2500 grafts, Dr. Harris (Shelly Lovitt) in Denver CO

[nitrohuck]

About a month and a half ago I had a 2,500 graft FUE procedure, done by Shelly Lovitt out of Dr. Harris' Hair Science Center in Denver, CO. 

From what I can see on this website, a lot of people don't have great things to say about their work, which got me a little worried. Even though the journey is very early, I am open to feedback here on the procedure thus far. Before the shedding phase, my hairline looked pretty good (I'll add a picture of my hair right after the majority of scabs were gone). 

Quick facts: 

- Procedure done 44 days ago as of this post

- 2,500 FUE grafts, primarily focusing on frontal hair line, but they also put some attention AROUND the crown (they won't do direct crown work until age 40) 

- Taking Min, Fin, Biotin, MSM and Multivitamin daily

- 33yrs of age

- Regrowth has already begun in the shedded areas

 

 

[HappyMan2021]

I was horribly botched by the gynecologist Shelley Lovitt 4 years ago. Like 90% of the grafts had bad angles. Plus I really needed way more grafts than I was quoted - probably a blessing in disguise because that would have led to even more bad grafts. 

They said the same thing to me about not operating on the crown until age 40, I think that is ridiculous. 

I genuinely hope your transplant turns out amazing, but from your pictures your transplant looks like it lacks satisfactory density. Hopefully the angles won't turn out bad. 

Dr. Lovitt is a horrible horrible horrible hair transplant surgeon. 

 

Edited November 19, 2022 by HappyMan2021

[ray35]

Oh man Happyman dropped the hammer on this surgeon. I hope for you Nitrohuck, this is somewhat salvageable... after this time and investment it's a major drag to feel as you might be feeling right now. The photos don't reflect well nor does this doc's reputation. That said the result may be ok, it's still early as they say. It doesn't look like that amount of grafts but the blond hair might be not as obvious in photos. So hang in there, even lousy surgeons achieve decent results sometimes. I'd plan for a plan B if i were you, comb the surgeons and results on here and keep an open mind to travel if this doesn't fare well.

[nitrohuck]

Thanks for the replies guys. I’ll try to address a couple of the line items:

 

- the density LOOKED good immediately post op, pre-shedding phase. Is there a concern that a lot of the grafts just won’t survive? Is that a common complaint for “sub par docs”? At 45 days post op it feels like new hairs are coming through daily, 

- graft angle is hard for me to determine given how early it is, but I will certainly be watching as time progresses 

- here are some post op photos showing the density of the grafts, hopefully this could give some insight as to what it will look like should all (or most I guess) of the grafts survive:

 

[ray35]

Definitely more dense post op for sure, that's a positive sign and speaks more to the total graft count. Yeah you know i've wondered the same thing about graft survival with sub par docs, hard to know, I'm sure some of the folks here with more experience will have some insight.

[HappyMan2021]

the hairline density may or may not be ok, but the area behind is definitely lacking density. There should not be gaps in between grafts. 

Towards the back of your scalp it looks like she placed one-off grafts, basically islands into themselves. Not sure the reasoning for that. 

I'm also curious, you mention Dr. Harris in the subject of this thread. While I 100% agree Dr. Harris is complicit in that he partners with horrible doctors and refers innocent patients to them, I'm not sure what Dr. Harris actually had to do with this surgery. 

Was Dr. Harris involved with this surgery at all? Dr. Lovitt is barely involved as it is - the techs pretty much do everything - so I would be surprised if Dr. Harris was involved at all. 

Edited November 19, 2022 by HappyMan2021

[shiba1985]

1 hour ago, HappyMan2021 said:

the hairline density may or may not be ok, but the area behind is definitely lacking density. There should not be gaps in between grafts. 

Towards the back of your scalp it looks like she placed one-off grafts, basically islands into themselves. Not sure the reasoning for that. 

I'm also curious, you mention Dr. Harris in the subject of this thread. While I 100% agree Dr. Harris is complicit in that he partners with horrible doctors and refers innocent patients to them, I'm not sure what Dr. Harris actually had to do with this surgery. 

Was Dr. Harris involved with this surgery at all? Dr. Lovitt is barely involved as it is - the techs pretty much do everything - so I would be surprised if Dr. Harris was involved at all. 

What does the doctor do? Who does the extractions and recipient sites?

[HappyMan2021]

10 minutes ago, shiba1985 said:

What does the doctor do? Who does the extractions and recipient sites?

My memory is a bit hazy because it's been 4 years, but I'm pretty sure Lovitt just did the bare minimum she was legally required to. She drew the hairline, marked the extraction sites (I think she may have done the extraction but can't recall), and she marked the incision sites. 

Other than that, it was the techs who did everything. Lovitt didn't even really check-in to see how the tech work was going. 

My last surgery was with Dr. Mwamba - who is involved in every aspect, and it was such a tremendous difference. 

Perhaps its unfair to compare Lovitt with one of the world's best HT doc's, but even at face value I expected much more involvement from Lovitt. 

I'd be interested to hear from OP how involved Lovitt was from his surgery. 

 

[nitrohuck]

54 minutes ago, HappyMan2021 said:

My memory is a bit hazy because it's been 4 years, but I'm pretty sure Lovitt just did the bare minimum she was legally required to. She drew the hairline, marked the extraction sites (I think she may have done the extraction but can't recall), and she marked the incision sites. 

Other than that, it was the techs who did everything. Lovitt didn't even really check-in to see how the tech work was going. 

My last surgery was with Dr. Mwamba - who is involved in every aspect, and it was such a tremendous difference. 

Perhaps its unfair to compare Lovitt with one of the world's best HT doc's, but even at face value I expected much more involvement from Lovitt. 

I'd be interested to hear from OP how involved Lovitt was from his surgery. 

 

Ugh I typed out a whole reponse and accidentally refreshed the page. I'll break it down quick: 

- Dr Harris wasn't involved at all, I put his name in the title since it's "his clinic", the Hair Science Center. But I never interacted with him. 

- Lovitt was involved very much to the degree you described. She played a role in both extraction and implantation, but the techs did most of the heavy lifting. 

- Regarding the sporadic grafts, I just assumed they were filling in some slightly sparse areas, but only in a few spots, the rest was focused on hair line and the "not crown" area near the crown. 

- When did you get your surgery done by her? I am holding out hope that if it was a few years ago, she's had some time to improve her skillset

- I will be posting updates further down the road as progress become easier to judge, looking forward to the feedback

[HappyMan2021]

15 minutes ago, nitrohuck said:

- When did you get your surgery done by her? I am holding out hope that if it was a few years ago, she's had some time to improve her skillset

 

My surgery was in December 2018, so almost exactly 4 years ago. 

I sincerely hope you have a better result than I had, but yes I can only go by the actual, lived experience I had with this gynecologist/hair transplant hobbyist. 

[shiba1985]

how much did u pay? nitrohuck?

[nitrohuck]

2 minutes ago, shiba1985 said:

how much did u pay? nitrohuck?

was about $18k all in for PRP and the HT 

[HappyMan2021]

@nitrohuck how is the transplant coming along?

[nitrohuck]

12 hours ago, HappyMan2021 said:

@nitrohuck how is the transplant coming along?

Good timing I was just about to post my 3 month progress! 

Not a ton to report except that basically all of my original hair has come back, and the density is beginning to slowwly come through in the recipient areas. Lots of 1cm long new hairs, and it feels like tiny new shafts are popping up each day. I know it's too early to get excited, but I can't wait to see how it looks by month 6-7. 

Hopefully these photos will be zoomed in enough to see the tiny hairs coming through in the hairline area. Crown (or forward of my crown) area is certainly looking denser too but it's harder to get a solid idea since I can only use photos rather than a mirror to check progress

 

 

 

 

[Joess]

Any update @nitrohuck?

[A_4_Archan]

On 1/12/2023 at 2:35 AM, nitrohuck said:

Good timing I was just about to post my 3 month progress! 

Not a ton to report except that basically all of my original hair has come back, and the density is beginning to slowwly come through in the recipient areas. Lots of 1cm long new hairs, and it feels like tiny new shafts are popping up each day. I know it's too early to get excited, but I can't wait to see how it looks by month 6-7. 

Hopefully these photos will be zoomed in enough to see the tiny hairs coming through in the hairline area. Crown (or forward of my crown) area is certainly looking denser too but it's harder to get a solid idea since I can only use photos rather than a mirror to check progress

 

 

 

 

Any updates ?from ur last pics and as u mentioned in ur post tht new hairs are coming am hoping tht u will get an acceptable out ..and tht wud be good considering the image of the clinic i got reading earlier post..actually nt tht great doctors can also produce acceptable results bt thr is ofcourse a lesser chance...and i hope u be amongst tht lesser chance guy...

R u on medication ?

[mavigo]

@nitrohuck Should be around 6 months now, do you have any updates. Hoping for the best for you.

 

[hoping4thebest]

@nitrohuck any update how did it turn out? i am considering Restore who i believe this doctor works with now. 

[Melvin- Admin]

Would love an update.

[HappyMan2021]

8 hours ago, hoping4thebest said:

@nitrohuck any update how did it turn out? i am considering Restore who i believe this doctor works with now. 

I was botched by both Dr Lovitt and Dr Harris from Restore.

Avoid at all costs!

[rgood25]

So I decided to do more thorough research after yesterdays second procedure with DR. Lovitt. 12/18/2023

On 0ct 20, 2022 I had 3059 grafts done and honestly I really trusted the doc.  I had see Dr Harris in the past for consultation (2010) and he is very highly regarded in this field.  Somewhere in all of this, Dr Harris asked me if I would be ok with having Dr. Lovitt perform my procedure.  I asked if there was any reason I shouldn't and he assured me that she was trained by him and was very capable.  After they drew the new hairline on my head, I told them that I didn't think it looked natural to me but they reassured me that it was normal and they usually don't have good results doing custom hairlines.  I had shown them a photo of me when I was younger so they could somewhat recreate my native look.   Despite showing Dr Lovitt a photo of me just before surgery, she proceeded to do the hairline that I did not prefer.  After several months, the hairs were coming in and I was very excited!  after 12 months, I noticed that I had a lot of hairs growing in the wrong direction.  I immediately could tell why....there are several techs working simultaneously to insert 3059 grafts.  it is easy to tell now after 14 months where each section separates because of the angles.   One area has angles that are so bad that there is a space the size of two quarters that looks very bare.  

Fast forward to yesterday.....I received and additional 800 grafts under their satisfaction guarantee.  I was assure by their beloved Tech (who's name I will not mention) that she would be inserting all of my grafts that day.   I started at about 8am.  Dr. Lovitt did all of the drawing of the areas to be grafted.  she made a last minute decision to use 200 of my grafts to fill in my crown area, this leaving only 600 to fill in the lack of density up front per the guarantee.  I had already been given my first sedative when she told me this.  Dr. Lovitt performed all of the extraction cutting (three of them pulled the follicles out).  Then Dr. Lovitt made all of the incisions herself while I was relatively unsedated.  at this point, my lunch arrived and I finished eating at 11:45 Then immediately back into the chair.  by 1:00 all 800 grafts had been placed by several techs despite being assure earlier that morning that 1 tech would be performing the entire procedure.   I was blown away by how fast this happened ( this was 11.4 grafts per minute).

Furthermore, when it was all complete, they are very quick to usher you out the door but first showed me their work.  I was quite surprise when I saw what they did up front.  She loaded my hairline with more hair, put fewer in the center mass of the previously transplanted area (that lacked density).  She place a lot in the area that appeared thin and slightly less on the parallel side.   

 

BUT!!!!!  I have such a significant improvement in my appearance, that my life has changed for the better!!!!  I no longer wear a hat to hide my bald head, I am more confident, I look younger.....I'm 51 but I have a young family and looking old always made me feel awkward..   I could always see people looking at my forehead but not anymore!!!

 

I closing, I am documenting my process because I am concerned about my results, but they will not be clear for some time.  I'm mostly concerned with the rush they seemed to be in to get my procedure done, and why they used several techs when I was told only one would be on the job.  I'm a very fair person, so I will not be hasty in complaining. I know that results will vary, not all grafts will survive, human error is always a risk, and so far they've stood behind their work giving me the follow up procedure very quickly and not charging me a penny.  Also got a round of PRP for no charge.   I'm guessing the density up front will be satisfactory compared to being bald.

 

I hope this helps some of you and if you are considering Restore Hair in Denver Tech Center, make sure the you grille the dr. in your consultation!!!  

 

 

Edited December 19, 2023 by rgood25
typos and clarity

[HappyMan2021]

I have been botched by both Dr. Lovitt and Dr. Harris in separate procedure. They are both horrible doctors. 

Also not to knock the field of gynecology at all, but Dr. Lovitt is a trained gynecologist. Why would a gynecologist of all people switch into hair transplantation? Would you trust a gynecologist with your hair? 

Most hair transplant doctors seem to come from facial specialties, ear/nose/throat, etc

I went to this clinic some years ago before Harris changed it into "Restore". Quite seriously and objectively, I think this is no different than a Bosley setup

You mention Lovitt placed hairs wrong during the first procedures, I have badly angled grafts too. Sorry but I don't think this 2nd procedure will be any different. 

People should really avoid both of these doctors at all costs. 

Neither of them are on HRN's Recommendation List, for what its worth

[rgood25]

What do you make of the placing 800 grafts in just over an hour?  To me, this seems reckless and nobody could do a great job in so little time.  
 

 

[HappyMan2021]

12 minutes ago, rgood25 said:

What do you make of the placing 800 grafts in just over an hour?  To me, this seems reckless and nobody could do a great job in so little time.  
 

 

I think Dr. Shelly Lovitt is a horrible doctor and yes very reckless, unskilled, and as a former patient of her and Dr. Harris i have nothing good to say about either of them.

With 100% seriousness, the only reason someone would willingly see Dr. Lovitt is if they are not educated enough about hair transplants. 

To top it off their prices are not cheap either. So you arent even getting a discount to be botched.

[rgood25]

Well, I'm feeling ok about the no cost follow up procedure as it was a no shave and the down time should be

minimal.  I am having my hair stylist count my grafts tomorrow morning.  I wan't them counted and photographed before it is

too late to document.  I was really lured in by Dr. Harris in 2010.  He was very knowledgable, and seemed to be the current frontrunner

in the business at the time.  I am really hoping that I've let this go to my head and perhaps I shouldn't worry about it.   The truth is, I was fairly satisfied

with my results.  There were just a few minor issues i.e. one area of hair definitely not angled properly.  Obviously the result of too many techs working at the same time.

Dr. Lovitt agreed with me regarding this.  The other issue is the ridiculous recreated hairline they gave me.  I don't see how anyone agrees to this and yet 

I see over and over again that people from many different clinics get the "straight across the forehead" hairline.  Perhaps I am just too picky?  But Dr. Harris does 

claim to be the best in the business!!!  So this is on him....My sister is a Lawyer in Denver who specializes in civil litigation.  Should I need to pursue 

legal action, at least I am covered there.