FUE Dr. McGrath 1/6/21 (2263 grafts)

[Saul Goodman]

I began shedding today in the shower (day 12), which is sooner than I expected. A couple questions for the experts on the forum -

1. Day 12 is somewhat normal to begin shedding, right?

2. If you begin shedding sooner, does that mean you’ll get through the ugly duckling stage sooner?

It seems to follow logically that the sooner it falls out, the sooner it’ll grow back but I don’t know if that’s true. I’m trying to find a positive. Haha

[Curious25]

3 minutes ago, Saul Goodman said:

I began shedding today in the shower (day 12), which is sooner than I expected. A couple questions for the experts on the forum -

1. Day 12 is somewhat normal to begin shedding, right?

2. If you begin shedding sooner, does that mean you’ll get through the ugly duckling stage sooner?

It seems to follow logically that the sooner it falls out, the sooner it’ll grow back but I don’t know if that’s true. I’m trying to find a positive. Haha

1) Yes 

 

2) Potentially. It ultimately boils down to your bodies physiology and growth rate of hair. 
 

I’d just like to add I hope I didn’t cause you any anxieties with my previous comment - it’s a shame you found this forum after you pulled the trigger, however I think you’ll be fine in the sense that you’ve not gone to an outright bad doctor or clinic, maybe more so just not the best option you could have gone for. 
Like I said, the work looked good in the post ops, just make sure to look after yourself during the recovery period, and give yourself the best opportunity you can to grow it in. 
 

As has also been mentioned - you have a lot of donor remaining for future ops, if needed 😊 

[Britanium]

Yup shedding at this stage is perfectly normal. Unfortunately there is no way to bypass the “ugly duckling” part. It’s going to take a few months for growth to start. 

[Saul Goodman]

1 hour ago, Curious25 said:

1) Yes 

 

2) Potentially. It ultimately boils down to your bodies physiology and growth rate of hair. 
 

I’d just like to add I hope I didn’t cause you any anxieties with my previous comment - it’s a shame you found this forum after you pulled the trigger, however I think you’ll be fine in the sense that you’ve not gone to an outright bad doctor or clinic, maybe more so just not the best option you could have gone for. 
Like I said, the work looked good in the post ops, just make sure to look after yourself during the recovery period, and give yourself the best opportunity you can to grow it in. 
 

As has also been mentioned - you have a lot of donor remaining for future ops, if needed 😊 

Thank you for the reassurance. It wasn't so much what you said as it was what I read using the search feature. I saw some positive things too though, and I think it looks decent to this point, so I'm still hopeful it turns out okay. My only gripe is that I don't believe they went back far enough on the right side. I would've gladly used a few hundred more grafts to cover that area. The morning of the operation, we drew the area on pretty lazily and I wish I would've examined it more before the procedure. I think it should look fine once my hair is grown out, but it makes the transplant much more noticeable in the interim.

[Saul Goodman]

Here’s what I’m talking about. These photos are from yesterday (day 11). 

[Style22]

Totally see what your talking about. Did you talk with Dr. McGrath about it?

[deitel130]

Could the right side gap just be shock loss or did you notice it day of surgery? In terms of recovery on avg growth starts between 3-4 months. Again this is avg and some may start slightly earlier and some slightly later with growth coming in stages and not all at once.

[Melvin- Admin]

I recall @DenverBuff1989 had a very similar issue. I’m not sure the gap will be visible once it grows out. It might not be. 

[DenverBuff1989]

@Saul Goodman in my own experience, my gap was evident right after surgery. The doctor had underestimated the graft count, and instead of ethically putting more grafts in during surgery as needed (I would have been completely fine paying for these extra grafts), apparently decided to only put in the grafts I had paid for beforehand, even if it meant her own work would be subpar. She even said to me as surgery wrapped up "your front could use more grafts in another procedure, but I think it will blend in well as is". What a lie...

It was my first HT and I was not knowledgeable about HTs at all and was very naive, so I thought this gap was "shock loss" and thats what the doctor kept telling me. In the end it was all fixable, I "just" needed another surgery to fill in the gap. 

I don't mean to be biased with my own personal experience, but IMO you clearly have a gap in the right temple area and in the mid-scalp, and because it seems like you have had this since the surgery, this is not shock loss and hair will not grow there. If I were in your shoes I would definitely reach out for a 2nd opinion from a different, elite hair doctor. It's hard to know if the operating surgeon will be honest with you, especially if they have made an obvious error. They very well may pull the "shock loss" excuse on you

Your gap(s) are not as significant as mine were, so as @Melvin-Moderator said, perhaps the hair will cover it and blend in well. However, this does not make it right at all, and its not what you paid for. You may be very limited in hairstyles you can do. Furthermore, if you have further hair loss, the gap areas will just get bigger and it will turn into a huge mess. The pessimistic scenario is that these gap(s) will not blend in well as in the current state. In either case, I assume you would want a repair surgery. You did not go down the HT journey expecting unnatural gaps in your hair. 

I sincerely hope I am wrong and am just blinded by my own experience, that's just my 2 cents. In my own situation it was all fixable in the end. 

Edited January 18, 2021 by DenverBuff1989

[Saul Goodman]

36 minutes ago, DenverBuff1989 said:

@Saul Goodman in my own experience, my gap was evident right after surgery. The doctor had underestimated the graft count, and instead of ethically putting more grafts in during surgery as needed (I would have been completely fine paying for these extra grafts), apparently decided to only put in the grafts I had paid for beforehand, even if it meant her own work would be subpar. She even said to me as surgery wrapped up "your front could use more grafts in another procedure, but I think it will blend in well as is". What a lie...

It was my first HT and I was not knowledgeable about HTs at all and was very naive, so I thought this gap was "shock loss" and thats what the doctor kept telling me. In the end it was all fixable, I "just" needed another surgery to fill in the gap. 

I don't mean to be biased with my own personal experience, but IMO you clearly have a gap in the right temple area and in the mid-scalp, and because it seems like you have had this since the surgery, this is not shock loss and hair will not grow there. If I were in your shoes I would definitely reach out for a 2nd opinion from a different, elite hair doctor. It's hard to know if the operating surgeon will be honest with you, especially if they have made an obvious error. They very well may pull the "shock loss" excuse on you

Your gap(s) are not as significant as mine were, so as @Melvin-Moderator said, perhaps the hair will cover it and blend in well. However, this does not make it right at all, and its not what you paid for. You may be very limited in hairstyles you can do. Furthermore, if you have further hair loss, the gap areas will just get bigger and it will turn into a huge mess. The pessimistic scenario is that these gap(s) will not blend in well as in the current state. In either case, I assume you would want a repair surgery. You did not go down the HT journey expecting unnatural gaps in your hair. 

I sincerely hope I am wrong and am just blinded by my own experience, that's just my 2 cents. In my own situation it was all fixable in the end. 

Thank you for the thorough response, even though it isn't exactly what I want to hear. I was quoted at 2000 grafts upon inspection of my head pre-op and like you, I would have gladly paid for more for proper coverage. I received 2263 during the procedure, which is great to get those extra 263, but it appears I needed more. I was slightly balder on the right side and my recipient area is symmetrical rather than being heavier on the balder side. I part my hair to the right, so I imagine it'll look decent once it's full grown, but it's just bullshit I wish I didn't need to deal with. Dealing with the social aspect of a HT is enough to not want to go through it again, let alone the fact it's a pretty invasive procedure. Do you have photos you could share with me from your first procedure that show the gap? 

Does this forum have a list of reputable doctors who would be willing to give me their opinion on the topic? I have yet to bring it up with my doctor although I probably will tonight when I get home from work. 

Edited January 18, 2021 by Saul Goodman

[Britanium]

1 minute ago, Saul Goodman said:Thank you for the thorough response, even though it isn't exactly what I want to hear. I was quoted at 2000 grafts upon inspection of my head pre-op and like you, I would have gladly paid for more for proper coverage. I received 2263 during the procedure, which is great to get those extra 2263, but it appears I needed more. I was slightly balder on the right side and my recipient area is symmetrical rather than being heavier on the balder side. I part my hair to the right, so I imagine it'll look decent once it's full grown, but it's just bullshit I wish I didn't need to deal with. Dealing with the social aspect of a HT is enough to not want to go through it again, let alone the fact it's a pretty invasive procedure. Do you have photos you could share with me from your first procedure that show the gap? 

Does this forum have a list of reputable doctors who would be willing to give me their opinion on the topic? I have yet to bring it up with my doctor although I probably will tonight when I get home from work. 

@DrTBarghouthi is the perfect Dr to ask this ! 

[DenverBuff1989]

@Saul Goodman if you go to my profile-> topics my first topic shows the gaps. Those pictures are a bit dramatic for effect, and my hair looked "ok" (but not good) with the hair longer, but there was never one second I thought it didn't need to be fixed. 

If you do end up determining that these are gap areas, I would not have McGrath repair your hair, even if he offers free of charge (which is an industry standard custom, not out of the goodness of his own heart). Having gap areas is very amateurish. It also makes me question the ethics of the doctor, does he/she really even care about the end-result for the patient. IMO all HT doctors would be aware and cognizant if they were leaving their patient with gap areas, so to be OK with wrapping up a surgery like that and essentially forcing patients into repair surgeries is just pretty rotten. Especially because they could simply just add more grafts right then and there and fix the issue!

It doesn't hurt to follow up with Mcgrath, but be direct and give your honest opinion. I'm concerned he will say something like "oh its just shock loss, it will grow back and come back to me in 10 months and we can reassess, etc." And then you patiently wait 10 months, just to be in the same situation. 

Whereas if another more qualified doctor confirms the hard truth for you, you can just eat the loss and have a repair surgery booked in 9-10 months time with an elite, qualified surgeon. It will of course be more expensive than a free repair from McGrath, but I wouldn't trust him for 2nd go around. 

Edited January 18, 2021 by DenverBuff1989

[Britanium]

Agree with @DenverBuff1989here. Do not let this Dr do anymore work on your scalp. Far better to seek out a elite Dr/Clinic if you opt to get another Ht. 

It was very poor planning to leave the area between the native hair and transplanted hair. Especially as it is more noticeable on one side. 

[DrTBarghouthi]

11 hours ago, Saul Goodman said:

Thank you for the thorough response, even though it isn't exactly what I want to hear. I was quoted at 2000 grafts upon inspection of my head pre-op and like you, I would have gladly paid for more for proper coverage. I received 2263 during the procedure, which is great to get those extra 263, but it appears I needed more. I was slightly balder on the right side and my recipient area is symmetrical rather than being heavier on the balder side. I part my hair to the right, so I imagine it'll look decent once it's full grown, but it's just bullshit I wish I didn't need to deal with. Dealing with the social aspect of a HT is enough to not want to go through it again, let alone the fact it's a pretty invasive procedure. Do you have photos you could share with me from your first procedure that show the gap? 

Does this forum have a list of reputable doctors who would be willing to give me their opinion on the topic? I have yet to bring it up with my doctor although I probably will tonight when I get home from work. 

First of all congratulations on wrapping up a rather exciting milestone. I do understand your anxiety regarding the post op care and anticipated results especially with identifying a gap in the right temple area. While I do agree that there is an obvious empty area, I must first of all point out that anything related to density or empty spots is usually the best of both evils when it comes to recovery. It is nothing that cant be fixed and certainly not irreversible. Not ideal I agree, but certainly not on the top of the list of things that could have gone wrong. Yes it may be shock loss, but I think it is an empty area that could've been filled and is easily filled in the future. It can happen in certain cases where the numbers are under estimated and we need to go back and extract more which is the ideal way to do it. In fact we have recently switched to making all sites first and then extracting the numbers in an attempt to eliminate any surprises. What matters now is that I dont think it will be a noticeable thing once hair grows and in case it needs filling up, then it will hopefully be a very limited and small job. Best of luck. 

[Saul Goodman]

3 hours ago, DrTBarghouthi said:

First of all congratulations on wrapping up a rather exciting milestone. I do understand your anxiety regarding the post op care and anticipated results especially with identifying a gap in the right temple area. While I do agree that there is an obvious empty area, I must first of all point out that anything related to density or empty spots is usually the best of both evils when it comes to recovery. It is nothing that cant be fixed and certainly not irreversible. Not ideal I agree, but certainly not on the top of the list of things that could have gone wrong. Yes it may be shock loss, but I think it is an empty area that could've been filled and is easily filled in the future. It can happen in certain cases where the numbers are under estimated and we need to go back and extract more which is the ideal way to do it. In fact we have recently switched to making all sites first and then extracting the numbers in an attempt to eliminate any surprises. What matters now is that I dont think it will be a noticeable thing once hair grows and in case it needs filling up, then it will hopefully be a very limited and small job. Best of luck. 

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my issue, doctor. Ideally it'll blend decently and I won't have to go back for another procedure. I don't need incredible hair, I just didn't want to be so bald at 28. Taking the plunge that is getting a HT is a huge decision and I would've loved to not have this issue, but I suppose there's nothing I can do now.

The gap is not a completely bald area. It is just much thinner than the native hair behind it, so like you said, I imagine it will blend and be much less noticeable once the hair is grown out. It's just upsetting to spend $10K+ and go through something that is socially and internally tolling, only to have an issue that could've easily been fixed during surgery. I suppose I should be happy that it's not a larger issue but I'm certainly not pleased at this point. It seems like common sense to make all of the sites before extracting like you do, but I guess that's what I get for not finding this site sooner and being more diligent with my research prior to my procedure.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

[Saul Goodman]

16 hours ago, Style22 said:

Totally see what your talking about. Did you talk with Dr. McGrath about it?

I emailed him last night and he immediately responded. He believes I have nothing to worry about. He said it's still very early and that the native hair and transplanted hair will melt together as it continues to grow. He wants to have a call today to talk about it. I will say, he has been very responsive and reassuring throughout this entire process, but it doesn't change that I believe we should've gone further back on the right side. 

[Saul Goodman]

Is 2 weeks too soon to use aloe vera on the recipient area to help reduce the redness?

Edited January 20, 2021 by Saul Goodman

[DrTBarghouthi]

2 hours ago, Saul Goodman said:

Is 2 weeks too soon to use aloe vera on the recipient area to help reduce the redness?

Not at all. Go for it. 

[Melvin- Admin]

On 1/18/2021 at 3:11 PM, Saul Goodman said:

Thank you for the thorough response, even though it isn't exactly what I want to hear. I was quoted at 2000 grafts upon inspection of my head pre-op and like you, I would have gladly paid for more for proper coverage. I received 2263 during the procedure, which is great to get those extra 263, but it appears I needed more. I was slightly balder on the right side and my recipient area is symmetrical rather than being heavier on the balder side. I part my hair to the right, so I imagine it'll look decent once it's full grown, but it's just bullshit I wish I didn't need to deal with. Dealing with the social aspect of a HT is enough to not want to go through it again, let alone the fact it's a pretty invasive procedure. Do you have photos you could share with me from your first procedure that show the gap? 

Does this forum have a list of reputable doctors who would be willing to give me their opinion on the topic? I have yet to bring it up with my doctor although I probably will tonight when I get home from work. 

We do have a list of reputable surgeons, however, you may want to give it some time. 
 

Here’s the list:

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/hair-transplant-surgeons.asp

[Saul Goodman]

3 weeks - day 21 update 

I have been shedding in the shower every morning since day 12 and I believe it’s getting worse. The gap is still pretty noticeable on my right side, behind the recipient area. The right side of my donor area looks a little rough still too. What do y’all think?

 

[Britanium]

Maybe a bit of shock loss on your donor area. The scalp looks as it should at this stage. 

[DenverBuff1989]

On 1/19/2021 at 7:23 AM, Saul Goodman said:

I emailed him last night and he immediately responded. He believes I have nothing to worry about. He said it's still very early and that the native hair and transplanted hair will melt together as it continues to grow. He wants to have a call today to talk about it. I will say, he has been very responsive and reassuring throughout this entire process, but it doesn't change that I believe we should've gone further back on the right side.

@Saul Goodman any update on your plan of action? Are you just going to wait and see what happens?

[Saul Goodman]

19 hours ago, DenverBuff1989 said:

@Saul Goodman any update on your plan of action? Are you just going to wait and see what happens?

Yeah, that's the plan. I figure there isn't much I can do right now anyway. The gap is starting to fill in a little bit, and while I'm obviously still not happy about it, I'm thankful for that.

I figure I will wait until the real growth starts (month 3-6) before planning something to fix the issue, if that is even necessary.

The aftermath of the FUE has been very difficult with work, so I desperately don't want to go through this again any time soon. I also didn't have any big social event until late March this year, so the date of my FUE was ideal to get this done. I don't know if I'll have that much time in between events to do this all again. I'm hopeful it will turn out okay.

[Saul Goodman]

1 month update — 

 

These photos are under very harsh lighting and look worse than usual. The redness isn’t as noticeable in person, but I am continuing to wear a hat at work until it looks quasi normal. 
 

The right side is a little more bare than the left, but I’m starting to see some new hairs sprout. I had a lot of shedding between day 12 and day 24, but it has slowed down since then, with only a few hairs noticed after shampooing. the right side of the donor area is also more noticeable than the left, but hopefully recovering. 

A couple questions — when is it okay to start using minoxidil on the recipient area? Generally, when do you think I’ll be able to use hair fibers without it being noticeable?

Everything looks about right for the 1 month mark, and I’m hoping to see big gains in the next month. What do y’all think?

 

 

Edited February 3, 2021 by Saul Goodman

[Britanium]

Looks on track. But you wont see any real growth until at least about 3.5/4 months approx. Month 1 to 3 is the worst part. Known as the ugly ducking stage. 

Edited February 3, 2021 by JohnAC71