Regular Member Smolhouse Posted May 6, 2021 Regular Member Share Posted May 6, 2021 (edited) I had a transplant back in January and I'm feeling a little anxious about the way my grafts were laid out. You can see in the photo (taken 1 week post op) that the right side was built up into the healthy hair, but there is a bit of a gap on the left side and the grafts don't go as far back. I'm just curious if people think this is something I should complain to the doctor about or if it's fairly common and addressed in follow on procedures? Edited May 6, 2021 by Smolhouse Photo issues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted May 6, 2021 Administrators Share Posted May 6, 2021 You had it back in January, how does it look now? If it's noticeable yes you should voice your concerns. I think keeping an open line of communication with your surgeon is vital. It may look like a gap, but it's possible you had some native hair there that was still healthy. I don't think an oversight like that is very common, so there should be some explanation. I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member aaron1234 Posted May 6, 2021 Senior Member Share Posted May 6, 2021 Everything looks quite good to me. Yes, the left side doesn't go as far back - but it could have simply been a matter of running out of the extracted grafts. The doctor must have felt they were more useful elsewhere. Dr. G: 1,000 grafts (FUT) 2008 Dr. Paul Shapiro: 2,348 grafts (FUT) 2009 ~ 1,999 grafts (FUT) 2011 ~ 300 grafts (Scar Reduction) 2013 Dr. Konior: 771 grafts (FUT) 2015 ~ 558 grafts (FUT) 2017 ~ 1,124 grafts (FUE) 2020 My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Smolhouse Posted May 6, 2021 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 6, 2021 (edited) 8 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said: You had it back in January, how does it look now? It's still growing in, but the photo-right side looks a lot fuller. The left side looks a little sparse and patchy, pretty similar to the photo. The office is supposed to schedule a 6 month follow up which should happen soon, so I plan to bring it up. I just wanted to get an idea of how .. angry I should be for lack of a better word since most post-op photos that I see posted look to be pretty symmetrical and without gaps between the native hair. Edited May 6, 2021 by Smolhouse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Smolhouse Posted May 6, 2021 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 6, 2021 8 hours ago, aaron1234 said: Everything looks quite good to me. Yes, the left side doesn't go as far back - but it could have simply been a matter of running out of the extracted grafts. The doctor must have felt they were more useful elsewhere. Perhaps, but the photo-right grafts were transplanted by an older technician and the left by someone much younger that seemed to be grumbling a bit like something wasn't going well, so I'm afraid I was the victim of inexperience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member aaron1234 Posted May 6, 2021 Senior Member Share Posted May 6, 2021 1 hour ago, Smolhouse said: Perhaps, but the photo-right grafts were transplanted by an older technician and the left by someone much younger that seemed to be grumbling a bit like something wasn't going well, so I'm afraid I was the victim of inexperience. That's not reassuring, but try not to read too much into it. How involved was the surgeon during the implanting process? FWIW, many HT's grow in unevenly at first but even out over time. It's still early. Dr. G: 1,000 grafts (FUT) 2008 Dr. Paul Shapiro: 2,348 grafts (FUT) 2009 ~ 1,999 grafts (FUT) 2011 ~ 300 grafts (Scar Reduction) 2013 Dr. Konior: 771 grafts (FUT) 2015 ~ 558 grafts (FUT) 2017 ~ 1,124 grafts (FUE) 2020 My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member LaserCaps Posted May 6, 2021 Senior Member Share Posted May 6, 2021 It is too early to tell. at about 9 months you should get a better idea. Some cases can take the full 12 months to really mature results. The second point is the fact that symmetry is for system. An asymmetric hairline is your best friend and it adds naturalness to the total result. And when discussing symmetry, by the way, we are referring to the location of the hairline, (a bit higher up, down, but both sides not being exactly the same). It has nothing to do with density. If not content, the doctor can always modify and add grafts. It is imperative you go to your scheduled visits and bring up the issue(s) you are concerned about. Patient Consultant for Dr. Arocha at Arocha Hair Restoration. I am not a medical professional and my comments should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Smolhouse Posted May 6, 2021 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 6, 2021 6 minutes ago, aaron1234 said: How involved was the surgeon during the implanting process? He would check in every hour or so but otherwise wasn't in the room. I know it's early and I'm trying to be reasonable which is why I'm not naming names or anything. It's just a little frustrating when I compare my post op photo to others posted, because it feels like an obvious oversight on something that was quite an undertaking on my end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Smolhouse Posted May 6, 2021 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 6, 2021 9 minutes ago, LaserCaps said: And when discussing symmetry, by the way, we are referring to the location of the hairline, (a bit higher up, down, but both sides not being exactly the same). Poor word choice on my part. I was referring to the back left area that doesn't appear to have been blended into the non-miniaturized hair and not the frontal hairline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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