Dr. Bloxham ~3700 FUT August 2022

[FormerFutureKrillin]

Things have improved a good bit in the last 1.5-2 weeks. Still not where I want it to be but giving me a bit of hope. Will be trying to see Dr. Bloxham soon to see what he thinks. Not the best pic below but I think it’s clear it’s improving. Will post a more comprehensive update next month.

[A_4_Archan]

Sometimes some people see slow growth bt at the end they reach there at a slow pace....so hang in thr..i knw its hard to be so patient ...and good tht you are seeing your surgeon ...lets see wht does he say....and yeh plz update some better pics so can see your situation properly ...will be following your journey closely ...happy growing ...

[ht4me]

Update?

[HairFunk]

Very interesting strip case. I'm looking forward to the updates also! 

[FormerFutureKrillin]

Hi all,

I’m now 7.5 months in. I met with Dr. Bloxham, who examined me and said he was confident the weak side would catch up given the good growth on the right side. He said my left side still looks a bit irritated and more like he would expect at 4-5 months, and thinks I’ll see the final result around 14/15 months as opposed to 12.

He stressed that if it doesn’t catch up, he doesn’t think it will take much to make it right if we need. However, he doesn’t think we should go into the same area surgically until after we evaluate at the 14/15 month mark.

My biggest frustration right now, which I expressed to Dr. Bloxham, is that I am still “locked in” to my pre-op hairstyle because of the weak side (although it does look better than pre-op and I will not deny that). I am unable to style my hair any other way right now without a copious amount of toppik/dermmatch, and I must style the hair over the weak side if I do an “up” style (which is the opposite way I’ve always styled my hair). Even with concealer, the left side is so weak that it is hard to create the illusion of density.

Below is a series of pictures in various lightings, styled and unstyled. Grateful for any thoughts.

 

Down, no product:

 

Styled with product but no concealer. The weak side makes it nearly impossible to create a good illusion from most angles except straight on.

 

Styled with lots of fibers:

 

Harsh light exposed hairline no product or concealer:

Edited March 24, 2023 by FormerFutureKrillin

[stephcurry30]

Decent result but would expect a better result with 3700 grafts. I'm hoping you get an additional 30% growth!

[FormerFutureKrillin]

34 minutes ago, stephcurry30 said:

Decent result but would expect a better result with 3700 grafts. I'm hoping you get an additional 30% growth!

Thanks, I generally agree right now. Dr. Bloxham was very confident things would catch up on the weak side, that the good side actually still had more improvement to go, and that the area behind the hairline still looks like it is just now waking up. If he’s right I think the end result will still be great. If for whatever reason it isn’t, I feel confident he won’t leave me high and dry.

Edited March 25, 2023 by FormerFutureKrillin
Grammar

[JJOE]

On 3/25/2023 at 4:27 AM, FormerFutureKrillin said:

If for whatever reason it isn’t, I feel confident he won’t leave me high and dry.

Best of luck my man

[trousersB]

why would you still have an irritated scalp at this point?

[FormerFutureKrillin]

Posting some pictures from 8.5 months (mid April) below. Think these are fairly flattering.

As you can see there are signs of life on the weak side, but I’m still really not convinced it’s going to catch up.

Still pretty much limited to wearing my hair down.

Starting to more strongly consider going through consults for second opinions.

Will update again at 9.5/10 months

[JJOE]

4 hours ago, FormerFutureKrillin said:

 

As you can see there are signs of life on the weak side, but I’m still really not convinced it’s going to catch up.

Starting to more strongly consider going through consults for second opinions.

 

you are definitely going to have to revisit this clinic for extra work or as Bloxham really likes to refer to it as "some little tweaks here and there" 

I wouldn't be completely bummed out though. Most people have to sit down for multiple hair transplants in order to achieve a satisfying result. Best of luck.

[FormerFutureKrillin]

10 months 2 days ago. 
 

Showing pictures in the best lighting and the worst. Unfortunately it does not look like the left side is going to catch up. As such, I’m still limited to wearing my hair down (cannot style it up) and am still extremely self conscious about the weak side when the wind blows.

The scar is looking ok, it is smaller on one side than the other currently but I think there’s still some shock loss. Will try to get clearer pics at some point.

 

Left side

Right side:

[HairEnthusiast101]

That’s so weird that side didn’t catch up. I wonder why? Maybe blood flow wasn’t great to that side? Because the other side is insanely good. Also the scar looks great. What has Dr Bloxham said?

[FormerFutureKrillin]

I doubt it was blood flow related. In fact I had heavier bleeding on that side if I recall correctly.

When I saw Dr. Bloxham at 7.5 months, he said he just thought it was slightly behind and would catch up. Didn’t have any reason, just that my skin seemed more sensitive and was taking longer to recover which was consistent with my heavier scabbing on that side, which he said should not impact the result.

Given I’m now at 10 months without much new growth from the last check in (and have been on oral minox for 4 months) I am not holding out for much new growth from here on the weak spots.

Posting a couple clearer pics of the scar to show the difference (these are currently the widest points and it does still seem to be improving)

 

[Rawkerboi]

Only two more months remaining. But it's hard to expect any miracle at this point. 

A small touch up session is definitely needed in future to fill out those areas

What are your plans now? 

[HairEnthusiast101]

1 hour ago, FormerFutureKrillin said:

I doubt it was blood flow related. In fact I had heavier bleeding on that side if I recall correctly.

When I saw Dr. Bloxham at 7.5 months, he said he just thought it was slightly behind and would catch up. Didn’t have any reason, just that my skin seemed more sensitive and was taking longer to recover which was consistent with my heavier scabbing on that side, which he said should not impact the result.

Given I’m now at 10 months without much new growth from the last check in (and have been on oral minox for 4 months) I am not holding out for much new growth from here on the weak spots.

Posting a couple clearer pics of the scar to show the difference (these are currently the widest points and it does still seem to be improving)

 

Interesting. Probably a 2mm scar. Do you typically heal well with wounds or do you scar easy? 

[FormerFutureKrillin]

I would say I tend to scar easily, but that I also tend to scar well (my scars shrink and blend with my skin over time to where they are hard to see). I’m a little surprised at the one side but again it may just need more time as my previous scars have taken a while to heal.

Not completely sure what my plans are atm.

Dr. Bloxham said I should check in again at 15 months (instead of 12) at my midpoint check-in before a final assessment (to be clear, this was not “dismissive” - he was very clear that I am free to email/be in contact etc. before then)

[FormerFutureKrillin]

11 months. This is probably close to the final result at this point.

Unfortunately there has continued to be only marginal improvement. I don’t  My frustrations remain the same:

-I have to style it down in a similar style to pre-op if I do not use concealer. I must use copious amounts of fibers to style my hair in any way but down, and I MUST style away from the weak side to cover it.

-The left side has not caught up to the right, and doesn’t appear to be catching up - although the increase in length/thickening is helping to mask the lack of growth. When I wear my hair down, the weak side is easily exposed from slight breezes, walking etc and makes me extremely self conscious

-The scar is about the same. It is not super wide or stretched, but unfortunately it is widest on the side of my donor that is lower native density, which locks me into a little bit longer of hair length than I think I would otherwise need as the scar becomes visible faster.

Pictures in all light conditions below.

Hair down, no product, even indoor lighting facing window:

 

Styled with product, pre-fibers, indoor lighting:

 

Styled with product + lots of fibers, outdoor and indoor (different days):

 

Hair pulled back, no products, indoor lighting:

weak side:

[Vann]

Looking at your post op and 11 months it looks like you are still red. Could it potentially be some form of scarring? Perhaps an inflammatory response post surgery and you’re still healing? 
 

Have you ever taken a blood sample for auto immunity?
 

That’s the only thing I can think of that would cause your left side to be growing as weak with the kind of density you had.

[BaldReaper]

good result overall but one temple is seriously lacking

[stephcurry30]

2 hours ago, BaldV said:

good result overall but one temple is seriously lacking

I agreed. OP you should be pleased. I would possibly go for a second one for a more dense appearance. 

[Davies]

Quite good though a touch up would likely be best. How is the scar looking now? Did you have stitches or staples ??

[StillAlive]

Put your pre-op photo next to your current one. It's impossible not to see a great improvement.

Up to NW4 I think that we all secretly hope that we'll be 'one and done' procedures, especially after 40. It's important to remember that HT's provide 'illusions of density' rather than the actual thick hair we had at 25. Anyone looking at you post-op would have to be certifiably insane to think 'Yo Baldy!'. A little bit of thinning after a certain age looks quite normal and as long as your face is properly framed, can even be flattering.

Think of the kind of hair Kevin Costner has now. He's not one of those twenty year old Instagram werewolves, but it looks quite age appropriate and dignified. 

Of course you are the master of your head and wallet and if you wanna go in for more procedures, nobody can stop you. But I'd give it a couple of years before deciding on anything. 

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by StillAlive

[FormerFutureKrillin]

18 hours ago, Vann said:

Looking at your post op and 11 months it looks like you are still red. Could it potentially be some form of scarring? Perhaps an inflammatory response post surgery and you’re still healing? 
 

Have you ever taken a blood sample for auto immunity?
 

That’s the only thing I can think of that would cause your left side to be growing as weak with the kind of density you had.

It’s just the lighting of the photo, it’s not still red (see below). No autoimmune issues. I think it is far more likely to be connected with the heavy scabbing/crusting I had post op that resulted in extremely raw skin when the scabs came off. I think the lack of growth along the frontal band in those spots plus a lower density behind the hairline is what is giving the current appearance.

Dr. Bloxham said he had no reason to believe the left side should not grow/catch up at my check in, especially based on the left side.

I also think the hair that is growing on the left side is normal/healthy. If there were underlying issues I don’t think that would be the case.

[gxm100]

@FormerFutureKrillin - I see this both ways. I can certainly understand your feelings of frustration, particularly with the one noticeably weaker side. It would be a bummer to go through the whole process and to still feel the need for improvement and to not be able to style your hair the way that you'd like to. 

That said, I do agree with many of the other members saying that there is a very very significant improvement. And personally, based on the photos you've posted, I doubt if I was to meet you in person that I'd notice much in the way of thinning hair. But again, I do understand that it's more about how you feel about it and what you see in the mirror.

One thing I would call out is that you and I are were in a relatively similar starting position. You received ~600 more grafts than me, but you also had your temples (above the temporal points) rebuilt. I just wonder if this is a bit of a case of too few grafts for too large of an area? It doesn't seem to me that only 600 grafts more would've been enough to rebuild that much of an area in your temples on both side. I think, if instead, you had those 600 additional grafts dispersed through your hairline, especially the weak side, it's possible that the outcome may have been different.

 

Wish you the best of luck and keep your head up! You really do look very very very much improved!