1 year post FUE results - need input/advice

[asiandude]

I had 1200 grafts procedure done 12 months ago w/ Dr Diep and have some questions and concerns about my results. I have my 1 year follow up appointment in a couple of weeks but would like input before my appointment so I can better address all my concerns during the meeting. I've decided to hold most of my judgements and concerns until the 12 months mark because I did not want to jump to any premature conclusions.

 

Provided below are before and after photos w/ my concerns and questions. The first pic is the before pic on the day of surgery. As you can see, my right corner is receding higher than my left corner so more grafts were needed on one side.

 

Direction/Angle

My biggest concern and what is bothering me the most is the direction and angle of the transplanted hair. My frontal hair is angled forward, but the transplanted hair angles up and to the side. Does this appear unnatural? I would expect the transplanted hair to have a natural direction to blend in with my native hairs. The transplanted hair is also a lot more thicker than my native hair so it just sticks out to the side when it grows longer. My barber can even tell it's different and it's a lot harder to style if my hair grows longer.

 

Thinning behind hairline

My hair is also thinning behind my hairline so you can see it seems patchy. It is especially thinning on my right corner compared to my left corner. What is suggested to make it even? Do I need an additional procedure?

 

Donor area

For some reason, the hair was removed from my back and left side above ear but not my right side. There was a big cyst on the left side after the surgery and went away in a month. As you can see on the last pic on my left side, there are areas where it looks patchy and a hole appears where the cyst used to be. I was hoping it would regrow, but it doesn't look it will now. What can be done/should be about this?

 

 

Overall, it has been a tough 12 months as I've tried to save my hair longer so I can style it to cover up certain areas. I was really hoping everything would solve itself by 12 months but I guess I can only hope it will be better by 18 months. Please understand this post is not mean to attack Dr Dieps work, but to better understand my concerns and what needs to be done to make it better. I just want to be happy w/ my results. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advanced.

Edited December 25, 2013 by asiandude

[TygerD]

To be honest, more than likely you'll need another transplant.. 1200 grafts weren't enough. If the density increases it is more likely to help conceal the misdirected hairs. I experienced somewhat of the same thing with my first hair transplant. The grafts were placed at the wrong angle and are not in sync with the native hairs. It's less noticeable when I grow my native hair long and blend it in. On the bright side, you are in good hands with Dr Diep moving forward. I am sure he will find a resolution to your concerns. Good luck man!

[lorenzo]

I have to agree with the other poster. Looking at your pictures I cant say anything about direction because its hard to tell but does appear to me that you have about 600 grafts on each side (of course I am seeing from the pictures). Its not easy but the transplant on the sides have to have an illusion to match the centre so there is no visual discrepancy between the grafted side and the natural front. In my opinion you probably need another 1200 grafts(600 on each side). but I believe all the grafts grew. Its also very important to have a long term plan concerning your hairloss. It appears you have a lot of donor so that if you do lose the hair in the middle (it will look funny) there is enough for even another procedure. Of course if you take meds this is probably not necessary.

Good luck!

[Mickey85]

This is sadly very typical of Dr Diep's work. He does not evenly extract from the donor area. Instead, he concentrates the extractions which leaves them exceedingly depleted compared to the untouched areas and outlines the contrast in density levels. He also pays very little attention to the direction of native hair. These careless mistakes are only some of the reasons why I was vocal against his recommendation here, of which I stand by to this very day as his techniques have not improved one iota since then...

 

With regards to the donor area. One option would be to grow the hair out a bit more to make it less noticeable. Another would be to have SMP(tattooing) done in the weak areas. Third would be to have a competent doctor perform FUE grafting into the weaker area.

 

With regards to the different direction of recipient hair... There are not many solutions for that besides growing your hair longer and combing it differently so the change is less noticeable unfortunately. I find it extremely aggravating that a recommended doctor lacks even the basic fundamentals and knowledge of hair transplantation...

[greatjob]

My opinion is that it doesn't look good. For someone with minimal loss you should've easily been able to have a great result, if the issue is that the grafts you received were not enough then I would expect this to have been brought up by the clinic before the procedure. It is very obvious where your native hair ends and your transplanted hair begins, and your donor was taken from only one side and is very obviously thinned. I expect every recommended or coalition doctor on this site to produce standalone procedures regardless of future plans, and this does not meet those standards. IMO your hairline looked better pre-op than it does currently.

[Mickey85]

My opinion is that it doesn't look good. For someone with minimal loss you should've easily been able to have a great result, if the issue is that the grafts you received were not enough then I would expect this to have been brought up by the clinic before the procedure. It is very obvious where your native hair ends and your transplanted hair begins, and your donor was taken from only one side and is very obviously thinned. I expect every recommended or coalition doctor on this site to produce standalone procedures regardless of future plans, and this does not meet those standards. IMO your hairline looked better pre-op than it does currently.

 

THANK YOU!

 

I have frequently called for Diep's recommendation status to be reevaluated to no avail. This kind of work is not up to the quality this website prides itself on. It goes against the basic fundamentals of FUE and recipient implanting.

[rev333]

This is easily fixable

 

Although your doctor got good coverage for only 1200 grafts, this is not enough for the area you wanted covered

 

Yes the texture my be different than the native hair but this is always the case in the first couple of years after a transplant. Some hair types will show this more

 

As for the direction of the transplanted hair, i think once you have another round to beef up the density this will not be as much of an issue when it is fully grown

 

Please go to another doctor though

With these types of cosmetic surgeries, unless the doctor specifically speaks to you about needing multiple surgeries to get you where you want to be, i would not give him a second chance, even for free

 

it's worth the few extra bucks and another 8 months of recovery to get this done to your satisfaction, which is not unreasonable

 

that said, your doctor did make the most of 1200 grafts for the recipient area in terms of overall coverage

 

DO FRET THOUGH

THIS IS VERY EASY TO FIX and would not be considered a repair

just most grafts for density

[scar5]

I'm sure Dr. Diep's membership fees are duly appreciated by this site's owners, and that they trickle down into the site being better for all of us, but speaking as a victim of another hack that was a former member of the coalition, I also wrote my piece on a thread, when I saw Dr. Diep and his ultra-refined twin bladed 3-second plough job across the back of some unfortunate's scalp on youtube. Of course I didn't expect it to stop the process of recommendation because...well, the show must go on. And I'm glad it does.

 

Like most docs, I'm sure he's capable of doing great work if he really wants to. Anyway, I don't think you look great, there is a contrast where there should t be a contrast. but you have lots of options and you are far from being in a bad place. Go for the check up, learn as much as you can, and start planning your next FUE with a better surgeon.

[Mickey85]

GOOD doctors don't implant at extremely different angles to the native hair. GOOD doctors don't overly exhaust on area of the donor to the point that it is visually noticeable whilst leaving another eligible area completely untouched.

 

Ever since Diep was recommended we have seen more patients go to him and more patients reporting back that there have been problems with his work.

[Blake Bloxham]

Hi Guys,

 

Just wanted to let you know that I will send Dr. Diep an email asking him to review and respond right after the holiday.

 

We also pride ourselves on being a very patient-forward, fair community, and all members are free to send me a private message when physician-related concerns arise. These complaints are always thoroughly discussed amongst the moderators/administrators and taken very seriously. If such concern exists, I sincerely ask for a detailed private message explaining the issues and areas of concern.

 

Thanks again!

[Sethticles]

i think there is heaps of chance to get this fixed, you look like you have 1000s of grafts left in your donor area, don't lose hope just yet, hang in there, I wouldn't be going back to Diep though, best of luck

[m0dthispny]

I'm curious to see the Dr's response, I have FUE booked with Dr. Diep next month, and surprised how the flow of implanted hair is different. However, I've also seen many cases of very impressive work, which is why I booked Dr. Diep. Curious as the Dr. did say for me to have my hair grown out so he sees the flow of hair before the surgery. Personally I think the hairline design is very nice though. I am an advanced NW3 and opting for 2,250 grafts.

 

Mickey85, just searching 'diep' in this forum, i've noticed that you're constantly bashing and criticizing the Dr., always referring to the double FUT incision or his aggressive extractions. You had mentioned that Lorenzo's extractions are less aggressive, and videos are available on youtube, but I tried searching and didn't really find any. Do you have a personal vendetta against the Dr? Your constant bashing certainly makes me think so.

 

also, since you constantly bash, here are some videos to show the excellent work by the Dr. what do you think of these videos and the quality of work? i have thick hair, and would like to reach the results below.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c58FnsLayAA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0VBYrOYZ38

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNgUJJq4EwE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAYfRmKwCxQ

 

not to say the Dr.'s work is flawless, and results are never guaranteed with surgery, but looking at all his work, i feel confident and hope it turns out well!

Edited December 26, 2013 by m0dthispny

[m0dthispny]

OP, IMO your hairline was fine before the surgery.

 

When you had the consultation with the Dr, how many grafts did he recommend? was 1200 the upper or lower end? Reason i bring this up, for my particular hairloss, he recommend anywhere from 1500-2250 grafts.

[Mickey85]

Mickey85, just searching 'diep' in this forum, i've noticed that you're constantly bashing and criticizing the Dr., always referring to the double FUT incision or his aggressive extractions. You had mentioned that Lorenzo's extractions are less aggressive, and videos are available on youtube, but I tried searching and didn't really find any. Do you have a personal vendetta against the Dr? Your constant bashing certainly makes me think so.

 

Hey there. I don't have a personal vendetta against Diep, I have never even met him. I am vocal about my dislike for his work and ethics because I do not like his work and ethics. This is a guy who used to claim FUE was "No scar" on his Youtube videos, he now calls them "minimal scarring".

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u0SUlyQ5Gg

 

At 1.06 he claims "FUE, there is no scar at all". That is fictitious and misleading.

 

In regards to his aggressive extractions:

 

This is a Diep patient:

 

This is the "safe zone" for FUE:

 

He has clearly gone out of the safe zone by a VERY large margin.

 

H&W don't implant at incorrect angles. Konior does not implant at incorrect angles. Good surgeons don't implant at incorrect angles. That is an amateur mistake. Whether or not you think I have a personal vendetta is irrelevant as I am exercising the right to free speech and have presented evidence to back my claims. I also do not care if you believe I have a personal vendetta against him. At the end of the day, it is your scalp and your precious grafts my friend and your choice. I hope your procedure turns out well also. Peace.

[Bazancourt]

Mickey85, just searching 'diep' in this forum, i've noticed that you're constantly bashing and criticizing the Dr., always referring to the double FUT incision or his aggressive extractions. You had mentioned that Lorenzo's extractions are less aggressive, and videos are available on youtube, but I tried searching and didn't really find any. Do you have a personal vendetta against the Dr? Your constant bashing certainly makes me think so.

 

At last, someone has finally decided to point this out. I didn't want to say anything until someone else did.

 

I too genuinely want to know why Mickey85 seems to hate him. I read about Dr Diep on this forum many times for the past year and even read threads and posts about him dating back years ago. Moderators and members alike have praises his work and said he is an excellent Dr. To be honest, I didn't need this forum to say it, because I only need to go and watch the hundreds of his videos on youtube in which the results are there to see. Some are amazing, some are good and some are decent.

 

There's criticism (which I absolutely encourage and creates a healthy debate) and then there's blatant attacking a doctor. At every opportunity, he seems to bash Dr Diep and keeps saying how he didn't want him referred and that he should be removed from the recommendation.

 

For example, I'm of African descent and had a strip surgery with Dr Diep. There was a thread from a guy (who was black) just weeks before my surgery in which he too had a strip done with Dr Diep 2 months ago. He mentioned that developed a large scar. Sadly on his part, he suffered from Keloid as others had pointed out, not scar stretching, something common in African Americans. However, instead of pointing it out, Mickey85 used it as the an opportunity to attack Dr Diep and made it out like he has done this numerous of times to patients when that clearly wasn't the case. Not only wasn't there another case on here, but I simply went on his channel and found an African American who had the strip 1 year later and his scar had healed and was barely visible.

 

Now I'm not a representative of Dr Diep or nor do I go round championing him and telling people to go to him. I've never done that on this forum and every should do their own research and choose their own Doctor. If someone says there are better FUE surgeons than Dr Diep or that he is the best one, fine either way. I'm not going to agree or disagree with them.

 

In fact, I too have criticism of Dr Diep, nobody is immune of Criticism, not even the best. My criticism of him is that he is very very pro FUE, that it's the future and its the best method of hair transplant for those with less than Norwood 4. I on the other hand believe that FUT is just as good as FUE. Which is ironic, because Micky85 is a very pro FUE like Dr Diep.

 

However when you search Dr Diep and you see the same person constantly attacking him to the point where it seems like his work his awful and that he is an unethical doctor, it gets pretty tiresome

[Mickey85]

 

 

However when you search Dr Diep and you see the same person constantly attacking him to the point where it seems like his work his awful and that he is an unethical doctor, it gets pretty tiresome

 

You know what the solution there is? DON'T READ MY POSTS.

[Mickey85]

 

For example, I'm of African descent and had a strip surgery with Dr Diep. There was a thread from a guy (who was black) just weeks before my surgery in which he too had a strip done with Dr Diep 2 months ago. He mentioned that developed a large scar. Sadly on his part, he suffered from Keloid as others had pointed out, not scar stretching, something common in African Americans.

 

You seriously don't think the scar stretched?

 

 

Please... It was a case of keloid scarring AND scar stretching(hence why it is very wide).

 

Thanks guys for taking out time to explain all these to me, i wish I had done this before going under the knife. Yes, the surgeon that did my HT was one of the doctors recommended on this website. I wish the doctor would have told me about the possibility of the scar being noticeable, stretching, keloids etc. He said I should be fine since I was only repairing my hairline with 800 grafts but I ended up getting 1300 (I am a Norwood 2 by the way). Any other suggestion or advice will be highly appreciated. Thanks guys!

 

Diep telling the patient "it should be fine" and not explaining the possible complications is unethical.

[Bazancourt]

You know what the solution there is? DON'T READ MY POSTS.

 

Ah, that old classic.

[Mickey85]

Sadly on his part, he suffered from Keloid as others had pointed out, not scar stretching, something common in African Americans. However, instead of pointing it out, Mickey85 used it as the an opportunity to attack Dr Diep

 

We have a liar here ladies and gentleman:

 

Sadly, that does look like a stretched scar... If your doctor was not adept at donor closure, then you might get a good result by getting it revised by a top notch surgeon like Ron Shapiro or Hasson and Wong who are excellent at donor closures. However if you did go to a good surgeon chances are it was your physiology that form the poor scar. FUE grafting into the scar may work to disguise it and reduce the visibility, it could even improve the general color of the scar as the blood flow reestablishes itself. Unfortunately it seems like it is a keloid scar when the scar has inflated... FUE and SMP will not reduce that...

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/172754-scar-stretching.html#post2369982

 

Nice way to exaggerate, omit information and post absolute fictitious statements buddy.

 

I'm not denying that I attack Diep when I see his bad work mind you. I do see alot of it and WILL be vocal about it whether you like it or not.

[Bazancourt]

You seriously don't think the scar stretched?

 

*picture of keloid and scar stretch*

 

Please... It was a case of keloid scarring AND scar stretching(hence why it is very wide).

 

 

 

Diep telling the patient "it should be fine" and not explaining the possible complications is unethical.

 

Have you ever heard of a Keloid without a scar stretching? :confused: That's how it works. The Keloid develops and thus stretches the scar, which creates for the Keloid to exist and to be clearly visible.

 

But lets say you are absolutely right and that it was scar stretching, can any surgeon categorically guarantee that someones scar won't stretch? In my case, I'm going to say away from doing any heavy exercising for 3 months to be safe. Some say its fine after a month. No surgeon can guarantee that your scar won't stretch. It could stretch naturally due to the way your body and skin is or because of what you did post surgery.

 

Now, you were kind enough to post an example. Here is an example from Dr Diep. Remember, I too am African and I saw that thread weeks before the surgery and I could have very easily cancelled, but i know the difference between Keloid and scaring and having done my research and seen examples, there wasn't cases and cases of Dr Diep performing poor FUT and his patients having poor scarring.

 

Here's an example of not an Indian, or a European, but an African American.

 

Example1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlTJjZoXcoghttp://nlTJjZoXcog

 

Example2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG3j19fY2Oc

 

But if anyone read your post in that thread, one would assume that Dr Diep consistently give patients poor scarring. Thankfully I didn't bother and read the posts of others and the moderators in particular and read Dr Dieps explanation in which he also posted pictures of successfully healed scars on African Americans.

[Bazancourt]

We have a liar here ladies and gentleman:

 

 

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/172754-scar-stretching.html#post2369982

 

Nice way to exaggerate, omit information and post absolute fictitious statements buddy.

 

I'm not denying that I attack Diep when I see his bad work mind you. I do see alot of it and WILL be vocal about it whether you like it or not.

 

Instead of Just point it out is what I was meant to say and for that, I apologies. However, my point on that post still stands. Instead of just pointing it, you took it as an opportunity to attack Dr Diep as being an awful doctor and how you were sick of him.

 

Again, instead of just pointing out that the directs of the graft weren't good, you once again, said it as an opportunity to attack Dr Diep and how he should not be recommended. A consist pattern that you show.

 

Add the word "Just" to that sentence and see the difference. On my part, I apologise. I was typing to fast and I have a habit of making spelling mistakes and missing words when writing a lot in a post. It's not an essay, I don't normally go back to proof read.

 

Now, I never tried to make it personal or attack you as a person. But if you want to go down that path, I have read many of your post and many of them are knowledgeable and helpful. However, there were times were you yourself were deceitful and perhaps a liar. Allow me to demonstrate in a discussion you took part in, in this particular thread. Pages 22 and 23 to be precise.....

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/170537-donor-scar-options-23.html

 

And here's an example of a member pulling you up on one of your deceitful claims

 

Here is you making a point. The very honest person that you are....

 

 

Around the 1 minute mark.

 

The try to avoid the strip technique for people under 30. MPBsucks said Feriduni refused to perform strip on him due to his age even though he has great laxity. They don't perform strip on under 30s in general. Not to say they have not done a special case here or there, but in general, they don't.

 

And here's someone pulling you up on it.....

 

You've quoted about 10% of what the doctor says and conveniently left out the rest! I've typed it out:

 

“We try to avoid strip in each case where the patient which has the age younger than 30 years which have some problems from the skin….if we see some problems with the structure of the skin...but in general we say that 30 years is a good age to think about strip or FUE but everybody under 30 is in general a good candidate for an FUE.”

 

 

Now why you've decided to make it personal and attack me, I do not know. If you want to be petty, go ahead.

 

Like I said, your criticism of Dr Diep are valid and they make sense. Many Surgeons on here are criticized and I don't have a problem with criticism. However the blatant over the top exasperation you seem to show and constantly making out that he performs poor work, on of the fact that at every opportunity you moan about him being recommended his pretty sad. As you said, I shouldn't bother reading your posts. But I'm sure people can make their own judgement and others have noticed that you do seem to have it for Dr Diep.

[Mickey85]

Have you ever heard of a Keloid without a scar stretching? :confused: That's how it works. The Keloid develops and thus stretches the scar, which creates for the Keloid to exist and to be clearly visible.

 

You made it sound like the scar did not stretch at all. As if scar stretching and keloid formation were two exclusive factors. You make it sound like the scar had not physically stretched when it is obvious it has, regardless of keloid formation. Clearly the scar DID stretch and it happened to be keloid. I mentioned both(as shown in my previous post where I advised the patient). You clearly stated I didn't point out the keloid formation, I proved you wrong.

 

But lets say you are absolutely right and that it was scar stretching, can any surgeon categorically guarantee that someones scar won't stretch? In my case, I'm going to say away from doing any heavy exercising for 3 months to be safe. Some say its fine after a month. No surgeon can guarantee that your scar won't stretch. It could stretch naturally due to the way your body and skin is or because of what you did post surgery.

 

No surgeon can guarantee a scar won't stretch. However Diep told the patient "It should be fine" and neglected to tell him about the potential for it to stretch due the individual physiology. That is the unethical part right there.

 

I'm not doubting Diep can produce fine scars. Please show me a post of mine where I stated he cannot. Show me a post where I stated Diep CONSTANTLY produces wide scars. I have stated that I think doctors like Shapiro and H&W have better donor closures, but I think they have the best donor closures in the business.

[Bazancourt]

 

I'm not denying that I attack Diep when I see his bad work mind you. I do see alot of it and WILL be vocal about it whether you like it or not.

 

Honestly, criticise him all you want. I've got criticism against him (as well as praise) and I've got criticism against some of the best doctors on her.

 

My issue with you was never about your criticism as such, but your constant "This doctor is awful, he shouldn't be recommended on here, I've always been againt his recommendation and he should be removed" kind of attitude that your posts reeks of when it comes to Dr Diep is what I and others don't get. Not your criticism.

[Mickey85]

Instead of Just point it out is what I was meant to say and for that, I apologies. However, my point on that post still stands. Instead of just pointing it, you took it as an opportunity to attack Dr Diep as being an awful doctor and how you were sick of him.

 

Again, instead of just pointing out that the directs of the graft weren't good, you once again, said it as an opportunity to attack Dr Diep and how he should not be recommended. A consist pattern that you show.

 

 

That is because I do not see him as a quality physician friend. His flaws are absolutely amateur. No other surgeon on here implants at such a different angle to native hair. That is downright careless. His flaws are constant and evident in PATIENT-POSTED results and I do not think he is up to the standards of this website.

 

 

Add the word "Just" to that sentence and see the difference. On my part, I apologise. I was typing to fast and I have a habit of making spelling mistakes and missing words when writing a lot in a post. It's not an essay, I don't normally go back to proof read.

 

All sweet. Understood.

 

However the blatant over the top exasperation you seem to show and constantly making out that he performs poor work, on of the fact that at every opportunity you moan about him being recommended his pretty sad

 

So it is pretty sad that I am vocal about poor work when I see it? Please tell me what you think about this extraction pattern by Diep:

 

http://i.imgur.com/Ga8FiPl.jpg

 

Looks to me like it goes well into the crown. Good FUE surgeon right there.

[Mickey85]

Honestly, criticise him all you want. I've got criticism against him (as well as praise) and I've got criticism against some of the best doctors on her.

 

My issue with you was never about your criticism as such, but your constant "This doctor is awful, he shouldn't be recommended on here, I've always been againt his recommendation and he should be removed" kind of attitude that your posts reeks of when it comes to Dr Diep is what I and others don't get. Not your criticism.

 

Because I am against his recommendation friend. Get over it. I will continue to be VERY VOCAL whenever I see a bad work from him. I will continue to point out the shoddy flaws in his cases when I see them. All the best with your procedure however.