Permanent shock loss at 3 years. Any options?

[ZeroMoustafa]

I'm a 37yo male who had a FUT of 1,950 grafts 3 years ago when I was 34. Both my donor and recipient areas experienced shock loss but while the recipient site staged a decent recovery, the donor area never recovered despite the scar being thin. While I'm happy that my hairline has been fortified in front, the procedure has created a new problem at the back and especially the sides, making many hairstyles off limits to me.

 

I'm looking for advice. What are my options at this point? Is there even the slightest chance this hair can be recovered? What about platelet rich plasma therapy, ACELL therapy or scalp micro-pigmentation (SMP)? Thanks in advance.

[ZeroMoustafa]

Hey guys, would love to get your thoughts on this. It's major shock loss when you consider it's permanent and in donor area. I blame my genetics I guess. I also have thin hair follicles. Please let me know what course of action you would suggest. The less invasive, the better. Thanks!

[dan26]

Who was your doctor? Have you brought your concerns to him, and if so what did he say?

 

FUE into your donor with other donor hair (if you have enough) or body/beard hair + smp are potential options to help.

[ZeroMoustafa]

Thanks for your input Dan! I worked with Dr. Lindsey near Washington DC. I intend to go to him in the coming days but thought I'd get some input here first. My donor hair grows out at angles instead of straight out, meaning FUE yields will be poor. Also, given earlier shock loss, more shock loss is also a concern, but I'm considering both options you listed.

[Windjammer]

Sorry to see you've been dealing with this. Shockloss is a very real problem, but usually it's more problematic in the recipient sites compared to the donor--but it most certainly does happen and many people have threads on it here. Spex had gone through a bad bout with this and he, thankfully, recovered fully. Check out his post here. People will always react very differently to this. Typically, shockloss is brought on by the trauma induced to the scalp from surgery, and people generally report improvement after ~3 - 6 months of first noticing the issue. But in your case, you are far and removed from your surgery now being 3 years post-op.

 

How does your donor area feel? Does it feel tight or in any way different from pre-op? Is the left side just as bad as the right? Do you have any pre-op photos of your donor to share? I would definitely reach out to Dr. Lindsay and get his take on this. Please keep us updated.

[ZeroMoustafa]

Thanks Windjammer, both for the info and the supportive words. My scalp felt very tight after the operation. I was fearing this might mean a wide scar but thankfully that didn't materialize. I didn't have much pain and only took one Valium immediately post-op. Numbness was the biggest issue and I could definitely feel it even after a year. Now at 3 years out, I'd say 80-90% of feeling is back and tightness was 100% gone probably between 6-12 months. Thankfully the shock loss on left side is better, ~70% of the right (shown). Will post pre-op photos and keep you updated.

 

In the meantime, I'd love to get other people's take on this. I was already on finasteride but never took Biotin. I'm going to start that now, even if it's a shot in the dark. I'm double-minded about the monoxidil because I don't have much spare hair in that area in case of a bad shed, and I also find it awkward to apply back there, at least in liquid form. I may have to try foam.

[Al - Moderator]

I suggest you try using a laser comb on that area. Many people may tell you laser combs don't work, but I think your issue is what laser combs work best on. You don't have progressive MPB hair loss in the donor area. Shock loss is normal, but in most cases it grows back on its own. In your case you need something to jumpstart the growth. I feel a laser comb does work for that at least in some cases. It worked for me some years back to get a small amount of growth back in an area where I had none due to shock loss.

[ZeroMoustafa]

Thanks BeHappy! I never considered that because like you said, I'd heard it doesn't work, but I like that it's non-invasive and I've never heard of laser combs doing harm. Is there a comb you recommend or one that I should definitely steer clear of? Thanks again!

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Zero moustafa...

 

If you are my patient, I would be happy to see you in the office. In fact, as I tell EVERY patient, I want to know what is going on...and wonder if I saw you at the month, 6 and 12 month visits and noted anything. No point in replying to me on those issues online....I couldn't reply back due to privacy issues. Give a call and get in to see me please.

 

I also suggest to everyone...that they get medical information from their doctor first, and usually at the onset of trouble, not 3 years later.

 

So if you are nearby, please give the office a call and come in. It looks like you exhibit a good scar with diffuse thinning but let's leave the speculation alone, and come in for a visit.

 

Dr. Lindsey

[ZeroMoustafa]

Hi Dr. Lindsey, thanks for your response. I spoke with Wendy earlier today and got an appointment for tomorrow morning. I look forward to seeing you then!

[Djlazerblue]

Looking at your pre op pictures I'm surprised you were even a candidate, diffused thinners are prone to permanent shock loss, I hope Dr Lindsay can let us all know what happened

[mikeyhwk]

Looking at your pre op pictures I'm surprised you were even a candidate, diffused thinners are prone to permanent shock loss, I hope Dr Lindsay can let us all know what happened

 

it depends on the type of diffuse patient whether patterned or unpatterned. Patterned patients are typically acceptable candidates as their donors are unaffected, and it would be unlikely for them to face shock loss in their donors as happened in this case any more than a non diffuse patient.

[Gasthoerer]

Very strange case in various manner.

 

Nice scar (imagine this with a bad scar...) and decent growth. But exreme thinning above and underneath the scar. After 3 years I hardly called temporary shock loss. Why did you look for help so late and never reached out to the clinic?

 

If you seek any help from here we Need pics of your donor before (pre + post shaving) and some pics after surgery (immediately, 3 month, 6 month).

 

Good luck

[ZeroMoustafa]

While I wasn't aware that diffused thinners are prone to permanent shock loss, based on my quite limited understanding, I think Mikey is right that it would probably depend on whether it is patterned or not. In my case, it was. I had thinning in the front mostly, but also all the way to the crown, a fairly typical male pattern. My donor area was not thinning. Here is a pre-op photo of the sides where I have the greatest shock loss. That being said, all my hair follicles are and have always been quite thin and density has also been less than great since age 20.

[Mikey1970]

I had beard hair successfully transplanted into my strip scar with a good result. This goes without saying but make sure you go to a surgeon that is excellent with body hair (especially beard to reduce the risk of facial scarring). I know of one but there may be others - inbox if you are interested. Best of luck.

[Windjammer]

ZeroMoustafa, how did your appointment with Dr. Lindsey go? I hope you update the thread with your findings and how you decide to proceed forward.

[ZeroMoustafa]

Sorry for the late update. I was reluctant to return to this thread (because no good news sadly), but given how much benefit I have derived from others sharing their experiences here, it's only fair that I contribute back, especially since people messaged me inquiring how things went.

 

Dr. Lindsey and I had a lengthy discussion and went over my photos - pre-op, during-op and post-op at various stages (I checked in regularly). He was very surprised that there was in fact what appeared to be permanent donor-area shock loss. He said he had never seen it in his professional experience and suggested I see an endocrinologist just in case. I had a full physical (was due anyway) and then had extensive blood-work done with an endocrinologist. Everything came back normal and the endocrinologist also remarked that even if it had been a hormone issue, the effects would be dispersed and wouldn't only affect the area around the scar as in my case.

 

Dr. Lindsey empathized with me in my situation and offered to do the platelet rich plasma treatment for half-price. I decided not to do it in large part because he assessed a low probability to it helping and who wants to pay money to get injected with needles if it's a shot in the dark? Dr. Lindsey said one other thing, which I really hope is true, which is that perhaps the hair in that area had gotten into a weird cycle where a lot of it shed at the same time. I have no proof of this being the case but that would be amazing!

 

I'm checking periodically and nothing's changed so far. I'll of course update if anything does. In the meantime, I've started taking biotin and using a shampoo with Ketoconazole every few days.

 

In the end, the thing that will probably help the most is finding a good hairdresser and sticking with him/her. I had one for years who had figured out how to disguise the situation in the back, but then she moved away, which is actually what precipitated this whole thing. I got a haircut from a new hairdresser who I didn't instruct sufficiently well on how to cut my hair.

[Djlazerblue]

Thanks for update I think Dr Lindsay should of offered u PRP for free not try charge you for it, bit of a joke really prp hardly costs the surgery anything a fee needles and a spin in the machine

[ArochaAngel4247]

Hi ZeroMoustafa,

 

I have not seen permanent loss in the donor area like yours. I think you might find trichopigmentation would be of benefit if it is done correctly. It is not the cure you and I - and the rest of the forum would wish for you. The forum on SMP primarily shows it as an improved stubble look. It can reduce the contrast between the lighter color of your skin and your dark hair.

 

Now grasping for straws here, I saw a woman with traction alopecia receive steroid injections from her dermatologist. To my surprise, it really helped. She had documented it on her cell phone. Eventually the benefits she received would diminish. Her dermatologist explained there can be risks with using this as an ongoing maintenance. In light of this experience I would visit a dermatologist (or two, or more) for an opinion on finding options which may benefit you.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience and updating your thread to benefit of all of us.

 

Wishing you all the best,

 

ArochaAngel4247

[jjsrader]

Yea I think your doctor makes alot of money and his prices are very high; he should comp you for PRP + A-Cell AND pay for your SMP and give you a refund.

 

Shame on Dr. Lindsey.

[Windjammer]

I'm glad you came back and updated the thread. Many people disappear and never come back in similar situations. I'm sorry you did not get the help you had hoped for and that you'll continue to have to deal with this very unfortunate situation.

 

Do you think you'll possibly consider donor repair with beard/body hair from another respected surgeon?

[ZeroMoustafa]

Thanks for your comments everyone. In situations like mine with less than satisfactory outcomes, fault can lie with the doctor, the patient or the patient's body/genetics. From what I can tell Dr. Lindsey did his job well, and where he could have done better but fell short, he was the first to tell me and express regret. My opinion of him is that he's honest and direct - good news or bad news, he'll give it to you straight. I could nit-pick over small things but as far as I can tell, nothing he did caused my problem. I also know that I did everything he asked me to do as far as taking care of my hair post-op, so that wasn't the cause either.

 

That leaves my body/genetics. Maybe my hair is extremely intolerant of the stretching and trauma that comes with FUT. I did lose sensation at the back/top of my head much longer than most people and felt numbness well after the first year.

 

Moving forward, I'm going to wait another month or two and see what can be accomplished with hair styling. If I'm still dissatisfied after that, I'll consider SMP and donor repair with beard/body hair.

[Gasthoerer]

Like mentioned before: This is a really strange case.

 

If you have been to the check ups with the clinic, why wasn't the issue adressed much earlier (or did I misunderstood that you went to the check ups)?

 

I also wonder if other clinics have seens such a case (especially with such a great scar).

Maybe some blod vessels got destroyed?

 

With all respect: If the situation is like decribed by you, offering a reduced Price for PRP is not enough.

I wish you well.

[BlessUp]

I mean if these cases are so rare the doctor surely wouldn't ruin his rep and not try and fix it for free or give a refund. The guy traded one problem for another. I don't believe in oh well just the way you heal bs. The doctors hand caused this one way or another had he not went in he would still have hair their.

 

I believe this industry is a joke the way they handle these "rare" cases according to them. Maybe their not so rare that they cant refund or partial refund everyone. We pay you for an average normal result. The ones in which you glorify and market on your websites. Where are all the pics of permant donor shock loss on their I missed them. This is obv not a normal expected result. Any ethical doctor and not money hungry one would do the right thing now. Would they want to pay 10 to 20k to have this happen to the back of their head when they woke up.no they wouldnt I couldn't pay them 20k to let me permantly overharvest or shock loss an area in back of their head. So it is a big deal regardless of how it occurs. He needs to help him for free it was done under his supervision.

 

He paid for hairline and safe donor area and got half of it. No way in hell doctor should get 100% payment from the original surgery and then get paid more money to fix it. That's crazy. He only did 50% of job in results. He should get 50% pay at most as this guy has a PERMANT issue for the rest of his life. Any doctor that doesn't do the right thing for the patients they supposedly care about can go fck. Themselfs

Edited November 2, 2017 by BlessUp

[mikeyhwk]

i gotta say you're a lot more understanding than you should be in this case. This is clearly caused by the doctor, the loss is all around the strip, what would cause that if not for trauma and/or transection? The hormones angle was a reach but you ruled that out and now the docs grasping at another straw with maybe it's a weird hair cycle still going on 3 years later?? To offer a discount on prp is rather insulting, first there is no guarantee it'll do anything and if it does it just locks you into a yearly commitment, that's not a fix at best a really shit band aid. That any respectable doc would want his name attached to this work and let it stand is embarrassing, I would have thought Dr Lindsey was better than to wash his hands of this if there isn't more money in it for him.