~1,700 graft FUT

[Sps133]

I first noticed recession of my hairline probably in my early 20’s and saw a dermatologist, who told me I wasn’t thinning but recommended Rogaine for “peace of mind.” I’m now 31 and have had further recession over the years, but what prompted me to act now was additional thinning I was seeing on the crown. I immediately saw a doctor for finasteride, which I’ve been on for 2 months, and scheduled a consult at Bosley.
 

I had a transplant 8 days ago, and the procedure went smoothly. My main concern is density. My hair is already fine, so with only 1,700 grafts covering what feels like a large area, I’m worried it’ll look diffuse once it all grows in. Anyway, here are photos of the first 9 days. 

Edited August 6, 2020 by Sps133

[Britanium]

Oh dear. Sorry I don’t want to be negative but you don’t have anywhere near enough grafts for the area shown. 
you unfortunately chose a hair mill and not a skilled Clinic. BUT please don’t worry too much. As they took a small amount of grafts it means you have plenty more in the bank for another procedure. But please next time choose somewhere else. Look at the people recommended on this forum. You will get growth sure, but it’s not going to be enough. Sorry I would like to be more positive, but you already have a awareness. 

[ciaus]

On the medication front you just started finasteride two months ago and you are still pretty young, so hopefully you'll not only maintain but get some re-growth at least in the middle and crown areas. And after about 5 days post procedure (follow your doctor instructions), re-start the rogaine to keep more of your hairs in the growing phase to help give you the thicker look.

Like John said I wouldn't give Bosley anymore of your money, research docs here and stay positive -the meds could really help boost your final result. Maybe look into some concealers like toppik, dermatch (search on amazon) to touch up/thicken your hair each day too until you find the right doctor and are financially ready for your next procedure.

Edited August 6, 2020 by ciaus

[Sps133]

27 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

Oh dear. Sorry I don’t want to be negative but you don’t have anywhere near enough grafts for the area shown. 
you unfortunately chose a hair mill and not a skilled Clinic. BUT please don’t worry too much. As they took a small amount of grafts it means you have plenty more in the bank for another procedure. But please next time choose somewhere else. Look at the people recommended on this forum. You will get growth sure, but it’s not going to be enough. Sorry I would like to be more positive, but you already have a awareness. 

How many grafts do you think should have been placed? Based on all the transplants I’ve seen, 1,700 doesn’t seem too far off. I was originally scheduled for 2,000, which the surgeon thought was too many on the day of the surgery. We then aimed for 1,800 and ended up with 1,700.
 

Unfortunately, there aren’t any doctors recommended here in my state, and I didn’t want to wait to take time off of work for traveling. The surgeon I used actually had great reviews, so even in hindsight, I’d probably make the same decision again. I’ll just have to wait and see how it grows out. 

[Britanium]

It’s worth waiting until you can travel to a decent Clinic. For the area you show I would have thought 2500-3000 grafts to give a good density. And the hairline doesn’t even look that refined.

All Drs appear to have good reviews online, but in reality it’s just not the same. It’s real patients posting real results on forums such as this that matters. 
Bosley have put our very poor work over the years, i don’t want to be harsh but their are so many other options for a decent clinic.
They would know that 1700 isn’t going to be enough. How long was your surgery ? 

How much involvement did the Dr have ? 

[Sps133]

Maybe the photos are distorting the size of the recipient area, which is basically my temples and the front hairline. My hairline is naturally very high, so the temples may not be as recessed as they appear in the photos. I think 2,500 grafts at this stage would be too many because that’s going far into my donor availability for an area that’s only about 1/5th of my potential loss region. I think I’d rather have the option to beef it up later once loss stabilizes than to use 30-50% of donor availability on just 20% of the potential bald area.

The procedure was about 6-7 hours or so. The surgeon removed the strip and created the recipient sites. Two techs placed the grafts with him supervising, singles along the hairline, doubles, etc. beyond the hairline. 

[Britanium]

Please post some more pics if you can? Did they take any before and after? 
With your fine hair you would need a good amount of grafts for the area you show. 
Hopefully the meds do stabilise what you have already. 

[aaron1234]

Why on earth did you go to Bosley?!? The good news is that the work doesn't look terrible so there's a chance it will grow.  But 1,700 grafts is not nearly enough for that area, it's definitely going to look thin.  Closer to 3,000 grafts would have been more appropriate, but I suppose you should be happy that Bosley didn't tap out your donor.  Start saving up for surgery #2 and always be willing to travel out-of-state for a reputable doctor.  

[InterventionalPDoc]

2 hours ago, Sps133 said:

I first noticed recession of my hairline probably in my early 20’s and saw a dermatologist, who told me I wasn’t thinning but recommended Rogaine for “peace of mind.” I’m now 31 and have had further recession over the years, but what prompted me to act now was additional thinning I was seeing on the crown. I immediately saw a doctor for finasteride, which I’ve been on for 2 months, and scheduled a consult at Bosley.
 

I had a transplant 8 days ago, and the procedure went smoothly. My main concern is density. My hair is already fine, so with only 1,700 grafts covering what feels like a large area, I’m worried it’ll look diffuse once it all grows in. Anyway, here are photos of the first 9 days. 

Bosley doesn't have the best reputation, but if majority of the transplanted grafts grow you will get some improvement albeit it may not be up to your satisfaction and if that is the case you can plan for another HT to add density down the line.

Like I said all is not lost and since the surgery is already done, focus on recovery and make a final assessment in 8-12 months. Good luck to you ! 

[TorontoMan]

I was quoted 2,500 grafts by 4 doctors on this forum for a much smaller area. Like someone mentioned, not the worst thing in the world, you may have to go in once more at a later time to fill in some density but they didn’t use up too many grafts in the first place. Just be patient 

[Melvin- Admin]

It’s still early, and you might end up happy. I definitely don’t want to cause you unnecessary worry this early on, but I really wish you would’ve found us earlier. 

The positives is you went FUT, which means your donor above the scar and below is virgin, should you need another procedure. At this point, be patient, we’ll have to wait and see, but I hope it turns out well. Keep us updated on your progress.

[rob7331]

Hey man, I was in a very familiar-looking situation as you about 8 months ago. On recommendation from a friend I went with a local doctor who tried to cover a large area of my head (similar to yours) with 2200 grafts. I have fine hair and that was not near enough for the size of the area they thought they could cover. The funny thing is the doctor originally suggested 1800 would do it, which is laughable. I've since learned a lot more about the topic and have a much better clinic etched out for my second procedure, which I'm SO excited for.

The good news is you don't have to worry much - like others have mentioned it's better to have more donor then for them to have used too much. Seriously, donor = flexibility. Which is great.

Enjoy the growth, stay positive and keep on the fin. We're always here for you.

 

[1978matt]

When it's all said and done I suspect this may eventually look a bit thin in the hairline area.  You needed more density there to create a bit of barrier, and a less see-through hairline.

From what I understand, Bosley tend to charge a lot and rarely do sessions over 2000 grafts.  That way, the client always comes back for more.  They run 4-5 surgerys simultaneously so cannot do large sessions.

Edited August 7, 2020 by 1978matt

[Louisjams]

Congrats man! Keep us posted.