10 Month Results

[TakingThePlunge]

I saw Dr. Alexander today. Obviously, he said that we need to wait two more months before making a judgement call and deciding where to go from here. Most of what he said is what I expected. Everyone is different. Results are not guaranteed. He feels that there is a lot of fine, light hairs that may or may not become more robust. He also feels thaat there has been some improvement over the past two months. It's very hard for me to tell. It is longer and I think that makes it harder to compare. Tomorrow I plan to get a hair cut and I'll take another set of pics. It's just too thin to look good at this length in my opinion.

 

I agree with him that it looks a little better in person than it seems to look in photos but I was a little surprised when he classified it as an average to slightly below average result. He feels that 80% of my grafts have grown. He did say that the corners and the center need to be beefed up a bit and that the good news is I've got enough donor hair and a loose enough scalp to probably support two more sessions over the long run.

 

That's about it. I've tried to convey what I got out of the meeting as succinctly as possible.

[thanatopsis_awry]

Did he say anything about the # of grafts he shot for? I know you've had to defend yourself a bit multiple times saying that you weren't really pro-active in thinking over the number, and simply went with what Dr. Alexander recco'd.

 

Either way, hopefully you're an extremely slow grower and things thicken up in the next couple months. If not, what are your plans at the moment? Did you get a feel for whether Alexander would give you a discounted rate of sorts on a 2nd op, or consider a different clinic? If he really said that he feels this is basically an "average" result I would think you might not get a major break, but might want to broach the subject anyways if he hasn't done so himself.

 

You're taking this all extremely well, regardless, and I applaud you for that. I know how disillusioned you might feel about HTs right now, but I truly believe you are still one session away from being elated with your hair!

[Petchski]

It would be nice of Dr A to offer you a discounted rate, but he's under no obligation to do so.

 

But saying you have 80% growth is nonsense, more like 30/40% by my reckoning.

 

If not, save up and go to another doc, you have a scar at the back now so if it's economically feasible in the future then get another one and if the same thing happens again then at least you know something about your physiology is not playing ball....maybe a small test case FUE to save yourself the cost and hassle.

 

As already mentioned some hairs in the front look a little wiry still and you could be a super slow responder, and I think you will improve a little more over the next two months, but I doubt it will meet expectations.

[aaron1234]

Plunge,

 

Thanks for keeping us posted about your meeting with Dr. A. I believe you have more improvement to come within the next few months, although it probably will not be what you initially hoped for. But just keep a clear head. I'm of the school of thought that once you are in, do whatever you can to make the best of it. So I'd strongly recommend another procedure, especially if Dr. A said you had the donor for it. But hang in there and good for you for being so level-headed about this whole thing. I know how hard that is when receiving a sub-par result you put so much money into.

[Guest wanthairs]

I have to say ---this is a very sad story. I know what great hopes there are in gettign a transplant and then after having lost the money and the emotional crush of a faliure is quite hard....

 

I had 2800 grafts put in on my first transplant , of which 80% never grew.

 

I decided to go to a different dr and chose Dr. hasson for my second one.

 

After he took the strip out, he and his technicians told me that I had extra long shafts, that they rarely ever had seen before and they were extremely fragile and they had to be far more gentle and careful with them otherwise I would have had much transection. He also said he had to do very deep lateral slits or the grafts would be squeezed in and die.

 

I was never told about this unusual characteristic of my hair during my first transplant and I suspect this had something to do with the poor growth rate because I think I have had at least 95% growth with Dr. Hasson's procedure.

[HairHope]

Dear TTP,

 

I have not replied to date since I was a bit befuddled when comparing your photographic results to the title of this thread.

 

First off, given the level of your hairloss pre-HT, and the condition of the existing hairs, it was likely that the native hair where you had the new grafts placed were going to be sacrificed since they were likely on their way out. Thus, the net of your first transplant (as was with mine) would be the difference. With that said, personally I think you have a great foundation going forward with very little use of your donor supply, especially at your age (I believe similar to mine again).

 

I would wait the 12 months then go see a good FUE doc for 1500 FUE or more, a year from then you will be a happy man.

 

Best wishes.

[NW4recession]

I don't agree that 80% of the grafts grew and am shocked that Dr. A would claim that. Look at the post op pics. It looks pretty dense-packed at the hairline area, but all that grew in was a few very sparse hairs.

Am I off base here?

[Severn]

If he honestly told you 80% then that should be "strike one" for him here. Hopefully we aren't seeing another one start down the Armani path.

[rpachigo]

I think 50% would be generous here. Seems easy enough to figure out.

[thanatopsis_awry]

Regardless of what the actual % of yield is (and I'd encourage TTP to get some extra evaluations on this), I think the most.....if not troubling, then certainly peculiar....thing is Dr. Alexander telling TTP that he considers his result roughly "average".

 

I still stick with my initial reaction, which is that the yield isn't that terrible (not to say its great), but that TTP got undercut on the # of grafts and now that he didn't get immaculate yield is result seems really off and lacking.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Just so you all know,

 

I did invite Dr. Alexander to respond to this post publicly, but for whatever reason, he has not posted a reply. And though I really wish he'd reply, I see no reason to believe he's being any less than honest with his patient. Whereas I agree this does not look like 80% maturation, perhaps there are thin and colorless hairs just popping through that we can't see? I'm only speculating here. Thus, 80% growth may only be 50% maturation. I'd recommend Taking the Plunge give it a few more months before considering the procedure less than optimal and then consult with Dr. Alexander again as needed.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[TakingThePlunge]

Hi guys. I don't have time at the moment to address all the questions and points raised in the last few posts. I just wanted to pop in and say that I'm getting a little concerned that some of the points I've made are being overlooked.

 

Bill, I know you are busy and probably don't have time to read all the details in every post but I wanted to emphasize that I did say, "He feels that there is a lot of fine, light hairs that may or may not become more robust." I have also mentioned that my hair looks a little better in person than the photos demonstrate. I have not tried to suggest that Dr. Alexander has purposely misled me and if that has come across, I want to clear that up. Prior to my procedure, I told Dr. A that I would be starting a blog and chronicling my progress and I've tried to do that as honestly and clearly as possible. Unfortunately, the results, thus far, have been less than stellar and that is reflected in my photos and my commentary. I am not placing blame. I understand now and understood before, the risks involved.

 

I would say that the only areas where I deviate from Dr. Alexander's opinion is that I don't think my results are average to slightly below and I believe I had less than 80% growth.

 

I am not writing these posts and maintaining my blog to criticize, or otherwise diminish Dr. Alexander's work. Although my density is low, the hair that has grown looks completely natural and my scar is great and that is a testament to his skill.

 

I also want to repeat that all my photos except for the pre HT ones were taken with no flash. Dr. Alexander took photos last week also. Maybe he will post those for comparison.

 

Thank you everyone for your interest and concern. I appreciate all the input and discussion. Two more months to go and then I'll start figuring out where to go from here.

[buffalo soldier]

I feel you Mate. I think Dr. A will stand by you.

[Coligion]

TTP, next time you update your blog with photos, could you possibly show a closeup of the hairline? I would really like to see some pictures that have the hair pulled back on the left and right sides to see how your hairline has matured.

[TheEmperor]

Hmm... this is a tough one.

 

I had 4500 grafts in an area larger than that, but not as much supporting native hair from behind. I think your result should have been better, but I know how pictures dont tell the whole story.

 

I DO know that unless I let the hair grow to almost 3" and layer on top of itself, I have that same bald scalp look. But when grown to length and all styled the same direction, it looks like there is more there than reality.

 

The difference with your HT is that hair is growing "up" more than mine. If I comb my hair up or back, my result is not that differnt than yours.

 

I'm not in thrillsville about my HT, but on the other hand, it has made a positive change in my look and self image.

 

You are faced with the dillema to work with physician who may have done something wrong, or find someone else and relinquish any assistance. Docs dont give refund unless nothing grows. They offer touch ups. The smart patients go to other docs. Chekc out H&W. You need 4K more grafts for the youthful look.

[justgrow]

TTP,

 

I feel your results should have been better. This emotional roller coaster should have started to come to an end around the 6-7 month mark for you. Look, I realize there are no guarantees however it would be comforting if Dr. Alexander would address this forum and give us some input on TTP's less than stellar result thus far.

[Maxxy]

I would agree with what most have said... going by the photos, the results could have been better but it's not a disaster. It doesn't look like 80% or an "average" result but I have seen worse. It shouldn't take much to fill in.

 

I also feel that it's a shame that for whatever reason, Dr. Alexander hasn't posted on this thread (when he is aware of it existing). I'd have thought if he was happy with his work and the result, he'd have wanted to back it up.

 

just my opinion.

 

P.S. Good luck TTP, hope you end up getting a result you feel is satisfactory.

[Dr. Scott Alexander MD]

I am writing today to try and clear up some misconception and a few misinformed comments. You will see the value of quality photos that show closer to the actual result. I have posted pre-op photos to show you exactly where we placed the grafts (2516 grafts) Then you can look at the 6 month photos. These photos are very telling because you can see many very fine light colored immature hairs that are hard to see . This result is not what I like to see at 6 months, but this is where the patient's physiology kicks in and takes over. All of my surgeries are performed exactly the same; great care is always taken when we perform these surgeries. This is why I only do one surgery a day. Some patient's are slow at growing and others grow and mature very quickly. These are obviously the type of patients we like to post and every patient would like to be one of them. Unfortunately, everyone is different. Some people heal faster, some people form no scars and others widen not matter what you do. It's also unfortunate for doctors in the cosmetic field, that some patient's don't like to admit if they are one of those with poor physiology. Since the 6 month period, I have told Taking the Plunge that his growth was ok; the hairs were just very fine and needed time to mature. This is the difference when the doctor is looking at the patient with loop magnification vs. you all looking at pictures that are not the best quality. When you look at the 9 month photos you can see a great improvement with many of those hairs improving. You can now see that he is a very slow grower, but is headed in the right direction.

Severn- Please think about all facts before making comments like you have. The patient still has some very fine hairs that do not show up in the photos. That is why I am telling him to wait at least 12 months before we give up on these hairs. Doctors must become very patient people and use good judgement in treating patients. We like to think things through completely before rushing to do something unnecessary to a patient.

Hair Hope- The suggestion to do FUE's is a bad idea for this patient. He has already demonstrated a tendency for his follicles to be very touchy and grow slow even after dissection under a microscope. If you traumatize them by hand extracting them, they might not grow at all. FUE is much more traumatic than microscope dissection. It would help if everyone would let the guy wait his year out and let the transplant mature. At that time I will discuss with the patient what options we need to follow. I am a doctor that likes to keep discussions and decisions with a patient between doctor and patient.

 

 

pre-op

 

immediate post-op

 

 

 

6months

 

 

 

9 months

 

 

 

[Severn]

Thanks for the photos Dr. Alexander. They do look better here. Sorry about the "strike one" comment but it was only in response to the patient's post. It appeared at the time he was being mislead by his comments and everyone elses. He does seem to just be an abnormally slow grower.

[TakingThePlunge]

This is going to be the last post I make regarding my hair for at least the next two months. I appreciate Dr. Alexander commenting here and, for the last time, I want to make clear that I have never, in any post I've made, declared that this result is his fault or the fault of anyone in his clinic.

 

Earlier in this thread I said, "I have also said many, many times in other posts that I do not fault Dr. Alexander. How can I when it is made clear to anyone who reads the hundreds and hundreds of posts that I've read over the years that there are many variables to consider and results can vary? I have never suggested to anyone that they not go to Dr. A nor would I. All I can say is that I was given every reason to believe that my particular hair, scalp, etc. would yield very nice results by as early as 6 months. I do not yet have very nice results and I no longer believe that any future changes will be significant enough to make a difference."

 

Dr. Alexander, I hope that when you said, "It's also unfortunate for doctors in the cosmetic field, that some patients don't like to admit if they are one of those with poor physiology", you were not speaking specifically about me because I've never argued against that possibility. I'm only here to post my results and my feelings regarding the outcome of my procedure in order to add to the collective knowledge of this site and give back to a forum that helped me arrive at the decision to have a HT and also to select you as my doctor. Let's not forget also that it is equally unfortunate that there is no real way to tell if the failure of a HT to fully grow is a consequence of a patient's physiology or the result of an error at a clinic. Being that I have not seen or heard of another patient of yours posting a result like mine, I'm perfectly willing to accept that the results may be due to my physiology. Of course, that doesn't lessen the sting of an unacceptable result and does not change anything I've posted regarding my results. So, let me put this in writing: I do not hold you accountable for my results. Again, the hairs that have grown look perfectly natural and I've been told my scar looks fantastic. I've always praised you for that. I have not been butchered. I do not have to go out wearing a hat for fear of ridicule. Regardless of the reason for my result, I am simply not happy with it to date and that's all I've ever said here.

 

This forum can be a double-edged sword. It can provide a lot of positive press for doctors. I may not have known about Dr. A in the first place were it not for the positive feedback on this forum. However, when things don't go well, lots of people hear about it and I'm sure that can be frustrating and annoying to doctors who then feel accountable to laypeople. That is why I have always chosen my words carefully.

 

I feel like I'm being redundant here so I'm going to stop now. Thanks again to all who have commented and shown your support.

[Sparse]

TTP -

 

I've followed this thread with some interest, and it's been clear to me throughout that you were in no way casting aspersion on Dr. Alexander's surgical skill. In fact, given your legitimate frustration with the growth you've experienced to date - whether due entirely to innate physiology or to some other as-yet-unspecified set of factors - I believe you have been quite gracious in your comments to date.

 

I also admire your ability to use this forum as a sounding board to gain perspective on your situation, and to come to a clearer understanding of the slow pace of growth you've witnessed to date. Prospective HT patients need to see the full range of possible HT outcomes, even the frustrating ones - and that holds especially true regarding surgeons like Dr. Alexander who are (deservedly) held in high esteem.

 

Thanks for your transparency in sharing your results over these past several months, and best wishes on a much more satisfactory pace of growth in the months ahead.

[aaron1234]

I'd have to say that after seeing the pics that Dr. Alexander posted show a definite improvement. No, it's not the best density but it doesn't look bad either. Hang in there Plunge. I expect to see better results from you in two months. They might not be the final results you were looking for, but I still expect the hairs to mature even past the 12 month date. I'm sure you're considering round two already but just let the results from this procedure play out.

[Severn]

TTP:

 

No, you have been more than fair and I know you never blamed the good doctor. When I was following this thread, my original reaction was that HT isn't an exact science and once in awhile you have someone who isn't a good responder. It was only after your post where he said you had 80% growth that I got I felt like I needed to post something in your defense.

 

But Dr. Alexandar does have a lot of great results. And he does bring up a lot of good points especially about seeing a lot of fine hairs that are still waiting to mature.

 

This forum is a lot different than any I've ever visited because you have to choose you words so carefully. I remember making one comment that I thought was a very nuetral statement regarding a clinic but was taken as a slam. I think I'll just keep my mouth shut from now on!

[lost my swagger]

um, yeah... the drs photos, KEEP IN MIND THEY ARE BEST CASE SCENARIO pics show to ME a result that the patient cant do much IF ANYTHING with. other than grown looong and combed to the side... by the way the camera resolution is BLURRY and does not do a good job showing just how sparse i bet it is, in real life. in fact if anything the not so clear pics will add a FALSE look of a thicker result....

 

honestly a dr throws out a few words claiming WE are simply "misinformed" then posts some blurry 'best case' after photos and you all retract your more than valid criticisms??

 

this is a coalition dr right?? right. i swear the bulk of you let these guys off the hook sooo easy it actually makes me sad... yet you all have no problem touting the coalition(as a whole) as the best of the best... do you all accept THIS result from the best of the best??

 

ive NOT ONCE seen such a weak result from H@W... so either H@W is just extremely good at keeping their poor result patients off the internet forums OR dr alexander is not on par with H@W... they both share the same "list" tho dont they.

 

seriously, i wonder how dr ALEXANDER would HONESTLY feel if DR FELLER produced a thin result on HIM when dr alexander got his HT

 

would he take it like a MAN, the same way that 'takingThePlunge' has done?

 

id bet you all that if dr feller had produced something like this on dr alexanders head dr A would be disappointed as hell... what else need be discussed other than what dr A, the supposed best of the best, is gonna do to make his patient happy... and is he gonna do so without taking more of TTPs money?? i doubt it... that does not seem to be how these guys do things... even when they dont live up to the patients expectations. the very expectations that THEY, themselves set along side the patient PROIOR to the patient electing to put faith in them........

 

TTP is 10 months in... say whatever you want, but the bottom line is that IS PLENTY of time to evaluate a HT result... all the comments about drastic improvements at this stage are simply wishful thinking, wishful thinking is something to many of you posters have zero problem adopting when it comes to this HT field as a whole IMO.

 

blah!... im reminded again of why i visit this place less and less these days its to much on me...

[Bill - Seemiller]

Swagger,

 

So I guess you won't be satisfied until members of this community string Dr. Alexander up by his ears, pelt him with stones, and crucify him?

 

It's posts like yours that often pin patients and quality physicians on opposing sides battling each other rather than collaborating to tackle the hair loss problem we're all concerned about.

 

Regardless of the mob mentality that you want to create at times, quality hair restoration physicians want nothing more than to give their patients only the best results. If you could understand that, perhaps you wouldn't be so quick to attack a physician for sharing his side of the story.

 

Nobody is letting anyone "off the hook". This community believes in holding its members (physians and patients) accountable for their actions and words. However, we do believe in being fair and respecting those who have earned the right to be respected over the years.

 

Members of the Coalition, including Dr. Alexander have proven to be highly esteemed physicians who produce consistent excellent results. Thus, unlike an unknown physician or a doctor who may be less than reputable, members tend to cut doctors recommended by this community some slack because we know and believe they work on behalf of and in the best interest of the patient.

 

Swagger, I appreciate many of your posts. But you sometimes spend too much energy fighting with the wrong people. The real battle is with shills, hacks, and quacks still performing outdated techniques, misleading their patients, and selling snake oil products. I think you could be a real positive force for this forum if you could differentiate better between the good guys and the bad guys.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill