Two Transplants

[Rossybop]

Hi everybody,

I'm due to have a transplant soon. I've noticed that some people are unhappy with the density they achieve in one session. I've noticed that some people get a touch up 1 year down the line or thereabouts.

Getting an unsatisfactory result from 1 transplant would be a pain in the bum for me. Having to return for another transplant to finish the job in 1 year would be a bit annoying. I'd love to just get it boxed off and out of the way in one sitting.

Will I likely need two transplants one year apart from each other to get the right result?

- Ross.

[hairlossPA]

it depends. everyone’s expectations are different.

things to consider:

- what is your level of hairloss?

- what is the density you are starting with?

- how many grafts is your surgeon able to harvest? in what area is he implanting those grafts? how many 1s 2s 3s do you have?

- will the grafts take/survive? some of this comes down to an individuals recovery 

[Rossybop]

I see.

My level of hairloss is deep recession in the hairline. I've been qouted about 1,800 grafts. The density in the parts that are not bald is not too bad but I think the texture of the hair is naturally thin. I have no idea how many 1's, 2's or 3's I have, and no idea how well I will receive them.

[Rossybop]

There's the left side of the hairline where it needs most hair. Can you get an idea of my density and hair quality by that picture? I can attach more pictures. I'll also send my donor hair now. I think donor hair is naturally a bit more dense.

[Rossybop]

There's a bit of length in it now. Usually its a lot shorter. Now that I see it the donor hair might look a bit more wooly from this angle because its longer than usual. When its cut very tight it looks more blonde and  of thinner texture I think.

[hairlossPA]

yeah with the 1s 2s 3s you’ll only know those numbers when the doctor extracts the grafts so it’s not really something you can foresee. same goes with if the grafts will take. 

you look like you have nice donor hair. just remember hair transplants do not restore up to your natural density. it’s to give you the look of a full head of hair. doctors usually only implant between 30-60 grafts per square centimeter. whereas your natural density before any hairloss is usually around 100 grafts per square centimeter 

[Rossybop]

Cool. Yeah, I'm aware of all this. I believe if the grafts are angled properly it can favour a good result.

I just want to get it boxed off in one session instead of going back for another transplant in 6 - 12 months lol.

[hairlossPA]

as does everyone else. it’s a toss up. you can only do your research and pick a doctor you feel comfortable with and hope for the best lol

[Curious25]

18 minutes ago, hairlossPA said:

as does everyone else. it’s a toss up. you can only do your research and pick a doctor you feel comfortable with and hope for the best lol

This is pretty much it. 
 

You can greatly reduce the uncertainty of failures or sub optimal results by choosing a world class clinic who put out consistently great results, a doctor who is experienced and ethical, and one that suits your case - however nothing unfortunately is a given. 
 

I’ve seen sub par results from every top class clinic I rate . . Sometimes it just comes down to physiology, and other unknowns. 
 

One thing a world class clinic won’t ever do however, is ruin your donor. 

[Rossybop]

28 minutes ago, Curious25 said:

This is pretty much it. 
 

You can greatly reduce the uncertainty of failures or sub optimal results by choosing a world class clinic who put out consistently great results, a doctor who is experienced and ethical, and one that suits your case - however nothing unfortunately is a given. 
 

I’ve seen sub par results from every top class clinic I rate . . Sometimes it just comes down to physiology, and other unknowns. 
 

One thing a world class clinic won’t ever do however, is ruin your donor. 

Cool! I've gone with Dr Saif. He's meant to be pretty good. Its such a bummer having no certainty as to how its going to work out lol. A second session would be so annoying.

Do you know what are the odds of needing a second procudure in 6 - 12 months, based on my pictures? Like, 50-50 or something like that.

[Britanium]

No way of knowing unfortunately. You chose a good Dr though so you should be good! 

[Rossybop]

4 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

No way of knowing unfortunately. You chose a good Dr though so you should be good! 

Aww. The suspense is killing me, not even knowing what my odds are is nerve-wracking lol. 

[Britanium]

Least your going in with your eyes wide open. And you have done loads of research too. That’s more than most do, you know what to expect. 

[Rossybop]

54 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

Least your going in with your eyes wide open. And you have done loads of research too. That’s more than most do, you know what to expect. 

And yet I still don't know if the result will be shit or if I'll need another transplant within a year 😂

[aaron1234]

Assume that you will need another transplant in the future after round 1.  That's what a lot of newbie's don't realize, that getting a transplant pretty much signs you up for more HT's, quite possibly several more.  

[follically challenged]

5 hours ago, hairlossPA said:

yeah with the 1s 2s 3s you’ll only know those numbers when the doctor extracts

Really...?! I thought good quality surgeons could use the correct microscopic tools to get a good idea of how many 1s, 2s, and 3s they have before surgery....?

[Rossybop]

22 minutes ago, aaron1234 said:

Assume that you will need another transplant in the future after round 1.  That's what a lot of newbie's don't realize, that getting a transplant pretty much signs you up for more HT's, quite possibly several more.  

I'm prepared to get more in the future be it 8 years or 18 years down the line but I'd rather not need another one in 6-12 months.

[hairlossPA]

1 hour ago, follically challenged said:

Really...?! I thought good quality surgeons could use the correct microscopic tools to get a good idea of how many 1s, 2s, and 3s they have before surgery....?

no surgeon is going to count how many 1s 2s 3s you have from ear to ear before a surgery. they might look at a square inch but that’s such a small sample size it doesn’t matter. during surgery they’ll do they’re best to cherry pick which ones they need

[rob7331]

You can read my story on my profile, but I'm somebody who was only intending on getting one transplant (at least for the area I got it in) but I didn't get enough grafts, so now I'm planning a second to fill in the density of the previous.

It was annoying at first, but to be honest, as the above posters said if you choose a good clinic your chances are pretty good you'll be satisfied. The area I had done was my frontal third, when I go back I'm gonna touch up the front, the mid scalp, and a bit in the crown. It's actually kind of exciting because I know how the deal works, so I'm fairly confident that with good research and a well chosen second clinic I'll be in good hands.

Your hairloss looks mostly relegated to your hairline, which puts you in a pretty good position. Most clinics could knock that out in a single sesh no problem. Good luck!

 

[rob7331]

One thing I forgot to say - even though I didn't get enough grafts, having any new hair is awesome. Yes, I would have loved it done perfectly the first time, but everyday I wake up now being almost a year post-op I am super glad I got the surgery done. No regrets at all.

It all really depends on your clinic and your individual hair physiology.

[Rossybop]

Hi Rob,

Thanks very much for your input. I'm glad to hear that you're happy with everything so far and I wish you the best of luck and much joy with your second transplant! I'll check out your own hair transplant story tonight.

You're right about my hair loss, its mostly in the hairline, and most of the work will focus on the corners/temples. Do you really reckon that could be knocked out in one go? It would be a weight off my shoulder if so! I've picked Dr Saifi in Wroclaw, Poland. He has many years experience, good credentials, and mostly good reviews. Where did you get it done yourself buddy?

[DenverBuff1989]

@Rossybop literally every HT patient on the planet hopes their 1st HT is the only one they need. Unfortunately I would say the majority of guys actually need 2 or more procedures to achieve the desired look. I myself am a relatively mild Norwood 3, and have had 3 HTs in 2 yrs and am finally happy with the outcome - I never would have imagined my journey was going to involve 3 HTs. 

As one of the above commenters said, even the best HT docs and clinics can't guarantee results, only increase the probability of a good one. If you look hard enough you will find bad reviews of top-notch doctors. 

I would say guys who luck out and have 1 homerun HT and are able to leave their hairloss struggles behind after just 1 procedure are the exception, not the rule. 

[Rossybop]

31 minutes ago, DenverBuff1989 said:

@Rossybop literally every HT patient on the planet hopes their 1st HT is the only one they need. Unfortunately I would say the majority of guys actually need 2 or more procedures to achieve the desired look. I myself am a relatively mild Norwood 3, and have had 3 HTs in 2 yrs and am finally happy with the outcome - I never would have imagined my journey was going to involve 3 HTs. 

As one of the above commenters said, even the best HT docs and clinics can't guarantee results, only increase the probability of a good one. If you look hard enough you will find bad reviews of top-notch doctors. 

I would say guys who luck out and have 1 homerun HT and are able to leave their hairloss struggles behind after just 1 procedure are the exception, not the rule. 

Thanks for your input buddy. I'd be interested in seeing pictures of your hair transplant journey. Are you a NW3 now after three transplants or did you start at a NW3 and progress to a NW1/NW2 following three transplants?

I know that I will probably need more transplants over the years but I didn't know that I would very likely need a second transplant just 6 - 12 months after the first one in order to achieve a satisfying result.

[DenverBuff1989]

@Rossybop Sorry I should have clarified, my natural hairloss is a NW3, now it looks a lot better, looks like I don't have any hairloss (idk if thats a NWO or NW1)

To be fair, my 1st HT was from a bad doc, I went with a cheap doc who was local to me.  The density was poor. I made the mistake of allowing her to do a free repair job, so this was done 11 months after the 1st one. The 2nd one was not good, so the top-doc at the clinic I went to did a 3rd repair free of charge 11 months after that. I am satisfied after this 3rd HT. Its still growing in, but I expect a good result. 

Perhaps I just got unlucky with my 1st 2 HTs, but after being on here long enough it seems really common to need a repair HT. Even Melvin the moderator here has had 3 HTs. 

To be honest I'm too lazy to post pics here lol, but feel free to look at my post history. There are pics from my 1st bad HT. I finally feel good 2 yrs and 3 HTs later....but it was extremely stressful to deal with and the obsession I had about my hair increased 10x what it was before my 1st HT. 

[Rossybop]

31 minutes ago, DenverBuff1989 said:

@Rossybop Sorry I should have clarified, my natural hairloss is a NW3, now it looks a lot better, looks like I don't have any hairloss (idk if thats a NWO or NW1)

To be fair, my 1st HT was from a bad doc, I went with a cheap doc who was local to me.  The density was poor. I made the mistake of allowing her to do a free repair job, so this was done 11 months after the 1st one. The 2nd one was not good, so the top-doc at the clinic I went to did a 3rd repair free of charge 11 months after that. I am satisfied after this 3rd HT. Its still growing in, but I expect a good result. 

Perhaps I just got unlucky with my 1st 2 HTs, but after being on here long enough it seems really common to need a repair HT. Even Melvin the moderator here has had 3 HTs. 

To be honest I'm too lazy to post pics here lol, but feel free to look at my post history. There are pics from my 1st bad HT. I finally feel good 2 yrs and 3 HTs later....but it was extremely stressful to deal with and the obsession I had about my hair increased 10x what it was before my 1st HT. 

Ok cool man. Thanks for sharing this interesting story. Its unfortuneate that you got caught with a bad doctor for the first two. I'm glad you got a good job done third time round though and I wish you much joy with it.

I'm not so sure if everybody needs one or two repair jobs to be honest. In your case you said it yourself, you picked a "bad cheap doctor" and got two bad transplants with her. What's to say that if you picked an industry leader first time round you wouldn't have knocked it out in one? Mind if I ask what doctor did you visit the first two times and where did you get it done?

I have chosen Dr Saifi in Poland myself. He is very experienced and he seems to have a plethora of satisfied patients.