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

[MsAyeBeeCat]

7 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

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.

Yeah, would have no problem paying for a private derm.  I requested a NHS derm in December 2022 via my GP, I was told there was a 6 months+ waiting list which as far as I know I'm still on, but haven't been 'waiting' or holding out for as they seem pretty useless already from their e-consultation. I told my GP I had a transplant a year ago which failed to take, sent pics, etc which was sent to the NHS Derm.. they got back saying 'yeah traction alopecia from tight hairstyles etc BS BS ' !!! Its like they ignored the part about a TRANSPLANT, and from the photos I sent, just saw a black, female with temple hair loss and decided 'Yep, traction'!! This is why if I do ever get an appointment to see a NHS derm i'm probably going to walk out half way through the appointment LOL Anyway, I'm doing my own research and topical treatments while I decide what to do next i.e find a private derm and/or consult with one of the two mentioned Belgium based Drs for a consultation to see if maybe a non-surgical treatment can help and/or if a 2nd transplant would work for me or not. 

[MsAyeBeeCat]

On 5/29/2023 at 11:36 PM, Ajamilo said:

@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 

 

Funny, I was just reading some posts after doing a search for 'Afro' and found your post. I forgot who commented here and coincidence it was you about Dr Mwamba. Sorry you had that experience and I'll definitely keep this in mind in my future decisions. As much as the surgery itself, its also important to me that the post surgery care is excellent. From what I read in your post, you had very bad experience with staff not responding to you and being rude and defensive. This is something that concerns me.

How are things now with your hairline? Did you end up getting more work done or did your work grew in after 18 months?

[Ajamilo]

17 hours ago, MsAyeBeeCat said:

Funny, I was just reading some posts after doing a search for 'Afro' and found your post. I forgot who commented here and coincidence it was you about Dr Mwamba. Sorry you had that experience and I'll definitely keep this in mind in my future decisions. As much as the surgery itself, its also important to me that the post surgery care is excellent. From what I read in your post, you had very bad experience with staff not responding to you and being rude and defensive. This is something that concerns me.

How are things now with your hairline? Did you end up getting more work done or did your work grew in after 18 months?

Is still the same as before sadly. I have just been growing out my hair to try to cover it up but it doesn’t look good. Hopefully I will do a repair with a another doctor in the end of this year.

but guess what since mwamba and bissanga are black people have this weird and strange stereotype that they are expert in afro hair.

never seen a real Afro-patient of bissanga providing his result here or in other forums. Is weird right. don't be fooled by people who just throw out their name 24/7 when it comes to Afro hair. They just repeat it until it sounds believable.

The clinic is a mess when it comes to communication. A lady name  Carla is the main “boss” when it comes to decision-making and complain and that stuff. She is  apparently his wife. Good luck with the communication with her because you will need it

[RTC]

I have to agree

 

I don't know where either get an 'Afro-hair expert' card from apart from being black themselves.. Mwamba has had some black patients, but I've never ever seen a black Bisanga patient.

25 minutes ago, Ajamilo said:

Is still the same as before sadly. I have just been growing out my hair to try to cover it up but it doesn’t look good. Hopefully I will do a repair with a another doctor in the end of this year.

but guess what since mwamba and bissanga are black people have this weird and strange stereotype that they are expert in afro hair.

never seen a real Afro-patient of bissanga providing his result here or in other forums. Is weird right. don't be fooled by people who just throw out their name 24/7 when it comes to Afro hair. They just repeat it until it sounds believable.

The clinic is a mess when it comes to communication. A lady name  Carla is the main “boss” when it comes to decision-making and complain and that stuff. She is  apparently his wife. Good luck with the communication with her because you will need it

 

[MsAyeBeeCat]

54 minutes ago, Ajamilo said:

Is still the same as before sadly. I have just been growing out my hair to try to cover it up but it doesn’t look good. Hopefully I will do a repair with a another doctor in the end of this year.

but guess what since mwamba and bissanga are black people have this weird and strange stereotype that they are expert in afro hair.

never seen a real Afro-patient of bissanga providing his result here or in other forums. Is weird right. don't be fooled by people who just throw out their name 24/7 when it comes to Afro hair. They just repeat it until it sounds believable.

The clinic is a mess when it comes to communication. A lady name  Carla is the main “boss” when it comes to decision-making and complain and that stuff. She is  apparently his wife. Good luck with the communication with her because you will need it

Sorry to hear your results haven't improved. Its the worse kind of feeling, I totally understand myself. since the photos I show in my post, some of my temple hair has thickened up a bit, but not enough that I feel confident to go out in public without covering it up. Its still short hairs, lacking density and thin and not growing like the rest of my native hair, so its like miniaturised hair just in a dormant state

I've been looking for black patients online who have completed hair transplants with Mwamba. This channel is the only one I see (aside from his own) that has what they show as successful surgeries on some afro hair patients. But yeah, on the official websites the afro before and after details are not many... I understand with patient privacy, so maybe there are more than they show as Drs need patient consent, but I would definitely ask to see at least a dozen recent cases before deciding in the future which Dr. I went with again...

And this one guy:

Bisanga Youtube showcases some afro results, but then as with all clinics, we don't hair about the failures unless a patient comes public with it, so as all failed surgery patients realise, extensive research is absolutely needed, before you make this big decision to go ahead a first time or 2nd time.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBMroJDi-gY&t=1s&ab_channel=BHRClinicHairTransplantSpecialists

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by MsAyeBeeCat

[RTC]

Check with @Jay00 too

 

[MsAyeBeeCat]

45 minutes ago, RTC said:

I have to agree

 

I don't know where either get an 'Afro-hair expert' card from apart from being black themselves.. Mwamba has had some black patients, but I've never ever seen a black Bisanga patient.

 

I see a link in your signature, showcasing the repair job Mwamba done for you? Are you saying you are not happy with his work, or are you just expressing a devil's advocate opinion about his lack of afro hair work?

[RTC]

Mainly talking about the black/afro hair specialist tag he's been given

[Melvin- Admin]

Race has nothing to do with experience and expertise. They’re touted as experts because they’ve dealt with this type of hair on a daily basis. Dr. Mwamba operates in the Congo on 100% afro clientele. Claiming he’s an expert based on race is extremely ignorant.

[RTC]

How do you address the Bisanga claims then?

 

6 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Race has nothing to do with experience and expertise. They’re touted as experts because they’ve dealt with this type of hair on a daily basis. Dr. Mwamba operates in the Congo on 100% afro clientele. Claiming he’s an expert based on race is extremely ignorant.

 

[Melvin- Admin]

5 minutes ago, RTC said:

How do you address the Bisanga claims then?

 

 

Dr. Bisanga has an ENORMOUS portfolio working on afro patients, stemming back from when he worked in Atlanta 20 years ago. He’s an expert because of his experience, not his race. Race has nothing to do with it.

[Melvin- Admin]

OP,

Sorry to hear about your lackluster results. It looks like traction alopecia. Have you refrained from using any form of extensions or weaves in the 12 months? It’s very important you use nothing moving forward. As any traction/pulling on the hair follicles will kill them.

[MsAyeBeeCat]

5 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

OP,

Sorry to hear about your lackluster results. It looks like traction alopecia. Have you refrained from using any form of extensions or weaves in the 12 months? It’s very important you use nothing moving forward. As any traction/pulling on the hair follicles will kill them.

Hi Melvin, thanks. However, the reason I made the big decision to have a hair transplant was because I was 'told' my original hair condition was a result of traction alopecia. But the circumstances which destroyed my hair 10 years ago, happened over a 2 week period after a hairdresser botched up a hair relaxer chemical treatment. My hair never recovered. Note: I used to wear braid loosely, but my hair was not showing any signs of traction issues.After all the stress and depression of this, I knew if I had a hair transplant I would NEVER ever wear braids again. What you see in the photos I have shown are the days commencing my hair transplant over 10 months. These transplanted hair is barely long enough to hide my scalp, never mind pull into a braid or any other tight hairstyle!! This is a botched hair transplant and/or I have a scalp condition I was never diagnosed with that effected my results 5 months in from the surgery. This is why I am on here, to figure out how to go about getting an answer to how to move forward. Was it a bad surgery or was it a condition to do with me that makes me not a good candidate for a hair transplant. Thanks. 

[Melvin- Admin]

2 minutes ago, MsAyeBeeCat said:

Hi Melvin, thanks. However, the reason I made the big decision to have a hair transplant was because I was 'told' my original hair condition was a result of traction alopecia. But the circumstances which destroyed my hair 10 years ago, happened over a 2 week period after a hairdresser botched up a hair relaxer chemical treatment. My hair never recovered. Note: I used to wear braid loosely, but my hair was not showing any signs of traction issues.After all the stress and depression of this, I knew if I had a hair transplant I would NEVER ever wear braids again. What you see in the photos I have shown are the days commencing my hair transplant over 10 months. These transplanted hair is barely long enough to hide my scalp, never mind pull into a braid or any other tight hairstyle!! This is a botched hair transplant and/or I have a scalp condition I was never diagnosed with that effected my results 5 months in from the surgery. This is why I am on here, to figure out how to go about getting an answer to how to move forward. Was it a bad surgery or was it a condition to do with me that makes me not a good candidate for a hair transplant. Thanks. 

It could be a combination of both. It could be scarring alopecia aka cicatricial alopecia. I would suggest getting a scalp biopsy from a dermatologist. It’s actually common among afro hair women. My first step before getting any more surgery would he to rule this out. 

[MsAyeBeeCat]

1 hour ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

It could be a combination of both. It could be scarring alopecia aka cicatricial alopecia. I would suggest getting a scalp biopsy from a dermatologist. It’s actually common among afro hair women. My first step before getting any more surgery would he to rule this out. 

Cicatrical alopecia usually affects the mid and crown areas. My hair thinning is on the temples only. But yeah, another biopsy with a competent dermatologist is i guess my only way to determine what may be going on. 

Couple questions, if you or anyone can answer: 
1. What should a professional hair transplant check for during a consultation and/or ask you to get confirmed in terms of conditions BEFORE they determine you are a good candidate for hair transplant?
2. Are there any recommended dermatologists on this forum or outside of that would be competent enough to diagnose a scalp/medical condition? Not necessarily a specialist in afro hair, but this may help.

[Melvin- Admin]

12 minutes ago, MsAyeBeeCat said:

Cicatrical alopecia usually affects the mid and crown areas. My hair thinning is on the temples only. But yeah, another biopsy with a competent dermatologist is i guess my only way to determine what may be going on. 

Couple questions, if you or anyone can answer: 
1. What should a professional hair transplant check for during a consultation and/or ask you to get confirmed in terms of conditions BEFORE they determine you are a good candidate for hair transplant?
2. Are there any recommended dermatologists on this forum or outside of that would be competent enough to diagnose a scalp/medical condition? Not necessarily a specialist in afro hair, but this may help.

Dermatological disorders are hard to diagnose without a biopsy. Sometimes, they go unnoticed. That’s a risk unfortunately. 

Where are you located? I can see if I can connect you with a someone who can help.

[MsAyeBeeCat]

1 minute ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Dermatological disorders are hard to diagnose without a biopsy. Sometimes, they go unnoticed. That’s a risk unfortunately. 

Where are you located? I can see if I can connect you with a someone who can help.

Yeah, i got an NHS biopsy done maybe 7 years ago. They were useless. Before the biopsy, the derm just looked at my head for 10 secs and already made up her mind it was traction. Did the biopsy and just said the same thing. No other tests or things were done to rule out other conditions, so I was in two minds over it. 

Anyway, I'm trying to move forward and sort this sh!t out! re: location. I'm in the Southeast/Greater London area. Thanks. 

[Melvin- Admin]

5 minutes ago, MsAyeBeeCat said:

Yeah, i got an NHS biopsy done maybe 7 years ago. They were useless. Before the biopsy, the derm just looked at my head for 10 secs and already made up her mind it was traction. Did the biopsy and just said the same thing. No other tests or things were done to rule out other conditions, so I was in two minds over it. 

Anyway, I'm trying to move forward and sort this sh!t out! re: location. I'm in the Southeast/Greater London area. Thanks. 

Ok let me reach out to Dr. Reddy in London. I’m sure he will have a good contact.

[ITA]

32 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

disturbi dermatologici sono difficili da diagnosticare senza una biopsia. A volte, passano inosservati. Questo è un rischio purtroppo. 

Dove ti trovi? Posso vedere se riesco a metterti in contatto con qualcuno che può aiutarti.

It should be said that the biopsy must be done in a certain way, that is,  it is not enough to take a single sample, but several samples, because it may happen that the part of the scalp taken is healthy, but a few centimeters away may be affected by some disease. Of course, in your case @MsAyeBeeCatit’s a problem, because the samples should be taken from the front of your scalp, and since the biopsy also leaves scars, yes, it’s a problem.

Edited June 1, 2023 by ITA

[MsAyeBeeCat]

On 6/1/2023 at 7:17 PM, ITA said:

It should be said that the biopsy must be done in a certain way, that is,  it is not enough to take a single sample, but several samples, because it may happen that the part of the scalp taken is healthy, but a few centimeters away may be affected by some disease. Of course, in your case @MsAyeBeeCatit’s a problem, because the samples should be taken from the front of your scalp, and since the biopsy also leaves scars, yes, it’s a problem.

I had a scalp biopsy via an NHS hospital about 6 years ago in this area. I believe they only took a single sample. There was a tiny mark there, but this eventually went away, as I forgot about it after a few weeks/months. If I went to look for it now, I can't find it.  If it heals properly scarring should be minimal. If having biopsy done gives me the answers I need to move forward, its a risk, but I would at least know I can treat a condition and/or decide if 2nd transplant is advisable. Do nothing, and I am stuck where I am. Damned if you do, damned if you don't! 

[Ajamilo]

On 6/1/2023 at 6:23 PM, Melvin- Moderator said:

Race has nothing to do with experience and expertise. They’re touted as experts because they’ve dealt with this type of hair on a daily basis. Dr. Mwamba operates in the Congo on 100% afro clientele. Claiming he’s an expert based on race is extremely ignorant.

from an objective point of view where emotions are not involved, this is not true. he has gained the expertise because of his skin color most likely - Just like Biasanga and Lupanzula. to claim otherwise is either proof of ignorance or not being truthful. 

I don't really want to discuss this here, but sometimes when I see double standards, I just have to point it out.

1) first and foremost. The fact that you use the congo card is just ridiculous and just shows simple ignorance. The fact that a person chooses to perform operations in Congo or open a clinic does not give you any title to Afro hair. why not give the same title to all thousands of doctors and clinics in Europe who works daily with European caucasian hair and promote them to be expert in Caucasian hair? because it is not logical. This is downgrading of African peoples. as if we should not have the same criteria as other continents. 

and for your information, this is not a new phenomenon. There are several Turkish doctors who travel to African countries such as Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Somalia, etc. and stays there over longer periods to perform surgeries on people. In other words. This is nothing special and this is one of the worst argument I have ever heard. 
 

2)

I don't really want to discuss Mwamba because it's obvious for an objective person that he doesn't master it.

when it comes to Bissanga. I have a great admiration for him and simply believe that he is easily the top 5 doctors in the world. but he has not gained that status on the basis of afro hair. but rather because he continuously gives good results on people with Caucasian hair and that it is proven through various forums with real patients who explain their experiences and provide monthly pictures, etc.

but using your feelings and coming up with arguments like, he has a very large portfolio on Afro hair on his website doesn't make the argument any better than a person arguing that HOI are experts in African hair and has a large portfolio on Afro hair. 

I think one need to see continuous results from real patients with the same hair type on different forums and see pictures and monthly updates as his Caucasian patients with good results before we can give him this tittle. 
 

@MsAyeBeeCat:

I have been in the same 
situation like yours and know how it feels to get a botched surgery. Just remember that this is not your fault. saaaadly we do not have the same opportunity as those with other hair types. Just be careful with who you choose to do the next surgery with. 

If I were you I would have performed a biopsy even if it result in a small scar. you can cover it easily compare to us men who fight DHT daily with medications.

[MsAyeBeeCat]

On 6/1/2023 at 4:56 PM, Melvin- Moderator said:

OP,

Sorry to hear about your lackluster results. It looks like traction alopecia. Have you refrained from using any form of extensions or weaves in the 12 months? It’s very important you use nothing moving forward. As any traction/pulling on the hair follicles will kill them.

I'm researching a dermatologist to look into my hair growth issues. Anyone heard or used any of these hair loss specialists/Dermatologists UK? 

https://www.topdoctors.co.uk/doctor/dermatology/hair-loss/

https://www.topdoctors.co.uk/doctor/hair-loss/london/

This woman Dr Eleojo Achimugu was listed after the hair loss doctors as a hair transplant surgeon in London specialisting also in afro hair. I've never heard of her before. Rare in any case to see a woman hair transplant professional. I'm looking more into her background and experience, even if to use her dermatologist expertise and get some answers. 

https://www.topdoctors.co.uk/doctor/eleojo-achimugu

[Britanium]

Inboxed you 👍🏽

[futureresearch]

On 6/3/2023 at 8:53 AM, Ajamilo said:

from an objective point of view where emotions are not involved, this is not true. he has gained the expertise because of his skin color most likely - Just like Biasanga and Lupanzula. to claim otherwise is either proof of ignorance or not being truthful. 

I don't really want to discuss this here, but sometimes when I see double standards, I just have to point it out.

1) first and foremost. The fact that you use the congo card is just ridiculous and just shows simple ignorance. The fact that a person chooses to perform operations in Congo or open a clinic does not give you any title to Afro hair. why not give the same title to all thousands of doctors and clinics in Europe who works daily with European caucasian hair and promote them to be expert in Caucasian hair? because it is not logical. This is downgrading of African peoples. as if we should not have the same criteria as other continents. 

and for your information, this is not a new phenomenon. There are several Turkish doctors who travel to African countries such as Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Somalia, etc. and stays there over longer periods to perform surgeries on people. In other words. This is nothing special and this is one of the worst argument I have ever heard. 
 

2)

I don't really want to discuss Mwamba because it's obvious for an objective person that he doesn't master it.

when it comes to Bissanga. I have a great admiration for him and simply believe that he is easily the top 5 doctors in the world. but he has not gained that status on the basis of afro hair. but rather because he continuously gives good results on people with Caucasian hair and that it is proven through various forums with real patients who explain their experiences and provide monthly pictures, etc.

but using your feelings and coming up with arguments like, he has a very large portfolio on Afro hair on his website doesn't make the argument any better than a person arguing that HOI are experts in African hair and has a large portfolio on Afro hair. 

I think one need to see continuous results from real patients with the same hair type on different forums and see pictures and monthly updates as his Caucasian patients with good results before we can give him this tittle. 
 

@MsAyeBeeCat:

I have been in the same 
situation like yours and know how it feels to get a botched surgery. Just remember that this is not your fault. saaaadly we do not have the same opportunity as those with other hair types. Just be careful with who you choose to do the next surgery with. 

If I were you I would have performed a biopsy even if it result in a small scar. you can cover it easily compare to us men who fight DHT daily with medications.

I'm glad someone said this cause I completely agree. I also have afro hair and when looking people constantly tout Mwamba, Bisanga, Umar and Lupanzula so I'll check their site and see very few if any black patients posted. The only thing I noticed is they are all black themselves. I think they are brilliant doctors but to tout them as experts for afro hair seems like a disservice to black patients everywhere if we can't even hold them to the same standard of hair mills who actually do post results of black patients.

This is the exact reason why so many black patients are running a gamble to go to places like Asli Tarcan, because they actually see results anecdotally and from the clinics. I've asked constantly why those doctors are touted as Afro experts and have yet to see a lick of proof. I can find more results from other doctors like Diep on this site who are still very expensive so I don't think cost is the only factor here. I will happily take back my opinion if anyone can provide any proof because I am more than willing to pay for quality but seems like results for black people is severely lacking on this site.

[Ajamilo]

On 6/5/2023 at 7:46 PM, futureresearch said:

I'm glad someone said this cause I completely agree. I also have afro hair and when looking people constantly tout Mwamba, Bisanga, Umar and Lupanzula so I'll check their site and see very few if any black patients posted. The only thing I noticed is they are all black themselves. I think they are brilliant doctors but to tout them as experts for afro hair seems like a disservice to black patients everywhere if we can't even hold them to the same standard of hair mills who actually do post results of black patients.

This is the exact reason why so many black patients are running a gamble to go to places like Asli Tarcan, because they actually see results anecdotally and from the clinics. I've asked constantly why those doctors are touted as Afro experts and have yet to see a lick of proof. I can find more results from other doctors like Diep on this site who are still very expensive so I don't think cost is the only factor here. I will happily take back my opinion if anyone can provide any proof because I am more than willing to pay for quality but seems like results for black people is severely lacking on this site.

Spot on. Honestly I have told some the black brothers who have contacted me regarding my surgery to run away from Mwamba and look for another clinic that has track record with real patient. I never thought I would said it but is better go to HOI than them