6 month after HT, 4000 grafts planted, hair still looking bad. Failed?

[consequence]

Think about a biopsy.

[BotchedOrNot1]

11-Month Update: Things are looking better now. However, I'm still not satisfied with my hairline and there's a lack of density in the mid-scalp area. How many grafts would you guys recommend? I have an upcoming reservation at HLC for 6,000 grafts (3,500 in January and 2,500 six months later for the crown), but I'm seriously considering cancelling it, even though I'll lose a $1,000 deposit. In hindsight, I should have listened to the advice on this forum and waited. What are your thoughts? I appreciate your input. Pics taken today: 

[Hysteria]

Hard to understand why HLC would want 6000 grafts now? Maybe based on your old photos?

[ScottishGuy21]

Your hair still seems to be evolving and filling out, I would not go ahead with any planned surgery in January. Personally I’d give it another 6 months then reassess.

6000 grafts is also very excessive. I’m not sure your donor will cope but nor do I think judging from your photos you need anywhere near that amount. I’d urge you to consult other Dr’s to get a better idea of your situation. 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by ScottishGuy21

[Gatsby]

Look at the difference from month eight right to now. At twenty three I would hold off and give your hair/scalp more time to improve. 12 months is the standard wait. Some finish at 10 months and some at 15 months. Everything is on the right trajectory. 👍

Edited November 30, 2023 by Gatsby

[Myles23]

There has definitely been a lot of progress from month 7-11 months from the photos provided. I would also echo the other previous posts and wait for the 16 month mark  and then reassess. 

[BotchedOrNot1]

51 minutes ago, Hysteria said:

Hard to understand why HLC would want 6000 grafts now? Maybe based on your old photos?

Yes they did recommend it for my 8 month old photos

[Hairwolf]

It’s recovered well and great to see it! It looks pretty good imo, and  also you are  only 23 so to echo the OP here,  hold off on any more surgery for the foreseeable and try some other meds, as there is a good chance that it will fill in the mid-scalp. You could always get a touch up with a reputable surgeon.
 

I would also be running a mile from HLC. Along with some subpar results on the forum quoting you that many grafts is unethical!

Edited December 6, 2023 by streethawk

[jjalay]

You made some good progress. At your age you should try some medication oral or topical to improve your result and preserve what you have. You definitely dont need another surgery right now imo especially with 6000 grafts lol... In every clinic if you cancel couple weeks before the surgery they have to return your deposit.

[Melvin- Admin]

13 hours ago, BotchedOrNot1 said:

11-Month Update: Things are looking better now. However, I'm still not satisfied with my hairline and there's a lack of density in the mid-scalp area. How many grafts would you guys recommend? I have an upcoming reservation at HLC for 6,000 grafts (3,500 in January and 2,500 six months later for the crown), but I'm seriously considering cancelling it, even though I'll lose a $1,000 deposit. In hindsight, I should have listened to the advice on this forum and waited. What are your thoughts? I appreciate your input. Pics taken today: 

You do not need 6,000 grafts. 

[Harebrained]

No way do you need 6000 grafts!  Personally I would hold off on any further procedures. From my own experience I was still seeing progress up to 18 months....Maybe later you may want a hairline refinement, but even that's hard to tell because of the texture of your hair.  Hopefully those are all singles up there.

[duchaine]

in my humble opinion, you don't need another HT.
If you don't like the HL, you could look for a small procedure with Ferreira, couto or de freitas.

[KSA91]

6000 Grafts!!? No way! I understand that you sent them the old pictures a couple of months ago. Contact HLC with the new pictures and see what they say and please update us on what they said after they saw the new pictures. Who did your first transplant btw?

[Nw7HPE]

HLC is a hair mill now, ruined my scarce donor and not for a great yield. Stay away, much better Docs to choose from. 

[duchaine]

46 minutes ago, Kashnw7hope said:

HLC is a hair mill now, ruined my scarce donor and not for a great yield. Stay away, much better Docs to choose from. 

do you have a report?
 

Edited December 3, 2023 by duchaine

[KSA91]

The problem here is you panicked too fast and started contacting clinics without waiting 12 months after your first hair transplant. And you sent photos of what you assumed was a failed hair transplant. They say wait 12 months for a reason. Not 4 months, not 6 months and not 8 months. 12 months! Who did your first transplant btw? You still haven't told us. 

Having 6k grafts spaced out over several transplants is normal and happens all the time (If it was your first transplant!). But the problem here is you already had a transplant and got decent results. 

Try your best to get a refund for the deposit you dropped. If you can't, make sure you insist in the in-person consultation that you want to focus on the crown and only want to take out 3k grafts maximum. 

[consequence]

Dude you're 23. Leave it be, upgrade your medical therapy, and come back in 10 years.

Also I still think you should get that biopsy to see if there's any lichen planopilaris. You really had an odd patchy back and forth sort of progression, make sure there's not something else going on.

[MildSeven]

you are only need around 700 -800 graft to Fill your behind hairline...

then perfect

 

your crown still looks okay

no need HT yet...

[botchedguy95]

HLC claiming 6000 grafts is criminal.. avoid at all costs

[KSA91]

23 minutes ago, botchedguy95 said:

HLC claiming 6000 grafts is criminal.. avoid at all costs

"3500  for the front part then 6 months later another 2500 for vertex" is what they actually said to him.

Having 6k grafts spaced out like this in several transplants exists even in the best of hands.

The problem is he contacted them when he thought his first transplant was a failure. He sent them photos without seeing the full outcome of his first procedure.

[hybonix]

That hairline is thick, so I am confused? I know it's difficult for me to sympathize here, but I think your hair looks really good. 6000 grafts or more grafts would be insanity in my honest opinion. Thousands of people would love to have full coverage or even close to the realm of what you currently have. Again, I am not in your shoes so I cannot fully understand how you feel. Based on what I see, you look great and have tons of hair! Hair transplants are illusions, so you will never have the same density as your native hair. However, the hair is awesome, and hope you can see the improvements here.

Please do not touch the crown either or even come close to another procedure. I recommend waiting several years or even until your early 30s to see where you are at because your hair loss will progress. 23 is very aggressive and you are still very young. Do not blow your "load" as you have a limited supply of grafts. You will regret this later down the line if you run out and need it for different areas such as the crown.

Please take a look at the before and after:

[jjalay]

6 hours ago, KSA91 said:

"3500  for the front part then 6 months later another 2500 for vertex" is what they actually said to him.

Having 6k grafts spaced out like this in several transplants exists even in the best of hands.

The problem is he contacted them when he thought his first transplant was a failure. He sent them photos without seeing the full outcome of his first procedure.

Regardless of the outcome of the first surgery quoting a 23 year old patient 6000 grafts after a first hair transplant with 4000 grafts and without even having the final result is really criminal.

[KSA91]

14 minutes ago, jjalay said:

Regardless of the outcome of the first surgery quoting a 23 year old patient 6000 grafts after a first hair transplant with 4000 grafts and without even having the final result is really criminal.

It is yes! But that's the thing...I want to know the exact correspondence between them. Did the guy tell them he had 4000 grafts already taken? and he just came out of a hair transplant? Or did he just email them with photos and an inquiry about transplants without mentioning anything else that happened previously? These details are important. And for some reason, OP doesn't want to tell us where he got his first transplant from!

[Ajamilo]

4 minutes ago, KSA91 said:

It is yes! But that's the thing...I want to know the exact correspondence between them. Did the guy tell them he had 4000 grafts already taken? and he just came out of a hair transplant? Or did he just email them with photos and an inquiry about transplants without mentioning anything else that happened previously? These details are important. And for some reason, OP doesn't want to tell us where he got his first transplant from!

I understand what you mean but is not ethical to quote another 6000 grafts to a 23 years old guy who already have had 4000 grafts which appeared to be unsuccessful.

this is why I like elite doctors. They will try to preserve the donor area investigate the reason why it failed and come up with a plan for the next steps

 

[BotchedOrNot1]

On 12/3/2023 at 9:52 PM, KSA91 said:

The problem here is you panicked too fast and started contacting clinics without waiting 12 months after your first hair transplant. And you sent photos of what you assumed was a failed hair transplant. They say wait 12 months for a reason. Not 4 months, not 6 months and not 8 months. 12 months! Who did your first transplant btw? You still haven't told us. 

Having 6k grafts spaced out over several transplants is normal and happens all the time (If it was your first transplant!). But the problem here is you already had a transplant and got decent results. 

Try your best to get a refund for the deposit you dropped. If you can't, make sure you insist in the in-person consultation that you want to focus on the crown and only want to take out 3k grafts maximum. 

 The clinic was ASMED 😁 Thank you all for your responses; they have been immensely helpful to me during my challenging journey.