New here - A couple questions

[4head]

Hello all! I received a transplant at Bosley in December, 1250 grafts. I have also been on propecia for 4 months now. The propecia has appeared to be working as I have noticed a decline in the amount of hair that would fall out when I would rub my head over a piece of paper. I hope it stays that way.

 

I am a little over 3 months now and was wondering a few things. I finally got the feeling back in my scalp, which was nice. However, recently, I have been finding little "scabs" I guess in the transplant area and I picked at one, and I am afraid that I pulled the follicle out. A hair with a small white bulb on the bottom was what came out. I have had 5-6 of these scabs recently. Is this normal? I am not touching them anymore but it is strange.

 

When will my hair begin to grow? I thought they said 3-4 months. Has this been the case with most of you? I am anxious.

 

Also, my scar is still healing in some areas (especially the ends). When will it finally seal up? Will it ever go away or at least become less recognizable so I can cut my hair shorter? Is there anything I can do to make it go away?

 

Thanks everyone! I am glad I found this site. Just cruising through some old topics and it has been comforting to see that there are so many others who have experienced the same thing.

[HairBeThere]

4head,

Bosley, UGH!!

ok, now that that is out of the way, I also had scabs that were still there about 2 months after my procedure. I took my finger nail to them. I didn't remove a hair with them though. I would think You are ok, as long as bleeding didn't follow. Generally, Those grafts at 4 months should be completely seated, as any other hair on your head. (BUT IF SOMEONE FEELS DIFFERENT PLEASE COMMENT, I NEVER HEARD OF THIS)

 

Yes, your hair should grow 3-4 months, but it does make a differance where these grafts were placed. Seems the crown area takes the longest. I am just after 4 months and am starting to see growth in the crown. The frontal stuck arounfd for me since day 1. Though everyone is different.

 

Just getting feeling back is normal. I took 6 months from my first HT on an area of the back of my head. Though the 2nd, was very much quicker. About 2 months all around. AGAIN, depends on the individual.

 

What do you mean, "my scar is still healing in some areas (especially the ends)? This should be heald!! If it is not, go see your personal doctor, NOT Bosley! This should have been heald, closed, within the first 2 weeks!

 

Don't do anything to your hair if your scar is not healed!! Immediatley see your doctor!!

 

Good luck and keep us updated!

[4head]

I take it from your reaction that Bosley is not a favorite around here? I had a very good experience there during and after my procesure. (of course, I am still waiting for the hair to grow so we'll see...)

 

No blood came out when I picked the scabs out from the front where the HT was done so I should be ok.

 

Yes, alot of the grafts did stick around for me as well since the operation (which was nice) I am hoping the rest are soon to come!

 

Well the scar is healed but I had scabs for a long time. I still have a little one on the side (I tend to pick at them so I am sure that does not help) But I am going in for a checkup soon so I will have my regular doctor take a look to see if everything is ok.

 

Thanks for the reply!

[Rugger]

4Head...

 

most people on this forum would shy away from getting their grafts done by Bosley...maybe your results will be ok, we'll just have to wait..

 

But its pretty much acknowledged that Bosley is not a first tier choice....and they are far more expensive than the best HT clinics..by the way, how much did you spend for your 1250 grafts?..$6-8 per graft??....

 

most of your growth will appear in months 4-6...some get it early, as early as 6-8 weeks..in others it could take up till month 4 or 5 for the start of growth..rough estimate is that you can figure on about 10% of the grafts popping up each month, starting in month 3...but again, thats just an average...1250 grafts isnt much anymore, so it could be that they will be somewhat less noticeable than a larger graft session...

[Smoothy]

Try soaking your head in water (in the bathtub) for several minutes a day. THis will loosen the scabs and help them fall off naturally.

Your hair might take up to 6 months to start growing-- however most of the time new growth starts 3-4 months out and continues through 12 months.

[4head]

Yes I paid 6 per graft at Bosley. I guess I did not know there were many other options out there and I always saw their commercials (plus they were very close to my house. I wish I found this board sooner.

 

I did read some posts here with links to articles about Bosley's poor judgement when it came to medications and getting medical doctor approval before performing surgery. However, is there any real quality difference in the procedure? Now I am getting worried that my grafts won't grow. Is it just that Bosley is more expensive, or are they really substandard?

 

I do plan to have another surgery down the road if needed, who would you recomend? I am moving back to the NYC area so a Dr. there would be ideal. Oh and about how much per graft did most of you pay?

 

Thanks for all your responses!

[Rugger]

4head...

 

the first thing you have to do is stop worrying, that causes follicles not to grow..

 

just kidding..Bosely is well known as a "hair mill" per se..spending millions on tv advertising, while not really caring all that much about an individual patient...and you must have gotten their "sale price" of $6 a graft...the BEST surgeons charge between $3.50-$4.50 a graft for a "strip" transplant, Fue will run you quite a bit more...

 

Bosley's recent new tv ads say they are using "follecular units", and if so, that would be a change for them..if you witnessed a few technicians or nurses carving your donor strip under a very high powered electron microscope, then youre better off than you would have been 5 years ago at Bosley...what did they tell you about what you would be receiving?..if they used words like "minigraft" or "micrograft" then those will look a bit more "pluggy" possibly as these are much larger grafts in terms of hair count...

 

its good if you could take some pictures of yourself as well..that way a lot of people can tell you how things are looking over time, etc...

[arfy]

Agree with Rugger. Bosley has typically used a mix of large and small grafts (which they call "Varigrafting") which is considered out of date by 10 years or so. If they now use microscopes to dissect the donor strip, that would be an improvement in their technique. I hope they DO use microscopes but I am doubtful. Microscopes can increase graft yields by a reported 20 to 30 percent, when dissecting a donor strip. However this is more time-consuming, which means less profitable for the clinic. The majority of clinics (to my knowledge) do not use microscopes, the use 'jeweler's loops' instead, which have inferior magnification compared to a microscope.

 

Bosley has earned themselves a bad reputation, read the website www.BosleyMedicalViolations.com to find out what they did to deserve it.

 

You will probably have normal growth of your grafts. The issue with Bosley is that they don't use Follicular Unit micrografts that were microscopically dissected. Their "Varigrafts" may not look as natural as the "FU" graft does (under all conditions). Read the article "Best Hair Transplant" for a better explanation.

 

When the time comes to do additional work, if you shop around and read up, I bet you will be able to pick a better clinic than Bosley without too much difficulty.

[4head]

I see what you are saying now about Bosley. I did have a pleasant experience though (with nothing to compare it to however...) But it's all water under the bridge for me now.

 

I actually think I was paying more per graft than 6-7 but they had about 170 extra grafts from the donor strip that they put in for free, which brought down the average ppg.

 

There were about 5-6 people around the outside countertop in the op room using microscopes to disect the grafts up and I do recall the term "folicular unit" being used. They split the grafts into 1,2,3 and a few 4 hair units.

 

All in all I am happy with how the procedure went. I had the procedure figured to be a monster but it was really not bad. The worst part was the next 2 weeks (at least I was on a long out of state vacation and I wore a hat the majority of the time)

 

I am praying for the best and I hope the propecia helps me keep what I have (my thinning was not too severe and mainly in the front so maybe I halted it before it thinned too much)

 

Thanks again for the info and refereces. I will definately shop around next time before I go in for another procedure. I will try to find some before, right after, and now pictures up here for reference.

[arfy]

If Bosley is using microscopes now, that is good news. I heard that they were going to try them in some clinics and then adaopt them slowly. Microscopes should improve their results (better magnification = closer trimming of the grafts = less 'grfaty' look) plus they also help conserve the patient's donor area.

 

Can you say which Bosley location you had your work done?

 

Nobody criticizes Bolsey for kicks, we want them to update their techniques so that other guys can get the best possible results. If they are using microscopes that is good news.

 

I wish you speedy healing and I hope you will be satisfied.

[4head]

Thanks arfy!

 

I received my transplant in the Boca Raton, FL Bosley location. It was within driving distance for me so that was nice. The office and their staff was great. The procedure was almost "fun"? if you will... I watched a movie and talked with the assistants and before I knew it, the procedure was done and my wife came to pick me up.

 

I guess since I was not completely hairless in the place where I received the transplant, it iwll be a little hard to tell exactly how well it worked, but every little bit will help in my book!