Brutal shock loss ? Expecting some level of over harvest

[Capnmod]

32M. Experiencing some absolutely brutal shock loss in donor area. About 7 weeks post op. 
 

brief history: I got an fue transplant done in Istanbul and while I think the clinic has a lot of exp, it’s definitely a mill after reading more on this forum. Unfortunately I didn’t find this site and knew much less before this situation. Over the phone they quoted me 4500 grafts, around the same as  many others, for crown and hairline. Consult went up and eventually they said they did 6000 grafts. They weren’t charging per graft more like 1 day sessions up to 3000 grafts. They said for density this was best 

I’ve been using minox on my donor area for a few weeks, and different oils that are supposed to be good for hair and skin. I’ve heard from my clinic and a few other forum readers that this is shock loss and I should see it come back. 
 

im expecting some over harvesting but are these patches going to fill in ? Has anyone else had this ? Is there anything I can do with a doctor here ?

[NARMAK]

Oh my. I'm so very sorry to be the one to tell you OP, but this may not be a case of shock loss at all but  over harvesting. If you zoom in on the photo, the white dots are usually FUEA scars and yours have formed together into little rivers which is a tell tale sign when they take too many grafts together in an area and over harvest. 

You look like you have a strong beard area and may be able to look into some kind of repair, but so extremely sorry this happened to you. Thanks for sharing and please name the clinic, it can help others avoid the same fate. 

What's done is done now. Just concentrate on recovery and there's opportunity for a plan to help you hopefully manage this but this is again a hugely important reason to do a LOT of research and not just think about the flash marketing and low prices that Turkey usually leans on with these hair mills. 

[Capnmod]

Thanks for the reply. Man I’m really afraid of needing some kind of repair… throws so much time off. Although I’ll say I think the red is where the hairs were taken.. the white is actually where tiny hairs are sticking out and not growing .. maybe not to ideal density though

[NARMAK]

2 minutes ago, Capnmod said:

Thanks for the reply. Man I’m really afraid of needing some kind of repair… throws so much time off. Although I’ll say I think the red is where the hairs were taken.. the white is actually where tiny hairs are sticking out and not growing .. maybe not to ideal density though

As scary as a repair might sound, you're only 7 weeks post-op so there could hypothetically be some improvements to see and you should wait until months 8-10 to get a better idea of the frontal hairline and maybe 6 months for the donor. 

In the meantime, you may have to possibly trim the hair on the donor area really short to blend it all together and depending on whether there's some shock loss that does resolve, you will have to come up with a plan for any potential repair. That can include using beard hair and also you could try using some SMP into the area for visual density. 

OP, i do not mean to disparage you but your case here is something that needs to be shown as a cautionary tale for people about hair transplants in general. 

For what it's worth, this community is designed to help a range of people from those going for their first hair transplant, to individuals looking to get a 2nd or more but also, to help those who have been to hair mills and been left in a slightly worse position. 

Ultimately sharing your story here helps but one thing that concerned me in your first post was that the clinic apparently bait and switched you without informing you until after they had taken 6k grafts when they stated 4.5k with you. That's just unethical at best but damn right criminal in the eyes of many who see how these hair mills operate. 

Please name and shame this outfit. 

[Gatsby]

At 7 weeks post op unfortunately you will have to wait it out and see how things heal and what you are working with. Using minoxidil is a great strategy in my opinion (though you must be religious in using it and you must stay on it)to help assist your donor area. Don't be surprised if you hair sheds a little bit more after starting minoxidil as that can occur before it settles back. Do you have any pics of your hair pre surgery and also pics of you immediately ost op? This will give us a better idea of what they did.

[StillAlive]

I'll echo the esteemed colleagues. 

There is definite overharvesting going on but you will need to wait until around months 3-4 when most shock loss will have fully resolved to truly assess the extent of the damage. 

There are options, you can go restock your donor using beard or body hair (if you get truly desperate) and SMP is a valid option as well.

Please name the clinic as this is criminally sloppy work.

[Pbaird98]

Pre and post op pics would be helpful if you have these. Maybe a combo of over harvesting and shock loss, that was a hell of a lot of grafts in one session, shock loss wouldn’t be at all surprising and nor would the over harvesting.

I think this will improve but it may take a while, at least a few months until you start to see some proper regrowth. 
Was it someone like HOI or Asli Tarcan?

[shiba1985]

4 hours ago, Capnmod said:

32M. Experiencing some absolutely brutal shock loss in donor area. About 7 weeks post op. 
 

brief history: I got an fue transplant done in Istanbul and while I think the clinic has a lot of exp, it’s definitely a mill after reading more on this forum. Unfortunately I didn’t find this site and knew much less before this situation. Over the phone they quoted me 4500 grafts, around the same as  many others, for crown and hairline. Consult went up and eventually they said they did 6000 grafts. They weren’t charging per graft more like 1 day sessions up to 3000 grafts. They said for density this was best 

I’ve been using minox on my donor area for a few weeks, and different oils that are supposed to be good for hair and skin. I’ve heard from my clinic and a few other forum readers that this is shock loss and I should see it come back. 
 

im expecting some over harvesting but are these patches going to fill in ? Has anyone else had this ? Is there anything I can do with a doctor here ?

I think it will fill around 6 months. Keep using minoxidil. 

[Berba11]

Wow. That's some of the harshest shock loss I've seen.

1. Do you have (or could you get) the pre & post op photos of the work that the clinic will have taken? If we can see photos, including of the donor before & right after surgery, we might be able to better tell to what extent this could be shock loss, and to what extent this might be overharvesting. Also we might be able to tell whether you really did have between 4,500-6,000 grafts extracted or implanted. 6,000 is a hell of a lot in one session from scalp hair only, and a lot to put in the hands of a Turkish clinic. I can't think of any Turkish clinics off the top of my head that I'd trust with a megasession like this.

2. It's really important to name the clinic. Firstly, we'll be able to contextualise this work based on what we know (or don't know) about the clinic's previous work/reputation. Secondly, if this is down to bad work rather than unfortunate shock loss, you could be saving someone else from the same agony. There have been a few cases recently where people have demonstrated poor work done on them and then withheld the name of the clinic. Personally I think that's inconsiderate and thoughtless of others, particularly when those others are trying to give advice, support and guidance on how to proceed.

3. This might resolve just fine, or at least to manageable levels, so hang in there. If not, it's likely repairable (at least in part), with body hair grafts (beard, maybe even chest) and possible scalp donor if you have enough in the bank.

4. What are the clinic/Dr saying about this?

[Capnmod]

Hi everyone thanks for the response.

I added pre op full and shaved hair on donor pics, some pics 2-3 days after procedure and bandages came off. The clinic is going to send me the many post op pics they took. 
 

The clinic was called HairNeva in Istanbul, it was conducted in one the major hospitals there but I think the clinic recently opened a larger space. 
 

the clinic and doctor are saying this happens and it can take a few months to recover but they do not think the donor area was damaged. Hard to feel the same way at least right now 
 

 

[Pbaird98]

Damn they went in and pretty much exhausted that area in particular, seems like a case of over harvesting and then shock loss on top, yeh it will recover somewhat, but how much it’s difficult to say. So unfortunately it’s now just a waiting game. 

[Capnmod]

One thing I found interesting is I appear to have alopecia or a spot of hair loss near the front my right side donor where there was for sure no grafts taken. that does make me feel like when that spot comes back some other hair on the sides will as well

[Melvin- Admin]

This definitely looks like shock loss. 
 

Here’s a thread to look at, it fully recovered.

9 weeks vs. 11 months 

 

[Capnmod]

15 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

This definitely looks like shock loss. 
 

Here’s a thread to look at, it fully recovered.

9 weeks vs. 11 months 

 

Great share. Glad to see this guy recovered and agree it’s a similar situation except mine is even worse lol. He actually saw pretty significant signs of improvement in donor as early as month 5. I’m currently 1 week from month 2 so definitely still hoping here. 

[Capnmod]

Anyone got ideas on hairstyles in between ? Thinking of zeroing the sides up until it gets even again and leaving the top basically 

[A Fue Good Men]

Def shock loss going on here. It will more than likely improve. Their harvesting looks pretty aggressive but not to the point of what you’re seeing. There’s really nothing to do but wait, but this sometimes happens

[Mike1J]

6 hours ago, Capnmod said:

Anyone got ideas on hairstyles in between ? Thinking of zeroing the sides up until it gets even again and leaving the top basically 

I agree that this would be the best styling to mask this situation
I'd not use topical minoxidil, I know it's a pretty useful treatment but keep in mind that when applying this first month or two, you'll experience further shedding, and if you don't apply it VERY carefully, the shedding is going to spread a little further around the area you apply it to, and eventually you'll be applying Minox all over your head and keep seeing balding areas 
Just my own opinion, based on experience! I think Finasteride would be better and nothing topical. 
And would definitely document the journey here and when the time comes, confront the clinic well prepared. 

[mr_peanutbutter]

it will look way better in a few month

[Al - Moderator]

 

10 hours ago, Capnmod said:

Anyone got ideas on hairstyles in between ? Thinking of zeroing the sides up until it gets even again and leaving the top basically 

Yeah I think in your situation, totally shaving the sides and back may be the best short term solution visually. I have seen a couple of really bad shock loss cases where all the hair fell out even  worse than yours and those eventually grew back pretty well.

 

Edited November 13, 2022 by BeHappy

[Capnmod]

Thanks for the anecdotes and ideas!

[SeanT1]

You still have plenty of time for this to recover!
Hopefully it's mainly shockloss.

[general-etwan]

Oh my. Sorry to say but this is overharvested. I can’t believe that much was taken from the sides of head around the ear. That much should never be taken from around the sides. Only thing you can do now is hope for some regrowth and explore plans to repair. 

[Capnmod]

Yeaaaa  pretty worried about that. I’m thinking a realistic scenario is hair comes back but there’s parts that are definitely thinner. Check out this research in safe donor areas.. it does go around the ear and I’ve seen many example of that 

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Safe-donor-area-illustrations-A-Alts-safe-donor-area-B-Ungers-safe-donor-area_fig1_330792641

[general-etwan]

1 hour ago, Capnmod said:

Yeaaaa  pretty worried about that. I’m thinking a realistic scenario is hair comes back but there’s parts that are definitely thinner. Check out this research in safe donor areas.. it does go around the ear and I’ve seen many example of that 

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Safe-donor-area-illustrations-A-Alts-safe-donor-area-B-Ungers-safe-donor-area_fig1_330792641

Yeah, I’m okay with the area that was utilized…but 6000 grafts is a ton of grafts to take all from that area at once. I fear too much was taken from the sides. Hope the best for you and see if anything comes back, and if you can deal with the thinness. 

[Capnmod]

+1 month update, cumulative 2.5 months 

it seems like a little of the original donor hair has grown ? But I can’t tell