5 months after HT in and looking for some perspective

**ZooMass** · 05-08-2017, 12:05 AM

Any help here? I really don't have anybody I can speak to about this and would appreciate any advice from an HT vet.

**pajason** · 05-08-2017, 03:47 PM

Originally posted by ZooMass

Hi everyone,

First time poster, longtime reader. This is really a wonderful community and I'm looking to contribute where I can.

My situation is this - I'm 5 months out from my first HT. I turned 25 years old recently and like many of you here, I started losing hair at an unfairly young age (20). I opted for the strip method and had about 3200-3400 grafts implanted in hopes of restoring my hairline. I chose Dr. Wasserbauer (Walnut Creek, CA) primarily because of how great she was at establishing a safe medical space and building trust with her patients (she's incredibly friendly and humorous).

With that said, I've got swelling anxiety about the results - primarily the lack of hairs given the volume of grafts. I've got plenty of open scalp space soon in between what I believe are new hairs and the shock loss doesn't appear to be letting up/fixing itself yet. I care less about density at this juncture (seeing as density occurs more slowly) and much more about volume. I do take finasteride daily and shampoo w/ Nizoral two times a week.

Here are some pictures of what I'm looking like currently up top.:

http://imgur.com/a/yMxdh <- (Album)

Can anybody provide some insight or perspective here? Is this normal? Am I jumping the gun when it comes to worrying?

Thank you ahead of time!

Many times the graphs don't really start to grow until the 8 to 10 month range. Some will take as long as a year. 5 months is still really early to worry about it. Some people will get pretty good results at 6 months but most aren't. You got a good amount of grafts so I suspect the end result is going to be pretty good. No hair transplant will have the density of what a normal nonbalding head will however.

**ZooMass** · 05-09-2017, 12:58 PM

Thanks - I really appreciate it. I'm definitely not the type to rock a shaved head (really pale) and now I'm getting nervous about the large scar on the back of my head.

Is shock loss common 5 months in?

**someonenew** · 05-09-2017, 10:35 PM

Sarah is a member of the IAHRS, however I haven't read I think any reviews of her work. I wonder why that is? I hope you have positive experience though, let's wait a little bit.

Do you have the before pics? Also, 3300 is a lot of grafts!

Since you are in the Bay Area, why didn't you go to Dr Diep or Parsa Mohebi?

**JoeTillman** · 05-10-2017, 09:18 AM

Without before photos to compare no one can really say what's going on but I can say that by five months you shouldn't be expecting a final result. I will also say that the poster that said grafts don't start growing till eight or ten months is mistaken as they typically begin to sprout between 3 to 5 months and this is when your shock loss will also begin to recover. This is a waiting game and it's worse than the procedure itself, by far, so hang tight and try not to be too concerned at this point.

**ZooMass** · 06-06-2017, 04:07 PM

Just caught this - apologies for the delay.

In short, I strayed away from Dr. Diep because I had heard (and seen via some of his online reviews) that his follow-up was garbage (as in, there was no effort or efforts to follow-up with his patients after the procedure had been complete) I was definitely impressed with his gallery of work, but I do understand that this is a process. It felt like he was just going to complete my procedure, take my money, and then never check in again.

Its a tough pill to swallow when comparing to Dr. Wasserbauer. You get to know her entire staff pretty in depth and they are always ready and available for questions, concerns, and follow-ups if needed (Bissan is incredibly helpful). They provide a really a positive procedural and doctor/patient experience. With that said, I'm still a little wary of how patchy the results are 6 months in. The hair volume doesn't appear to be there yet (I'm less worried about density at this juncture).

I have never heard of Dr. Mohebi... where is he/she located?

**Sean** · 06-06-2017, 07:46 PM

I concur with Joe. Grafts don't just start growing at 8-10 months. That's a little late in the game. I really do not believe in that growing new grafts over 12 month mark either. If anything, hair maturing may occur, but not new growth. Some of these timelines defy logic. Wish you the best, hopefully things work out in the next month or two. Good luck.

**Driver** · 06-11-2017, 01:06 PM

My advice is do not panic. Your surgeon has, IMHO, a good reputation and you are still early in the game. The whole first year after HT can be a real roller coaster and I suspect you just need more time. Some people are early growers and some later. I know it is hard to do, but you have to be patient and see where it goes.

**1235abc** · 07-11-2017, 08:32 PM

Any update? If you had a good experience I will probably use her. If not, I will be flying outside of the Bay.

**MostlyIrish** · 09-28-2017, 09:50 PM

I'm interested if we can get an update

**pkipling** · 09-30-2017, 11:53 AM

Hey man! Commenting so I can follow your progress and hoping that you started seeing some progress. I agree that 5 months is a tad early to panic, and we would need before pictures as well. Do you have the official photos taken at the office? And have you been back for a followup appointment?

Hope things are looking up!
__________________
I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

**Hairhope4ever** · 10-01-2017, 01:04 PM

It's way too early for panic or concern. Results can start coming in anywhere from 3-5 months, and grow and thicken all the way up to 18 months. As simplistic, and cliche as it sounds, do whatever you can not to panic and create anxiety for yourself. That can only have detrimental effects on your procedure.

Keep us posted in the ensuing months. Good luck with your growth.