Dr. William Lindsey - 2,300 FUT - October 2022

[kc87]

Hi everyone - I've lurked the forums for a couple of years now, though perhaps maybe not as much as I should have...

I was 33 and about a Norwood 3 when I had the surgery with Dr. Lindsey and his team in October 2022 (FUT with 2,300 grafts). I'm now 34 and about 15 months post-op, and I'm pretty disappointed with the results. I think the hairline is unnaturally straight and looks a bit too "pluggy," but even worse than that are the issues with patchiness and density. As you'll see in photos, particularly on my left side, there's an area where there's really just not much hair. Not ideal. Overall, there's a stark difference when you go from my natural hair to my transplanted hair, the latter of which is very sparse and wiry. I kept hoping - month after month, really just deluding myself - that the hair would fill in and thicken some more... but it really just never did. The "potential" issue I saw at month 4 is now a very real, permanent issue. My hair follicles are naturally fine/thin, so this doesn't help, and maybe I would have needed another surgery to increase density anyway. But, still - compared to other results posted here, I feel as though my finished product is pretty bad. It's not disaster bad, but it's not at all what I was hoping for. Or maybe my expectations were too high and I'm being melodramatic? 

Like many others, I was hoping to have this transplant so that I could walk outside without fearing the wind. That certainly has not happened. While the additional follicles do of course help overall, I still have to style my hair brushed forward, to hide the thin patches and unnatural hairline, and if the wind gets me at a wrong angle, I believe people will naturally wonder wtf is wrong with part of my head/hair. (Part of the problem may also be with how the transplanted hairs were angled during the transplantation?)

Overall I spent $10.5k and used several weeks of vacation. It's frustrating to think that I might have to do this again just a couple years later, to fix/improve what happened in October 2022. 

All that said, I'm not here to drag Dr. Lindsey and his team - maybe I just had a bad experience beyond anyone's control. While I mentioned earlier that maybe I didn't do enough research, I did do some. I saw quite a few results I really liked from him, both from the videos he posts and elsewhere on the Internet. I'm sure he has plenty of happy customers, but I'm not in that camp. There's another post on here by a guy who had two transplants done by Dr. Lindsey, and then a third by Dr. Cooley. He commented that it's night/day in terms of their approaches, and I can attest to what was said about Dr. Lindsey's: he pulls the strip out, makes the incisions, and then it's basically two of his techs placing the hairs in. He does stop by a few times, but mostly he's in his office (or, without your consent, bringing a prospective patient back to see how it's done and chat with you, which I found pretty strange). He's a nice guy, and his staff is lovely, but we're all after results, not just a pleasant experience. And the results here just aren't great.

One random note: I wasn't on finasteride at the time of the procedure. I had scared myself too much about potential side effects, and Dr. Lindsey said something to me that like only 10 percent of his patients use it. Well, after the procedure, I finally got over the (illogical) anxiety and started taking fin. All good. Really dumb that I hadn't started earlier, but I guess I convinced myself that I'd be okay without, and that it'd be no biggie to get another procedure in a decade. Again: really dumb. Don't do what I did. 

Anyway, I'm a posting for a couple of reasons: to contribute to the community that's helped me along the way, but also so that I can get some feedback. Below are some photos from before and after, at various stages along the timeline. I'm curious as to what others think about where I'm at (Am I being too harsh?) and also what I could potentially be looking for if I decide to try for another procedure. Thanks in advance.

 

Edited January 14 by kc87
Photos were too big.

[BaldReaper]

the density is decent but the hairline is lacking irregularities

[HappyMan2021]

1 hour ago, kc87 said:

Or maybe my expectations were too high and I'm being melodramatic?

no offense but yes this possibly

you weren't botched and you had significant growth. As a NW3 with your 1st HT, this is all you can ask for really...

You need a 2nd HT just like 95% of other patients, and your 2nd HT should in theory be much easier than the 1st, as it should just be a routine density fill-in. 

Also $10.5k for 2300 grafts is a steal for a hair transplant in the United States

Edited January 14 by HappyMan2021

[jjalay]

I really dont see this 2300 grafts for such a small area to cover. Maybe its because you have thin hair but the density in not as expected. Before jumping into another surgery have you tried something like volume powder to give it a better looks? I have to say that even with this density your hairline looks fine and natural thinning so to speak.

[Hairwolf]

Not the worst one has ever seen on here that’s for sure. Hairline does look a bit pluggy, and as pointed out is a bit straight/lacking irregularities. A touch up with a good surgeon with perhaps some one like Dr Cooley would sort you out. Stick some soft singles in the hairline and fill it in a bit.

[Melvin- Admin]

The growth is decent. But it does require some micro-irregularities. I don’t believe the grafts were dense-packed. Dr. Cooley is a good option. 

[kc87]

Thanks to everyone for weighing in. A few quick responses and additional info: 

- You're probably right, @HappyMan2021, that I would have needed two HT's to get the results I'm after, regardless of how this first one went. My hair follicles are very thin, and I was probably deluding myself thinking that just one would do the trick. Still, though - after seeing so many of the results posted on this forum, I think this is below average and pretty underwhelming. I also should note that a second HT wasn't ever discussed by Dr. Lindsey and his team - certainly not as in "This might lack density, so you'll be back in a year so that we can fill it in some more." It was only "You might lose more hair (since you're not on fin) and need another procedure in ten years." So while I may be guilty of lofty expectations, part of this was due to what I was hearing from my HT team.

- I've tried the hair fibers, @jjalay, but they don't help me too much. And given the unnatural look of my new hairline, I'm just not comfortable styling the hair back; the hairs are pluggy and in a straight line, with zero irregularities. I am not a HT surgeon, but I don't understand how this can happen - why aren't some hairs placed askew now and again so that a more natural-looking hairline is produced? It seems so easy. It's like they took a ruler to my head and placed them in a perfect row. 

- Also, as for the 2,300 grafts, the original estimate was that I'd need 1,800 - 1,900. But apparently they were able to extract a lot more from my donor area than they'd anticipated, so I ended up getting the 2,300. I was pretty happy about this when he told me, assuming it would mean a lot more density. Alas. (The picture below showing my left side... woof.)

I'm not sure what I'll do moving forward. I'll probably sit tight for a while and see if I can learn to live with the underwhelming results. But: it's a sunk cost at this point, and if I can be reasonably certain that a second HT would significantly increase my density/hairline/overall look, it'd be hard not to try for that. HT #1 was a big expense, and I rearranged my life for a few weeks to recover from the surgery. If I do try for round #2, I'll probably try to go with a no-shave FUE option.

For all those considering a HT, one piece of advice would be to check your expectations and be realistic. Also consider what you might do if things don't go as planned. Even though I lurked these forums for quite a while before taking the dive, I always assumed I'd be one of the stellar results. "Those other guys with crappy experiences, how could that ever happen to me?" Again, while I know I'm far from a disaster case, it hasn't been a fun 15 months, waiting on results that never materialized.

Best wishes to everyone out there considering/recovering. Listen to the people on this forum, like @Melvin- Admin (and many, many others) who provide good, reasonable advice. I wish I would have reached out and asked a few questions before my HT. It certainly wouldn't have hurt!