Not so good transplants in 2018? How’s ur progress coming along ?

[Legend007]

Is it just me ,, but there has been a quite a few bad / okay / not so great hair transplants this year .. I’ve just been a member here for less than a year and have been following up with quite a few members transplants .. n not so many homeruns from patients posts .. only a few good ones..

the best results are from the clinics themselves .. so I encourage members here to keep updating ur threads n progress .. n also post ur current situation here .. it will help me n other members thinking about upcoming surgeries themselves .. to make the right decisions .. n have peace of mind .. thanks .. 

[Recedinggenes]

Amen,

Iam very much considering a transplant in the near future, but have also seen many just, “ok” to “damn they need another one” -so I’m pretty nervous about pulling the trigger not gonna lie.  Any experience and input is appreciated for those in consideration

thx

helpusbaldies

[Markee]

Hard to settle on a particular doctor  keep changing my mind 

[hairlossPA]

I always wonder why we never see more reviews and results from the main surgeons that are booked months to years in advance.

I rarely see posts about Konior yet he is booked over a year out. You would think there would be more results posted. I'm not saying Konior doesnt do excellent work, its word of mouth at this point, but I would like to see more by him and the other big surgeons (Diep, Erdogan, etc...)

[Legend007]

Yeah I agree hairloss , don’t know why there aren’t more patient threads lately .. 

i think people are worried their transplant won’t look good so don’t even post until they are sure it’s goIng to turn out well ..

im also worried now about my upcoming surgery .. it’s a big decision n a lot of money .. was hoping I can get a one shotter into my hairline n that it would last me for years before a second surgery .. but with so many not members having to get two transplants to fill in the density , it’s getting worrisome .. 

It seems like the good surgeons are getting so popular n getting more n more busy their results are suffering .

[kaliber]

I'm not sure how good mine will look but I posted.  I think it will be fine.  There is always a possibility that I need a second one.  However, posting seems like a good defense mechanism.  Publicity favors the patient.  So, I never understood why more people do not post.  I can tell you when researching Dr. Charles that the majority of patients I talked to didn't even know sites like these existed.  Most of the world does not research things like crazy!  A wealthy person will go in to see a surgeon, the surgeon tells him what he wants to hear, he schedules and has the transplant.    

I went with Dr. Charles because I spoke to a few consultants at OTHER CLINICS who told me I was in good hands with him.  We shall see.  He certainly didn't butcher me and my friend who is a plastic surgeon here thinks both my donor area (FUT) and recipient area look amazing.  I'm really curious how dense my transplanted areas will be.  Time will tell.

I also wanted a surgeon within driving distance in case there are problems that arise.  The thought of going to Turkey or taking a 6-8 hour flight somewhere horrifies me.  I can literally go beat down an office door if I need to,  But I could actually just call Dr. Charles on his cell phone.     

I'm also beginning to believe different people respond differently to transplants.  NW3s always seem to have the best results.  People with thick hair seem to gain insane coverage, etc.  Also, I think bad transplants are far more likely to be posted than good ones.  People who do no research are blissfully unaware that they should be thankful for good results.       

Edited July 7, 2018 by kaliber

[Legend007]

Hey markee,, totally feeling U man .. I’ve kept up with ur ht journey .. hopefully u get the right surgeon for u .. I’m like u , fortunate to not  experience hairloss until a later age In life , but it’s still difficult to deal with .. I feel a lot of emphaty for the younger folks having to deal with hairloss , it impacts who u are n self confidence .. but us middle aged guys have it rough too .. we getting older , n not as good looking anymore , we need all the advantages we can get to stay youthful n having less hair makes it tougher to feel young ..

[Legend007]

9 hours ago, Recedinggenes said:

Amen,

Iam very much considering a transplant in the near future, but have also seen many just, “ok” to “damn they need another one” -so I’m pretty nervous about pulling the trigger not gonna lie.  Any experience and input is appreciated for those in consideration

thx

helpusbaldies

Yeah man , that’s what I’m feeling too .. at first I was like I’m a low Norwood 2 heading to a 3.. it’s not a difficult case .. any surgeon can do the job .. but after spending time researching , that’s not true at all .. it’s a difficult n tedious surgery . Lots of things can go wrong during and after surgery .. . n it’s a moneymaker for the hair transplant buisiness ,, so everyone is doing it .. but not many clinics are great at it .. n since it’s cosmetic surgery , most don’t complain unless they get horrible results .. or unless they have great results then they give praises ..

most of us are going to be in the category of average results ..  ..

So we don’t post about it .. 

Edited July 7, 2018 by Legend007

[kaliber]

Legend, I agree.  I thought hair loss would be easier as I age.  In some ways, it's worse because it compounds the rest of the aging process.  WIth app dating so prominent, I find it harder and harder to compete with younger guys.  Of course, I never really was able to compete much in my prime to begin with.

And I'll be happy with average results!  I was not expecting miracles--just wanted to reduce the Frankenstein-like hairline.        

Edited July 8, 2018 by kaliber

[TrixGlendevon]

20 hours ago, kaliber said:

Also, I think bad transplants are far more likely to be posted than good ones.  People who do no research are blissfully unaware that they should be thankful for good results.       

I completely agree with this. I have spent about 2.5-3 years researching this and will pull the trigger later this year after consulting with my shortlist next month in Belgium. I would like to think after so much time, money and effort invested into this that I will get a good result. Time shall tell though.

[harrylloyd]

On 7/7/2018 at 9:29 AM, hairlossPA said:

I always wonder why we never see more reviews and results from the main surgeons that are booked months to years in advance.

I rarely see posts about Konior yet he is booked over a year out. You would think there would be more results posted. I'm not saying Konior doesnt do excellent work, its word of mouth at this point, but I would like to see more by him and the other big surgeons (Diep, Erdogan, etc...)

So this convinced me to finally open up an account on this forum after lurking for the past 1+ years. I think I owe it to this community because everyone has been a great help and it's time I start participating in the dialogue. In regards to Dr. Konior, I actually had my procedure done from him in June and I'm about a month out. Nothing to rave about at this point as we all know this is a very timely process. But I do agree with you, the fact that Dr. K is so booked out and everyone keeps saying he's one of the best if not THE best in the US is why I went with him; however, at the same time it does worry me when I don't see many posts by his patients. So I'm going to start my own thread and start documenting the progress there. I just hate having to take pictures

[hairlossPA]

7 minutes ago, harrylloyd said:

So this convinced me to finally open up an account on this forum after lurking for the past 1+ years. I think I owe it to this community because everyone has been a great help and it's time I start participating in the dialogue. In regards to Dr. Konior, I actually had my procedure done from him in June and I'm about a month out. Nothing to rave about at this point as we all know this is a very timely process. But I do agree with you, the fact that Dr. K is so booked out and everyone keeps saying he's one of the best if not THE best in the US is why I went with him; however, at the same time it does worry me when I don't see many posts by his patients. So I'm going to start my own thread and start documenting the progress there. I just hate having to take pictures

I'm glad I posted this then! Thanks harrylloyd! We need more people to speak up!

[harrylloyd]

I just posted my thread. Hoping for all the best.

 

[Melvin- Admin]

The biggest issue is most guys want to have their procedure in secret, I’ve had some members ask to remove threads for this very reason. It would be great if more guys were up front and honest about it so the stigma wouldn’t be as bad. But that’s why there are only a few of us willing to document our journeys. 

[kaliber]

1 hour ago, Melvin-HTsoon said:

The biggest issue is most guys want to have their procedure in secret, I’ve had some members ask to remove threads for this very reason. It would be great if more guys were up front and honest about it so the stigma wouldn’t be as bad. But that’s why there are only a few of us willing to document our journeys. 

100% agree.  I also had  scalp micropigmentation with Scalp Micro USA and I was concerned over their lack of pics since so many people were getting it done.  The truth is most people want to keep it a secret, even the majority of cases look good in competent hands.  

This does beg the question though, how much blame or credit do we attribute to the doctor that really has to do with the physical characteristics and natural response of the client to their hair transplant?   

[Legend007]

Hey u guys thanks for chiming in with ur thoughts  and posting  ur hair transplant threads ,, it’s appreciated .. 

yeah I totally agree , as we get older it’s more difficult to look attractive .. I’ve always been fortunate to look a lot younger than my age so been blessed with having good fortune with the girls .. but as more hair is getting thinner ,, I’m losing more confidence in myself.. i guess I should feel lucky being a Norwood 2 heading into a Norwood 3 at 39 y/o..

but it’s the diffused thinning that’s getting me worried .. n when I look at my 3 brothers , in their 30’s n one in his 40’s .. they are Norwood 1 .. with thick hair .. much different than mine .. I don’t look like I’m balding but I’m really afraid at the thinness of my hair caliber right now ,,  I might get a lot balder in 5 years .. so hopefully a ht into my frontal hairline will be able to give me an illusion of thick hair ..  so keep on sharing ur ht journey , it’s really helpful ,, even when people don’t comment on it ,, there’s a lot of lurkers on the forum that don’t say much but watches ur journey n appreciates it .. 

 

[Sean]

Actually, there are more failures no one sees.  I have gotten countless number of messages across multiple forums where folks went in more than once to correct or “Attempt” to correct a procedure.  This is true for patients of some forum boosted praised doctors on some forums. Means some top docs.  

Most folks are afraid to speak up or have bad memories when posting.  Its not about personal secrecy as it is about ramification.  But there are multiple technicalities across numerous agreements that can make them null and void.  You just have to document everything really good and write the right lines to protect yourself.  

 

[pkipling]

A lot of this has to do with a combo of patients doing little research, and a ton of plastic surgeons being really good at marketing. Living in Los Angeles, it even seems like there are more and more general plastic surgeons who take on hair transplants as just "one of many" services they provide. I've seen more and more of this over the past year or so - billboards, google ads, etc. where these places become a "one stop shop" to get pretty much any medical procedure done. And with the right marketing, these plastic surgeons can convince guys who have done very little research that they're qualified to give them a world class hair transplant when that simply isn't the case. 

[hairlossPA]

I guess I’m more saying that these tops surgeons are booked months to years in advance.

 

I feel like we see 5% of those procedures results. I don’t like that lol. I realize it’s dependent on the patient returning a year later to show the results, but still...

[Melvin- Admin]

I realize what Sean is saying and in some instances it’s true, some patients do not want to come forward because of fear of retribution. But the reality is that the anount of satisfied patients outweighs unhappy patients. Of course, this is dependent on whether the person goes to a qualified surgeon.

Documenting results and presenting them is solely dependent on the patient, in order to show a patients results on YouTube or present them on forums such as this a signed consent is required, and since I’ve been a moderator on this site I’ve had a lot of members requesting threads be deleted because they fear being recognized. This is an unfortunate reality that hair restoration is something secretive that some guys don’t even tell their significant others.

Lastly, so many men simply don’t return for their follow up visits, just like so many threads here start and patients document the first 3 months and never return, yes some of these patients may not be satisfied, but generally unhappy patients are at more likely to voice their dissatisfaction then happy patients. A lot of guys simply move on and forget about posting. I stuck around because I became passionate about hair restoration as did Bill. 

[Sean]

Melvin, I see what you are saying.  There is a mix and match I guess.  

There are some posters on forums that only show the positive side too (due to deals with the surgeons).  If the poster did have an issue, they would speak to surgeon behind the scenes and get it fixed in exchange no negative press was given on forums (or mention of anything, repairs and etc online).  As a result, some may get discounted surgeries in future so they remain quite.  I know a lot of those guys on the forums too.  You wouldnt even know the folks that had touchups but presented their online posts as if thy only had one surgery.  

The amount of complaints going to FTC and state med boards have been on the rise (hair transplant+repair related).  I am also aware of that through folks I know.  

I guess when you are a repair case/damaged, most repair patients reach out to you more and more.  So, sometimes we may not know what is the exact percentage of successful surgeries vs negative ones.  

You have some mentors and radio hosts that say hair restoration surgery should be a last resort.  I guess it is because of the risks involved and touch ups that may be needed.  Some folks say is probably best  to use meds first and then see if you really need a procedure.  Once your cut and scarred, the game changes and it could make things worse.  There is no going back.  

It is a tough decision but folks should definitely look for options that may be reversible first vs surgery as a starting point.  

 

[Legend007]

Great input guys ,, it’s nice to hear how everyone is feeling .. 

n Sean , I’ve read ur story on here from when u had ur first transplant and ur repair surgery ... it’s always good to hear u on here ..  so what’s going on with u now ? 

I 

[Legend007]

I think there’s many reasons people don’t want to post , n a lot of us don’t want to get criticized for choosing the wrong doctor or not having a good game plan .. 

n when we have complications , not enough growth , bumpiness of the skin , prolonging redness ,, over harvesting etc .. these things are not that rare . It happens ... But yeah .. a lot of the top clinics are booked months out ., u would hope there be more posts or pictures from the clinics.. it seems like only the ones with a great transplant or bad one will post .. but the average ones . ( the majority of us probably ) won’t make the time to .. we don’t want to get ridiculed for not having great results, or we not upset enough to complain...  but it’s a good idea to post ur journey , so u n the clinic can track ur progress .. also it helps other members ..

it’s one thing I like about this forum .. the mods will stand by their recommendations and speak on ur behalf to the clinic to work things out when there is a bad result .... hopefully we all get good results .. but it’s surgery .. things don’t always go smoothly .. 

p.s.. can the forum moderators, web administrators put the option like we had before to see the posts of the day .. currently it’s latest 5 posts . N newest thread .. I know it’s mobile friendly so it’s smaller  , but there should be an option to see posts of the whole day .. or else we going to miss a lot of threads..

thanks 

[Goldenboy]

In the short time I was staying for surgery I met 14 other people who were having or just had surgery - not one of them were intending to post on a forum regardless of result

[alex84]

42 minutes ago, Legend007 said:

I think there’s many reasons people don’t want to post , n a lot of us don’t want to get criticized for choosing the wrong doctor or not having a good game plan .. 

I don't understand those reasons because people come to this site to learn from someone else's experience so they should give back the same way... and the criticism thing and insults are just a childish reaction from a few insecure and unhappy individuals. In most part this community is supportive and offers helpful tips.

After my first and very bad ht I understood that my lack of information and knowledge was a big factor for such result.

This time i am sharing everything in hopes of helping others to better understand the whole process of hair transplantation.