9 Calendar Months Post-Op (Checkup at The Hair Dr)
Hi everyone,
I went for my 9-month checkup with Dr Arshad and Sommiya yesterday and it was a really positive, constructive experience. I was received with the same encouraging warmth that I've come to really value in them and, in the hour or so that we spent discussing my hair, the focus was very much on my feelings about my hair, how the work corresponds to my expectations and what action we might take going forward. As ever, I do appreciate Dr Arshad's honest answers to my queries (details below) and I really do get the sense that he and Sommiya genuinely care about my result and my perception of it. Regardless of the clinic and despite all of my research, there was still a "leap-of-faith" element to me finally committing to a HT, and I did put a great deal of emphasis on the aftercare in addition to the result. On both counts, I'm happy to say I really do trust The Hair Dr's work and their ethics, and I couldn't be more grateful to them for how their intervention has really helped me turn my life around this year.
Obviously, I have three months yet until the full year is through (and I have my "final" result), but the attached photos show me how far I've come and I was really pleasantly surprised to see this comparison. I've been avoiding looking at photos of myself pre-op as I think there's probably still some trauma there, but in the context of where I am now, it's far easier. There is no product on my hair in any of the photos and, granted the 9-month set is dryer on top and gives the illusion of more thickness compared with pre-op, I'm really relieved that my hair loss is not particularly visible anymore, if at all. It looks to be age-appropriate and I hope that, with Finasteride and Minoxidil, I might maintain these gains for a while yet. I seemed to have lost sight in the last few months of my overall progress and some other members of this forum have politely reminded me that I'd do well seeing the bigger picture, i.e. side-by-sides with pre-op rather than month-on-month. I appreciate this and there is real wisdom to it. I'm now really able to take a step back, reset my expectations and plan with Dr Arshad what to do at 12 months.
How my hair develops in the next three months going forward is an interesting prospect and Dr Arshad was honest in his assessment of my progress so far, something which I really do value in The Hair Dr. He acknowledged my concerns that my hairline hadn't quite achieved the density we had all hoped for, although he mentioned that the photos I'd been posting on the forum up to now made it look worse than in person. I'd have to say I agree there. By his estimations, somewhere between 75 and 80% of grafts had taken in the hairline.
We discussed my expectations and he agreed that more density would be ideal in the hairline, so if it's still not as I'd like it to be at 12 months, then a top-up of around 600 grafts will be offered. What I like is that Dr Arshad and Sommiya made it clear that I wouldn't have to undergo a top-up immediately and that it's in no way "time-limited". I might choose to do this a few years down the line as part of a larger procedure or maybe at 18 months, for example, but the key pledge from them is that they will take care of me until I'm fully happy with the result. This very much echos what others on here have written, i.e. the "contract" (as it were) doesn't end at 12 months. This is really important to me and I don't feel I have any reason to doubt Dr Arshad and Sommiya, as they've been so consistent in their narrative up to now. I'd also like to add that I already am happy enough with the result given that I don't have any particular fears about my hair these days (which represents massive progress in my mind), but the increased density in the hairline would afford me a wider range of styling options.
Dr Arshad also examined my donor area and gave me his honest appraisal that I may only have around 2000 grafts remaining due to my rather limited head circumference. If anyone on this forum has ever fretted about having a large head, then please allow me to congratulate you on your enhanced donor supply
. If I'm to have a top-up, Dr Arshad would take the grafts from my nape which he assesses to be in better shape than the sides. For any future work beyond a top-up, I may also have beard hair as a resource for my crown and midscalp if I'm lacking in scalp donor hair.
Overall, I'm aware that outcomes depend on expectations and I suppose I would like to have seen more grafts come through in the hairline. I did share this with Dr Arshad who was receptive to this and gave me an insight to take away: everyone's biology and internal chemistry are different. Two patients will have differing results from the same surgeon. In addition, lifestyle and underlying conditions play a role, e.g. smoking or having high blood pressure may affect the result. I don't smoke myself and would consider myself generally in good health, but I think this illustrates how the way our bodies respond is hard to predict at times.
Another consideration by Dr Arshad was the possibility of smaller FUE sessions yielding higher graft survival. He mentioned the increased pressure on vascularity of extracting and implanting more grafts in one session, and said that two sessions of 1500 grafts each might well have given a better result. It's an interesting thought and I do wonder if I would have chosen to have two sessions over, say, two years if I thought it could produce a better result. Certainly, one drawback to that would be shaving my head twice, and I'm not sure I'd be entirely up for that. But this might be a consideration for anyone who has yet to have their first HT.
Overall, Dr Arshad and Sommiya stressed that the key indicator of success is my perspective of my post-HT hair and that's what they seem to be targeting: working with me throughout this journey and within the bounds of realistic expectations until I'm satisfied. This really does give me confidence going forward and is priceless, so I'm grateful to them for that and how they've helped me up to now.
Best wishes and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have,
Matt