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  1. #1
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    Default Concern about recent HT

    Hi everyone new here. On July 1st 2008 I had my first hair transplant of 1300 grafts (Strip) on the frontal region; I’m a 5 on the Norwood scale, It‘s now 6 ½ months since the procedure and I don’t see much growth, the hair that has grown is sparse and upon close examination I don’t see any new growth from the transplanted area. At this point, I have a bit more hair than pre-op but nothing significant. I do understand that for my particular Norwood class 1300 is not significant but I was hopping for a bit more coverage than what I currently have. I was told by the Dr. who performed the surgery (out of state) that at 6 months I should be at roughly 50% of the full growth. Looking at what I currently have another 50% will not be significant. By inspecting the pre and post-op pictures can any of you experts advise me on what I should expect at the full maturity of the growth and for 1300 grafts am I where I should be?

    Thank you

    Ps. The first picture is the Pre-Op and obviously the second is the Post-op
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  2. #2
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    From everything that I’ve been reading and learning, about the way a hair transplant grows, it does seem that most experts say that you will have at least 50% of your growth by six months. I have also read that there are rare cases when the growth is very slow so I wouldn’t panic. The great thing about this site is that there are real experts answering questions here as opposed to other sites that I read where most of the answers come from readers like myself or worse from people on the payroll of the website. You’ll get honest answers here from real professionals.
    Have you seen another doctor in person to ask about your concerns?

  3. #3
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    Hey Homestead,

    While I had more native hair than you, I had a hair transplant of an approximately equal number of grafts as you (I had 1,600 grafts). My doctor -- Doctor McAndrews -- told me that at 6 months, I'd begin to slightly notice results. I started to see the grafts just begin to "break the skin surface" at 6 months. The top of my head became darker because the grafts began growing. Lesser amounts of my scalp were apparent. I also had other tell tale signs, that you can look for too, such as in-grown hairs (which suck overall, but they're a good sign in that they are an indication of the new hairs sprouting).

    I am almost 1 year post-op now, and the new hairs have increased in length and have provided more density.

    So, you are certainly very early, and in all likelihood, your results are no where near the fully realized results, which may take another 6 months, or more. I have heard that it can take up to 18 months to realize the full results.

    But, if you are willing to share and if you know, I think answers to a few more questions would help the group here at the forum give you a better opinion/assessment: (This is a safe, great place, so hopefully you're willing to let us know).

    1. Could you tell us the name of the clinic you went to?
    2. Could you tell us the name of the doctor?
    3. How did you find this particular clinic/doctor?
    4. Why did you only pursue 1300 grafts? Was it a cost issue, or did your doctor prefer to use a conservative approach? Or is it another reason?
    5. Is your doctor a member of the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons (IAHRS)? (website is www.iahrs.org)
    6. Did you doctor dissect your donor strip into naturally occuring follicular units, so as to assure the greatest survival and yield of the grafts?

    TeeJay

  4. #4
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    Homestead,

    I thought of a few other things that might be useful in knowing.

    1) Do you know if you experienced any shock loss? If yes, perhaps the hairs lost via shock loss haven't come back yet.

    2) Are you on Propecia? This would help protect and keep your native hair. When I had my 1st hair transplant of only 800 grafts, I am almost certain they didn't dissect my grafts into follicular units, so I believe I had an unnecessarily low yield/survival rate. Plus, I wasn't on Propecia, so I continued to lose hair. So the results of my 1st hair transplant were just a wash.

    Lastly, keep in mind 1300 grafts isn't huge, so it won't produce the mane of a god You may need another procedure or 2 to get to that level. And check out www.iahrs.org. There are lots of good before/after pictures from the various doctors there, including lots of pictures from people that have had less than 2000 grafts done. You might be able to use these pics to get a sense of what you might expect from your own surgery.

    TeeJay

  5. #5
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    Looks like a lot of real estate to cover with only 1300 grafts. I would think that you would see more growth at six months but I am not an expert. What does your doctor say?

  6. #6
    Senior Member bigmac's Avatar
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    Interesting case as you may experience a lot more growth as it is too early to judge as others have said.
    What concerns me is the 1300 grafts for such a large area.
    Did you agree to a conservative approach with your doctor knowing you will need more work or have you donor/laxity issues which limited the size of your session.
    Personally if i was in your situation and had the donor i would have opted for at the very least a 2500 plus graft surgery.

    Hope it all grows in for you and makes a good improvement for you.
    Take care
    bm.

  7. #7
    Administrator SpencerKobren's Avatar
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    Hi Homestead,

    I can certainly understand your concern. Hair transplantation is a process, and unfortunately a big part of the process is the long wait to see the final outcome of the procedure. There are some patients who see results as early as three months and others who may not see much at all until the 8 or 9 month mark. It is still relatively early in the game so I wouldn't be alarmed.

    While 1300 grafts is a small procedure considering your pattern of hair loss, you should still see a marked improvement once they begin to grow.

    Hope this helps. Hang in there,
    Spencer Kobren
    Founder, American Hair Loss Association
    Host, The Bald Truth Radio Show

    I am not a physician. My opinions and knowledge concerning hair loss and its treatment are based on extensive research and reporting on the subject as a consumer advocate and hair loss educator. My views and comments on the subject should not be taken as medical advice. Always seek the advice of a medical professional when considering medical and surgical treatment.

  8. #8
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    Thank you all for your responses and your words of encouragement.
    I only had 1300 grafts for the simple reason that it was all I could afford at the time. After assessing the result of this HT 6 months from now, I will move forward with follow-up HT to cover the crown and the remainder of the frontal area, I’m assuming that 2500 grafts should do it (I hope!).

    Teejay

    I did experience significant shock and had lost a lot of hair (I guess I’m being redundant).
    I had this work done in St Louis, Mo with Dr. Larry Samuels and I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience there. I’m not on Propecia or any other pharmaceuticals; I could not tell you if they dissected my grafts into follicular units given I was not aware of such a procedure at the time and therefore did not inquire.

    My concern at this point despite you guys and my Doc saying that I should see more growth is that I don’t see anymore hair/grafts breaking the skin surface, I did see that at 3 months though including the occasional ingrown, I would assume this would be the time that I would see the majority. I understand that the hair is very fine and light in color but I had my wife look at my scalp with magnifying glass and she barely saw any. I hope you guys are right (fingers cross).

    Thanks.

  9. #9
    Administrator SpencerKobren's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Homestead1 View Post
    Thank you all for your responses and your words of encouragement.
    I only had 1300 grafts for the simple reason that it was all I could afford at the time. After assessing the result of this HT 6 months from now, I will move forward with follow-up HT to cover the crown and the remainder of the frontal area, I’m assuming that 2500 grafts should do it (I hope!).

    Teejay

    I did experience significant shock and had lost a lot of hair (I guess I’m being redundant).
    I had this work done in St Louis, Mo with Dr. Larry Samuels and I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience there. I’m not on Propecia or any other pharmaceuticals; I could not tell you if they dissected my grafts into follicular units given I was not aware of such a procedure at the time and therefore did not inquire.

    My concern at this point despite you guys and my Doc saying that I should see more growth is that I don’t see anymore hair/grafts breaking the skin surface, I did see that at 3 months though including the occasional ingrown, I would assume this would be the time that I would see the majority. I understand that the hair is very fine and light in color but I had my wife look at my scalp with magnifying glass and she barely saw any. I hope you guys are right (fingers cross).

    Thanks.
    Hi Homestead,

    Dr. Larry Samuels has a very good track record, and is known to be caring and ethical physician. The fact that you had significant shock loss, coupled with slow growth would make anybody anxious, but this does happen.

    Is there a reason why you're not taking Propecia?

    Hang in there, things will improve. Just give it time.
    Spencer Kobren
    Founder, American Hair Loss Association
    Host, The Bald Truth Radio Show

    I am not a physician. My opinions and knowledge concerning hair loss and its treatment are based on extensive research and reporting on the subject as a consumer advocate and hair loss educator. My views and comments on the subject should not be taken as medical advice. Always seek the advice of a medical professional when considering medical and surgical treatment.

  10. #10
    IAHRS Recommended Hair Transplant Surgeon Jeffrey Epstein, MD's Avatar
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    Homestead- You are far too early to judge the rate of growth. In around 20% of patients, there is minimal to no growth at 6 months in those patients who do not use minoxidil to the area. Therefore, as I have been telling my patients for the past over 14 years- be patient. And with just 1300 or so grafts, you could expect a noticeable but not dramatic improvement given the size area filled in.

    Sincerely,
    Jeff Epstein, MD, FACS
    Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD
    Foundation For Hair Restoration

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