Day 10 of hair transplant (4k :O), and still nervous about the regrowing of my transplant area

[Elias]

I've posted in here before. As mentioned before I got a hair transplant from a less than good clinic in Istanbul having done not enough research. My bad... Most of all this has been a learning experience that I will take with me further into life.

WIth that being said, it's not looking hopeless as I thought it was immediately after surgery. However it does still look pretty bad even on day 10 and I'm especially concerned since the pattern of regrowth has not been even on both sides. It is not even that obvious that anything has been harvested on the left side under good lighting, on the right side... not so much. 

I would like to hear any opinions, but please refrain from berating me on my choice of clinic. 

[Ajamilo]

Asli Tarcan?

 

[Elias]

yes

[HappyMan2021]

2 hours ago, Elias said:

I'm especially concerned since the pattern of regrowth has not been even on both sides

I just want to add that a natural hairline is asymmetrical and should have strategic imperfections in it's design. 

I don't have enough information about your specific case, perhaps your doc did screw up - its always a real possibility.

But just fyi, any asymmetry you are noticing may  be purposefully part of the overall holistic vision your surgeon had for your new hair. 

[Elias]

Sorry not talking about the recipient area. My point is that the donor site is barely visible on my left side, but very visible on my right. The recipient looks fine so far (but impossible to tell yet)

[digi23]

2 hours ago, Elias said:

I've posted in here before. As mentioned before I got a hair transplant from a less than good clinic in Istanbul having done not enough research. My bad... Most of all this has been a learning experience that I will take with me further into life.

WIth that being said, it's not looking hopeless as I thought it was immediately after surgery. However it does still look pretty bad even on day 10 and I'm especially concerned since the pattern of regrowth has not been even on both sides. It is not even that obvious that anything has been harvested on the left side under good lighting, on the right side... not so much. 

I would like to hear any opinions, but please refrain from berating me on my choice of clinic. 

Its not much to say at the moment, you can also get shock loss so you unfortunaly need to wait for a good 6 months to see how bad it is. 

Would be good if you can try to take a photo with flash with the normal back camera not the front one so we can get a good quality photo, its easier to try to help that way when you see details in the donor.

Edited December 18, 2021 by digi23

[HappyMan2021]

14 minutes ago, Elias said:

Sorry not talking about the recipient area. My point is that the donor site is barely visible on my left side, but very visible on my right. The recipient looks fine so far (but impossible to tell yet)

oh gotcha. I personally can't see anything wrong....but 10 days is way to soon to definitively say. The hair transplant waiting game sucks big time

For what its worth, I've had 3 hair transplants. 

HT's #1 and #2 the donor area grew back in just fine after. 

HT #3 I experienced relatively "minor" shock loss on my left donor side, while the right side was fine. My doc said to apply rogaine on the shock loss area. I was pretty anxious about this, but the shock loss area grew back in by 6 weeks or so. Not sure how important applying Rogaine was. 

Maybe you can pre-emptively start applying Rogaine to the donor area just to be overly cautious. Of course get the greenlight from your doc first. 

Edited December 18, 2021 by SadMan2021

[Elias]

I'm trying to calm myself with the fact that this is my first, and that my donor area was extremely thick. So even if they took unnecessarily much I should still be able to recover fine from this. 

 

I can not get rogain without a prescription from my doctor, and it would take more than a month to get it (downside of living in a system with free health care is that the referral system to specialised doctors is very long).

 

There is probably not anything wrong, I think my anxiousness is in large part due to me being alone in another country (I planned this trip so that I could prepare for my exams while on holiday in another country) so it kinda builds up without me having any release valve. Then I go to the internet and read people's horror stories and assume the worst about my own case. Yeah it's stupid.  

[Elias]

32 minutes ago, digi23 said:

Its not much to say at the moment, you can also get shock loss so you unfortunaly need to wait for a good 6 months to see how bad it is. 

Would be good if you can try to take a photo with flash with the normal back camera not the front one so we can get a good quality photo, its easier to try to help that way when you see details in the donor.

[Elias]

also realising that my skin is still very red. 

[digi23]

21 minutes ago, Elias said:

I'm trying to calm myself with the fact that this is my first, and that my donor area was extremely thick. So even if they took unnecessarily much I should still be able to recover fine from this. 

 

I can not get rogain without a prescription from my doctor, and it would take more than a month to get it (downside of living in a system with free health care is that the referral system to specialised doctors is very long).

 

There is probably not anything wrong, I think my anxiousness is in large part due to me being alone in another country (I planned this trip so that I could prepare for my exams while on holiday in another country) so it kinda builds up without me having any release valve. Then I go to the internet and read people's horror stories and assume the worst about my own case. Yeah it's stupid.  

As I know someone told you before in your other thread, its NOT that they "only" took 4000, its HOW they extract them. I have seen overharvesting from 2000 grafts because the clinic is so unprofessional. I have seen 2500 grafts overharvesting from Asli Tarcan before.

As for now its difficult to tell anything because the donor needs to heal fully, it takes usually 3-6 months.

Edited December 19, 2021 by digi23

[Elias]

1 minute ago, digi23 said:

As I know someone told you before in your other thread, its NOT that they "only" took 4000, its HOW they extract them. I have seen overharvesting from 2000 grafts because the clinic is so unprofessional. I have seen 2500 grafts overharvesting from Asli Tarcan before.

As for now its difficult to tell anything because the donor needs to heal fully, it takes usually 3-6 months.

How does that work? Is it that they permanently damage grafts that are then not used, effectively removing way more than 4k? 

[digi23]

6 minutes ago, Elias said:

Thank you for these photos. 

I dont think it looks too bad honestly if you just want my first impression I think it will be fine.

[digi23]

1 minute ago, Elias said:

How does that work? Is it that they permanently damage grafts that are then not used, effectively removing way more than 4k? 

Its because they need to extract them with space inbetween, you cannot take 2000 grafts in a small area, then it will be overharvested anyways.

Edited December 19, 2021 by digi23

[Elias]

Makes sense. I think in my case however that there is a bigger chance of them removing hairs from too large of an area. As some other people have pointed out, it looks as if they've harvested from non safe areas. Here's to hoping Finasteride will keep doing it's work.

Anyways, this whole experience has been so comfortable that I've weirdly enough become comfortable with being bald lol. 

[digi23]

1 minute ago, Elias said:

Makes sense. I think in my case however that there is a bigger chance of them removing hairs from too large of an area. As some other people have pointed out, it looks as if they've harvested from non safe areas. Here's to hoping Finasteride will keep doing it's work.

Anyways, this whole experience has been so comfortable that I've weirdly enough become comfortable with being bald lol. 

In my opinion I dont think they have harvested from the "no safe zone". I think they have harvested from a too small area, but not extremely small.

You can compare your harvesting zone from mine, I had 2550 grafts.

[Elias]

Hm our densities look quite similar. Yet mine is still way more obvious. The flashlight of course doesn't help nor the red skin. 

Could you upload a picture of what your donor area looks like now?

[digi23]

Just now, Elias said:

Hm our densities look quite similar. Yet mine is still way more obvious. The flashlight of course doesn't help nor the red skin. 

Could you upload a picture of what your donor area looks like now?

You need to know that the reason you see uneven line in your donor is because where they extracted was 0mm and the other part was like 1mm, so its a difference in the length of the hair. Your donor looks decent I would say in the latest photos you sent where you can see more details.

I had some shock loss in my donor, now after 3,5 months you can see that it is coming back.

[Elias]

2 minutes ago, digi23 said:

You need to know that the reason you see uneven line in your donor is because where they extracted was 0mm and the other part was like 1mm, so its a difference in the length of the hair. Your donor looks decent I would say in the latest photos you sent where you can see more details.

I had some shock loss in my donor, now after 3,5 months you can see that it is coming back.

ah, so the reason that my scalp is so visible is partly simply because the hairs are shorter compared to the rest of my scalp? 

Your's looks pretty healed compared to your before picture, but looks like the color has changed slightly. 

 

[digi23]

1 minute ago, Elias said:

ah, so the reason that my scalp is so visible is partly simply because the hairs are shorter compared to the rest of my scalp? 

Your's looks pretty healed compared to your before picture, but looks like the color has changed slightly. 

 

Yes in your case why you are worried is mostly because of difference in length which makes it stand out. Just chill for a couple of weeks and you can see how it really looks.

Color is different just because of different light in the room.

[HappyMan2021]

41 minutes ago, Elias said:

that my donor area was extremely thick

off-topic, but I'll be interested to see what the recipient hair will look like. My donor hair is very thick (and coarse). My doctor commented it was some of the thickest hair he has even seen. 

My native hairline hair is straight and tame, but with the addition of thick hair its made styling really hard. Hair product is definitely required to get any of the hairstyles I had pre-HT. 

The only good thing about thick hair is if you do thin out, it obviously wont effect it as much as if you already had soft and fine hair. But other than that having thick hair sucks. 

Edited December 19, 2021 by SadMan2021

[Elias]

Just now, digi23 said:

Yes in your case why you are worried is mostly because of difference in length which makes it stand out. Just chill for a couple of weeks and you can see how it really looks.

Color is different just because of different light in the room.

Okay, thankfully I don't have classes till february (maybe even later depending on covid situation at that point) so maybe I'll just let it grow till then and cut it to one length. 

[Elias]

Just now, SadMan2021 said:

off-topic, but I'll be interested to see what the recipient hair will look like. My donor hair is very thick (and coarse). My doctor commented it was some of the thickest hair he has even seen. 

My native hairline hair is straight and tame, but with the addition of thick hair its made styling really hard. Hair product is definitely required to get any of the hairstyles I had pre-HT. 

The only good thing about thick hair is if you do thin out, it obviously wont effect it as much as if you already has soft and fine hair. But other than that having thick hair sucks. 

I don't know man. I've been looking like a lion my whole life, and then the top got thinner and thinner. As you say, styling it has always been difficult, but it was an amazing feeling running my hands through endless hairs. Oh well... I'll definitely post updates in here as my hair grows out again. 

[HappyMan2021]

1 minute ago, Elias said:

I don't know man. I've been looking like a lion my whole life, and then the top got thinner and thinner. As you say, styling it has always been difficult, but it was an amazing feeling running my hands through endless hairs. Oh well... I'll definitely post updates in here as my hair grows out again. 

yea for sure. Thick hair is always harder to style, whether you've had a HT or not, so I don't get too down about the styling issues bc many many people with zero hair loss and thick hair still suffer from these same issues at all And I'd rather have thick transplant hair in the hairline than no hair at all. 

But definitely not something to concern yourself with until hair starts growing around Month 4 or so. 

 

[Elias]

1 minute ago, SadMan2021 said:

yea for sure. Thick hair is always harder to style, whether you've had a HT or not, so I don't get too down about the styling issues bc many many people with zero hair loss and thick hair still suffer from these same issues at all And I'd rather have thick transplant hair in the hairline than no hair at all. 

But definitely not something to concern yourself with until hair starts growing around Month 4 or so. 

 

Yeah man! I'm just in the mental state that if my donor grows out properly so that I can rock a buzz cut and beard I'm happy. Everything is extra at this point, that's how low my expectations are after reading about Asli online. 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Elias