FUE Regret 27 year old- In need of guidance

[NathanJ2095]

Hello all, 

4 months ago I had my first FUE (3K grafts) the aim was to slightly lower the hair line, I am around a NW3 + 27 years old. 

I came out of surgery and was disappointed to see how low and unnatural they made my hairline. As well as wasting so many grafts in one area, my temples are now dense and blocky. 

-My main concern is that I’ve now reduced the ability of being able to have future FUE’s if I need them. By using too much of my donor carelessly early. 

I really failed to do future planning trusting an unethical clinic. 3,000 grafts was far more than I ever needed.

I know it’s only 4 months, but I can already see how unnatural it is just from the reasons mentioned. 

*Pictures of Week 1 + Month 4 attached* 

Any advice for me moving forward, Can this be repaired down the line? 

I’d love to achieve a more natural result and rebuild the donor, if it’s still possible. 

I appreciate any help, thank you. 

-I’ve been on fin/min for 2 years prior to surgery. 

To judge the final result fairly I know I must wait 12-18months. However, it would be good to know my options. 

[HappyMan2021]

surgeon name?

[A_4_Archan]

A conservative approach is good for first surgery but if ur baldness is nt progressive thn u will not have any problem ..do u have family history of baldness?

I would advice u to be on medication (minoxidil and finasteride ) after consulting ur doctor so tht u can preserve ur hairs better and it will slow down ur baldness...

Can u tell the name of the clinic or surgeon u hd ur surgery from and they did not take your opinion about ur hairline like hw much r u considering to lower it..

[NathanJ2095]

12 minutes ago, HappyMan2021 said:

surgeon name?

Cosmedica, Turkey. 
(2 Technicians)

[NathanJ2095]

4 minutes ago, Archan said:

A conservative approach is good for first surgery but if ur baldness is nt progressive thn u will not have any problem ..do u have family history of baldness?

I would advice u to be on medication (minoxidil and finasteride ) after consulting ur doctor so tht u can preserve ur hairs better and it will slow down ur baldness...

Can u tell the name of the clinic or surgeon u hd ur surgery from and they did not take your opinion about ur hairline like hw much r u considering to lower it..

My hairloss was stabilised with medication for 2 years prior. 

-Yeah I requested it to be lowered slightly, not by this much unfortunately. 
I don’t have aggressive hairloss in my family, just concerned by the large graft count so early. 
 

it was Cosmedica, Turkey

[Rafael Manelli]

How many cm above the glabella is the hairline? 

[A_4_Archan]

2 minutes ago, NathanJ2095 said:

My hairloss was stabilised with medication for 2 years prior. 

-Yeah I requested it to be lowered slightly, not by this much unfortunately. 
I don’t have aggressive hairloss in my family, just concerned by the large graft count so early. 
 

it was Cosmedica, Turkey

Thn start medication if u dnt find any side effects..tht wud be helpful ...lucky u dont have family history ...thn dont worry..now its already done...nw u focus on achieving good results by doing proper aftercare and keep medication on  to stabilise ur further loss...😊

[NathanJ2095]

5 minutes ago, Rafael Manelli said:

How many cm above the glabella is the hairline? 

I’d say roughly 5.5cm. I naturally had a very high hairline 

[NathanJ2095]

2 minutes ago, Archan said:

Thn start medication if u dnt find any side effects..tht wud be helpful ...lucky u dont have family history ...thn dont worry..now its already done...nw u focus on achieving good results by doing proper aftercare and keep medication on  to stabilise ur further loss...😊

Yes I agree, medication is certainly the best preventative right now.
Thanks for the feedback 🙂

[Rafael Manelli]

I honestly think it might turn out better than you think. It doesn't look terribly unnatural to me. It will get denser too. I don't think the grafts are wasted either because if you really want them removed, they can be moved back instead of taken out and destroyed.

There is hope for you yet 

[A_4_Archan]

1 minute ago, NathanJ2095 said:

Yes I agree, medication is certainly the best preventative right now.
Thanks for the feedback 🙂

U r welcome...as u mentioned above u had naturally high hairline so i can understand ur concern tht lowering of hairline would look unnatural now...bt frm ur pics it doesnt look too bad...and u will start feeling comfortable once u will get habituated seeing ur new hairline ...happy growing and do keep updating ur journey ..😊

[NathanJ2095]

1 minute ago, Rafael Manelli said:

I honestly think it might turn out better than you think. It doesn't look terribly unnatural to me. It will get denser too. I don't think the grafts are wasted either because if you really want them removed, they can be moved back instead of taken out and destroyed.

There is hope for you yet 

Yes I can appreciate it is still very early days. It’s the shape and unnecessary placement of grafts on my temples that is worrying. It’s nice to know I still have options if I need them,

thanks 😊

 

 

[HappyMan2021]

I'm actually not sure if your hairline is too low. If your only true worry is your remaining level of grafts, but this is your 1st surgery, no family history of balding and you are only a NW3, there is not that much to worry about. 

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@NathanJ2095,

Let’s look at things from a positive point of view.

Firstly, what’s done is done so there’s no sense in focusing on regret.

Secondly, you’re only four months postop. There’s a possibility that you’ll be satisfied with the results and everything will turn out better than you expect. As you said, you don’t have aggressive hair loss, you had a very high hairline so even though the hairline was lowered more than you wanted, you might like it when it all grows in.

Thirdly, since you are only four months postop, you have a lot of growth left. Looking at your hair now will not do you much good because you are nowhere near your final result. If everything grows in as one would hope and expect, your hair will be a lot fuller and thicker than it is now at four months.

So honestly, the best thing you can do is wait it out and see what your hair looks like 12 to 18 months after the procedure.

If at 12 months you feel far less than satisfied, then start researching surgeons and go to somebody else who you feel will meet your goals.

I can post some criteria that will help you select a qualified surgeon that is best for you. They are general guidelines and steps that will help you research selecting a surgeon based on their consistency in producing excellent results regardless of price and location, which should only be a last criteria when selecting amongst a few surgeons you are most impressed with.

But like I said, I don’t think you are anywhere near that step yet as four months is only the very beginning of the regrowth phase. Hair transplant growth typically starts between 3 to 5 months after the procedure and continues to grow,, thicken and mature up to 18 months.

In looking at the post operative photos, I can say that I have some hope for the final result.  What I mean is, if everything grows in the way we hope and expect, you might not be as disappointed as you think you will be.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant

 

[bear56]

i think you are just not used to it because your hairline used to be high up. proportion wise the hairline is correct and does not look too low. keep the sides short and hair long on top and it will look great! i

[Xanadu]

I definitely see what you are worried about. The usual length from Glabela is about 7-8 cm as far as I remember so 5.5 cm is low. What I would find more worrying are the way the temples are drawn. 

On the positive side, it looks quite densely packed. Also, if you have no history of balding in your family and you are on medication, then you might never actually need another HT - meaning that you can live with the 3000 grafts being taken so early.

[Hairy Henderson]

It might be slightly too low/aggressive, but, overall I don’t think it looks bad.

[mrmane85]

My advice would be to give it 3-4 more months to fully grow in as you may like the new look and not want any changes.

If you don't like the look and feel the hairline is too low then yes, there are a few elite surgeons who should be able to help 

[Belve]

Your hairline height is fine and I don’t find any problem. 
4 months is too early. So you can’t judge your result now lmao. Be patient until 12 months and then see if your are still not happy. I think you will get happy by getting A good result by then. You have to be optimistic…and not the opposite. 

Edited February 8, 2023 by Belve

[JayLDD]

Glabella talk aside, the hairline height looks totally fine. In fact proportionally it still looks slightly high. This is nowhere near an ultra low or risky hairline, sounds like body dysmorphia talking. 

You didn’t go to the best clinic in the world, but the graft numbers are reasonable and the work looks not amazing but above average.

At this point chill and hope for the best. It’s not half as bad as you’re suggesting right now. Still plenty of time for the result to emerge, at the moment you don’t have enough information to draw strong conclusions. 

3000 grafts for this procedure is also totally normal. Absolutely nothing unethical or reckless going on in the graft count. 
 

Not saying I know the result will be good at 12 months, but I know at 4 months it would be ideal to take a deep breath and let things take their course.

Also would recommend posting the donor.

[NathanJ2095]

18 hours ago, Xanadu said:

I definitely see what you are worried about. The usual length from Glabela is about 7-8 cm as far as I remember so 5.5 cm is low. What I would find more worrying are the way the temples are drawn. 

On the positive side, it looks quite densely packed. Also, if you have no history of balding in your family and you are on medication, then you might never actually need another HT - meaning that you can live with the 3000 grafts being taken so early.

I agree the temples are slightly out of proportion. But I’ll just have to wait for everything to heal fully, then rectify later if need. 

[NathanJ2095]

15 hours ago, Belve said:

Your hairline height is fine and I don’t find any problem. 
4 months is too early. So you can’t judge your result now lmao. Be patient until 12 months and then see if your are still not happy. I think you will get happy by getting A good result by then. You have to be optimistic…and not the opposite. 

Very true. Staying positive is important, and to not judge fully until 12 months. 
Cheers for the advice. 

[NathanJ2095]

1 hour ago, JayLDD said:

Glabella talk aside, the hairline height looks totally fine. In fact proportionally it still looks slightly high. This is nowhere near an ultra low or risky hairline, sounds like body dysmorphia talking. 

You didn’t go to the best clinic in the world, but the graft numbers are reasonable and the work looks not amazing but above average.

At this point chill and hope for the best. It’s not half as bad as you’re suggesting right now. Still plenty of time for the result to emerge, at the moment you don’t have enough information to draw strong conclusions. 

3000 grafts for this procedure is also totally normal. Absolutely nothing unethical or reckless going on in the graft count. 
 

Not saying I know the result will be good at 12 months, but I know at 4 months it would be ideal to take a deep breath and let things take their course.

Also would recommend posting the donor.

I disagree, this isn’t “body dysmorphia talk”. My disappoint surrounds how the post op hairline was lowered more than initially agreed, including needless work done on my temples. 

Of course even the elite surgeons in the world, may not always meet patients envisions. However, I do feel a more natural result was lost here nonetheless. 

I also do think 3,000 grafts just to slightly lower the hairline, on a NW3 under 30 is risky. 

-Granted, given the clinic that I went to this isn’t unusual 

You’re right it is early only 4 months, so I could be surprised down the road. Let’s review it at 12 months when all has healed

Yeah I’ll also post my donor soon, 

Thanks for the feedback 😊

[NathanJ2095]

On 2/7/2023 at 5:18 PM, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

@NathanJ2095,

Let’s look at things from a positive point of view.

Firstly, what’s done is done so there’s no sense in focusing on regret.

Secondly, you’re only four months postop. There’s a possibility that you’ll be satisfied with the results and everything will turn out better than you expect. As you said, you don’t have aggressive hair loss, you had a very high hairline so even though the hairline was lowered more than you wanted, you might like it when it all grows in.

Thirdly, since you are only four months postop, you have a lot of growth left. Looking at your hair now will not do you much good because you are nowhere near your final result. If everything grows in as one would hope and expect, your hair will be a lot fuller and thicker than it is now at four months.

So honestly, the best thing you can do is wait it out and see what your hair looks like 12 to 18 months after the procedure.

If at 12 months you feel far less than satisfied, then start researching surgeons and go to somebody else who you feel will meet your goals.

I can post some criteria that will help you select a qualified surgeon that is best for you. They are general guidelines and steps that will help you research selecting a surgeon based on their consistency in producing excellent results regardless of price and location, which should only be a last criteria when selecting amongst a few surgeons you are most impressed with.

But like I said, I don’t think you are anywhere near that step yet as four months is only the very beginning of the regrowth phase. Hair transplant growth typically starts between 3 to 5 months after the procedure and continues to grow,, thicken and mature up to 18 months.

In looking at the post operative photos, I can say that I have some hope for the final result.  What I mean is, if everything grows in the way we hope and expect, you might not be as disappointed as you think you will be.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant

 

I really appreciate the advice, yes healing and waiting it out is the best thing I can do now. 

[NathanJ2095]

Hello all, thought I’d just post my 6 month update. 

The hair has been growing steadily with reasonable density. Despite the hairline being slightly too straight for my liking, including the poor temporal work. 

I have also noticed some large density gaps behind the hairline. Where it seems an inadequate amount of grafts were placed, I’ll continue to track those gaps and monitor growth. 

However, one of my main concerns is the left side of my donor area. Which is still thin and showing potential signs of over harvesting.
I’d be thrilled if it recovered more from this point, but I have doubts due to my clinic selection. 
I’ll have to reassess it over the coming months, and hope it recovers.

I’d really appreciate any feed back on my current result. Including when it’s acceptable to start considering touch ups and repairs. 
(Of course with a better Clinic)

Thanks guys! 

Edited April 25, 2023 by NathanJ2095
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