Starting month 5 and need a pep talk 😩

[Palmerplanet]

Hello everyone! 

I’m new to the Network, and hope I’m not creating a faux pas by asking you all to help me assess how things are going. 

I had my transplant (FUT, Leonard Hair Transplant Associates, Boston US) in August 2021. Since then, I’ve had very little growth; which I understand is to be expected. However, I can’t help but to think something is wrong, especially seeing other transplants. 

(Hair loss regimen: 1 session PRP every 3 months, LLLT nightly, Finsateride 1mg daily, Ketoconazole 2% 2x/week, Minoxidil 5% nightly, Stemoxydine nightly, microneedling weekly, just started Fluridil daily)

 

This picture is before my hair transplant

 

 

 

This picture is the day of my hair transplant 

 

 

 

 

This picture was taken on Dec 4th, which would complete month number four following my transplant. 

 

 

 

I suppose I’m looking for some reassurance from people more experienced than I am. 

 

Also, how does the initial transplant look? Any red flags? 

 

Thank you all so much!! 

 

[Britanium]

Hi 👋 Welcome to the forum ! Can you let us know how many grafts were placed ?  From what I can see I would say that it doesn’t appear you had too many implanted. 5 months should be showing some initial graft growth, at least in terms of breaking through the scalp. 

[Britanium]

Trying to be tactful here but I have to say that I have never seen any good work come from this Dr, sorry to say. Do you have any pics of your FUT ? Thanks 🙏 

 

[Melvin- Admin]

I've never heard of this doctor before, but five months is very early in process. Give it time, it will continue to thicken and mature as the months go on. At five months you've barely hit the tip of the iceberg in terms of growth.

[Palmerplanet]

Thank you both! 

We are talking about Dr. Lopresti, correct? To be honest, I didn’t get a very “experienced” vibe from him. Although he has always been pleasant and responsive. I would love to hear about some of the experiences you’ve heard about there. No need to be tactful, I appreciate the candor. 

I wasn’t told how many grafts were placed. Just that they had taken a strip and were using everything they could. I did ask one of the technicians as she was placing the grafts, and she said “about 1200”, but there was never a formal number. 

They did graft back onto the top of my scalp as well, which is not visible in the photos. 

 

[Palmerplanet]

 

Here is a photo from 10 days post op

[Britanium]

1 minute ago, Palmerplanet said:

Thank you both! 

We are talking about Dr. Lopresti, correct? To be honest, I didn’t get a very “experienced” vibe from him. Although he has always been pleasant and responsive. I would love to hear about some of the experiences you’ve heard about there. No need to be tactful, I appreciate the candor. 

I wasn’t told how many grafts were placed. Just that they had taken a strip and were using everything they could. I did ask one of the technicians as she was placing the grafts, and she said “about 1200”, but there was never a formal number. 

They did graft back onto the top of my scalp as well, which is not visible in the photos. 

 

That is exactly one of the issues that’s been mentioned over the years, no graft count ! Very unusual, normally a exact amount of grafts will be given as well as a breakdown of the groupings. Every so often a experience will pop up, and I just cannot ever recall seeing a good result. Search on the forum and you will see. 1200 is a small amount for FUT, it’s possible that you could have had FUE instead and negated the need for a scar. 

[Britanium]

If it’s around 1200 grafts (might be less) it’s just not enough for the area shown. The grafts have not been placed dense enough imo. Personally i think you will end up needing another ht to get the required density, I would choose a different Clinic next time. But all you can do for now is wait and see how it develops over the next 12 months. Please keep the thread updated though ! 

[Palmerplanet]

6 minutes ago, JC71 said:

If it’s around 1200 grafts (might be less) it’s just not enough for the area shown. The grafts have not been placed dense enough imo. Personally i think you will end up needing another ht to get the required density, I would choose a different Clinic next time. But all you can do for now is wait and see how it develops over the next 12 months. Please keep the thread updated though ! 

That was my thought as well. 

I don’t mind having another transplant, I just want it done correctly and with a high degree of skill. I also don’t mind traveling or paying for good work. Do you think it’s too early to schedule a consult with another doctor for their opinion? 

Or should I just wait the 12-18 months for this transplant to fully mature? 

Any other advice would be greatly  appreciated. Thank you! 

[Britanium]

Yes it’s a little too early to start scheduling with another Dr. They will ask you wait for around 12 months to see how this develops. But no harm in starting to research using the forum ! Use this time to learn who is doing good work and see who might be most suitable for your needs. In a way it’s good that only a low amount of grafts have been taken. You should still have more than plenty left in your donor area for a future procedure. How does the FUT scar look at this early stage ? 

Edited December 10, 2021 by JC71

[Snowboard]

You are early at 5 months but honestly I think if it doesn’t pop by 6 months it rarely turns out great, and the doctor you used isn’t likely to produce good results imo.  
 

I am from MA and had a bad FUE procedure done locally before I was repaired by Dr. Konior in Chicago.  If consistent results are your primary focus (and for sure they should be) you really have to travel and pay for an elite surgeon.  
 

Konior is a magician, not sure how your donor is but looks like you plenty available for him to give you your hair back.

He would be my recommendation if you want arguably the most consistent amazing results and are willing/able to pay for a top surgeon.

 

 

[Britanium]

Agree with @SnowboardDr K is a awesome choice for anyone looking for a repair. You could reach out to him and explain your situation, but there isn’t any rush. 

[Palmerplanet]

32 minutes ago, Snowboard said:

You are early at 5 months but honestly I think if it doesn’t pop by 6 months it rarely turns out great, and the doctor you used isn’t likely to produce good results imo.  
 

I am from MA and had a bad FUE procedure done locally before I was repaired by Dr. Konior in Chicago.  If consistent results are your primary focus (and for sure they should be) you really have to travel and pay for an elite surgeon.  
 

Konior is a magician, not sure how your donor is but looks like you plenty available for him to give you your hair back.

He would be my recommendation if you want arguably the most consistent amazing results and are willing/able to pay for a top surgeon.

 

 

I am absolutely willing to pay for a top surgeon and travel. 
 

I will look into Konior in Chicago, and if things aren’t on the up-and-up in a few months I will give him a call.

I do have a 6 month follow up scheduled with Dr. Lopresti in February (as well as my next PRP appointment). I will pick his brain as well. 
 

[Britanium]

Please don’t go paying for PRP sessions they are not going to be of any benefit for you. Especially from a poor clinic. They do this as a cash grab. It’s never pushed by other Drs/Clinics who lets say are more ethical. 

[Snowboard]

Trust me go just to Konior, it is like finding Michelangelo still painting ceilings when you need to get yours done.  He isn’t cheap but it costs essentially the same as other top surgeons.

I had a failed procedure with DiStefano in MA and it just never really grew.  I hoped and waited with supposed the timelines of XX percent growth by whatever month, but really if you think it looks dicey at 5/6 months sorry to say but it’s very unlikely to work our well.  

For what it’s worth I had 2 FUE procedures with Konior and in month 4 they started to grow and month 5 was very noticeable.  My first was night and day different as it just barely did anything.

[Snowboard]

8 minutes ago, JC71 said:

Please don’t go paying for PRP sessions they are not going to be of any benefit for you. Especially from a poor clinic. They do this as a cash grab. It’s never pushed by other Drs/Clinics who lets say are more ethical. 

100% agree, it won’t do anything

[Curious25]

1 hour ago, Snowboard said:

Trust me go just to Konior, it is like finding Michelangelo still painting ceilings when you need to get yours done.

😂

[dotdashdashdash]

23 hours ago, JC71 said:

That is exactly one of the issues that’s been mentioned over the years, no graft count ! Very unusual, normally a exact amount of grafts will be given as well as a breakdown of the groupings. Every so often a experience will pop up, and I just cannot ever recall seeing a good result. Search on the forum and you will see. 1200 is a small amount for FUT, it’s possible that you could have had FUE instead and negated the need for a scar. 

I had a consult with Lopresti and thought it was strange that they charged a flat fee for FUE. At the time, they quoted me $13k whether they were going to do 1000 or 2000. 

That said, his partner, Leonard, has a great reputation among celebs, having done Dave Portnoy's. 

To echo the others, five months is a bit too early to tell. Did Lopresti comment at all on your donor and how many grafts he might estimate you have to work with? 

It sounds like you are doing everything else you can to stabilize and potentially regrow hair. Are you finding that the finasteride etc has stabilized loss elsewhere?

[Palmerplanet]

On 12/10/2021 at 8:25 PM, dotdashdashdash said:

I had a consult with Lopresti and thought it was strange that they charged a flat fee for FUE. At the time, they quoted me $13k whether they were going to do 1000 or 2000. 

That said, his partner, Leonard, has a great reputation among celebs, having done Dave Portnoy's. 

To echo the others, five months is a bit too early to tell. Did Lopresti comment at all on your donor and how many grafts he might estimate you have to work with? 

It sounds like you are doing everything else you can to stabilize and potentially regrow hair. Are you finding that the finasteride etc has stabilized loss elsewhere?

The total cost for my treatment was around $13,000 as well (which included 2 PRP sessions and the capillus cap) 

Lopresti said I didn’t have a lot of density in my FUT strip, but gave no other details. 
 

It’s hard to tell if my hair loss has stabilized. I definitely had a big shed when I started fin/min (started in September). So I haven’t really been on treatment all that long. But for sure not as much hair is falling out now. 
 

For now I’m going to wait it out, maybe until the 10 month mark and see how it goes. I’ll continue with my follow-ups with Lopresti until then. If it’s still dicey at the 10 month mark, I’ll seek out the other doc you all recommended. 
 

thank you all for the insight! Much appreciated! 

[HappyMan2021]

If you can, try to get a 2nd opinion from a different, highly vetted HT doc. Preferably in person. 

Its extremely unlikely for the operating HT surgeon to admit any mistakes on their end. They are running a business after all. 

[Britanium]

7 hours ago, Palmerplanet said:

The total cost for my treatment was around $13,000 as well (which included 2 PRP sessions and the capillus cap) 

Lopresti said I didn’t have a lot of density in my FUT strip, but gave no other details. 
 

It’s hard to tell if my hair loss has stabilized. I definitely had a big shed when I started fin/min (started in September). So I haven’t really been on treatment all that long. But for sure not as much hair is falling out now. 
 

For now I’m going to wait it out, maybe until the 10 month mark and see how it goes. I’ll continue with my follow-ups with Lopresti until then. If it’s still dicey at the 10 month mark, I’ll seek out the other doc you all recommended. 
 

thank you all for the insight! Much appreciated! 

Jeez that’s a lot of $ for what was actually done 😯 Please do keep us all informed/updated. No doubt they will say how much better it looks etc, all the usual flannel given when trying to convince someone with a less than satisfactory result. But yes you will do better on your next procedure 👍🏽

[Palmerplanet]

Just thought I'd share an update and see what everyone thinks. 

 

I've just completed month 8 and am 2 weeks into month 9. I've added pictures of harsh and natural lighting for you all to check out. 

I spoke with Dr. Lopresti at the six month mark, and he didn't seem worried. But I'm still very concerned about the outcome. 

 

Starting month 10 I am going to seek out a second opinion and possibly schedule another HT - unless I see some dramatic improvement. 

 

 

 

[Britanium]

Who will you be choosing for your second procedure? It’s unlikely to Improve much more from this point. 

[Britanium]

And I have to say…. Wow awesome beard dude ! It’s quite similar to my own, should you ever need a back up plan… 🤩

[Melvin- Admin]

10 minutes ago, Palmerplanet said:

Just thought I'd share an update and see what everyone thinks. 

 

I've just completed month 8 and am 2 weeks into month 9. I've added pictures of harsh and natural lighting for you all to check out. 

I spoke with Dr. Lopresti at the six month mark, and he didn't seem worried. But I'm still very concerned about the outcome. 

 

Starting month 10 I am going to seek out a second opinion and possibly schedule another HT - unless I see some dramatic improvement. 

 

 

 

I think it looks decent for 5 months. Btw you resemble Charlie from It's always sunny. My fav character.