Why did my afro hair transplant fail after 5 months??

[MsAyeBeeCat]

I had a FUT transplant at the end of 2021 that failed after 5 months. I'm devastated, frustrated, depressed and don't know what to do next. I've tried everything and I'm just at a loss at what to do next.

Basically after years of trying to resolve what I was told was 'traction alopecia'  on my temples a few years ago, in 2021 I decided to have a FUT hair transplant as my absolute last resort. I did extensive research over 18 months, financially saved up and eventually plucked up the courage before I decided to have it done (London UK) with a transplant Dr. who I had a consultation with in person and was recommended as having done afro FUT transplants before. 

On the day I was quite nervous but excited as this was going to be a life changing surgery to give me back my confidence and make me feel good again after years of hiding and masking the problem and hating the fact I couldn't wear hairstyles I used to or even a style that suited my face and made me feel nice.

Anyway, I had approx 2800-3000 grafts.. it took about 4-5 hours, it was painful with the injections, but after that I couldn't feel anything. I gritted my teeth through the procedure holding on to the thought that this surgery was going to be over soon and my new hair journey would begin hereafter and in a few months I would start to see the results to make it all worth the finance, pain, discomfort and stress that comes with having a hair transplant..

A month in, I didn't have any shock loss, I was told this happened for a few rare patients who's grafts grew without failing out.. and within 2 months I was seeing lots of new hairs and I was excited, 3 months.. the hairs got a bit fuller and longer, 4-5 months were the peak of growth....every month I was taking photos and sending it to my surgeon and he was happy with the results as was I... then things plateaued.. 

Months 5-6 there was no growth and I was like oh maybe this is where I may develop very late shedding or its just normal for hairs to slow down a bit after growing so fast in beginning.. I told the surgeon and he said this is fine.. just be patient.. months 6-7 again no growth.. in fact I could see there was definitely less density and I was concerned.. I told surgeon again and he said 'things looked on course and was about where my hair should be'... as he was the 'expert' I took his word for it and thought ok, going to give things another 2 months.. by months 8-10 months my temples were as if I never had a transplant. The strange thing is that I never saw any shedding, it was as if the hairs just miniaturised over the weeks and I was back to my thinned out temples.. the hairs were barely a few millimetres, i couldn't tell if these were my native short hairs or the transplanted hairs as they were just short, weak and thin. 

I was in disbelieve that this could be happening after all things were going fine for 5 months.. I told the surgeon I wasn't happy and what he could do to help. I was surprised how 'defensive' he first was, and al he suggested was to try Minoxidil, PRP and Laser Therapy?! I was quite pissed at his lack of support, advice and overall post care and I wondered if the problem was mine in that I was just a bad candidate for a transplant, if it was the surgeon's fault for poor handling of grafts, or if something else caused my transplanted hairs to reverse and not grow long. 

I went for extensive blood tests which showed I was not deficient in anything, if it was stress or telogen effluvium or something temporary the hairs would have grown back by now? I have tried to use hair serums, Minoxidil foam daily for the past 7 months, rosemary oils and massaging, even got a Hairmax comb to see if things would start to make the hairs grow but they haven't and I'm depressed about it all.  Its now 1 year and 7 months. I never went for my review with the surgeon - I was too angry and frustrated that at his lack of post support I thought what is the point of going to see him in person if he can't suggest or offer any solutions?? Maybe I should, I don't know.

So, what do I do now? I still want to know if I could have done anything differently, if it was just poor graft handling that made the hairs weak? if my body rejected the grafts months later? Any ideas guys as I'm so fed up with living with this crap and the costs and just felt like I have wasted 17 months of my life to trying to do everything and getting nowhere.

[A_4_Archan]

Sorry for all the things you have gone through ....don't know what happened after 5 months ...thts strange....consult dr mwamba and see wht he has to say abt this....you might need to get your scalp checked ....dr mwamba is well experienced with afro hairs....your surgeon should have asked you to visit again to check whats wrong with you..and should have tried to find the issue ...that is the least thing he/she should have done...bt jst forget abt the idiot and you don't need to feel depressed ....there is solution to everything....jst talk to dr mwamba once..and keep updating ...

[Turkhair]

I am sorry to hear that, that’s a lot of grafts you’re never getting back.

The work doesn’t look good to begin with and not surprising it didn’t grow out good either. 

What you should do is name and shame the clinic and doctor. 

[mr_peanutbutter]

maybe you didnt had traction alopecia but Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA) which is a special form of Lichen Planopilaris. FFA leads to a wide band of smooth bald skin around the entire frontal hairline. As long as the illness is active there is a high chance transplants will fail. you would need a biopsy to confirm it

 

admittedly i didnt read all of your post but if you ever had hair in that region where you transplanted that would be exactly the pattern of FFA.

 

 

if you were just born with a „sadio mane“ hairline, then it might be just poor performing by the surgeon

 

some more examples of FFA

 

 

 

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by mr_peanutbutter

[duckling]

I dont know how they mess up a FUT procedure for afro hairs.  FUE i can understand as extraction is tough.

Anyways check with a dermatologist to see if there was something wrong with scalp as there are 2 failed procedures already. I cannot imagine how you would be feeling.

If there is nothing wrong with scalp then see if you can consultant dr patrick mwamba in belgium. He is the best for afro hair and he can tell you what should have been done to not reach this stage.

[MsAyeBeeCat]

8 hours ago, A_4_Archan said:

Sorry for all the things you have gone through ....don't know what happened after 5 months ...thts strange....consult dr mwamba and see wht he has to say abt this....you might need to get your scalp checked ....dr mwamba is well experienced with afro hairs....your surgeon should have asked you to visit again to check whats wrong with you..and should have tried to find the issue ...that is the least thing he/she should have done...bt jst forget abt the idiot and you don't need to feel depressed ....there is solution to everything....jst talk to dr mwamba once..and keep updating ...

Thanks for responding. I am quite persistent and have been doing my own research and trying everything in an attempt to get the hair to grow. It has thickened up, but they just don't grow in length, as did my hair before. I have always questioned whether it was traction alopecia due to the way I lost my hair, but this is what derms told me, but I questioned their diagnostics based on their bias.  I will contact Dr Mwamba and see what he has to say.. As for my own surgeon, I still have the option to visit for a review (I rejected the 1 year review as there was no point in my eyes) but even just to show him that I was a bad candidate and that he should have did some due diligence to test this he did zero testing) just said "yep, alopecia, I can do your transplant' makes me think he was just after my money, but I am paranoid as anyone would be.  I'll keep you guys updated. 

[MsAyeBeeCat]

7 hours ago, Turkhair said:

I am sorry to hear that, that’s a lot of grafts you’re never getting back.

The work doesn’t look good to begin with and not surprising it didn’t grow out good either. 

What you should do is name and shame the clinic and doctor. 

Thanks for your feedback. The thing is that it did start to grow. If it has failed from day 1, then yes I would have questioned the work. But 5 months is a long time for things to start to go wrong.

I will hold off naming and shaming until I know the real reason. i.e if I was a bad candidate/I have some kind of condition that would cause this. abeit a good surgeon should do full testing if I am a good candidate before commencing (which he did not) but i'll see. 

[MsAyeBeeCat]

5 hours ago, mr_peanutbutter said:

maybe you didnt had traction alopecia but Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA) which is a special form of Lichen Planopilaris. FFA leads to a wide band of smooth bald skin around the entire frontal hairline. As long as the illness is active there is a high chance transplants will fail. you would need a biopsy to confirm it

 

admittedly i didnt read all of your post but if you ever had hair in that region where you transplanted that would be exactly the pattern of FFA.

 

 

if you were just born with a „sadio mane“ hairline, then it might be just poor performing by the surgeon

 

some more examples of FFA

 

 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, mr_peanutbutter said:

maybe you didnt had traction alopecia but Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA) which is a special form of Lichen Planopilaris. FFA leads to a wide band of smooth bald skin around the entire frontal hairline. As long as the illness is active there is a high chance transplants will fail. you would need a biopsy to confirm it

 

admittedly i didnt read all of your post but if you ever had hair in that region where you transplanted that would be exactly the pattern of FFA.

 

 

if you were just born with a „sadio mane“ hairline, then it might be just poor performing by the surgeon

 

some more examples of FFA

 

 

 

 

I have always questioned whether I had 100%  traction alopecia, but I've never had a 'smooth' band of hair in the front. The only reason he did the grafts is because I had thinning in the temple area and some in the hairline, but it was never smooth or in the pattern of Lichen Planopilaris but you never know. My hair loss was in the areas you see in photos 10, where the short hairs just stopped growing and remained short. I did have hairstyles that would warrant some traction alopecia, but my hairloss was sudden after a relaxer gone wrong by my hairdresser who i trusted to do my hair for 10 years prior to the issue. My hair was pretty much fine before the incident as she knew I had weak temples. But I thought doing a transplant with hairs from back of my head would resolve that. So, whatever is going on in the front areas of my hair, I need a specialist in afro to properly diagnose and not just tell me its traction alopecia. 

[MsAyeBeeCat]

5 hours ago, duckling said:

I dont know how they mess up a FUT procedure for afro hairs.  FUE i can understand as extraction is tough.

Anyways check with a dermatologist to see if there was something wrong with scalp as there are 2 failed procedures already. I cannot imagine how you would be feeling.

If there is nothing wrong with scalp then see if you can consultant dr patrick mwamba in belgium. He is the best for afro hair and he can tell you what should have been done to not reach this stage.

Thanks. I went to two tricologists since it happened. Not specialists in afro hair, but one said transplants for females are different to males, something about DHT affecting our hair. The hair was taking from a non-DHT zone at the back of my head so not sure she was talking sense. Also she said something about if the subaceous gland is not inserted with grafts it can fail to grow, and if I don't have enough blood flow to area due to traction alopecia, grafts to fail. She looked at my hair with device but didn't come p with any useful solutions. 

I'm not going to give up.  but i NEED to know if there is something with my scalp or not, before I proceed with any future treatments. I will probably reach out to Mr Mwaamba to try and get some answers. 

[Britanium]

Sorry to hear that this didn’t turn out as expected. Few Drs are particularly skilled in Afro hair, as mentioned above Dr Mwamba is someone that you should definitely be consulting with, Dr Bisanga is another that’s very experienced in this area. All is not lost, you just need to see if it was poor surgery/technique or if it’s a issue that could affect another procedure. 

[Britanium]

Dr Bisanga has reps who post here on the forum @sl @Raphael84

[MsAyeBeeCat]

Just now, BRITA-XL said:

Sorry to hear that this didn’t turn out as expected. Few Drs are particularly skilled in Afro hair, as mentioned above Dr Mwamba is someone that you should definitely be consulting with, Dr Bisanga is another that’s very experienced in this area. All is not lost, you just need to see if it was poor surgery/technique or if it’s a issue that could affect another procedure. 

Thanks. Yeah, that's all I want to know if the issue with due to my scalp or a condition that no derm has diagnosed yet and/or if it was because of poor handling of the grafts, etc. I would than know how to proceed. Its so frustrating not knowing and its even more difficult to find an expert who can confirm once and for all what is going on. I keep hearing about those two doctors in Belgium, but I need to know the later before I can decide on a future procedure. cheers. 

[Britanium]

1 minute ago, MsAyeBeeCat said:

Thanks. Yeah, that's all I want to know if the issue with due to my scalp or a condition that no derm has diagnosed yet and/or if it was because of poor handling of the grafts, etc. I would than know how to proceed. Its so frustrating not knowing and its even more difficult to find an expert who can confirm once and for all what is going on. I keep hearing about those two doctors in Belgium, but I need to know the later before I can decide on a future procedure. cheers. 

They are the 2 most mentioned names when it comes to Afro hair, but of course there are others that also do good work, Dr Feriduni, @DrTBarghouthi Dr Lapunzula and Dr Shapiro for example. I’m also Uk based (London) and we are definitely not blessed with many specialists with regards to hair loss. 

[gillenator]

IMHO, complete labs and biopsies including the temporal lobe areas will be telling as to what is going on and I concur on you contacting Dr. Mwamba…ask him to discuss your case with the Atlanta surgeon he trained under especially regarding your biopsies because very few clinics  know how to read and evaluate them with a high degree of accuracy…the surgeon in Atlanta is very experienced and good idea to include his thoughts in your evaluation….I wish you the very best MsAyeBeeCat and sincerely hope you are able to get some meaningful resolution.

[mr_peanutbutter]

yes i think yoz definitely need a biopsy

[MsAyeBeeCat]

23 hours ago, BRITA-XL said:

Sorry to hear that this didn’t turn out as expected. Few Drs are particularly skilled in Afro hair, as mentioned above Dr Mwamba is someone that you should definitely be consulting with, Dr Bisanga is another that’s very experienced in this area. All is not lost, you just need to see if it was poor surgery/technique or if it’s a issue that could affect another procedure. 

Yes, this is my plan. I'm wondering if I should first contact a local (UK) Derm who can do the necessary tests/biopsy to determine an issue before contacting Dr Mwamba, as short of going to see him in person, he wouldn't be able to analyse my hair remotely to find out if there is an issue.  But it will be good to see what he thinks it could be in the interim. Even though I'm pissed that it failed, I am hoping it was poor surgery, as that means there is still hope if I did another procedure.

[MsAyeBeeCat]

21 hours ago, gillenator said:

IMHO, complete labs and biopsies including the temporal lobe areas will be telling as to what is going on and I concur on you contacting Dr. Mwamba…ask him to discuss your case with the Atlanta surgeon he trained under especially regarding your biopsies because very few clinics  know how to read and evaluate them with a high degree of accuracy…the surgeon in Atlanta is very experienced and good idea to include his thoughts in your evaluation….I wish you the very best MsAyeBeeCat and sincerely hope you are able to get some meaningful resolution.

Thanks. I will contact Mr Mwamba and ask him about biopsy, as it seems UK derms/tricologists are not very good at diagnosing hair issues from the ones I have emailed about my issue. Needs someone who knows transplants inside out to give me the definite answers I need. 

[New_Barnet_Please]

Sorry to hear of your bad experience, I’m from the UK and unfortunately we do not have top tier ht surgeons there so I’m instantly sceptical. As others have said consult with Dr Bisanga and Dr Mwamba just for overall advice about what could be going on and what you might be able to do and you’ll get the best advice there is. Best of luck with it, try not to let yourself feel too down, even if it takes time I’m sure you’ll be able get to a better outcome.

[Ajamilo]

@MsAyeBeeCat: i would have tried with Bissanga and see what he have to say. I would not have trusted mwamba with a Afro hair and rather got to a turkey clinic or something than to him again

Edited May 29, 2023 by Ajamilo

[MsAyeBeeCat]

6 hours ago, New_Barnet_Please said:

Sorry to hear of your bad experience, I’m from the UK and unfortunately we do not have top tier ht surgeons there so I’m instantly sceptical. As others have said consult with Dr Bisanga and Dr Mwamba just for overall advice about what could be going on and what you might be able to do and you’ll get the best advice there is. Best of luck with it, try not to let yourself feel too down, even if it takes time I’m sure you’ll be able get to a better outcome.

Thank you for the advice and concern. Appreciate it. Yeah, will def get in touch with both these two docs as they seem to be the no.1 recommendations. Just to see what they suggest or recommend could be going on. That's all I want so I can proceed in my future decisions. Cheers.

[MsAyeBeeCat]

3 minutes ago, Ajamilo said:

@MsAyeBeeCat: i would have tried with Bissanga and see what he have to say. I would not have trusted mwamba with a Afro hair and rather got to a turkey clinic or something than to him again

Any personal reason why you do not trust Mr Mwamba? I've not really heard anything bad about him on here or in general. Thanks. 

[Ajamilo]

@MsAyeBeeCat: you don’t find a real patient review with Afro hair that has got any good result with him here. 

i got a better result with a Turkish hairmill than what I got with him. My hairline is thin and pluggy. He gave me cobblestoning and scarring on my hairline. I even showed that to Dr. Wong and he got shocked over the scarring the doctor gave me. 

I know a guy that got botched from him and got no growth at all in his recipient. He also has a kinky curly hair as us. Although he got half of his money back from the clinic that doesn’t justify what happend with him

@rtc did not get any good result from him. And also is another case here where another Afro guy was not satisfied with his result from Him. I have to find the link to the thread. But do your research and don’t trust people here without seeing real patient cases from forums 

 

[Gatsby]

Any type of alopecia should always be met with caution by a reputable surgeon. Did your dermatologist suggest a scalp biopsy? This is what I would be suggesting to do now. It would be worth considering (even just to rule out any skin conditions). Don't give up hope. 🙏

[MsAyeBeeCat]

7 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

Any type of alopecia should always be met with caution by a reputable surgeon. Did your dermatologist suggest a scalp biopsy? This is what I would be suggesting to do now. It would be worth considering (even just to rule out any skin conditions). Don't give up hope. 🙏

I haven't been to a dermatologist recently, but about 6 years ago I did via the NHS and they did a biopsy then and told me it was traction alopecia with a 5p size of scarring on both sides. So I thought a transplant was my only hope to resolve my hair loss.  However, I was sceptical about their diagnostics, as they didn't seem to check for anything else that can cause hair loss. Its like they had already made up their minds even before the biopsy, as I have found with many derms who see a black, female, history of wearing braided hair, etc. The fact that I was very careful with my hair and the hair loss happened after a visit to a hairdresser who bodged up a relaxer treatment 10 years ago caused the problem. Its nigh impossible to find a dermatologist who will do a FUL check of bloods, biopsy for chronic diseases, skin conditions. I did blood tests last year for deficiencies but it didn't show any. So frustrating!

[Gatsby]

Can you get a referral to see a private dermatologist and pay out of pocket? I've lived in the UK and I know how frustrating it is with the NHS when it comes to wanting to see your choice of doctor.