Was it a mistake to get FUT?

[Torip]

I had my HT done nearly 3 years ago.Looking back at it I think it is the worst decision I ever made in my life. I do not think I am a good candidate for HT after all. But the doctor did not tell me that and went ahead with a HT. I have a large balding area on the crown. In addition hair on my sides is very thin. On the sides it looks like a big jump in hair density at the scar.

 

The problems would not have been as bad if I had chosen FUE. At lease I could have kept my hair very short or even shaved. Therefore my advice for others is please proceed with caution before choosing FUT.

Edited April 27, 2013 by Torip

[Mickey85]

FUT was certainly my biggest mistake in my life also champ

[Spanker]

If you feel like you do then you did. Not sure why you formed it in a question in your title.

 

Looks like you did not have a good scar. Without preop photos it is hard to tell if your transplant was a failure on not. We would also need the graft count. I would say that your biggest mistake right now is your hair cut. Looks like you have decent coverage and the hair that you have may look good grown out but without a layering effect it is hard to tell. It is very rare for someone with your skin tone to be able to shave down with a razor even with FUE. Actually that is true with any skin tone in the vast majority of cases.

 

Seems like you have 3 choices.

 

1. Get another procedure.

2. Grow your hair out like all people who want to get the maximum benefit from their transplant.

3. Shave your head anyway and sport your scar with confidence and people will like you anyway.

 

Like you said, everyone should proceed with caution when getting an ht, whether it is fut or fue.

Good luck to you. I hope you find peace.

[tacolinowest]

id also like to see pics of you be4 your ht

[Torip]

Here is my HT blog with pre-op pics.

 

Hair Restoration Site for Buzz

[Spanker]

Yes, you could benefit from another procedure,but you have a great hairline in your November pics. Also, your hair is wet. I think growing your hair will greatly improve your situation. Another procedure will put you in decent shape. And maybe get some scar work done.

[Mickey85]

FUE won't allow you to bic/razor shave down(well you can but it might be noticeable) but you should be able to use a grade 1 or 2 without any detection of surgical manipulation. Fear not, you have the option to undergo FUE to fill in the scar and extract more hair for the areas you desire to be thickened.

[Torip]

I do not usually keep my hair short. But I shaved my head to grade 1 recently just to see how I would look with a shaved head.

 

@Spanker

The pics in my blog are 1.5 years ago. I lost a lot more of my native hair by now. Here are my recent pics from a previous post wit long hair.

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/170051-fractional-laser-hair-transplant-scar-resurfacing.html

I do not think I look any better with long hair either. My scar is not a concern with long hair though.

[GreatPelo]

Torip,

 

I think you have one choice...and that's to look forward. Keep your hair a little longer in order to hide the scar. My worry is who did you procedure and how many grafts. Doesn't look like you got much coverage.

[KO]

It's hard to say if it was a mistake, because you don't look like a bad candidate, and yet you've had poor growth, it's not known why this happens.

[Jotronic]

Are you now or have you ever been on finasteride?

[greatjob]

Are you now or have you ever been on finasteride?

 

x2

 

I know there are a lot of cases of people undergoing a HT without being on finasteride, but my personal opinion is if you won't or are not able to commit to fin long term then you should not get a transplant

[Torip]

@Jotronic

I tried to be on Finasteride several times. But each time I get clear Brainfog that I cannot tolerate.

 

I agree with greatjob. A lot of good HT results are presented with patients taking Fin, without clearly mentioning it. Others expect similar results but can never get them because they cannot tolerate Fin. I strongly suggest it should be a mandatory to mention whether someone is on Fin or not, while presenting results.

[KO]

x2

 

I know there are a lot of cases of people undergoing a HT without being on finasteride, but my personal opinion is if you won't or are not able to commit to fin long term then you should not get a transplant

 

 

I agree with this. Fin is a must if you have or have potential for moderate to severe hair loss. If you cannot tolerate, or choose not to take fin, do not do surgery.

 

I think the only exception would be if you're an older man with a stable pattern.

[greatjob]

reading through your blog it appears you didn't go to a very good surgeon and I think you may have lost some additional native hair. The reason I don't think anyone should have a HT without finasteride if there is significant native hair is that there is a very good chance that you will spend a lot of money and time just to end up in the exact same place after the procedure. Also without a graft count of immediate post-op photos it is hard to tell if your procedure was a failure or not. Have you thought about going to some more reputable surgeons in India like Dr. Radha or Dr. Madhu to get their assessment of your situation? Unfortunately once you have a transplant you are kind of locked in and have very little choice but to go forward with more surgery or do something to remedy your scar so you can shave down to a 1 or 2 guard.

 

Also here is a thread by Spex about gradually transitioning into finasteride that has worked for some to reduce side effects.:

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/160300-propecia-finasteride-transition-theory.html

 

Also I know some people have had success taking it only 3 times a week

[tacolinowest]

what happens if you hate fin and your hair is still falling out, its happening to me

[greatjob]

what happens if you hate fin and your hair is still falling out, its happening to me

 

I personally would be very cautious about proceeding with a HT without taking meds to stop further loss. There are tons of people who've had transplants and ended up right where they started because they lost more native hair. You could end up just chasing future loss. If you're adding hair while simultaneously losing hair you can end up with a zero net gain.

[Torip]

The graft count is unknown. But I guess it would be probably in the range 2500-3000. The grafts were placed all over my scalp and hence less density. I do not think my HT was a complete failure. But not sure about what percentage have grown back. Unfortunately I did not care enough to document my HT properly. I live in the US and I had my HT done India when I was there briefly.

I tried different combinations of low doses of Fin. I get sides even with 0.5mg twice a week.

[Mickey85]

The graft count is unknown. But I guess it would be probably in the range 2500-3000. The grafts were placed all over my scalp and hence less density. I do not think my HT was a complete failure. But not sure about what percentage have grown back. Unfortunately I did not care enough to document my HT properly. I live in the US and I had my HT done India when I was there briefly.

I tried different combinations of low doses of Fin. I get sides even with 0.5mg twice a week.

 

If it makes you feel better champ, I had my procedure done in a first world country and the results were very well under par.

[greatjob]

The graft count is unknown. But I guess it would be probably in the range 2500-3000. The grafts were placed all over my scalp and hence less density. I do not think my HT was a complete failure. But not sure about what percentage have grown back. Unfortunately I did not care enough to document my HT properly. I live in the US and I had my HT done India when I was there briefly.

I tried different combinations of low doses of Fin. I get sides even with 0.5mg twice a week.

 

I would suggest then that you find a doc on this site in your area and go see them to see what options you have going forward. Where are you located?

[Torip]

I live in south florida. Ricardo Mejia or Glenn Charles are not far from my place. But I do not think I am comfortable getting a HT from either of them. I am very cautious now and may prefer only well proven doctors like Dr. Rahal or Dr. Hasson. I did online consultation with Dr. Rahal and I was told they could do 4000 FUs. But I doubt that assessment without seeing me in person. Above all, I am not convinced of getting any further FUTs. I am more inclined to doing something for my scar and shaving my head. I am highly doubtful of usefulness of further HTs.

[greatjob]

I live in south florida. Ricardo Mejia or Glenn Charles are not far from my place. But I do not think I am comfortable getting a HT from either of them. I am very cautious now and may prefer only well proven doctors like Dr. Rahal or Dr. Hasson. I did online consultation with Dr. Rahal and I was told they could do 4000 FUs. But I doubt that assessment without seeing me in person. Above all, I am not convinced of getting any further FUTs. I am more inclined to doing something for my scar and shaving my head. I am highly doubtful of usefulness of further HTs.

 

Dr. Charles is a stand up guy. I would suggest going to see him even if you don't plan on having surgery with him. From what I have ascertained about him on this forum he is not pushy and routinely suggests patients seek 2nd or 3rd opinions from other doctors. Also if you're looking simply for scar repair I would contact Dr. Lindsey, he is not far from you and IMO is one of the most well rounded surgeons in the field, especially concerning scar repair.

[MAGNUMpi]

Straight answer- yes.

it looks like it was.

Sorry to see your going through this Torip. Hope you can find a way to repair the scar and move on.

Its sad to see scars like this and I know that they aren't all bad but we never know who will get a pencil thin scar and who wont. seems like a big gamble.

Looks like FUE is the only smart answer. rats! just when I was leaning towards FUT again....

All the best Torip. Hope you get to a place where you are comfortable again.

[StaggerLee123]

With your hair grown out just a little bit you can not see the scar at all. I think it looks better grown out a little anyway.

[TOharbourfront]

you could prob cover the scar with a little dermatch