Unnatural looking hairline and see-through effect after 1500 graft FUE

[twind]

Hello,

I came across this forum from a YouTube video and thread about user HairNTear who had a hairline repair by Dr Cooley. The video really resonated with me because the users before pictures look strikingly similar to my current situation. In July of 2021 I had a 1500 graft FUE transplant to fill some density in the temple region. Since it has been almost 18 months, I have realized that as of right now this is the best it is going to look. I was hoping with time that the density would fill out, and the wirey hairs would eventually become closer to how my natural hair was but unfortunately I believe that this will be permanent unless I have it repaired since so much time has passed and there is no improvement. My complaints are as such:

 

-See-through hairline - not enough density

-Wirey Hairs - hard to style and it almost seems like their angle/direction is unnatural

-Hairline brought a little too low in my opinion for my age

-Transplanted area still has redness almost 18 months later.

 

I am a 30 year old male from Los Angeles, and wanted to ask if anyone had any advice on the best repair surgeons for creating natural hairlines? I do not want to get surgery again but I believe this is my only option if I want it to look natural. My prior surgery was done in a clinic in Nashville, so I would be willing to travel (in country) if need be. Dr Cooley seemed like an appropriate choice considering HairNTear's situation seemed very similar to mine, and from the pictures I have seen on here I was very pleased with his results. Any help is much appreciated.

[Melvin- Admin]

It doesn't look the most natural, but most people wouldn't notice. I would suggest contacting Dr. Cooley for sure, there's also Dr. Shapiro, Dr. Gabel in Oregon. 

If you're in LA, you would be doing yourself a big disservice if you didn't visit Dr. Mohebi, he is an excellent choice as well.

[twind]

It is pretty noticeable! Could be the angle/lighting or maybe I just took crappy pictures so it is hard to tell. I have to style it a certain way to try and conceal the lack of density and pluggy hairline, and it is very difficult to style because the transplanted hairs are wirey and curly (my natural hair is completely straight). From the research I did I believe  that happens if the follicles get damaged during the transplant? Anyways, thank you for the response and reccomendation. I am not familiar with any of those doctors as I am new here, and will definitely check them out.

[Melvin- Admin]

42 minutes ago, twind said:

It is pretty noticeable! Could be the angle/lighting or maybe I just took crappy pictures so it is hard to tell. I have to style it a certain way to try and conceal the lack of density and pluggy hairline, and it is very difficult to style because the transplanted hairs are wirey and curly (my natural hair is completely straight). From the research I did I believe  that happens if the follicles get damaged during the transplant? Anyways, thank you for the response and reccomendation. I am not familiar with any of those doctors as I am new here, and will definitely check them out.

Here's the list of surgeons recommended by the forum, feel free to send them inquiries, take your time and research. I'm also in LA and got my oral minoxidil prescription from Dr. Mohebi, I observed him in surgery and I can say his consultation is very thorough. I would definitely recommend getting an in-person consultation with him even if you decide to go elsewhere because he checks your donor microscopically and the rest of the hair on you sclalp.

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/best-hair-transplant-surgeons

[mafpe]

49 minutes ago, twind said:

It is pretty noticeable! Could be the angle/lighting or maybe I just took crappy pictures so it is hard to tell. I have to style it a certain way to try and conceal the lack of density and pluggy hairline, and it is very difficult to style because the transplanted hairs are wirey and curly (my natural hair is completely straight). From the research I did I believe  that happens if the follicles get damaged during the transplant? Anyways, thank you for the response and reccomendation. I am not familiar with any of those doctors as I am new here, and will definitely check them out.

it is less dense  than ideal, but it's not that bad either. thing is you're comparing it with your native hair, which is naturally way denser than most HT. you can try to glean what other people think, and if anyone is staring or noticing your new hairline, i think most people who aren't interested in HT wouldn't be able to tell

[HappyMan2021]

As long as you style your hair appropriately I doubt anyone will notice. That being said, it is a flawed HT and it would upset me too even if no one else noticed. 

One thing you need to know about Cooley is he required in-person consults for repairs. 

So you will have to wait 3 months and then fly to NC for your consult. Then after your consult, it will be 1 year to surgery. 

So if you do decide to go with Cooley, you are going to have to be extremely patient and committed. 

[twind]

Yeah to me it is very noticeable, but regardless - I am not happy with it and it makes me feel self conscious, otherwise I wouldn't be here. Thank you all for the recommendations. I've just put in a couple more consult requests on here, with Dr Mohebi, Dr Shapiro, and Dr Gabel. And as far as the the wait time, obviously it's not ideal and I would prefer for my hair to look better ASAP, but I am fine with being patient for something that will hopefully last a lifetime. I think impatience was what got me here in the first place, I went with a clinic that I obviously should not have because I didn't do enough research. Not sure if you guys name drop on here, but let me know if you would like me to say which one, because I would highly advise on staying away from them. But here are two pictures in better lighting, to me the most noticeable thing is the see-through effect and is even noticeable when I comb my hair over, you can see my scalp especially if I am outside in the sunlight.

 

[HairRun]

Do you have post OP pics? It could be a low yield issue. 

I strongly recommend Dr Shapiro, I had a procedure with him recently. From my personal research, he's was my top choice for repair which is what I also needed, he seemed to be the most seen-it-all surgeon out there. 

Since you're in socal, also check out Dr Timothy Carmen in San Diego. I got a really good impression of him during a consult with him, he seems to have a lot of experience in repair, but he hasn't put out a lot of patient results recently, though he started being active again today, posting a new patient result.  

Dr. Timothy Carman - Hair Restoration Network - Community For and By Hair Loss Patients

 

 

Edited October 12, 2022 by HairRun

[Ryan Daniel]

3 hours ago, twind said:

Yeah to me it is very noticeable, but regardless - I am not happy with it and it makes me feel self conscious, otherwise I wouldn't be here. Thank you all for the recommendations. I've just put in a couple more consult requests on here, with Dr Mohebi, Dr Shapiro, and Dr Gabel. And as far as the the wait time, obviously it's not ideal and I would prefer for my hair to look better ASAP, but I am fine with being patient for something that will hopefully last a lifetime. I think impatience was what got me here in the first place, I went with a clinic that I obviously should not have because I didn't do enough research. Not sure if you guys name drop on here, but let me know if you would like me to say which one, because I would highly advise on staying away from them. But here are two pictures in better lighting, to me the most noticeable thing is the see-through effect and is even noticeable when I comb my hair over, you can see my scalp especially if I am outside in the sunlight.

 

This is the reality of hair transplant in one picture

I speak for myself, because I had this aswell at one point. You basically have a lack of density and a couple of hairs in the wrong direction which is causing serious ''see through'' effect. Lighting plays a part too. Automatically when you have too much scalp showing your hair instantly looks like a hair transplant, rather than looking like a normal head of hair

Your solution will be to add another 1000 grafts in the entire frontal zone and soften the hairline with a row of softer single grafts for a more natural appearance. Once you do that I'm sure you will be satisfied and it will look much better 

[Yan bio]

16 minutes ago, Ryan Daniel said:

This is the reality of hair transplant in one picture

I speak for myself, because I had this aswell at one point. You basically have a lack of density and a couple of hairs in the wrong direction which is causing serious ''see through'' effect. Lighting plays a part too. Automatically when you have too much scalp showing your hair instantly looks like a hair transplant, rather than looking like a normal head of hair

Your solution will be to add another 1000 grafts in the entire frontal zone and soften the hairline with a row of softer single grafts for a more natural appearance. Once you do that I'm sure you will be satisfied and it will look much better 

Hi

could you please elaborate on “the wrong direction  “? Are there any specific hairs in the pictures whose angles are wrong? And in what should they be for better coverage? This is very interesting 🙌😯

[twind]

37 minutes ago, Yan bio said:

Hi

could you please elaborate on “the wrong direction  “? Are there any specific hairs in the pictures whose angles are wrong? And in what should they be for better coverage? This is very interesting 🙌😯

Hey, not sure if you were asking me or Ryan Daniel, but the reason I said that I believe some grafts are angled in the "wrong direction" is because when my hair is down flat with no styling product - or wet, my natural hair lays flat on the top of my head as normal hair would, where as my transplanted hair sticks up or is angled up slightly. I know that is a pretty vague description and obviously I have no knowledge of graph placements as well as some people on here might, but the only conclusion I can come too as to why my transplanted hair does that is either it is angled unnaturally, or it is not dense enough - so there is not enough hair in that general area to "weigh it down" - causing it to stick up. But like I said I am no expert, maybe someone else more knowledgeable than me can weigh in on this.

[RTC]

Looks almost exactly like mine after Asli f*cking Tarcan

[Dillpickle123]

What do ur pre op pics look like? 

[Hairy Henderson]

13 hours ago, Ryan Daniel said:

This is the reality of hair transplant in one picture

I speak for myself, because I had this aswell at one point. You basically have a lack of density and a couple of hairs in the wrong direction which is causing serious ''see through'' effect. Lighting plays a part too. Automatically when you have too much scalp showing your hair instantly looks like a hair transplant, rather than looking like a normal head of hair

Your solution will be to add another 1000 grafts in the entire frontal zone and soften the hairline with a row of softer single grafts for a more natural appearance. Once you do that I'm sure you will be satisfied and it will look much better 

This sounds like a great solution

[twind]

Pre/Post Op pics below. Also two photos 4 months post op where the density was looking promising, since then it has thinned out severely. Not sure if the grafts didn't survive, or were damaged, or what happened.

 

 

[HairNTear]

On 10/12/2022 at 5:43 PM, twind said:

Pre/Post Op pics below. Also two photos 4 months post op where the density was looking promising, since then it has thinned out severely. Not sure if the grafts didn't survive, or were damaged, or what happened.

 

 

Hi @twind

its been a while since I logged on to the forum and noticed you are indeed in a very similar situation to me.

I totally empathize with what you mean in terms of the unnatural look of the hair and that see through effect is just the worst. It’s the feeling that people are always staring at your head trying to work out what’s off. There is no point in trying to restyle because the hair simply won’t cooperate and wants to stay in the direction it was placed.

I highly recommend going to see Dr Cooley for a repair. He was able to have a consult with me via video chat and then there was a cancellation so I was able to be seen before originally scheduled. Everything is taken care of from the Hilton hotel staff whom the clinic has a relationship, to the driver that picks you up and of course Dr Cooley and his team. You can tell they really care and are genuinely passionate about you.

Shapiro, Konior, H&W are all great alternatives whom I also consulted with but ultimately Dr Cooley stood out as the right choice for me.

I appreciate it feels pretty frustrating right now but just know that this can be resolved and a natural look can be achieved. 
 

p.s. my scalp still has a slight redness 1 year after my last transplant but it is barely noticeable.

I will be posting new photos soon on my thread.

 

[BaldingEye]

On 10/12/2022 at 11:43 PM, twind said:

Pre/Post Op pics below. Also two photos 4 months post op where the density was looking promising, since then it has thinned out severely. Not sure if the grafts didn't survive, or were damaged, or what happened.

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing your story and these photos. 
For sure there is room for much improvement on that hairline. As some have advised you, visit some of the recommended doctors/clinics, I am sure that you have an easy fix. 

Will be following your updates.

[Henry]

It is such a sad state of affairs that "repair cases" are one of the services being offered by ethical doctors. There should be a law that requires every patient to submit a review with photos of their hair transplants in a public forum so people can expose these unetchical clinics.

[twind]

On 11/2/2022 at 9:27 PM, HairNTear said:

Hi @twind

its been a while since I logged on to the forum and noticed you are indeed in a very similar situation to me.

I totally empathize with what you mean in terms of the unnatural look of the hair and that see through effect is just the worst. It’s the feeling that people are always staring at your head trying to work out what’s off. There is no point in trying to restyle because the hair simply won’t cooperate and wants to stay in the direction it was placed.

I highly recommend going to see Dr Cooley for a repair. He was able to have a consult with me via video chat and then there was a cancellation so I was able to be seen before originally scheduled. Everything is taken care of from the Hilton hotel staff whom the clinic has a relationship, to the driver that picks you up and of course Dr Cooley and his team. You can tell they really care and are genuinely passionate about you.

Shapiro, Konior, H&W are all great alternatives whom I also consulted with but ultimately Dr Cooley stood out as the right choice for me.

I appreciate it feels pretty frustrating right now but just know that this can be resolved and a natural look can be achieved. 
 

p.s. my scalp still has a slight redness 1 year after my last transplant but it is barely noticeable.

I will be posting new photos soon on my thread.

 

Hey man thanks so much for the reply, sorry that I am just getting back to you, I haven't been on this site at all this month. How is your hair and hairline looking now? And also would you mind private messaging me? I had a couple questions about the process with Dr Cooley but don't want to get off topic here on the thread. Thanks so much in advance.

[Al - Moderator]

While the density is a bit thin, I think what makes it look worse is that the grafts are transplanted pointing straight up rather than angled forward. This is what is giving it that stalky, wiry look which also also makes it appear thinner because with the hairs pointing up it makes it very easy to see the space between them.

 

[LaserCaps]

Most doctors are under the impression grafts compete for blood supply, so they feel the need to leave a separation in between grafts.  They'll explain they're placing a foundation to which you can add grafts down the road.  So, you go in 8-12 months later and the doctor works in and around the separations.  It may take a third visit to achieve fullness.  Was this the way it was explained to you during your initial consultation?

The second thing I noticed, there was no native hair in the area worked.  That is, the doctor had no "guide" to go by, other than the rest of your native hair.  Yes, hair does grow forward at an angle, and that's the way it should have been done.  Perhaps he was trying to match the way you style your hair instead of following a universal rule.  Nothing we can do about that now.  He did, however, add grafts to the area which will eventually add density to whatever else you get done.

Research Fellowship trained doctors with plenty of experience.  You need to get enough grafts angled forward, (in the correct angle), to force what's been done to follow that same direction.  This can be corrected.

One thing to keep in mind.  If you've lost, you'll continue losing.  Are you doing anything to help you with retention of the native hair?  

[pkipling]

I definitely see what you're concerned about here - and while it's not a complete botch job, it's not ideal. While a lot of people may not pick up on it, the hairline does seem rather harsh and linear. 

I'll reach out to you about Dr. Mohebi if he's someone you want to consult with. Regardless, I think this is resolvable! 

[BaldReaper]

The issue here is that these pictures that you initially posted are very good quality and close up, if more people in these forum posted pictures like yours there would be more people in need of repair 😉

[A_4_Archan]

4 hours ago, BaldV said:

The issue here is that these pictures that you initially posted are very good quality and close up, if more people in these forum posted pictures like yours there would be more people in need of repair 😉

So true....i would say the result is bit lacking bt nt tht bad....this can be repaired easily ....should consult dr shapiro ,konior , bisanga ,munib ahmad 

[OliverAtom]

 

11 hours ago, BaldV said:

The issue here is that these pictures that you initially posted are very good quality and close up, if more people in these forum posted pictures like yours there would be more people in need of repair 😉

This is right here as BaldV saying! So true. Wish everyone would post great photos like yours. 

However, a little touch-up would turn this into a great hairline! You have great options to choose from.