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Had a 4000 graft surgery 10 months ago - extremely unhappy


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Biggest mistake of my life. I did a 4000 graft surgery with Dr Richard Keller. The hairline looks a little better and crown looks slightly better but I was expecting some real density difference and my density is still terrible (I'm a diffuse thinning NW2.5V). I also can't figure out where the hell the 12,000 hairs went - I see some of it in my hairline and some in crown, but I see nothing else

 

I would very very strongly recommend against hair transplants for most young men here. HTs are really only for people like Henry Cavill (the Superman guy) who has very good density in middle and crown but just has a receding hairline. If you have lost density in middle and crown, you're past the point of hope. Just shave your head, grow a beard and grow some muscles. If you've lost density in middle and crown, it's just too hard to regain that. Even on somebody like myself who had very good hair texture and donor area, it did very little for me. Hair transplants are for slowly balding people with good density but just a receding hairline

 

Even worse now, I'll have to shave my head in 5-10 years and I'll have to deal with this scar. I really wish somebody would have talked me out of it - biggest waste of 14,000 dollars in my life. I could have taken that money and gone on 4 beautiful vacations with my girl. The worst aspect of this is that Dr Keller has taken pictures of me showing an unbelievable transformation and those pictures are a total crock. My density is still terrible but I suspect this is not just Dr Keller - this is an industry wide issue

 

How bad will this scar be when I shave my head? Should I buzz it with a 1 or razor shave it?

Edited by ArminV8
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2 hours ago, ArminV8 said:

Biggest mistake of my life. 1. I did a 4000 graft surgery with Dr Richard Keller. The hairline looks a little better and crown looks slightly better but I was expecting some real density difference and my density is still terrible (I'm a diffuse thinning NW2.5V). I also can't figure out where the hell the 12,000 hairs went - I see some of it in my hairline and some in crown, but I see nothing else

 

 2. I would very very strongly recommend against hair transplants for most young men here. HTs are really only for people like Henry Cavill (the Superman guy) who has very good density in middle and crown but just has a receding hairline. If you have lost density in middle and crown, you're past the point of hope. Just shave your head, grow a beard and grow some muscles

 

Even worse now, 3. I'll have to shave my head in 5-10 years and I'll have to deal with this scar. I really wish somebody would have talked me out of it - biggest waste of 14,000 dollars in my life. I could have taken that money and gone on 4 beautiful vacations with my girl. 4. The worst aspect of this is that Dr Keller has taken pictures of me showing an unbelievable transformation and those pictures are a total crock. 5. My density is still terrible but I suspect this is not just Dr Keller - this is an industry wide issue

 

6. How bad will this scar be when I shave my head? Should I buzz it with a 1 or razor shave it?

1. You did a very large procedure if you were a Norwood 2.5. That's a lot of grafts. You also mention 12,000 hairs, but I think you're counting the doubles and triples as individual hairs multiplied by their category. I don't know what you're seeing in yourself, but obviously I see nothing that you've posted. Pics would help, but I'll address this as #4.

2. I don't think this recommendation is based on age, especially when you say in the next sentence HT is only for those who have good density. This is a disjointed argument. I don't know what it is you're trying to say, so maybe you can explain why you think age is a factor, and what age you think is appropriate for a HT. I believe Norwood progression + stabilization of hair loss are larger factors than age alone.

3. Why will you have to shave your head? Who is making you do this? You'll have to deal with the scar, yes, but "dealing" with it also includes the option of growing your hair to conceal it. 

4. The lack of photos mentioned in #1 and the comment here makes me think you're A. Trolling, B. Claiming the doc is photoshopping your results/ not presenting them as is C. Mentally unwell. If the doc is presenting photos that are not factual, I think this is the best place to air this out. Present the docs photos next to your own. Is it lighting that makes them different? Angles? Bring objective observers into the conversation. This brings the point of your mental state. Should there not be a difference between doc's photos and your own, I think you may have issues with your body image. 

5. This could be the general issue: you may not understand what density is. When you add density with a HT, you physically move density where there is abundance to the vacant. You don't manufacture density. It is currently impossible for your head to have a Net increase in density through a HT. So when you add density to an area, it will never be as dense as it was originally. If you seek to recreate this effect, you will overharvest your head for a costly and potentially futile endeavor.

6. How bad? Depends on your scar. I assume you are talking about a FUT, so it depends on how much the scar has stretched. I personally think that a buzz will look better than a razor shave. Your donor hair surrounding the scar will minimize the look of the scar. The longer your hair, the less noticeable your scar, until it hits diminishing returns (added length that will not improve the look beyond "undetectable").

If you're thinking of traveling abroad, consider this read: 
Airfare guide

 

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42 minutes ago, Lennney said:

1. You did a very large procedure if you were a Norwood 2.5. That's a lot of grafts. You also mention 12,000 hairs, but I think you're counting the doubles and triples as individual hairs multiplied by their category. I don't know what you're seeing in yourself, but obviously I see nothing that you've posted. Pics would help, but I'll address this as #4.

2. I don't think this recommendation is based on age, especially when you say in the next sentence HT is only for those who have good density. This is a disjointed argument. I don't know what it is you're trying to say, so maybe you can explain why you think age is a factor, and what age you think is appropriate for a HT. I believe Norwood progression + stabilization of hair loss are larger factors than age alone.

3. Why will you have to shave your head? Who is making you do this? You'll have to deal with the scar, yes, but "dealing" with it also includes the option of growing your hair to conceal it. 

4. The lack of photos mentioned in #1 and the comment here makes me think you're A. Trolling, B. Claiming the doc is photoshopping your results/ not presenting them as is C. Mentally unwell. If the doc is presenting photos that are not factual, I think this is the best place to air this out. Present the docs photos next to your own. Is it lighting that makes them different? Angles? Bring objective observers into the conversation. This brings the point of your mental state. Should there not be a difference between doc's photos and your own, I think you may have issues with your body image. 

5. This could be the general issue: you may not understand what density is. When you add density with a HT, you physically move density where there is abundance to the vacant. You don't manufacture density. It is currently impossible for your head to have a Net increase in density through a HT. So when you add density to an area, it will never be as dense as it was originally. If you seek to recreate this effect, you will overharvest your head for a costly and potentially futile endeavor.

6. How bad? Depends on your scar. I assume you are talking about a FUT, so it depends on how much the scar has stretched. I personally think that a buzz will look better than a razor shave. Your donor hair surrounding the scar will minimize the look of the scar. The longer your hair, the less noticeable your scar, until it hits diminishing returns (added length that will not improve the look beyond "undetectable").

4000 grafts - around 10-12K hairs. Even beyond that, I have hair similar to Indians (I'm from a small country near the mediterranean) - very thick, coarse and wavy. It's equivalent of 8,000 grafts on a Caucasian person. The difference in density has been very very minimal up top. I expected a huge difference - my crown is still super thin and there are patches that look thin as hell also - I'm only 30 and this will just get worse next 20 years. I didn't care about a density reduction on side - my sides are super thick and full

Here are the pictures he sent me, I look like a NW0, which is a huge crock of horseshit. My density is awful in real life. the 3rd is my own picture and you can see how bald my crown is and the horrible looking patches. First picture is his after, 2nd is his before and 3rd is mine after.

I suspect this is an industry wide pattern so I'm not all that upset at Dr Keller. I suspect he did a decent job but this is all you can expect from a transplant and that you really need about 40,000 hairs to make any difference for somebody like myself (which is impossible with current technology)

 

keller 2.jpg

keller before.jpg

recent pic.jpg

Edited by ArminV8
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Thanks for additional photos. I am still confused though.

So first pics are his before and after. Are these the only ones that exist? They do not compare to each other. One shows a recession in the temples while the other is a top view. 

Third photo is again an entirely different angle. This angle is focused on the thinning crown.

I still feel like there are unanswered questions:

1. In what areas did you receive hair? Please provide post op pics. 

I don't know where you received the transplanted hair, but that is the only relevant area to study. If the doc didn't plant hair there, it is irrelevant. If the doc planted hair there, but it's not growing, let's see the extent of it.

Please post comparable pics.

2. Are you on finasteride, minoxidil, or other medications? How long have you been on them? Have you been consistent with the dosage?

 

 

@det9925 That's a pretty harsh statement. There are several good docs in the US, but they are significantly more expensive. Several US docs push conservative treatments that take a full 1.5 years+ to mature. They don't want to use too much from the donor. Bloxham and Gabel come to mind. Skill fluctuates between one surgeon and another, and does not correlate to a geographic location. The docs recommended on this site are all ethical. 10 months isn't a sufficient time to judge a HT, 18 months is much better. Also, I don't know how you're judging this HT with the lack of comparable pics. You don't know where the hair was transferred. How are you able to judge?

 

If you're thinking of traveling abroad, consider this read: 
Airfare guide

 

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Brahmabull this is now your 5th account. You’ve been suspended previously for making inappropriate threads. I’ve already reached out to Dr. Keller, regarding your dissatisfaction.

At this point we can’t have you continually recreating accounts to fit your narrative. The bulk of the grafts were places in the hairline that by your own admission looks better. Unfortunately, hair transplants do not create true density and your expectations were never realistic from the jump. 

I will be locking this thread


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