Fuexpert, 2000 grafts - 6.5 months update

[stockholmare]

2 hours ago, 5BetaReductase said:

Who extracted your grafts? A tech or couto himself?

a tech

[stockholmare]

14 hours ago, Vann said:

I think you’re asking great questions just at the wrong time. Just kick back and relax, regardless of any touch up you do, repair, or anything you want to remedy your current situation. The best thing you should do is wait. Just remember you already took the first step in getting a hair transplant so let it reach that 12 month potential then call it a success/failure.

 

melvin is a good example to reference for his slow growth in ht’s. As a matter of fact his most recent one shows some massive growth in his crown in the last month compared to before. 
 

just remember you cannot undo anything so what’s done is done. However, you could continue to stress yourself currently without anything to result from it since your best option would be to wait nonetheless. 
 

but remember no matter what answer you get from why it is currently not 100% wouldn’t make a difference because even if you know the answer your full potential for the procedure can’t yield that fast and there’s nothing you can currently change unfortunately. So I would just recommend you continue your daily life and try not to overthink it (you’re past the ugly duckling phase) so enjoy your present.

I am trying not to think about it, the Doctor also recommended to do so - it's not always that easy thou

[Britanium]

52 minutes ago, stockholmare said:

I am trying not to think about it, the Doctor also recommended to do so - it's not always that easy thou

Yeh it’s really difficult after a hair transplant not to keep looking at it constantly, I know whenever I have had any of my procedures it’s literally Impossible not to keep checking at last a few times a day ! 

[Vann]

5 hours ago, stockholmare said:

I am trying not to think about it, the Doctor also recommended to do so - it's not always that easy thou

That is completely understandable. But the more things you give yourself the less you give it attention. 
 

Ex: you wake up with a headache and it annoys you for a few hours. You get used to the pain and then forget it hurts until you remember about it. 
 

Think of your situation as an annoying headache and continue your summer. Yes there will be times you see yourself but try your best to differentiate that with an end result.

[Jackdaniels]

7 hours ago, stockholmare said:

I am trying not to think about it, the Doctor also recommended to do so - it's not always that easy thou

I think you can’t stop thinking about it, because by selecting a doctor like couto you have high expectations for the result to be like the ones you see in YouTube etc..nothing is guaranteed in the hair transplant though that your result will be successful. Anyway just wait some more months now to see how and if it will be improved. Best of luck 🤞 

[A Fue Good Men]

8 hours ago, stockholmare said:

a tech

Do you know if they were a relatively new tech or experienced?

[Z--]

Agreed that it's maybe not as fast as other Couto results. That said, there's still time, and Couto seems like a good man willing to stand behind his work if he's already offering a touch up. Regardless of how it ends up, I think you're in good hands. 

Honestly, I personally think month 8 is fair-game to assess if it's a failure. I think 6 months is too early and demanding judgement only at 10 months is a bit ridiculous (unless it's the crown, then maybe wait a full year). 

[TrustTheProcess]

If Couto himself expressed disappointment at this stage, then I think it’s safe to say your concerns are now 100% validated by none other than the best person to do so. The silver lining is that Couto acknowledge the issue early on so you don’t have a knot in your stomach for another 6 months that other clinics might string you along for.  Whether you’d call this a touch up, or even a repair case, I would absolutely give Couto another round. The most important thing for your next pre-op consultation for a touch up/repair, would be to clearly layout the expectations. If the plan presented by Couto in theory could get you there, go for it!

[Big Rome]

any update @stockholmare

[Prof101]

I am going with Couto in just a few weeks and this made me nervous. I understand that no clinic is perfect but if these results were to persist and not ameliorate considerably this would be a subpar result at even a subpar clinic, let alone Couto. 

The good news for you: You have plenty of donor hair. So if you "lost" 800, you have minimal area to cover and plenty of donor. I personally would go to Couto himself, but it is your decision. I would go back there, because he clearly cares about his reputation and the second time around, he probably will be taking a close look at every little detail. Unless you have some scalp issues I don't see why he would not be able to astound you in the second surgery. 

He usually measures donor area and tell you the # donor, type of hair, thickness, # of 1s, 2s, and 3s. Did he give you all that info? 

I am nervous because in my case I do not have a single hair to spare which is why I am flying to Spain. He has built a reputation of being able to do more with less - evident from many of his videos and cases that I have seen on his computer. The plan was for him to use my donor in the most efficient way so I can have some left for the crown. So I am indeed nervous now. 

Don't blame yourself, all decisions you have made + PRP! means that you you chose the best doctor and you have made no mistakes. 

One idea -- which is what I would be doing -- is to shave your head so not to have to stress every day in front of the mirror. If when your hair is grown back you are not seeing an improvement then worry then... But you have plenty of donor! It sucks but it could have been worst. 

I have no expertise to comment on the pictures but (i) yes the placement looks think and (ii) I agree with Melvin that I have seen turnarounds at 9-10 months that are pretty astounding. 

Please keep us updated. And it would make a lot of sense to ask for the clinic pictures from pre- post-op, as some people have tiny doubts, as you can imagine. 

 

 

 

 

[botchedguy95]

4 hours ago, Prof101 said:

I am going with Couto in just a few weeks and this made me nervous. I understand that no clinic is perfect but if these results were to persist and not ameliorate considerably this would be a subpar result at even a subpar clinic, let alone Couto. 

The good news for you: You have plenty of donor hair. So if you "lost" 800, you have minimal area to cover and plenty of donor. I personally would go to Couto himself, but it is your decision. I would go back there, because he clearly cares about his reputation and the second time around, he probably will be taking a close look at every little detail. Unless you have some scalp issues I don't see why he would not be able to astound you in the second surgery. 

He usually measures donor area and tell you the # donor, type of hair, thickness, # of 1s, 2s, and 3s. Did he give you all that info? 

I am nervous because in my case I do not have a single hair to spare which is why I am flying to Spain. He has built a reputation of being able to do more with less - evident from many of his videos and cases that I have seen on his computer. The plan was for him to use my donor in the most efficient way so I can have some left for the crown. So I am indeed nervous now. 

Don't blame yourself, all decisions you have made + PRP! means that you you chose the best doctor and you have made no mistakes. 

One idea -- which is what I would be doing -- is to shave your head so not to have to stress every day in front of the mirror. If when your hair is grown back you are not seeing an improvement then worry then... But you have plenty of donor! It sucks but it could have been worst. 

I have no expertise to comment on the pictures but (i) yes the placement looks think and (ii) I agree with Melvin that I have seen turnarounds at 9-10 months that are pretty astounding. 

Please keep us updated. And it would make a lot of sense to ask for the clinic pictures from pre- post-op, as some people have tiny doubts, as you can imagine. 

 

 

 

 

I wouldn't be nervous mate, even guys like Pinto and Bisanga have sub par results, the key is that they are the exception rather than the rule as is the case with turkish hair mills like Cinik, ASMED, cosmedica etc etc.. you have a very high probability of success going with couto, worst case you get less growth than his usual results but at least the donor management, hair line design and ethics of the clinic will likely be top notch, so don't worry..

OP can you post some more recent pictures? It does look like a sub par trajectory so far, what did the clinic say to your most recent pictures? 

[shadowcast]

On 7/27/2022 at 12:56 PM, Fue3361 said:

II'm not an expert by any means and accept than I could be wrong, but does the density not strike you as very low post in this post op picture for an area that has zero natural hairs growing there?

I had the same thought, something is really off about the grafts in those photos.

[jxlegend]

I disagree, I think the grafts look great in post-op, it's clear a lot behind the hairline haven't come in (yet?).

[LatinBald]

On 7/27/2022 at 6:56 PM, Fue3361 said:

I'd usually agree with you here Melvin, but looking at this here:



I'm not an expert by any means and accept than I could be wrong, but does the density not strike you as very low post in this post op picture for an area that has zero natural hairs growing there?  There's no tape measurer to judge exact grafts/cm2, but that looks like 20 to my naked eye (area right above new hairline).

As to OP's concern, I'd say still wait the 12 months, and if you need the touchup/revision surgery, go back with Couto.  He's still world class, and you can't find much better hands than his.

 

I totally agree. I can't see a good work of high density at all, and I don't know why. 

I also see a lack of naturalness and grafts implanted in lines. It's not a disaster at all, but sadly, I can't see a good work.

Did Dr Couto perform the implantation?

 

Edited September 9, 2022 by LatinBald

[stockholmare]

Hello All,

some time has passed and I wanted to give an update about my case.

Posting 2 pics taken a couple of weeks back (so roughly 9.5 months) and it is now clear that I will need a repair. No major aesthetic change vs 6.5 months.

I would like to get opinions on what could have gone wrong, below some things that I am "suspicious of":

I washed out the scabs with 2-3 days delay vs what suggested by the clinic

I have always had some dandruff: the Dr was not concerned about it and I did not have any post-procedure infection, but I wander if that may have played a role

I did a PRP session 1.5 months after the procedure: could an unexperienced nurse damage the grafts during a PRP session?

I had a sense of slight pain when touching the recipient area well through month 4 - I thought it was normal but by reading around, it seems not the case.

Please let me know what your opinions are and fee free to ask any question.

Thanks

By the way I would like to point out that the doctor is kind and professional and offered an afternoon session at the beginning of next year for me to be satisfied.

 

[stockholmare]

pics here

 

 

[A Fue Good Men]

It looks like there has been some further improvement with some more to likely come. Has couto shared his thoughts with you? What’s the plan for the future?

[Dillpickle123]

I think your gonna have to lower the hairline slightly so that he can make a now row of fine singles for the hairline, I would go with him for the repair once 12 months have passed 

[stockholmare]

On 11/21/2022 at 3:55 AM, 5BetaReductase said:

It looks like there has been some further improvement with some more to likely come. Has couto shared his thoughts with you? What’s the plan for the future?

H thinks the main reason is that my blood vessels did not re-vascularise well enough to sustain the transplanted grafts. He will do a touch up with lower density, in order to allow for every graft to survive. He also suggested to do "activated PRP" 20-25 days before the HT, to prepare the tissues.

[splitting hairs]

There looks like quite a bit of fibrin in your immediate post-op pics.  That can affect gract survival.  

[stockholmare]

14 minutes ago, splitting hairs said:

There looks like quite a bit of fibrin in your immediate post-op pics.  That can affect gract survival.  

could you elaborate?

[splitting hairs]

Fibrin is produced by the body as part of the clotting process.  However, it can affect graft survival if it is excessive.  Spraying a lot of saline helps and so do tranexamic acid tablets.  Dr Lorenzo has spoken a lot about this. 

 

 

[A Fue Good Men]

3 hours ago, splitting hairs said:

There looks like quite a bit of fibrin in your immediate post-op pics.  That can affect gract survival.  

Fibrin? What in the world is that? The yellow fluid is serous fluid and perfectly normal to see following a wound. I’m sure couto would have recognized this as an issue in the immediate post op or mentioned it to OP as a cause for lower yield.

 

seems like doctors are finding any reason to blame poor yield…nowadays it’s “fibrin” 😂

[Melvin- Admin]

On 11/20/2022 at 2:11 PM, stockholmare said:

pics here

For some reason I can’t see the first picture. If you want send it to me via PM and I’ll add it.

[ITA]

1 hour ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

 I can’t see the first picture.

I went to see them again, and I confirm what I thought, the graft density was low.  The important thing is also that the doctor comes to meet you, I wish you to resolve your situation.