonably fast. It's been happening for about the past year. My dad went all bald on top by the time he was 29, but still has the sides. I'm working abroad at the moment in a developing country, but when I get back in about a year I plan on seeing a doctor about surgery, I don't want to leave it too late to get a consultation as I've read that if the sides/back thin too much it's too late.

 

I'm a bit concerned reading this threat about how there is scabbing/ redness after the surgery. Does this persist in a visible way for very long? In my job I couldn't really be working with it looking odd, and I can't really take more than 2 weeks off at a time. After two weeks does it still look very obvious that you had an operation? Thanks for the help

[Cryingoutloud]

Don't bother then.

 

After two weeks, it'll will be fairly obvious that you've had a procedure if you don't have enough native hair to cover the recipient site with.

 

You may have scabbing in the recipient area and the overall area will almost definitely still be red. If you have FUE, you could be ok after 2 weeks but FUT us going to leave a big linear "smiley" scar across the back off your head that only the longest native hair will be able to conceal.

[GreatPelo]

If you follow post operative instructions, scabbing should be gone within 7-10 days, however, if you're totally bald in the area, you will have some redness for a few weeks. It will look like if you were at the beach and got some sun. Whether you do FUE OR FUT it will be the same, since the transplanted area process is the same for both methods. If you wear your hair just long enough, no one will see the linear scar. Finding the right surgeon is key. Get someone experienced...not just a part-time "hair doctor" that buys the Neograft machine and uses their before/after pictures when in fact they don't have much experience. Do your research!

[biolizard]

This topic really speaks to me having gone through a similar process. I'm not bald by any means yet but I have entered into an accelerated stage of hair loss recently. Even prior to my current dilemma I've had a lot of time to reflect and think about hair, HTs and why I had this done to myself.

I can't really blame the OP for being angry with himself, although I now understand that everyone makes mistakes and you shouldn't beat yourself up over it. Still it is a decision that I've struggled with every day since my fateful decision.

 

My story begins at a diffuse NW2-2a and foolishly rushing into an HT. My goals were far too lofty and I was in over my head. Looking back, my doctor surely knew my state of mind and didn't protect me from myself. While you can only blame someone else so much I find that part the most despicable.

 

I researched and made my decision within a month. That was my huge mistake.

With all the hindsight I have now, here's an exhaustive list of things I wish I had done:

 

- initial HT consultation with at least 2 coalition doctors

- try the big 3 meds first for at least 6 months; pay attention to side effects

- continue researching HT procedures, techniques, results and doctors for 12-18 months

- understand location and cost should not be constraints

- measure donor & recipient density/hair bulk, loss pattern

- consult with dermatologist for any possible reactions

- understand the procedure end to end including surgical process, expectations, common side effects in the skin, healing and care

- consult with psychologist (no joke) to understand if I would be able to handle the change

- consult with coalition HT doctor again and draft a master plan

- see a HT result in person, performed by different doctors; all pictures can lie; lighting and angles deceive

- Look for pictures and posts of good AND bad HTs

- Know your options for HT repair

- shave head and keep it that way for at least 1-2 months, see if you like it

- read bald guys forums for support and tips to maintain a buzzed dome

- After 12-18 months, if ready, try HT and be as conservative as possible

 

I actually had a pretty good head of hair when I started (still decent) but here's my story -

I had an uneven hairline with a raised side only which was really the only concern. I didn't really know I was balding in a diffuse pattern. I had the FUE HT without being on meds and had shockloss. Went on fin and it helped keep the crown full, side effects faded in a few months but the hairline continued to shed. Flaky scalp ensued (and persists to this day). 1 year post-op I tried kirkland minox 5% and used it for 2 years, things seemed to be on the up and up, however it is likely that I just slowly thinned uniformly to match the hairline and having a short buzz on the sides helped create an illusion of fullness. My loss has picked up in the last 8 months and I don't think I'm going to make it out of this year without the HT standing out on its own.

It has only been 3.5 years since the HT but that time has been littered with obsessiveness, self consciousness, spectrophobia, anxiety and most of all - regret and disappointment. In that entire time I've only had a fleeting 6-8 months where I felt 'normal'.

 

Being super picky about hair, I honestly feel that HTs are probably not truly viable for many if not most candidates in terms of being natural looking. This is just my own opinion but I personally wouldn't recommend a HT at all save for a few situations:

 

- no balding; filling in temples or rough patch

- older (40ish); family history of loss is documented; hair loss has been stable for a long time

- fantastic responder to meds in addition to strong characteristics from point 2 and a master plan good psych health and with money to spare

 

Even happy patients with sparsely laid HTs are probably just fooling themselves about their hair.

I understand that the last statement in particular sounds really jaded and that's because I am, even with a good and relatively even amount of hair on my head.

 

I would say I'm fairly lucky as I've shaved down to a 0 in the donor and didn't mind the FUE pock marks too much. It is almost invisible at a 1 guard. Still I'm a concerned about my recipient zone due to scaly, flaky skin, and larger follicles in the grafts but I think it should be manageable if I buzz down with some laser treatment and electrolysis to get rid of the hairs; possibly fraxel or vbeam to smooth the skin. This is going to take time, money and head/heartache.

 

While I know there is more to life than hair, I'm having a lot of trouble looking past it as it has been a strong defining characteristic for so long. My vanity led to my undoing and in the end I've learned that I had my priorities in the wrong places.

 

I hope the OP is doing well and keeping his spirits up. I mostly just wanted to say that I understand what you are going through and I hope you end up luckier than me - stable and with a good result. If anything at least you can grow facial hair unlike me, hah!

 

The industry definitely needs to be more honest and upfront about the process and results. I hope this post finds people debating on getting a HT and at least have them reconsider once more. I'm not saying there can't be good results and I'm not saying that every doctor is crooked, but I think the realities of HTs are not exactly what the photos would have you believe.

 

Be cautious - I wouldn't wish my worst enemy to go through what I did.

 

This is so eloquently written. Everyone who is considering a FUE HT would be advised to read this post first.

[Spidey]

It's probably been mentioned but I haven't read all 11+ pages, but you will never be able to achieve the density via a HT, even if it is a small procedure for the hairline. I had 1000 grafts put on my hairline and after the scabs/crusts were removed, and i buzzed my hair to one level, I was ecstatic. If you looked right up to it, the hair density and coarseness if obviously doing to be slightly off, but the vast majority of people won't even notice... And I got the procedure done so I WOULDN'T have to be stuck with just the buzzed look. I am 2 weeks post op and if my grafts grow even 90% of how it looked prior to its shedding, I will be one super happy camper.

 

Once your hair grows out and blends with your native hair, you will not notice the density difference (unless your Dr) did a really poor job.

 

You may regret it, and that is your opinion (which you are most definitely entitled to). It is surgery, and a huge decision. For people like you and I, who were NW2s going in for surgery, I believe there are a lot more to consider when taking the plunge. The fact that you are on Propecia and MIN is a good thing, and will halt further loss so you can enjoy the new HT longer without fear of native hairs around the transplant thinning out and making it look weird.

 

Lastly, you said you can't shave your head because of the donor area? I can easily buzz my hair to a number 1 without a problem. Did you mean shave it down to the skin? You should have known this prior to the FUE, that there's a high possibly you won't be able to go slick bald without the scars showing. Another option, if you really aren't happy with the transplant is to shave the transplanted areas down to the skin as if you never had it done... Waste of money, yes.. but hey, nothing you can do about it at this point.

 

Just looked at your 17 post ops pics... At that point, you do realize you probably lost 50% of your grafts due to the shed right? I started to lose mine at day 12. Your hair being so light, you probably didn't notice while in the shower etc.

[SunSeeker]

I know this is an old thread, but did BummedinCA ever come back? I'm wondering if he still feels this way about getting an FUE?

[biolizard]

I'm dying to know how everything turned out for BummedinCA??

Please come back and update.

[Mrmjk]

Usually, the first couple of days post-op give you a glimpse of the "final product" because everything is still in tact and there is scabbing and redness so it kind of gives you a look at how the hairline is shaped. I really wouldn't be too concerned right now. Just relax and try to take your mind off of it. Did they shave your entire head for the FUE? If they did, maybe you're just not used to that look?

 

Also, don't be surprised if you get some shock loss of your native hair in the area where the work was performed. That's one of the big reasons people feel they look worse than they did before the HT. But usually after a month or two, they start to look at least what they were looking like before the HT and they are just waiting for the growth to start.

 

I think you'll be fine!

 

P.S. Post some pics!

 

Hey BadBeat, I have a question about this "shock loss" that you referred to in this post. I had my first procedure done about a week ago, and when I left the room, my hair was considerably thinner than it was prior-to (my 50% density or so gone). However, I've heard that "shock loss" is supposed to occur several months after the fact. So I guess my question is, what do you think happened? Is it possible that shock loss occurred during the surgery, or was hair likely simply cut above the surface and I can't visibly see? Or, is it possible that hair was damaged during the incisions (please no)? Thanks in advance.

[OtherSyde]

Hey BadBeat, I have a question about this "shock loss" that you referred to in this post. I had my first procedure done about a week ago, and when I left the room, my hair was considerably thinner than it was prior-to (my 50% density or so gone). However, I've heard that "shock loss" is supposed to occur several months after the fact. So I guess my question is, what do you think happened? Is it possible that shock loss occurred during the surgery, or was hair likely simply cut above the surface and I can't visibly see? Or, is it possible that hair was damaged during the incisions (please no)? Thanks in advance.

 

Shock-loss (at least for me) always kicks in at about the end of Week 2/beginning of Week 3 Post-Op. It can last a good couple of weeks if it goes slowly. But no, I can't see any way that your hair would have been instantly thinner directly after surgery - even if the new donor incisions had damaged the current follicles, the damaged follices wouldn't have released their current hairs for a couple of days. I strongly suspect your hair was just shaved down close to your scalp in the recipient area, making it look thinner. Don't fret, have faith - I just had my 3rd procedure with Dr. Gabel about 2 weeks ago now, so we'll endure the ugly duckling phase together! It always gets worse before it gets better, which is deceiving and stressful, but that's just the nature of hair transplants. Everything will turn out fine, just relax.

[Mrmjk]

All right thanks man. That gives me some reassurance. Sounds like we'll be ugly together ha

[hopeisthebestthingihave]

Not reading a single sentence until OP posts photo's and a dr. name. until then fukc off for trolling.

 

Or if this is real go do some research