Eugenix (Drs. Das/Somesh/Vinita) | 11,102 grafts | NW 6/7 | 28 yrs old | 2022/2023/2024

[Technoir]

27 minutes ago, hair_forever said:

The rear area is slower, don't despair

I concur, it'll be closer to 12 months, maybe even 18 before you'll really notice the crown kicking in.

[asterix0]

The crown due to weaker blood flow to that area definitely kicks in a bit later, wait until 9-10 months to assess. 

[mrmane85]

I would consult with Dr Pitella if you're not satisfied with the results after 12-18 months. 

I believe he has a few options when it comes to $ per graft. 

[general-etwan]

22 hours ago, mrmane85 said:

I would consult with Dr Pitella if you're not satisfied with the results after 12-18 months. 

I believe he has a few options when it comes to $ per graft. 

Well, I want to start planning for a 3rd procedure right now and ideally have it by early spring. I am a believer that there is no need to wait 12 full months in the case of known multiple procedures necessary to achieve goals. In my case, I can see that even once the lower crown and lateral humps come in stronger over the next few months, my goals are to still have more redistribution of follicles and I want to get planning that now.

My donor has recovered well once again, so I want to really be aggressive and do decent size redistribution effort. I think at least another 2,000 grafts can be harvested from the rear donor, and I want it done all the way up to the edges of the existing pattern so that the "ring" is disappeared as much as possible. 

I would consider consulting Pittella but only if he could match or beat Eugenix in $. Unfortunately I've had to invest in important other things as well lately, and I don't know how I'm going to fully fund a 3rd procedure here. I'm going to need some help.

 

[general-etwan]

5.5 months after 2nd:

Status vs. donor still available

 

 

 

 

 

[SLA]

On 11/18/2023 at 9:43 AM, asterix0 said:

The crown due to weaker blood flow to that area definitely kicks in a bit later, wait until 9-10 months to assess. 

AGREED! @general-etwan- the crown always lags behind. I was talking with @Bandit90 who said that it wasn't until month 8-9 that he started seeing the crown really pop.

[Melvin- Admin]

The lateral humps are starting to connect well. You still have a lot of donor left. I'm not sure you want to deplete it all at such a young age. I think you should give it at least 18 months, then play around with different hairstyles to see if there is one you could keep for the long term. I suggest letting the top grow out a couple of inches, then getting a high fade to blend the crown to the donor. The contrast will be minimal. I got away with this style for many years. 

[OliverAtom]

What a change from your initial look! 
And that donor is quite good still to go for another round. 
Thanks for sharing such great information 😉

[general-etwan]

Yeah, definitely willing to give it more time and starting to see some more lower crown growth the past 2 weeks. 

I contacted Pittella though for a consultation and after sending him these most recent pics and all my info, including that I already had 2 transplants and for the graft totals of each, he sent back the following:

HT FUE in 1 giga-session
5,500 grafts (11,600-13,600 strands of hair)
Priority to front area, cover midscalp and gradient to the crown area

I'm going to do the paid video consultation option with him to get clarification on this, because I'm not sure if this makes total sense. My already completed 8,300 grafts plus another 5,500 is 13,800 total grafts and I don't think another 5,500 can be taken from my donor so I'm not sure where's he's getting these numbers from. I expected something like 2,000-3,000 more grafts to add more density across the entire head. Will have to do video consultation to follow up on this.
 

[Gatsby]

It's really kicking in now and the donor is looking super good. At close to six months I would let the whole thing play out beyond 12 months post op as has been said. I think you really want to keep those extra grafts in the bank. The days are long but trust me the years go quickly. I wouldn't touch anything for a few more years to come. I have to add that at the end of the day we are all trying to shoot a moving target, regardless of how good a surgeon is. Thanks for sharing!

[GeneralNorwood]

15 hours ago, general-etwan said:

I contacted Pittella though for a consultation and after sending him these most recent pics and all my info, including that I already had 2 transplants and for the graft totals of each, he sent back the following:

HT FUE in 1 giga-session
5,500 grafts (11,600-13,600 strands of hair)
Priority to front area, cover midscalp and gradient to the crown area

I'm going to do the paid video consultation option with him to get clarification on this, because I'm not sure if this makes total sense. My already completed 8,300 grafts plus another 5,500 is 13,800 total grafts and I don't think another 5,500 can be taken from my donor so I'm not sure where's he's getting these numbers from. I expected something like 2,000-3,000 more grafts to add more density across the entire head. Will have to do video consultation to follow up on this.
 

If Pittella had taken care of you from the beginning, 11-000-12,000 grafts wouldn't have been unusual. 13,800 grafts, on the other hand, would be among the record holders.

Zarev often says that if a patient had transplants before, he can't take as much grafts as if the patient comes to him right away.

So i think that this solution to take extra 5500 grafts will deplete donor to this state that longer hairstyle on the sides and back won't be appealing. But again, it is solution that Zarev talks about.

The math should be checked and the question is why Pittella assumed this high number of grafts so easily without live consultation. 

Edited November 29, 2023 by GeneralNorwood

[Berba11]

15 hours ago, general-etwan said:

Yeah, definitely willing to give it more time and starting to see some more lower crown growth the past 2 weeks. 

I contacted Pittella though for a consultation and after sending him these most recent pics and all my info, including that I already had 2 transplants and for the graft totals of each, he sent back the following:

HT FUE in 1 giga-session
5,500 grafts (11,600-13,600 strands of hair)
Priority to front area, cover midscalp and gradient to the crown area

I'm going to do the paid video consultation option with him to get clarification on this, because I'm not sure if this makes total sense. My already completed 8,300 grafts plus another 5,500 is 13,800 total grafts and I don't think another 5,500 can be taken from my donor so I'm not sure where's he's getting these numbers from. I expected something like 2,000-3,000 more grafts to add more density across the entire head. Will have to do video consultation to follow up on this.
 

Are you sure that 5K+ graft count doesn’t include beard hair? Pittella has no issues going in early with beard grafts so 5K doesn’t sound too far fetched between both scalp & beard. 

[GeneralNorwood]

3 minutes ago, Berba11 said:

Are you sure that 5K+ graft count doesn’t include beard hair? Pittella has no issues going in early with beard grafts so 5K doesn’t sound too far fetched between both scalp & beard. 

with beard grafts it wouldn't be 11,600-13,600 strands of hair, this number indicates scalp grafts. 

[general-etwan]

1 hour ago, GeneralNorwood said:

If Pittella had taken care of you from the beginning, 11-000-12,000 grafts wouldn't have been unusual. 13,800 grafts, on the other hand, would be among the record holders.

Zarev often says that if a patient had transplants before, he can't take as much grafts as if the patient comes to him right away.

So i think that this solution to take extra 5500 grafts will deplete donor to this state that longer hairstyle on the sides and back won't be appealing. But again, it is solution that Zarev talks about.

The math should be checked and the question is why Pittella assumed this high number of grafts so easily without live consultation. 

Right, I get from the original starting point maybe 11-12,000 total grafts would have been a goal. But I sent him these most recent pics so it just seems very high to me to quote me another 5500 at this point. I was thinking getting it to 10,000/11,000 total grafts of redistribution effort and closing all the gaps would be sufficient, but perhaps his goal would be to create as homogenous density as possible across the whole head and he thinks 5500 is the number to get there? Will def consult by video.

1 hour ago, Berba11 said:

Are you sure that 5K+ graft count doesn’t include beard hair? Pittella has no issues going in early with beard grafts so 5K doesn’t sound too far fetched between both scalp & beard. 

Beard hair is def an option, but as said, it seems based on number of hair strands that he's saying 5500 scalp. I wouldn't want too much more taken from my beard, and scalp donor is well on its way to being used up, so not sure. Maybe another 700 from beard I'd be okay with, putting me at 2,000 total beard taken overall. Also not to forget that my sideburn areas are very thick and can and should be used as donor area, because now they are thicker than anything else around them and it doesn't look ideal.

Will do video consult and then share any developments here.

[omarca]

Hi op…i consult the clinic and they told me the same: 5,500 and the exact words of your letter. I did not continue to the video consultation y booked with another surgeon.  I think that is a general approach for them to say 5500. When you see him in video things may change. When you see him in person things can also change. Hope everything goes well !! 

[asterix0]

A video can give a rough estimate on a virgin scalp, but nevertheless the donor quality needs to be examined in person ultimately. This is why Dr. Zarev requires his patients to fly to Bulgaria for the consultation for example. 

[general-etwan]

3 hours ago, asterix0 said:

A video can give a rough estimate on a virgin scalp, but nevertheless the donor quality needs to be examined in person ultimately. This is why Dr. Zarev requires his patients to fly to Bulgaria for the consultation for example. 

Yeah I wouldn’t be super demanding about exactly how many more grafts can be taken from donor. I just want to get a general idea of how Pittella would approach my situation. I expect he would want to add density all across the top, and fully connect the lateral ridges and close as many of the gaps as possible. Leave the circular crown area the lowest density of any area by a little bit. Just want him to give his explanation. If I would decide to go to him, I would do so knowing that his plans are dependent on his evaluation of my donor area once I get there. 

Edited November 30, 2023 by general-etwan

[GoliGoliGoli]

I know this is the same advice I gave before, but if I were you I would get good at giving yourself the cut you have in the pics from October 27th. This looks pretty darn good. It sounds like you're reaching the limits of both your financial and donor resources, and the truth is you're going to continue to experience further loss. You don't want to be chasing this Save the grafts you have left for years later when you really might need them, and spend some money to get the mirror set up right that allows you to give yourself and awesome fade that completely removes the horeshoe pattern. 

Cutting your own hair sounds really challenging and daunting, but I don't think it's nearly as hard as it seems. Especially once you're practiced and have the right set up. 

[general-etwan]

On 11/30/2023 at 11:57 AM, GoliGoliGoli said:

I know this is the same advice I gave before, but if I were you I would get good at giving yourself the cut you have in the pics from October 27th. This looks pretty darn good. It sounds like you're reaching the limits of both your financial and donor resources, and the truth is you're going to continue to experience further loss. You don't want to be chasing this Save the grafts you have left for years later when you really might need them, and spend some money to get the mirror set up right that allows you to give yourself and awesome fade that completely removes the horeshoe pattern. 

Cutting your own hair sounds really challenging and daunting, but I don't think it's nearly as hard as it seems. Especially once you're practiced and have the right set up. 

Respectfully, not possible. That was a special cut from a super pro barber...the guy is a magician; I've been to some good barbers in my life and he simply blows all of them out of the water. He spent at least 30 minutes on it, doing all kinds of tricks with special tools to take away the appearance of transplanted hair/boundaries/gaps. There is no chance I can do that myself, let alone every day as it would be required to keep the horseshoe pattern away. I do not have anywhere near the toolkit, skill, or personal ability.

I'll be posting some new pics and an update later today.

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by general-etwan

[Gramatik]

I dont think you still have 5500 grafts in your donor. A number between 2000-3000 grafts is more feasible and this will also deplete donor.

Edited December 6, 2023 by Gramatik

[general-etwan]

22 hours ago, Gramatik said:

I dont think you still have 5500 grafts in your donor. A number between 2000-3000 grafts is more feasible and this will also deplete donor.

I agree not 5500; though I do think 3000 might be feasible. Plus another few hundred from sidelocks and maybe another 500 from beard if I desperately need it. Been super busy so will get to adding pics and doing more analysis soon, but based on the recovery of the middle back of my donor, it has been superb and still appears and feels very thick. So my hope is to able to get another 3,000 from that central area. I plan to use SMP in the future to create added illusion of density if the donor area ends up looking too depleted for my liking.

Edited December 7, 2023 by general-etwan

[Samson1]

On 12/7/2023 at 7:29 PM, general-etwan said:

I agree not 5500; though I do think 3000 might be feasible. Plus another few hundred from sidelocks and maybe another 500 from beard if I desperately need it. Been super busy so will get to adding pics and doing more analysis soon, but based on the recovery of the middle back of my donor, it has been superb and still appears and feels very thick. So my hope is to able to get another 3,000 from that central area. I plan to use SMP in the future to create added illusion of density if the donor area ends up looking too depleted for my liking.

Have you seen @mustang case? Won't be cheap but one to consider down the line if you have decent body hair..

[EricEdwards]

On 11/29/2023 at 5:31 PM, Berba11 said:

Are you sure that 5K+ graft count doesn’t include beard hair? Pittella has no issues going in early with beard grafts so 5K doesn’t sound too far fetched between both scalp & beard. 

That's a very good point as to whether or not it was implied beard hair in the 5k count.

[EricEdwards]

On 11/3/2023 at 8:31 PM, Stewie said:

funny enough they did and literally about an hour ago I got another WhatsApp call kind of back tracking. bit, saying they'll do what I asked and then banging on about using all my beard grafts for donor farming even though I told them my donor does not bother me. It was kind of like this last time and I really had to fight hard to get them to do what I wanted, I feel lll have a similar battle this time, as now they are going on about maybe 1000-1500 scalp grafts which is all good but then hardly any beard even though this could be used for density, so lets see, I am sure ill get there with them in the end

I think when clients start using the words like battle to convince clinicians on their goals, this may not lead to a favourable long term outcome, in my opinion. Based on my observations and opinion, the best hair transplant specialists, are first and foremost, psychotherapists who come to an agreement on managed expectations. 

[EricEdwards]

On 11/3/2023 at 4:34 PM, Stewie said:

Literally just had a consultation today with Eugenix pushing this exact same agenda, it took me a while to convince them, but its something I want doing too, as makes no sense having a native hair horseshoe on my head  

👍

Edited December 23, 2023 by EricEdwards