Still no results 7 months after FUT

[caseyk]

Hi everyone,

I am a 24 year old male, and I had a ~1500 graft FUT 7 months ago by a well-respected surgeon (at a private office, not a hair clinic). I am very worried and frustrated however, because my doctor said that by 6 months I should at least expect to see some results. I know that full results can take a year or so, but shouldn't I at least be seeing something by now?

I have diffuse pattern alopecia on the front/top of my head (but not on the crown, and my hair line has been fine, not receding). My hair loss was not that bad, but it was just thin, and you could definitely see my scalp through the hair on the top of my head. You can still see my scalp on the top, and I honestly don't see any noticeable improvement. Is it possible that I do actually have some initial results, but it is difficult to notice because I am still young and have a significant amount of healthy hair surrounding the grafts?

I have been taking propecia daily for 1 year now, and my doctor recommends that I use Rogaine as well. However, I have not been using Rogaine. I live an extremely busy lifestyle, and I know that even if I start using Rogaine, I will eventually end up discontinuing use because I'm just so busy. And I am worried that if I do see results from Rogaine, and then stop using it, then all the results will go away. Additionally, because I have spent over $11,000 on the FUT, and am spending about $1,000 per year on propecia, I really just cannot spend more money on Rogaine. It is my understanding that results from transplantation are usually not dependent on whether you use Rogaine -- isn't this true?

Should I be concerned with this apparent lack of results after 7 months? I'm just worried that maybe my body is such that hair transplantation is not effective on me. Are there any cases of people not getting any good results even from a skilled surgeon?

Thanks in advance for your help.