Dr Rahal FUT result 2516 grafts

[Loags79]

This certainly appears to be shedding of DHT sensitive hairs rather than the transplant hairs. If shed of transplant hairs occurred then you'd also see some shedding of the permanent native hairs resistant to DHT outside the recipient area shed as well because when apply minox these areas would've inadvertantly had minox on them as well. What I see is an even shed in all the area of the MPB area.

[404hairnotfound]

 

WOW, your 6 and 12 month photos are like night and day!! I hope you can achieve at least what you had at 6 months back, the density and blend with your native hair looked meticulous. Your post got me a little worried since I just had a procedure with Rahal less than a month ago! I too think he and his entire team are very professional. I had a good experience overall with the clinic, but also nervous about the final outcome, obviously. Anyway, glad to hear you had such an extensive conversation with Dr. Rahal and hopefully get you back on track to improve your result. I started Rogaine about 2 weeks post op as per the clinic's post op care. Your case certainly teaches me not to stop! Thanks and keep us updated on your progress.

Yes, certainly do not stop your minoxidil application. I have learned the hard way that meds should be an all-or-nothing endeavour, starting, stopping, and restarting is not a good idea. Best of luck with your recovery, I am sure you will be happy!

[404hairnotfound]

 

This certainly appears to be shedding of DHT sensitive hairs rather than the transplant hairs. If shed of transplant hairs occurred then you'd also see some shedding of the permanent native hairs resistant to DHT outside the recipient area shed as well because when apply minox these areas would've inadvertantly had minox on them as well. What I see is an even shed in all the area of the MPB area.

I can't say I agree completely, I think that the transplanted hairs have definitely shed in addition to the native hairs in the recipient area. I think the Before-After-Current pictures confirm this, as I had very little hair in the recipient area before the transplant. The hair that I did have there resembled vellus hair more so than terminal hair. The dramatic drop in density between month 6 and 12 indicates that a lot of the hairs that shed were transplanted hairs.

[ftbpicks]

I too just had a FUE for 2521 with Dr Rahal and was going to do the Rogaine for 1 year and then stop as per the guidelines and recommendations from Dr Rahals aftercare instructions in my folder I received after my transplant two weeks ago.

 

Do you guys think it will be okay after a year but not within 6 months because the hair typically is not strong enough to to stop only 6 months in but will be much stronger after a 12 month period due to being more mature?

 

This worries me as maybe I should not bother to use it if I am plan on stopping after a year. I don't want to be in the same boat after a year and lose all the hair I gained. I would be very angry after all the money I spent and effort to just go backwards

[404hairnotfound]

I too just had a FUE for 2521 with Dr Rahal and was going to do the Rogaine for 1 year and then stop as per the guidelines and recommendations from Dr Rahals aftercare instructions in my folder I received after my transplant two weeks ago.

 

Do you guys think it will be okay after a year but not within 6 months because the hair typically is not strong enough to to stop only 6 months in but will be much stronger after a 12 month period due to being more mature?

 

This worries me as maybe I should not bother to use it if I am plan on stopping after a year. I don't want to be in the same boat after a year and lose all the hair I gained. I would be very angry after all the money I spent and effort to just go backwards

This is actually something that confused me after my surgery. Minoxidil is not something that you should start and stop after taking it for a significant amount of time; even simply switching brands from liquid to foam mid treatment has caused many people to encounter a shedding phase. This knowledge is common on hair loss support forums. Once your hair follicles adapt to a steady dose of minoxidil ceasing the application is a bad idea. I knew this going in and that is why I was confused about the recommendation to stop after 12 months. It is inevitable that hairs will be shed soon after. And if the stars align the right way the hair will continue to shed for 6 months or more, as in my case, although mine is a rarer scenario. If you are seeing good results while using minoxidil and not experiencing any significant side effects then I would not stop using it. Otherwise if you cannot see yourself committing to using it for the rest of your life (or as long as it is still doing its job) then I would not even start using it.

[Loags79]

I hope your get regorwth 404. It wouldn't make any sense if they were growing strong at 6 months then shed and didn't regrow. They're supposed to be safe-zone hair?

 

In terms of ceasing minox I would recommend people wean themselves off rather than stop it cold. ie. after 12 months of twice daily application, cut back to once a day for the next 2 months, then try every 2nd day for 2 months, then every 3rd day for 2 months, then etc etc.

[Spanker]

Please update us as time goes on.

[404hairnotfound]

I hope your get regorwth 404. It wouldn't make any sense if they were growing strong at 6 months then shed and didn't regrow. They're supposed to be safe-zone hair?

 

In terms of ceasing minox I would recommend people wean themselves off rather than stop it cold. ie. after 12 months of twice daily application, cut back to once a day for the next 2 months, then try every 2nd day for 2 months, then every 3rd day for 2 months, then etc etc.

Thanks Loags, I agree that weaning off is preferable to stopping cold turkey. I did wean to an extent, doing every other day application and then every third day. I only did this for about a month though, maybe it wasn't a gradual enough taper. Who knows.

[Shadow of the EMpire State]

I would wager to guess that it is more common than we realize. Many people are not as willing to share their poor results with the world, due to embarrassment, or because they are advised against advertising their result by their doctor, etc. People with great results are much more likely to share. my 2 cents.

 

Entirely correct.

[KO]

Why are you getting off minox? You should use it permanently!

[Sean]

please do update us as time goes on. wish you the very best and hope you get some peace soon.

[glocktop]

None of these meds are part-time endeavors. Rogaine clearly states on the bottle that any gains will be lost if you stop using the medication. It also clearly states its only a benefit for the crown area. Were you using it on your frontal third and hairline area? Who directed it to use it and stop? That sounds like patently bad advice.

Your six month photos like beyond awesome. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you and hoping your DHT resistant hair will bounce back.

[glocktop]

Regarding Rahal - years ago, I used to really enjoy reading a new Rahal patient post, and seeing the awesome hairline results. Now, its almost as much fun to read a new thread and see if I can view the pics and unaltered story about disappointing results before it gets edited and redacted by the patient after 'speaking with Dr Rahal...' What is going on with that clinic!? So glad I decided not to proceed with them after my virtual consultation in July 2014. I hope they bounce back to steady, strong results. They have quite a legacy to protect. Or is that the problem? Are we lately seeing behind the curtain, and getting a better sampling of the not-so-great results that many users of this forum suspect are common in this industry?

[Dr. Rahal]

Hi glocktop,

 

I’ll start with that we 100% stand behind 404hairnotfound.

 

We will make sure that he is happy in the end. Period.

 

My issue is that you’re implying we had something to do with the non-transplanted hairs shedding, somehow altered his story and aren't producing word-class results…

 

Let’s stick to the facts…

 

6 months results are great... non-transplanted hair shed at around 12 months post-op, possibly sooner. Let’s give it time, hope that everything bounces back and review his options then.

 

We will make sure that he is happy in the end…

 

I get it… people expect Rahal to produce some of the best results in the industry… and we deliver on that. However, there are times when a patient will need a touch-up. We call it the X factor. Nothing is 100%. It happens.

 

We are dealing with the human body… there are things we can’t control.

 

But rest assured we are doing everything possible to ensure success… from quality to training. Everything.

 

We provide some of the best patient care in the industry…

 

We have a department 100% dedicated to Patient Care. Our patient satisfaction rate is 98%. One of the highest in the industry. We survey every patient pre/post-op and ask for feedback about “everything”. And make improvements as needed. We listen. And take patient care very serious.

 

We are booked 12 months in advance for a reason...

 

Every clinic has some unhappy patients... Every clinic. Including the best. This includes every clinic on this forum. I challenge any clinic to say otherwise.

 

These are the facts.

 

It’s how the clinic deals with the unhappy patient that’s important.

 

Our record is perfect… We have and always will stand behind our patients. Always.

 

You asked what’s going on at the clinic…

 

We are producing some of the best results in the industry. We are producing consistent results…

 

Here are a few recent comments from patients and results... there are thousands more examples...

 

In the mean time please extend my appreciation to Dr. Rahal, Michael and the rest of the awesome team again for a great procedure and ulmately, great results!!

 

After comparing my post transplant results with my last surgeon and Dr. Rahal, there is NO comparison whatsoever and I mean NO COMPARISON !! Dr. Rahal’s density, hairline outline and overall shape is clearly outstanding!

 

BTW, I am very happy with the process and patient care delivered by all the staff at Dr. Rahal

 

I would really trust this company you guys are so consistent with customer service

its taken me a while to get back to you as ive been in an intensive business course

so my focus has been on that

thank you

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/176906-dr-rahal-2158-graft-fue-norwood-3-12-mos-post-op.html#post2405503

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/176906-dr-rahal-2158-graft-fue-norwood-3-12-mos-post-op.html#post2405503

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/176827-dr-rahal-2511-graft-fue-noroowd-5-9-mos-post-op.html

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/176785-dr-rahal-fue-result-2818-grafts-7-months-post-op.html

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/176005-dr-rahal-fut-result-2946-grafts-9-months-post-op.html

 

Edited October 6, 2014 by RahalHairTransplant

[Muscleheadofhair]

The other issue he told me about is that my hair characteristics are not the most ideal for hair transplantation. Because of my very fine hair and poor donor density, Dr. Rahal said that I am one of those "on the fence" patients, where the result could go either way and it is impossible to predict the outcome. My hair caliber is very fine, and combining that with the relatively low number of 3's and zero 4's that were extracted, it is hard to create an illusion of density with very fine hair and mainly 1's and 2's.

On the fence? This is ridiculous. Did he tell you this before you had your surgery or are you finding this out now? Who would want to have surgery if the doctor says before a surgery that the result could have gone either way???

We talked about potentially doing FUE into my FUT scar so that I can shave my head if the loss gets too advanced to do anything more. He also recommended jumping on Propecia and going back on Minoxidil, but waiting until at least the 18 month mark to do so to give my situation a bit more time to stabilize first. I am not comfortable with the idea of taking medication but will give it consideration depending on how things are looking in another 6 months.

Did he show you examples of FUE into scar that he's performed to show you that this option is real or were they just words used to pacify you? It is kind of convenient that after one failed strip he says that you weren't a good candidate to begin with but you might be able to have FUE. The money milking is unbelievable. Was this also explained to you before your strip surgery, that you only had one surgery in you and that FUE would be necessary for any more work and what the expense of FUE would be? How much more is FUE than strip? I hope you update us all on how this goes. There are too many missing patients. Seems like once they talk to their doctor they fade away. Complain, talk to doctor, then exit stage left.

Our record is perfect… We have and always will stand behind our patients. Always.

Really?

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/164456-2500-fut-dr-rahal-hairline-repair.html

How do you always stand behind your patients? If you do a do-over what happens if that doesn't grow well? Do you do more surgery? Do you give a refund? I don't think there is a legitimate way to make up for bad growth. If you give a refund what happens to the hair that was wasted? It's gone and there is a scar left as a smiling reminder and the patient has no way to get that donor hair back. That's what I went through and is why I have to shave my head now. I've accepted it and it looks good but it wasn't by choice which is why I think the idea of saying you stand behind your patients is useless. You can't give him his donor hair back, you can't get rid of his donor scar and you can't put him back on the fence since you already knocked him off.

[Muscleheadofhair]

I was hoping to see an update but it appears I was right, 404 has left the building. Its been two weeks and nothing. He was posting quite often before "the call".

If you see this, 404, I feel for ya. Please come back and update us on your progress.

[KO]

Your hair caliber doesn't look "very fine" to me....did you get it measured?

[GraveD11gger]

Hair caliber can not be measured, and is very trivial matter for HT. There is no practical value of it.

 

Just the hiar physicians who like advertising use such a bright words to confuse the uninformed or misdirected people/hair loss sufferers.

 

NOTE: Generally speaking, there are many exceptions; people from the north parts of the world (Scandinavians, Englishmen, Americans, Caucasians, blonds) are always better candidates for hair transplant. They may even go high NW hair losses, but their donor areas have higher capacity/potential to give grafts safely. Although hairs' caliber is generally thinner at those races, results are much better for the density and natural appearance

Edited October 24, 2014 by GraveD11gger

[KO]

^You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

[GraveD11gger]

Respect your comments as usual.

 

Just to remind myself to you, waiting your reply in other thread- the unnamed one.

[MusoInOz]

On the fence? This is ridiculous. Did he tell you this before you had your surgery or are you finding this out now? Who would want to have surgery if the doctor says before a surgery that the result could have gone either way???

Did he show you examples of FUE into scar that he's performed to show you that this option is real or were they just words used to pacify you? It is kind of convenient that after one failed strip he says that you weren't a good candidate to begin with but you might be able to have FUE. The money milking is unbelievable. Was this also explained to you before your strip surgery, that you only had one surgery in you and that FUE would be necessary for any more work and what the expense of FUE would be? How much more is FUE than strip? I hope you update us all on how this goes. There are too many missing patients. Seems like once they talk to their doctor they fade away. Complain, talk to doctor, then exit stage left.

Really?

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/164456-2500-fut-dr-rahal-hairline-repair.html

How do you always stand behind your patients? If you do a do-over what happens if that doesn't grow well? Do you do more surgery? Do you give a refund? I don't think there is a legitimate way to make up for bad growth. If you give a refund what happens to the hair that was wasted? It's gone and there is a scar left as a smiling reminder and the patient has no way to get that donor hair back. That's what I went through and is why I have to shave my head now. I've accepted it and it looks good but it wasn't by choice which is why I think the idea of saying you stand behind your patients is useless. You can't give him his donor hair back, you can't get rid of his donor scar and you can't put him back on the fence since you already knocked him off.

 

I really do feel for this gentleman however as it has been pointed out, the human body can basically do unpredictable things during the healing phase. It was stated the patient (404) had poor laxity, Dr Rahals suggestion that the patient was a poor choice for FUT was spot on. Money milking? Sir you must understand that FUE was also developed for poor laxity patients, I can't imagine Dr Rahal held a gun to 404 and demand he get in the chair, sounds as though his forecasted potential was merely given a 50/50 scenario. It's elective surgery, there are

risks. NASA manage many successful space missions in which most can only name a handful, however we vividly recall all of their disasters and short comings much like the HT industry. I am not saying it is perfect because that would be a lie, I am a Rahal success thus far so yes... there is an element of favoury in some respect. I am a very paranoid individual and never felt any disconnection in my dealings with Rahal or his staff pre and post op sir.

 

404, I hope things work out for you mate. I can only imagine how you may be feeling.

 

Mike.

[Dr. Rahal]

Hi Muscleheadofhair,

 

I’m not sure if you missed the thread, but 404hairnotfound was advised to wait a couple of months. It was the non-transplanted hairs that shed. Not the transplanted hairs. It’s entirely possible that he will achieve some re-growth.

 

Let’s give it time.

 

We would like to address a few things...

 

- We are not “money milking” anything. If 404hairnotfound decides to shave his head and move on, we will FUE his scar for free. Our goal is to make him happy. He will be charged nothing...

 

- We did not cause the scar in the example that you cited, http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.co...ne-repair.html If you had of read the thread, you would have discovered that the scar was caused by another clinic and that Dr. Rahal reduced it to 0.7cm...

 

To be fair, your statements like the "call” do more harm than good.

 

It’s not a conspiracy.

 

The “call” was to listen to 404hairnotfound’s concerns and provide solutions.

 

We are here for 404hairnotfound and will do everything possible to make him happy.

 

You are new to the forums… we are not. Our results are well documents. There are hundreds of happy patients on these forums.

 

We are on your side... and do everything possible to ensure success for our patients.

 

However, even the best clinics will have some unhappy patients. That’s the reality. There are factors we just can't control.

 

You can do everything right... and some patients will still require a touch-up.

 

What you need to look at is 1) does the clinic to everything possible to ensure success? and, 2) is the clinic consistent?

 

Yes and yes. We are one of the most consistent hair transplant clinics in the industry and do everything possible to help ensure success.

 

For example… did you know that to keep grafts hydrated, we use the same solution used to preserve organs (heart etc.) for organ donation and transport. Most clinics just use saline.

 

That's just one example. There are many more.

 

I think our record is pretty good.... over 5000 hair transplants and only a handful of patients had some concerns.

 

Hope this addresses some of your concerns.

[SunnyCool3]

Let's see what will the outcome.

[fisher4man]

Hi Muscleheadofhair,

 

 

For example… did you know that to keep grafts hydrated, we use the same solution used to preserve organs (heart etc.) for organ donation and transport. Most clinics just use saline.

 

 

 

If most clinics use saline, itt means that saline is (more than) enough. (just to prevent grafts to get dry)

 

(These transplanted organs need perfusion solutions to remove blood content inside and to reduce antigenity, HT is autotransplantation, there is no antigenity, and maximum storage time of the grafts during any hair transplant procedure is, lets say, 6-8 hours, this is still so safe ischemia time. And the hair grafts are so basic, simple structures that there is no risk (zero risk) for the ischemia-reperfusion injury to develop after their autotransplant.

 

I recommend you to stop using advertorial and unnecessary so-called storage solutions for HT, do not waste money and resources at least.

Edited November 28, 2014 by fisher4man

[fisher4man]

If somebody simply want to prolong the ischemia (storage time) of the hair grafts during hair transplant, simple refrigaration (at 4 Celcius) of the grafts after their removal up to thier implantation is enough. This is called cold ischemia time (refrigeration at 4 Celcius) and is always longer than the hot ischemia time (keeping them at room temperature 22-24 Celcius) for the grafts.

 

Anyway, max. 6-8 hours of hot ischemia time is still so safe and short time for the hair grafts to keep in saline, then no need ( and nobody use) to keep them in refrigerator during HT. But, nothing lost and all benefits can be gained by refrigeration.