Regular Member GilesLavery Posted April 20, 2009 Regular Member Share Posted April 20, 2009 Hello all , i am at the 6 month mark in just over a week (second HT) and i see very little in the way of growth, just a few hairs here and there. i do have very light colored hair so it is possible it's invisible to me in the mirror... i just feel at 6 months i should be seeing more. My Dr. didnt use a bandage after my surgery , he told me he never does , they just cleaned me up and i got my lift home , i must say it all healed very very fast, so fast in fact i was worried something was wrong , as with my first HT i was a mess for weeks.... it seems that people at 6 months are very happy with thier results and by month 7 it is expected most hair has grown... any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GilesLavery Posted April 20, 2009 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 20, 2009 Hello all , i am at the 6 month mark in just over a week (second HT) and i see very little in the way of growth, just a few hairs here and there. i do have very light colored hair so it is possible it's invisible to me in the mirror... i just feel at 6 months i should be seeing more. My Dr. didnt use a bandage after my surgery , he told me he never does , they just cleaned me up and i got my lift home , i must say it all healed very very fast, so fast in fact i was worried something was wrong , as with my first HT i was a mess for weeks.... it seems that people at 6 months are very happy with thier results and by month 7 it is expected most hair has grown... any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member thanatopsis_awry Posted April 20, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted April 20, 2009 A few things....you are still pretty early, so minimal actual growth can be normal; especially at this stage we are often our harshest critics. I'd take some good shots of your current mop and post them w/ your pre-ops. Or, don't even post them and just use them for a legit, visual comparison for yourself to observe. ----------- *A Follicles Dying Wish To Clinics* 1 top-down, 1 portrait, 1 side-shot, 1 hairline....4 photos. No flash. Follicles have asked for centuries, in ten languages, as many times so as to confuse a mathematician. Enough is enough! Give me documentation or give me death! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Ceasar08 Posted April 20, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted April 20, 2009 My real results have come after eight months. Who was your doc and how many grafts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member schalke04 Posted April 20, 2009 Regular Member Share Posted April 20, 2009 I am also a bit worried - had 1600 FUE grafts done in the front 5 months ago and so far virtually nothing - I was told that FUE procedures may take a little longer sometimes to start growing - hope that's true / spent a lot of $'s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member latinlotus Posted April 20, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted April 20, 2009 How is the growth of second HT compared to the first HT? Six months may be just a little behind the average, so nothing to worry for now. ******** I am not a doctor. The opinions and comments are of my own. HT with Dr. Cooley on Nov 20, 2008 2097 grafts, 3957 hairs Proscar, 1.25 mg daily, skip the 5th day, started Nov 2007 My Hair Loss Blog - Hair Transplant with Dr. Cooley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Glenn Charles Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Try not to panic. You have no choice but to continue waiting patiently. It can take up to 6 months for the beginning of growth. Hopefully, you are just having a normal delay and everything will turn out well. You can always contact your doctor so they can give you some reassurance. Dr. Glenn Charles is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member miked Posted April 20, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted April 20, 2009 GilesLavery Have you posted who your doctor was? have you contacted them? if so what did they say? thanks My Hair Loss Blog - Hair Transplant with Dr. Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GilesLavery Posted April 22, 2009 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 22, 2009 Big thanks to all who replied to my post. i will post my hair transplant journey in detail a bit later on...just need to type it all up on my PC at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GilesLavery Posted April 23, 2009 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 23, 2009 Ok, this is the full explaination of my 2 HT's to date, any opinions or input would be welcome. I do wish i had found this forum prior to getting anything done as i would have most certainly had my two proceedures done in the USA. anyway here goes.... I live in Sydney Australia my hair loss had been bothering me for a few years and was getting worse so in late 2007 i booked a 1200 graft HT with a local place that deals with hair systems / replacement etc etc . i did not meet with a doctor but a clinic manager who recommended how many grafts and where i would need them. i paid my deposit and waited for the day of surgery.... on the day everything seemed to go well, i met the surgeon for the first time on that day. now i consider myself very lucky to have had a pretty good outcome from the first HT ... i got 800 in the hairline and 400 in the crown the hairline started growing very unevenly and for months i was very very angry , all i had was very patchy growth that looked bloody awful, then over the months it evened out and at this stage looks quite good , not overly thick but quite well placed and has helped my facial appearance considerably. now i cannot say how much better it might have been in another surgeons hands perhaps as good perhaps way better. but for 800 grafts i am happy with the hairline for now. So 8 months later i was booked in for another session to attack the frontal third with 1400 grafts , hoping this would make a huge difference. once again i met another surgeon on the day (not the same doc. who did the first) who's name was Michael Molton , who has claimed to have done over 2000 HT's in australia over the last 10 years or so. now a search on this very forum for his name and we find one rather unhappy customer, this does not fill me with worry as im sure even the best doc's have a few unhappy clients. he placed the grafts EXACTLY where i wanted them , and was in total agreement with my plans for this HT and any future work. looking at the placement afterward i thought if this lot grows this is going to look great. but as the title of my post suggests at 6 months my growth has been minimal, i do have very light hair so it could be harder to see new growth and my first HT was a bit all over the place at first and didnt really take shape until the 9 months point. so i am playing the waiting game and hoping i havent made a huge mistake, i am seeing some very fine hair coming through in certain places , but nothing compared to the large area grafted. It was very tidy work and healed very fast , no scabs at all after 7 or 8 days. the staff were friendly and the tech's were the same as who did my first HT all except one who i learned was a "travelling tech". now bottom line if i get as lucky as i got with my first HT and get reasonable growth i'll be happy, however any future work i will be going to one of the Fine Doc's recommended on this forum. i did not take any before photos or any immediatly after surgery , so i cannot post any. I have learned here that these cosmetic surgery speicalists are not the best way to go for a HT but im hoping as i said above i dodged a bullet , and am quite happy with the outcome from my first HT so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GilesLavery Posted April 23, 2009 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 23, 2009 P.s. i did contact the clinic and they were very friendly an told me to wait until 9 months had passed before making any conclusions , they said 6 months was only when the growth starts. they said they would have me come in at the 9 month point to have a look at my outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TheEmperor Posted April 23, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted April 23, 2009 Originally posted by GilesLavery:P.s. i did contact the clinic and they were very friendly an told me to wait until 9 months had passed before making any conclusions , they said 6 months was only when the growth starts. they said they would have me come in at the 9 month point to have a look at my outcome. I think you have every right to be concerned. I feel that there is danger in telling someone to "wait it out" when there is a reasonable chance that there is a problem. In these cases, it is important to be realistic and plan your next steps, instead of getting twisted up inside, praying for some delayed growth. Conventional wisdom from the top clinics, is that growth will begin around the 2-3 month mark, and most grafts will have sprouted by the 6-7 month mark. They continue to lengthen and thicken over the course of the following year. I am not aware of any delayed growth just because it is a second procedure. When grafts are damaged, cut improperly, or inserted forcibly, damage may occur and this will impact yield. Because the doctor was different, he may have created different incision types which could also impact yield. My advice is to start sending pics for consultations with the great docs on this forum: Shapiro, Feller, H&W, and others. Get the ball rolling, get their feedback, and be prepared to make a move in another six months. While the bad news is that it may be shaping up to be poor yield (delayed growers never have late "wow" results), I think the positive message here is twofold: 1) You dont sound like an advanced norwood. Given the small graft count you received, you probably have a LARGE supply of grafts in reserve. 2) The best clinics can do single sessions that are larger then your first procedures combined. If you felt that 800 grafts made a big difference, imagine how 4000 grafts will look. If the growth is poor from #2, I would seek at least partial financial reimbursement and then not waste any more time or grafts with that clinic. Having consulted with the top docs inthe field, you can have a surgery date "penciled in" and be ready to move if in fact the growth is inadequate. Look forward, not back. My Hair Loss Web Site - Hair Transplant with Dr. Wong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hairthere Posted April 23, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted April 23, 2009 pictures would help us give you a more fair assessment... I am the owner/operator of AHEAD INK a Scalp Micropigmentation Company in Fort Lee, New Jersey. www.aheadink.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Shadow of the EMpire State Posted April 24, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted April 24, 2009 I don't know the specifics of this case, but in my experience, the try-not-to-panic advice is often just a meaningless pat on the shoulder. No one--especially the doctor who performed the surgery--wants to tell you that the procedure was a bust. Now I understand the desire to be nice, but in the six years that I've been on hair boards, the overwhelming majority of "top" results have been fast-growers. In short, nearly all the best results have looked impressive at six months. In general, I think it's fair to say that you know you're onto something when you post six-month pictures and get a comment like, "Wow! And it's only six months!" Unfortunately, some of the doctors try to shine you on with dubious claims that the transplant will continue to grow as long as 18 months after the procedure. Nonsense. I don't disagree that a transplant may theicken somewhat in the 10-18 month range, but I'm convinced that whatever thickening takes place will not be very significant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Dr. William Lindsey Posted April 24, 2009 Regular Member Share Posted April 24, 2009 Patience is key. Transplants aren't guaranteed to work, but in reality they really do "almost always" work. But there are many variables, some in the doc's hands, some in the patient's hands, and some out of anyone's control. For example, math is always the same in any clinic and on any planet...2+3=5. But if you cook homemade cookies at my house, and using the same recipe, but perhaps the ingrediants you find at the store in Australia, you will still get cookies but they may taste a bit different. People are similar. You do a surgery on one person with one set of genes governing scarring, inflamation, "normal day to day" stress in the post op period and you will get one result. Someone else may have genes that code for different amounts of stress, healing etc, but in all likelyhood they will still heal well and grow hair. Occasionally we get surprised. In 14 years, I had 1 facelift infection, and on one side only. The only thing that may account for this is that years earlier the lady had radiation treatment for breast cancer on that same side; and although the face wasn't treated, there may have been some "scatter" of radiation which affected the small blood vessels of her cheek. Similarly, the man who taught me facelifts had 1 serious face infection in 26 years and it turned out that the lady had developed diabetes without knowing it prior to surgery...likely from a viral infection. So don't stress too much, and check back in with your doctor. In all likelyhood things will go fine. Dr. Lindsey McLean VA William H. Lindsey, MD, FACS McLean, VA Dr. William Lindsey is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill - Seemiller Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 GilesLavery, I can understand why you have some concerns. However, I agree with the majority of the opinion to try not to panic and wait it out and see how you progress over the next several months. I do suggest keeping in contact with your physician to let him know how you're progressing. Hopefully in a few months, your mind will be at ease and you'll be happy with your results. If not, you can consider your options at that point. In the meantime, I encourage you to post your photos (before and current) so we can see how you've progressed so far. You can either create a photo album by going to "New" and then "Photo Album" or by creating a hair loss weblog at www.hairlossweblogs.com. Try to hang in there and go the course. Best wishes, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GilesLavery Posted May 1, 2009 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 1, 2009 Thanks all for your replies, unfortunatley i did not take any photos prior to my HT's , i shyed away from photos in general because i thought i looked awful. also my hair is very light , and does not register well on camera . any photo seems to make my loss 10 times worse looking than in the mirror. I will wait this out the full year and then consider my options, another HT will have to wait at least 18 months for financal reasons. i might be fooling myself but i have seen some minor impovement in last 2 weeks or so, but some days it looks better then other days worse than before. i'll keep everyone posted as i progress. -Giles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Dewayne Posted May 1, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted May 1, 2009 Originally posted by GilesLavery:Thanks all for your replies, unfortunatley i did not take any photos prior to my HT's , i shyed away from photos in general because i thought i looked awful. also my hair is very light , and does not register well on camera . any photo seems to make my loss 10 times worse looking than in the mirror. I will wait this out the full year and then consider my options, another HT will have to wait at least 18 months for financal reasons. i might be fooling myself but i have seen some minor impovement in last 2 weeks or so, but some days it looks better then other days worse than before. i'll keep everyone posted as i progress. -Giles. Giles, I had the same feeling in and around the 5-8 month marks. Some weeks it was like, "man, I've seen a lot of growth since just last week...." And then the next week I'd be thinking "what happened to that thickening I saw last week?". So, like the others said; Hang in there and you might be surprised how things can change from 8 months on. 100? 'mini' grapfts by Latham's Hair Clinic - 1991 (Removed 50 plugs by Cooley 3/08.) 2750 FU 3/20/08 by Dr. Cooley My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Cooley Current regimen: 1.66 mg Proscar M-W-F Rogaine 5% Foam - every now and then AndroGel - once daily Lipitor - 5 mg every other day Weightlifting - 2x per week Jogging - 3x per week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Balboa Posted May 1, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted May 1, 2009 we need pictures realy to see whats going on Dr A. Armani 2500 Fue Dec 2008 Proscar X1 Day Monixodil X2 Day Msm Daily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member kaounis Posted May 2, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted May 2, 2009 We are our own worst enemy....No matter what anyone tells you, including your doc, YOU have to be happy in the end...posting pictures for advice might make you feel worse...some people are just nosey maybe alittle curious...stay focused on your goal...and do whatever you feel is needed to get there!!! Just a thought from the peanut gallery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member By Posted May 7, 2009 Regular Member Share Posted May 7, 2009 You guys really think 6 months and no real sign of new hair growth is ok or normal? The reason I ask is b/c I also had a HT in late December (2008) and have yet to see any difference. Scar healed really nicely (though it's very noticeable if my hair's cut too short) but I thought I'd see some growth by now....trying to be patient. Another question: Does the donor area begin to grow new hair over the scar or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GilesLavery Posted May 10, 2009 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 10, 2009 kaounis: sorry as i stated above i did not take any pre-op/immedate post op pictures , so it would be hard to compare even if i posted some now. I don't have a digital camera but am getting one soon. heading for month seven , few hairs here and there that look new but very very few... i'm sad to report i think this Op has been a failure. I am planning on visiting a top doc around this time next year to get the job done right... will give any growth that may still come a chance to mature and then i will see where i stand. my first HT that was quite successful has given my frontal face on appearance a big improvement so i can wait another year i think. now i am wondering how i should approach the folks who botched my current HT about reimbursing me...i signed one of those nasty little pieces of paper before surgery so i think im gonna be out of pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member kaounis Posted May 10, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted May 10, 2009 I think you mis-understood me GL. I was saying that even "if" you had photos it would be best "not" to post them...You might get to many conflicting opinions making you feel worse than you already do..I still think you should wait 12-18 months before you come to any conclusions...Multiple HT can get very expensive...and sometimes they may cause more damage than good.....Wait it out buddy... Just a thought from the peanut gallery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GilesLavery Posted May 11, 2009 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 11, 2009 re-read your post, sorry yeah makes sense now ... i do fully intend to wait the full year before even making an appointment with another surgeon. Woke up this morning and saw what looked like a few darker hairs that i didnt see before , might just be my eyes playing tricks, was only about 3 hairs tho lol. just a question , do second HT's grow slower than the first if they are both around the same area?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member kaounis Posted May 11, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted May 11, 2009 I would think that a 2nd HT woul grow in faster..The previous follicles, from HT 1, will increase blood supply to the area making for a better enviroment for the second...I just had my 2nd HT 3 weeks ago...Hope I'm right...lol...lol Just a thought from the peanut gallery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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