When do you think a post op patient should start to panic over the results?

[Alundra]

I am close to 5 months post op and though I see miniature hairs sprouting they are so little and short. I look at albums at people at 5-6 months and you can blatantly see all of the new hair even though the pigment isn't quite there yet. I can only see the tiny hairs under certain light and you could never tell by a photo. I am not panicking yet but I am starting to worry

[Shampoo]

"When do you think a post op patient should start to panic over the results?"

 

15 Months

[TheGman]

Who did you go with? Upload a pic for us to judge, with a pre-op pic.

[Spanker]

It gets better up to 18 months. If youbare talking about very sparse growth, I dont think I have seen a complete turn around after 9 and a half.

[Alundra]

It gets better up to 18 months. If youbare talking about very sparse growth, I dont think I have seen a complete turn around after 9 and a half.

 

It is sparse right now but I do see some new hair every few days, I really have to press my face to the mirror to see though lol. They are just sooo transparent! I hope it is just because of my natural hair color

[voxman]

Yeah it time to get results..

 

Based on what? Your analysis of the patient, his medical history, his posted pictures, his physician, his physiology?

 

People come here seeking help and honest answers - not a pat on the head and a sucker punch.

 

It is apparent you never re-read any topic you ever post on.

[ArochaHair]

If you are seeing new hairs every day then that is all you can ask for at this point. I would not say you are having delayed growth as it is still within the acceptable time frame for the resting phase to be winding down. You should continue to see more new hairs coming in and those that have already started growing will get longer and stronger and the pigment will fill in as well. Patience is key.

[gillenator]

You are just reaching the mid-point and have a long way to go.

 

Wait until you reach the 12-14th month post-op and I think you will see a big difference.

[Dutchie]

It can take up to 2 years before you see final results.

 

If you look at Garageland's pics you can see quite an improvement from the 1-year mark till the 2nd year

[voxman]

We are all different when it comes to growth timelines. You could see major improvements now in the next 3 months or you may experience a slow solid growing pattern for the next 6. One size does not fit all. I would definitely follow up with your physician for check up at the 8/9 month mark to get his input.

[plunke]

Its been 2 months since your original post, how is it looking now? If its not good after 5-7 months its already a failure, yes it may grow more but a good result is out of the question, the best you can hope for now is "marginal". Too bad but the truth is that the chance for success is much smaller than the clinic will tell you, its an industry where marginal is acceptable and the clinic "always" win in court.

[plunke]

It can take up to 2 years before you see final results.

 

If you look at Garageland's pics you can see quite an improvement from the 1-year mark till the 2nd year

 

How can you compare that? Totally irrelevant, here we have a guy with no visible growth after FIVE months while garageland had a great growth after ONE month. Check his blog at UK Hair Transplant Blog |, look at the month by month photos, then read Alundras post again:

I can only see the tiny hairs under certain light and you could never tell by a photo

 

[Dutchie]

If its not good after 5-7 months its already a failure, yes it may grow more but a good result is out of the question, the best you can hope for now is "marginal"

This is completely false. Please stop spreading this type of information

[plunke]

This is completely false. Please stop spreading this type of information

 

Youre the one who suggest he compare with garageguy, who had great results after 1 month just like all other doctor fronters, how realistic is that? Read it, he has INVISIBLE hair that will not even show up in a photo, after 5 months, possibly the same now after SEVEN months how much more proof of failure do you need? Do i really need to post the 1 month photo of doctor fronter garageman to show how ridiculous your claim was? Dont make a mockery of the poor mans situation, he is screwed and need to do something drastic instead of sit there and wait for nothing.

 

The probability that he can have a good result is now the same as growing wings.

[Dutchie]

Youre the one who suggest he compare with garageguy, who had great results after 1 month just like all other doctor fronters, how realistic is that? Read it, he has INVISIBLE hair that will not even show up in a photo, after 5 months, possibly the same now after SEVEN months how much more proof of failure do you need? Do i really need to post the 1 month photo of doctor fronter garageman to show how ridiculous your claim was? Dont make a mockery of the poor mans situation, he is screwed and need to do something drastic instead of sit there and wait for nothing.

 

The probability that he can have a good result is now the same as growing wings

Some people have really late growth spurts around the 9th month, which means he's still got 2 whole months left. If nothing happens around month 9 or 10 then he should start accepting its perhaps a failed HT

[Alundra]

I apologize I must have been confused of my timeline in my older threads. Right now I am exactly 5 months and 2 days post op

[plunke]

I apologize I must have been confused of my timeline in my older threads. Right now I am exactly 5 months and 2 days post op

 

Thats my mistake then, sorry. Anyway, as you originally said, others dont have so poor results after 5 months, and i say they have better after one month, i dont think its a good idea to sit and do nothing for 4-5 more months like some here are suggesting. I agree that you cant expect great results after 5 months but you are talking INVISIBLE, no result at all, and that is the problem here. Dont let them tell you its normal, you should be seeing something by now.

[Dr Blake Bloxham]

Alundra,

 

Make your first real analysis at 12 months, with the understanding that it can take up to 18 months to really fully mature.

 

Timelines are extremely variable before that.

[Shampoo]

i dont think its a good idea to sit and do nothing for 4-5 more months like some here are suggesting.

 

Of course if he is concerned he should contact his doctor or go see his doctor if he is in the same proximity.

 

However there is a difference between "doing nothing" and "being in a panic" which is what his title of this thread stated.

 

I still think it is borderline ridiculous to be in a "panic" at 5 months.

 

This patient has been asked to post before/after pics but has failed to do so.

 

We live in such a "fast food drive thru window world" that we are conditioned to think everything should happen overnight....but It takes decades to go bald....is it out of the realm of possibility that it will take 10-12 months for the hair to grow back from what has taken decades to fall out?

 

I am not a doctor but I would think besides alerting the doctor and having the doctor examine and discuss the situation with him....what else can be done until the 1 to 1.5 year mark? Some people fill in faster than others....such is life....but very little judgement as far as success/failure can be made early on post-op.

 

So when you say "do nothing"....I assume you mean just discuss with a doctor, but I doubt any doctor is actually going to "do anything" except wait and see which is very much the normal path to take.

[gillenator]

Alundra,

 

Make your first real analysis at 12 months, with the understanding that it can take up to 18 months to really fully mature.

 

Timelines are extremely variable before that.

 

Kudos Dr. Blake!...

[Dutchie]

I apologize I must have been confused of my timeline in my older threads. Right now I am exactly 5 months and 2 days post op

Then you are probably right on schedule, and dont let other people scare you

[plunke]

Kudos Dr. Blake!...

 

Even more kudos when he cough up evidence of others who still have invisible hair after 5 months but still lands impressive hair after 18 months. Noone is saying it will not improve over the next year, BUT... Nvm, No need to repeat the obvious.

[Yaz89]

Even more kudos when he cough up evidence of others who still have invisible hair after 5 months but still lands impressive hair after 18 months. Noone is saying it will not improve over the next year, BUT... Nvm, No need to repeat the obvious.

 

5 months is nothing and many would say this is when patients start to see new hairs, but it is not mature. Let me ask you this, have you had surgery yourself? I have had 2 surgeries and both times 5 months for me was just the beginning in noticing the new hair. Right now, I am 5 months and 2 weeks through my second transplant and I am seeing new changes every week. It has been much more noticeable now.

[plunke]

Then you are probably right on schedule, and dont let other people scare you

 

You wanted him to compare to garagefrontman but obviously you left that schedule now. What schedule are you using for reference this time, and does it by any miraculous coincidence have no relevant reference photos? A reference schedule that obviously is so reliable and common must be very well documented with several cases, so why dont you link us to ONE of those so we can review this documentation that is so well known to you and yet so elusive to those in a similar situation?

[plunke]

5 months is nothing and many would say this is when patients start to see new hairs, but it is not mature. Let me ask you this, have you had surgery yourself? I have had 2 surgeries and both times 5 months for me was just the beginning in noticing the new hair. Right now, I am 5 months and 2 weeks through my second transplant and I am seeing new changes every week. It has been much more noticeable now.

 

Thats not how i understand his post, i saw your thread and you had very good growth all along, the original hairs grew right back out and you had great regrowth on month 4. I think you know all too well that its not comparable. You really think he would be this worried if he were anywhere near your results? I had better growth after 5 months on Finasteride alone, no HT, my occasional girlfriend noticed it easily even in the dark, and he dont even have enough for the hairs to show up on a photo, lots of people gotten better results from minoxidil, wtf...