7 months Post-Op crown minimal growth

[GibGob]

I had a crown FUT done by a very reputable NYC clinic. I do notice some growth but it's very little and I'm starting to feel very discouraged. It's already been 7 months and I think to myself how much better is my hair really going to get? I know they say it can take up to a year or more but I just feel nothing more will happen. Basically I still see lots of scalp and it's very see through and doesn't look significantly better at all really. Definitely not worth the price I paid at all at this point.

I've been on finasteride for over 2 years and still on it

Should I start using topical minoxidil to try and speed up growth? Will the transplanted hairs go through a phase of falling out due to the minoxidil again?

Edited October 9, 2023 by GibGob

[Gatsby]

It’s possible that starting minoxidil could trigger a shed. But you are correct that 7 months for the crown is early as frustrating as this is for you. You could add minoxidil now but I would only do so if you continue to stick with it for the long haul. All the best. 

[shiba1985]

There is no harm in starting minoxidil. it can only help. 

 

[JoeD]

Despite everything I’ve read, I would still probably be concerned if it was me….. even knowing it is not unusual to see a much later start to sprouting in the crown vs front (3 vs 5/6 months) and takes longer to mature (up to 12 vs up to 18 months). Hang in there. Hopefully by 1 year it will be a substantial improvement. 

[GibGob]

Well there are hairs that have definitely sprouted but it's very little. I was expecting a lot more by now. To the naked eye I'd day approx 30%

And this was clinic was in NY not NYC

Edited October 9, 2023 by GibGob

[JoeD]

2 hours ago, JoeD said:

 

 

20 hours ago, GibGob said:

I had a crown FUT done by a very reputable NYC clinic. I do notice some growth but it's very little and I'm starting to feel very discouraged. It's already been 7 months and I think to myself how much better is my hair really going to get? I know they say it can take up to a year or more but I just feel nothing more will happen. Basically I still see lots of scalp and it's very see through and doesn't look significantly better at all really. Definitely not worth the price I paid at all at this point.

I've been on finasteride for over 2 years and still on it

Should I start using topical minoxidil to try and speed up growth? Will the transplanted hairs go through a phase of falling out due to the minoxidil again?

was this your first transplant, ie did you have a prior one done on your hairline that grew much faster?

[GibGob]

This is my first. According to my surgeon 6 months is very early for the crown and the follicles just begin to really wake up.  I'm going to see my surgeon again sometime this year to be evaluated. 

I just don't understand how it takes this long. You would think 6 months is plenty enough time and that at 6 months you would be able to gauge the success of the HT

Edited October 10, 2023 by GibGob

[Gatsby]

3 hours ago, GibGob said:

I just don't understand how it takes this long. You would think 6 months is plenty enough time and that at 6 months you would be able to gauge the success of the HT

Everyone is different which is why it takes 12 months before being able to call the jury in. I remember from HT1 that I still had new hair popping through during month 8 and 9. All the best.

[GibGob]

3 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

Everyone is different which is why it takes 12 months before being able to call the jury in. I remember from HT1 that I still had new hair popping through during month 8 and 9. All the best.

Thanks for the encouraging words. I still have hope. I'm likely going to start topical minoxidil to try and speed things up. I also do scalp massages as well

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@GibGob,

While many patients see significant  growth by month seven, there are also many patients to grow more slowly and most of the growth happens in the later months.

Honestly, it would really help if you posted photos of your scalp prior to surgery, immediately after surgery and of what it looks like now. That way, we can give you a better idea of how far along you are in the Hair Transplant growth process and possibly what to expect over the next couple of months.

I hope this helps 

Rahal Hair Transplant

[Al - Moderator]

Crowns take a lot more grafts to fill in than most people think, but you don't want to put too many grafts into your crown if you haven't touched the front half yet. You may not need any in the front now, but if your crown is bald it's a good bet that your front will follow soon. You need to save those grafts for the front.

 

[Melvin- Admin]

Crown growth takes longer, due to blood circulation. Can you share before and after photos?

[A_4_Archan]

@GibGob

One of the reason can be reduced blood flow but there are other reasons too.

- The size of a crown is generally bigger and needs more graft for good density but in most of the cases front scalp is given more importance and the surgeon implants way less grafts per square centimeter and thats why it takes time because you need to grow your hairs longer to hide the scalp which takes more time

- Donor area is finite and mostly donor fall short during crown work and surgeon has no choice but to do moderate to low density work over there...

- Due to the whirl at the crown the hairs over there grows out in such an angle that it looks visually sparse even if there is good growth and hairs need to get more fuller and thicker to create an illusion of density which again takes more time..

- Some hair follicles may enter a dormant phase after transplantation, delaying their growth. This is a normal part of the hair growth cycle and can be more pronounced in the crown area.

So even if the growth is taking place at equal pace people feels that the crown is getting slow growth..

i hope this helps you ..best of luck...

[GibGob]

13 hours ago, BeHappy said:

Crowns take a lot more grafts to fill in than most people think, but you don't want to put too many grafts into your crown if you haven't touched the front half yet. You may not need any in the front now, but if your crown is bald it's a good bet that your front will follow soon. You need to save those grafts for the 

My front is good. It's just the crown that needed work. I'm 34 and managed to keep the front very well. The crown started to thin in my early 20s. I feel like I'd might want to add more to the crown but I've already had 2,000 grafts (dense pack) put in the crown at my first procedure. I'm not sure how many more grafts I should add to the crown if I might lose hair in the front 

Edited October 11, 2023 by GibGob