Follow up procedure after FUE?

[fakename123]

Hey all,

 

33M, one month post op from a 1700 graft FUE by a reputable surgeon. I inquired about getting more grafts done and my surgeon talked me out of it, now I'm regretting not insisting.

 

I realize I'm at the stage where it is supposed to look bad, but I'm really worried that I did not get enough grafts in the area that I care most about. I've attached some pics taken today with the area I'm concerned about circled.

 

My question to you guys is how soon I can reasonably get another procedure done. My surgeon told me I should wait at least a year but I just can't. I was on the waiting list to see this guy forever, now I've got to wait a year to see the results from this procedure, then wait *another* year to see results from that?

 

In addition I'm concerned about the angle of the grafts although I couldn't really capture it in the pics. To my eye they look unnatural compared to my regular hair. They are very roughly facing the same direction, but it's not uniform at all like natural hair.

 

Thanks

Edited December 6, 2017 by fakename123

[crankyhair]

Actually I would think the red circle area is where it would look good to have a thinning look, especially as you get older, but I’m all for being conservative. As for graft direction, somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think you can really tell at this early stage how they’re gonna look after they fully shed and regrow? Bc you’re not seeing the direction of the grafts but rather the hairs which have been moved and messed with so... I have another offline thought, fake name, if you want to ping me directly, you have PM turned off

[mikeyhwk]

You waited forever to see this doc and now you're not trusting his judgment. Is this not why you chose your doctor in the first place, that you believed in his work? if you picked them for the right reasons trust that they know what they're doing. On the same area, consensus is a year to see how much growth occurs and then you're in a position to judge how much more work it needs, if any.

[aWidowsPeek]

If you want to get more aggressive with it after it grows in then by all means get another fue procedure done. No big deal besides the $. I had my 2nd transplant to lower my hairline even more. Best decision i made. Icing on the cake. Good luck.

[fakename123]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

 

Actually I would think the red circle area is where it would look good to have a thinning look, especially as you get older, but I’m all for being conservative.

 

I guess my concern is that when I look at photos of what I would consider successful results online, it seems like they always put more in that area / along the hairline than I received... but then they are pretty much always 1000+ more grafts too.

 

As for graft direction, somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think you can really tell at this early stage how they’re gonna look after they fully shed and regrow? Bc you’re not seeing the direction of the grafts but rather the hairs which have been moved and messed with so...

 

Whew well that makes me feel a lot better. I had read a couple comments to that effect, I was hoping someone here could confirm.

[fakename123]

You waited forever to see this doc and now you're not trusting his judgment. Is this not why you chose your doctor in the first place, that you believed in his work?

 

Yeah fair point. Just second guessing myself haha.

[fakename123]

If you want to get more aggressive with it after it grows in then by all means get another fue procedure done. No big deal besides the $. I had my 2nd transplant to lower my hairline even more. Best decision i made. Icing on the cake. Good luck.

 

Thanks! How long did you wait for your 2nd procedure?

[mattj]

Could you post photos from before the procedure to show how bald you were? Ideally we would also see how you looked immediately post-op (or at least within the first week) to show grafts placement.

 

It might be redundant of me to say this, but it's far too early to judge. It's too soon to judge the density within the area you're concerned about and it's also too soon to tell if the angle of the grafts is incorrect.

[fakename123]

mattj,

 

Thanks for the response. I added a picture to the OP from June of this year. I don't have any that are more recent or of the grafts unfortunately.

[aWidowsPeek]

I waited 2 years before going for my 2nd fue. I would have done it sooner but i had to save some $ and make some time. haha

[mattj]

I think all I can say is what I said before. It's far too soon to make any judgements.

 

At one month after the procedure, you've probably shed a lot of the transplanted hairs and those that remain might not look quite right.

 

Of course I don't know who your doctor was and I cannot say for sure that you'll have a good outcome, but I can say that it's totally normal to look at the transplanted area at this stage in the post-op period and not like what you see. They call it the 'ugly duckling' stage.

[pkipling]

It is 100% way too early to start driving yourself crazy second guessing your procedure. At one month post op, there's no way you have any idea how satisfied you're gonna be a year from now. Trust that you chose a good surgeon who knows what they're doing and don't make any hasty decisions right now. You'll have plenty of time to have a followup procedure should you want one sometime down the road, but anytime before the first year is up is probably not the best time to try and make that happen.

[Sean]

FakeName, sorry to hear that. Sometimes doctors may not do what you ask or disagree with your requests. All you can do for now is wait. Hang in there. Best if luck.

[mattj]

One additional thing I want to say: it's not clear why your surgeon declined to do a larger procedure. It could potentially be because they aren't equipped for, and therefore comfortable with, larger sessions. It could be because they felt that your donor wouldn't safely provide more grafts in one procedure. It could simply be that they didn't think your hairloss was advanced enough to require more than 1700 grafts.

 

As donor is a finite resource, it's never a bad thing to keep it in reserve.