Unhappy with Eugenix transplant

[AJ_HT]

I know that Eugenix is recommended by a lot of people here, and a few active members of this forum have also gone there for their transplant. I also know that some celebrities and high profile individuals have got their transplant from there. However, I’m a common man who went there for a corrective surgery, and have not been happy with my results. I'm posting posting a genuinely honest review, with multiple pictures under different conditions.

My first transplant was from a shady clinic in 2017 which I had got without doing much research, and obviously, the results were poor. To get a correction, I did extensive research and went to Eugenix after meeting at least 8-9 different doctors in India in 2020.

My planning and hairline slits were done by Dr. Arika and surgery done by Dr. Priyadarshini in Mumbai. When I went for the consult, I was told that everything except my crown would be covered in 2500 grafts. Here is a “before” picture of mine.

Now, I don’t know whether the grafts were miscalculated or what happened, but on the day of surgery, my mid-scalp was not covered well. Below is a picture of the transplanted grafts in the frontal and midscalp region.

I asked the doctors why that happened, and I was told that finasteride would improve the density. But I’ve been on finasteride since then, and it didn’t help thicken my density. It just maintained my hair, and my mid-scalp was as bad as earlier. After 8 months, I went back to the clinic and met Dr Pradeep who did a complimentary second session in my mid-scalp for about 450 grafts.

Now, I was hoping that I would get decent coverage overall after 12-14 months of the first session, at least in the frontal region.

However, here are my pictures after 15 months under different kinds of lights. I have to say, I am far from happy with these results. The hair looks good when seen in dim light or lights from the front. But if I venture out into the sun or stand under ANY kind of light (not even harsh light), the result is quite poor, especially in the center portion of my hairline, above the glabella. The sides seem to have been done well, but the center of the hairline has quite poor density.

 

 

 

 

I have some other issues with the hairline as well, but I don’t want to get into those, since I can live with them. The biggest concern is the density.

Now, I know that a hair transplant is an illusion of density and I can’t expect magical results. But I don’t think a transplant that shows your scalp under normal lights or sunlight can be considered to be “good”.

(Also, I have been on finasteride ever since my transplant, and there is no native hair shedding after the surgery. Nor was my donor density a problem, because all the doctors I had met, told me that extracting 2500-3000 grafts was not a problem, considering I have dense, thick hair at the back of my head. Even for the surgery, out of these 3,000 grafts, only about 300 were taken from my beard, and transplanted in my midscalp. The frontal was all covered by scalp hair)

Lastly, these pictures are of my hair after a shower and shampoo, combed in my natural hairstyle under normal lights at home and sunlight. I have not clicked pictures of wet hair or shown it under harsh lights or shown angles that will deliberately highlight empty areas.

So here I am, after 3 surgeries (2 of which have been with apparently one of the good clinics) still unhappy with my hair ☹️

What went wrong with my transplant?

I don’t know. The doctors had 3 surgeries and multiple consultations that day, so probably they were in a hurry to complete mine? Probably they miscalculated the grafts and put lesser grafts in the centre than the sides? Or maybe some of the grafts didn’t survive. Like I said, I don’t know. But whatever happened, it hasn’t worked well for me.

Now I’m not in a state of mind to go for another procedure anywhere, but if I ever decide to get one again, it will be at a clinic where the primary doctor is hands-on with every patient and a clinic that takes only limited patients, so that each patient is important for them.

I’m putting up this post so that people know what to expect. I did everything right, and still got below-average results. But what I would recommend (things that I didn’t consider) is:

1. See how much interest the doctor shows in your case, and whether you’re actually being taken care of, or you’re just another client for the clinic
2. Most importantly, during consultation and before the surgery, get the areas marked on your head where the transplant would be done, and the number of grafts that would be implanted in those areas. I didn’t get this done in the first surgery, and that’s where all the confusion started
3. A premium clinic doesn't always imply a happy patient

This whole experience with 3 below-average transplant results has taken a toll on my mental health. It’s just a really bad experience for me overall, in spite of going to an apparently “good” clinic twice, and I’m putting this post up on forums like this, so that others can get more aware. Hopefully soon, I’ll figure out how to deal with it.

Thanks for hearing me out. I would love to hear from the community here what I can do to help the density (another transplant not being an option at the moment). If there are any suggestions, please let me know!

 

Edited March 5, 2022 by AJ_HT
added some lines and words

[NARMAK]

Thank you very much for your honesty and sharing your experience. Regardless of how many people have had a successful surgery with Eugenix from the forum here or elsewhere, if a single person like yourself has had surgery there and done by Dr Bansal and Dr Sethi, whilst also assisted by Dr Priyadarshini, then this does show that even highly regarded clinics can have results that don't quite live up to the standard that was expected. 

I honestly think a combination of things may have blended together for this outcome including potentially lower graft survival from what was implanted. The frontal implanted area doesn't look to match up with your latest pictures in terms of the density you'd probably expect. 

I am not informed enough or knowledgeable enough to really recommend where to go from here but people like @Melvin- Moderator can maybe chime in with some advice having gone through similar experiences i think. 

[MazAB]

It always tough to pin down what may have gone wrong, especially with the good clinics where you don't have obvious red flags the minute you step in for the procedure. I would assume you've spoken with the clinic recently as well and expressed your concerns?

We've seen very few below average results coming out of Eugenix, but in every case they have always made good for the client when you keep the line of communication open with them. 

[AJ_HT]

2 minutes ago, MazAB said:

It always tough to pin down what may have gone wrong, especially with the good clinics where you don't have obvious red flags the minute you step in for the procedure. I would assume you've spoken with the clinic recently as well and expressed your concerns?

We've seen very few below average results coming out of Eugenix, but in every case they have always made good for the client when you keep the line of communication open with them. 

Yes, I did speak to Dr Sethi 3 months ago, and their team was supposed to get back to me. But that hasn't happened yet.

The problem is, even if they're willing to offer another procedure, I'm not mentally ready for one. After 3 surgeries and me still being unhappy, it's very difficult to trust someone again 😞

You mentioned some cases where Eugenix made good for the client if they were unhappy. Any members here on this forum that you can tag? I'd like to have a conversation with those patients and understand what they did, if that's possible.

[MazAB]

10 minutes ago, AJ_HT said:

Yes, I did speak to Dr Sethi 3 months ago, and their team was supposed to get back to me. But that hasn't happened yet.

The problem is, even if they're willing to offer another procedure, I'm not mentally ready for one. After 3 surgeries and me still being unhappy, it's very difficult to trust someone again 😞

You mentioned some cases where Eugenix made good for the client if they were unhappy. Any members here on this forum that you can tag? I'd like to have a conversation with those patients and understand what they did, if that's possible.

Absolutely he is  @Looking for HT . Follow his journey thread from start to finish. He went back for a second procedure and it looks amazing now. Very similar to you, poor growth factor in the center area. 

I will say though, although it is lacking density, it does have a natural appearance. It looks more like you're a diffused thinner, then a guy with a gone wrong hair transplant. Still though, I can completely understand the concerns and dissatisfaction, and at 15 months, it is definitely the end result. 

Edited March 5, 2022 by MazAB

[SLA]

Hi @AJ_HT- As said by @MazAB- there was definitely growth, but maybe everything didn't survive, or they undershot on the # of grafts. There is a big improvement since your before pictures.

I agree that @Looking for HThad a similar outcome. He went back and had an additional 1k grafts and the end results looked awesome.

Hope this helps!

 

[Melvin- Admin]

Please pm me your name and date of surgery so I can reach out to the clinic. While the results may have fallen short of your expectations, I do believe it’s a clear improvement from your previous situation. I don’t believe it’s a lot to get to where you’d be happy. 

[AJ_HT]

Thanks @Melvin- Moderator

I absolutely agree it's an improvement from where I was. The problem is, this result took two surgeries, and it is still unsatisfactory. I'd have expected a good clinic like Eugenix to get it right the first, or at least the second time. So I'm just very unsure about getting a second touch-up (which will be a third surgery with Eugenix) and fourth transplant for me now 😞 

Any other options you think will help? Do you think Minoxidil can improve the density, given that most of the hair are transplanted hair?

[1978matt]

Repairs can sometimes yield not as good a result as expected because of damage from the first surgery.  When you think about, the frontal area was probably stabbed 2000+ times and may have left a lot of hidden scarring, poorer circulation of blood in that area.

At least you are looking a lot better than before HT2.

[civic]

Sorry to see such happen. I think at the very least they should fix the front, it does look thin, sparsed. Did they say how many grafts you have left in donor? If more than 3k, then they should hit that hairline hard, at least 2.5k grafts. If 90% of grafts survive, it will look awesome.

[kirkland]

Thanks for sharing. Definitely not a good end result in the hairline. Do you think that most of the 450 grafts that Dr. Sethi transplanted in the mid-scalp grew? 

The hairs in your hairline in the before pic look thin but the hairs there now are thick so I assume that the transplants grew but the hairs around which the transplants were placed did not grow back.

[AJ_HT]

26 minutes ago, kirkland said:

Thanks for sharing. Definitely not a good end result in the hairline. Do you think that most of the 450 grafts that Dr. Sethi transplanted in the mid-scalp grew? 

The hairs in your hairline in the before pic look thin but the hairs there now are thick so I assume that the transplants grew but the hairs around which the transplants were placed did not grow back.

The touch-up just happened 7 months ago, so the 450 grafts are yet to completely grow. But those grafts were anyway in the mid-scalp. The density issue is with the hairline, which was worked on 15 months ago.

Also, like I said, I have been on finasteride since 15 months, and there's no more hair loss now. So I don't think there's an issue with the earlier hairs shedding. They may have only gotten better, if anything with finasteride.

[AJ_HT]

55 minutes ago, civic said:

Sorry to see such happen. I think at the very least they should fix the front, it does look thin, sparsed. Did they say how many grafts you have left in donor? If more than 3k, then they should hit that hairline hard, at least 2.5k grafts. If 90% of grafts survive, it will look awesome.

@civic I don't think this will require 2.5K grafts. Looks more like 500-800 grafts to give a good density, but I'm no doc here. Besides, the thought of opting for another procedure itself is just upsetting.

[JoeMan]

It seems to me like your 2nd procedure with them was to fill the mid scalp. Did they know that you were unhappy with the front at this point? 

[AJ_HT]

1 hour ago, 1978matt said:

Repairs can sometimes yield not as good a result as expected because of damage from the first surgery.  When you think about, the frontal area was probably stabbed 2000+ times and may have left a lot of hidden scarring, poorer circulation of blood in that area.

At least you are looking a lot better than before HT2.

Honestly, that's what I say to pacify myself - that it's much better than earlier, that at least it's not pluggy, that the density is good at least in dim lights. But that's not what I had expected from this session. I went to the best because I wanted the best results, not because I wanted results that are just an improvement from before.

I do understand that scarring happens, and that could be a reason for poor density, but there are 2 problems with that reasoning:

1. My sides are done okay. The center is a problem. If there was scarring, it should have been uniform, or at least similar. But there's a HUGE difference between the density on the sides and center

2. Neither before the surgery, nor during the surgery nor after the surgery when they did a touch-up, was I told that this happened because of scarring. So I highly doubt that could be the reason

I may sound negative when I write my comments here, but for someone who's undergone these many procedures, it's just very difficult to stay positive 😐 

[JoeMan]

I'm thinking about 500-1,000 grafts and you'd see a vast improvement. Like others have said, it looks easily repairable at least. I know that the anxiety of a 4th surgery is unsettling though. 

[Melvin- Admin]

1 hour ago, 1978matt said:

Repairs can sometimes yield not as good a result as expected because of damage from the first surgery.  When you think about, the frontal area was probably stabbed 2000+ times and may have left a lot of hidden scarring, poorer circulation of blood in that area.

At least you are looking a lot better than before HT2.

This is true, repairs are more difficult, which is why it’s important to do it right the first time. I don’t think you need a lot of grafts to get you to a point where you’d be satisfied and have the “illusion of density.”

[civic]

9 minutes ago, AJ_HT said:

@civic I don't think this will require 2.5K grafts. Looks more like 500-800 grafts to give a good density, but I'm no doc here. Besides, the thought of opting for another procedure itself is just upsetting.

The contrast between scalp and hair seems a bit high,  or it's a sun glare?, tough to say from above pics. But usualy with high contrast , good surgens dense pack for optimal look, hence, more grafts used .

[AJ_HT]

9 minutes ago, JoeMan said:

It seems to me like your 2nd procedure with them was to fill the mid scalp. Did they know that you were unhappy with the front at this point? 

@JoeMan Yes the second procedure was for the mid-scalp. It was just 8 months since the first procedure, so the results in the frontal area were still improving. And back then, I didn't think the eventual density of the frontal region would be poor as well.

[JoeMan]

1 minute ago, AJ_HT said:

@JoeMan Yes the second procedure was for the mid-scalp. It was just 8 months since the first procedure, so the results in the frontal area were still improving. And back then, I didn't think the eventual density of the frontal region would be poor as well.

Makes sense. Hopefully they stand behind their work because this does fall short of what we have seen from them. 

[Gramatik]

thanks for sharing. Indeed the hairline's density looks poor probably due to low survival of grafts. What did eugenix say about your result ? did they offer a free touch up?

[AA1989]

I think the possible issues are:-

• The initial 2500 was spread over a large surface area. This was never going to meet your density expectation. Without intervention, you look to be heading for a high Norwood 5+.
• The clinic was banking on a good response to finasteride to compensate for the lack of density. You should have been advised to get on Fin a year before surgery and then assess your requirements. It doesn't look like you are one of the lucky high responders.
• What is the distance from the centre hairline to glabella? Your original surgery may have simply been two low and flat, which makes any repair more challenging and demanding of grafts.

[AJ_HT]

31 minutes ago, Gramatik said:

thanks for sharing. Indeed the hairline's density looks poor probably due to low survival of grafts. What did eugenix say about your result ? did they offer a free touch up?

They said they're open to it and will get back to me. But haven't heard from them after that. In any case, I didn't follow up because I'm not ready for another surgery (it'll be the fourth one in 5 years)

[SD1984]

I don't think anything went truly "wrong" here at all other than a bit of planning. The design of the hairline and the growth were all great. The problem lies in the amount of grafts chosen for the area. I'd say you should have been given 3000-3200, not 2500. It definitely sucks to have to go back for a "touch up" even if it is free of charge (i.e. flight costs), but I feel you would be happy in the long term if you do. 

[AJ_HT]

12 minutes ago, AA1989 said:

I think the possible issues are:-

• The initial 2500 was spread over a large surface area. This was never going to meet your density expectation. Without intervention, you look to be heading for a high Norwood 5+.
• The clinic was banking on a good response to finasteride to compensate for the lack of density. You should have been advised to get on Fin a year before surgery and then assess your requirements. It doesn't look like you are one of the lucky high responders.
• What is the distance from the centre hairline to glabella? Your original surgery may have simply been two low and flat, which makes any repair more challenging and demanding of grafts.

I did start Fin 1 month before surgery, continuing it till date, and seem to be responding well. I don't see any hairloss now. So that doesn't seem to be an issue.

My hairline also is pretty high, as you can see in the pictures. Should be about 7 cms from the glabella, give or take.