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3months progress, feeling disheartened on lack of progress

J

Jay888

member
Hi Guys,

So, I've just hit month 3 post HT (3400 grafts FUE) which I had done in Istanbul Turkey (March 2019).

I've attached pictures of my current results, but I'm currently feeling quite disheartened and depressed about my progress considering seeing progress of others at the same stage that are having great results thus far.

My progress seems slow and can't say I've noticed much in terms of growth. I understand it's early yet, but like I said you can't help but see others at the same stage looking very good and hopeful.

Before HT

Pre HT Temple front.jpgPre HT TOP.jpg


HT Completed

HT 1.jpgHT Day1.jpg


Current pictures 3 Months Post HT

Hair Pic 3mths.jpghead 3mths.jpgPic2 3mths.jpgTop 3mths.jpg

As you can see, from my current pictures progress has been slow with not much showing compared to most I see, which makes me wonder is it just slow for me or should there be more at this stage?

Also the left side looks more patchy which I noticed a few weeks after the surgery and did contact the clinic to which they said I needed to be patient and it was possible that more hair shedded there ? I started a thread on it here: https://www.hairlossexperiences.com/threads/uneven-grafts-placement-in-temples.8218/ , where @JoeTillman and @Bigmac and others kindly helped out on.



I guess I'm just after some reassurance guys, as getting this done was a big deal for me( took me years to build up the courage to do it),as I'm sure for most, so I'm hoping I made the right decision. I've done my best to follow the clinics instructions and take Xpecia ( all in one hair supplement you buy OTC in Turkey, contains a mixture of things) + extra biotin to ensure I give it the best chance!

Any advice, thoughts and feedback appreciated.

Cheers
 

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Shera

Shera

Member
Hi Jay,

Your growth should only really start at month 3/4 so you are in the very early stages. Right now you should start to see tiny hairs start to sprout and these will become more and more frequent during the coming months. It will take up to 18 months to see your final result so please try to remain positive.

It is quite common for one side to grow faster than the other and then the other side to catch up as the months roll by so again don't be too disheartened.

The following chart lists the approximate growth timescales for patients, again it is not precise because your own physiology will be a major factor in determining growth too. You could just be another one of those slow growers, keep your chin up.

3 months - 10%
4 months - 25%
5 months - 40%
6 months - 60%
7 months - 70%
8 months - 75%
9 months - 80%
10 months - 90%
11 months - 95%
12 months - 98%
18 months - 100% ( Fully grown out and matured back to natural state)

Kindest Regards

Shera - UK Representative and Patient Adviser for Dr. Tejinder Bhatti
UK Email : [email protected]
UK Freephone : 0800 634 8588
WhatsApp Call/Message: +44 7708 018667

I am not a medical professional. All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice
 
J

Jay888

member
Hi Jay,

Your growth should only really start at month 3/4 so you are in the very early stages. Right now you should start to see tiny hairs start to sprout and these will become more and more frequent during the coming months. It will take up to 18 months to see your final result so please try to remain positive.

It is quite common for one side to grow faster than the other and then the other side to catch up as the months roll by so again don't be too disheartened.

The following chart lists the approximate growth timescales for patients, again it is not precise because your own physiology will be a major factor in determining growth too. You could just be another one of those slow growers, keep your chin up.

3 months - 10%
4 months - 25%
5 months - 40%
6 months - 60%
7 months - 70%
8 months - 75%
9 months - 80%
10 months - 90%
11 months - 95%
12 months - 98%
18 months - 100% ( Fully grown out and matured back to natural state)

Kindest Regards

Shera - UK Representative and Patient Adviser for Dr. Tejinder Bhatti
UK Email : [email protected]
UK Freephone : 0800 634 8588
WhatsApp Call/Message: +44 7708 018667

I am not a medical professional. All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice

Hi @Shera , Thank you for your input and the hope to keep me positive.

Like I've mentioned its very tough not to see others results at the same stage and compare, but I guess I might be slightly impatient also.

I really do hope the other side does catch up but only time will tell :) hopefully others can add some input on what their hair was like at the same stage.

Shera, would you recommend any other supplements or oil I could take for my hair? already taking Xpecia, Biotin and multvits.

I'm also thinking whether this donor are will improve?, not liking the way they have left this circular mark ( looks worse in person).

Donor patchy.jpg
 
bullitnut

bullitnut

4 awesome repairs with SMG
Could be shock loss that dude and if it is it will hopefully recover for you.....however it could be that they over harvested the donor area in that area unfortunately......but to be honest only time will tell really. As for growth most growth really just starts around month 3 and it's usually month 4 through to month 7 that you really notice things happening and it takes time with very little growth to start with.... so Shera is right it's very early days.
 
bullitnut

bullitnut

4 awesome repairs with SMG
Have you any pics of donor area immediately post OP?
 
J

Jay888

member
Could be shock loss that dude and if it is it will hopefully recover for you.....however it could be that they over harvested the donor area in that area unfortunately......but to be honest only time will tell really. As for growth most growth really just starts around month 3 and it's usually month 4 through to month 7 that you really notice things happening and it takes time with very little growth to start with.... so Shera is right it's very early days.

Hey @bullitnut thanks for the input.

I really am trying to remain optimistic, however, I guess I'm just trying to get a picture of what the results may turn out, especially with the left being alot patching as my initial concern was on my other thread.




Have you any pics of donor area immediately post OP?

Unfortunatley due to having the bandage on, the first pic of my donor area was taken 48hr after the op when I did my 1st wash:
Donor area 1st wash.jpg

But it's just from the back.

I did manage to take a side shot, but unfortunatley I think this was 5 days after surgery:

Donor area 6 day post HT RT.jpg

Funnily enough I noticed this circular lines in the early days, but the clinic was so against overharvesting as they made clear to me when I was dicussing grafts number before op, that I thought I would have no issues.... clearly this may not be the case, as you mentioned it could be possibly over harvested.

I guess not much I can do is there..



Cheers
 
Shera

Shera

Member
Hi Jay,

3400 grafts is a large number of grafts and will almost always make a dent in the donor area of any patient in terms of density. You can counter this by growing the hair a little longer so it effectively provides more coverage. Again it's early days and you may see a noticeable improvement in this area over the coming months if shock loss is the culprit.

As for supplements, all I took was multi-vits and Biotin. I did massage baby oil in my scalp every morning for the first 6-12 months which seemed to help. Minoxidil in the evenings and a 1mg Fin tablet every morning for the first year or so. I'm not sure whether you are on Finasteride but you do appear to have plenty of native hair that would be worth saving and recovering. This along with your transplanted grafts growing out well over the coming months will give you the best possible result.

Shera - UK Representative and Patient Adviser for Dr. Tejinder Bhatti
UK Email : [email protected]
UK Freephone : 0800 634 8588
WhatsApp Call/Message: +44 7708 018667

I am not a medical professional. All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice
 
JoeTillman

JoeTillman

Valued member
You're smack dab in the middle of the ugly duckling stage. This means, little to no growth of placed grafts, shock loss of native hair (donor and recipient) and you look like you've taken two steps back instead of any steps forward. Don't despair. You're not SUPPOSED to have anything at this point. I tell patients that they shouldn't look for ANYTHING until the 3 to 5 month point so you're not behind schedule at all. Hold tight, it's a long journey and one with plenty of ups and downs.
 
Dr. Baubac Rep

Dr. Baubac Rep

Valued member
Joe is 100% correct. Patient's should not be expecting any signs of growth until the 4 month mark. Do yourself a favor and do not judge your result until 12 months post op. It will save yourself a lot of stress and anxiety.
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hi Jay. As others have said, it is too early to judge. People heal and grow at different rates. I`ve seen lots who don`t see much growth until they pass month 7. It is understandable to be worried but you do have to try and put it to the back of your mind and wait it out. Keep updating every month so we can see the changes.
Hang in there.

All the best.

Bm.
 
J

Jay888

member
Hi Jay,

3400 grafts is a large number of grafts and will almost always make a dent in the donor area of any patient in terms of density. You can counter this by growing the hair a little longer so it effectively provides more coverage. Again it's early days and you may see a noticeable improvement in this area over the coming months if shock loss is the culprit.

As for supplements, all I took was multi-vits and Biotin. I did massage baby oil in my scalp every morning for the first 6-12 months which seemed to help. Minoxidil in the evenings and a 1mg Fin tablet every morning for the first year or so. I'm not sure whether you are on Finasteride but you do appear to have plenty of native hair that would be worth saving and recovering. This along with your transplanted grafts growing out well over the coming months will give you the best possible result.

Shera - UK Representative and Patient Adviser for Dr. Tejinder Bhatti
UK Email : [email protected]
UK Freephone : 0800 634 8588
WhatsApp Call/Message: +44 7708 018667

I am not a medical professional. All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice

Hi Shera,

I guess I will have to keep it long so it doesn't look too bad, but was just thinking the circular way it was harvested, probably was poorly done by the techs. Shame really as lots gave good reviews on the clinic.

I'm not taking Fina or Minox yet, really on the fence to start either as the sides of Fina scare me and well with minox i heard you need to run it indefinatley or the hair will fall when you stop using it. So really need to think if I want to use it forever, but I do see your point and importance of saving my native hair.

I also have has probs with libido for the last few years and don't want to add fina into the mix just yet to possibly make matters worse.

I will keep the thread updated regualrly to show my progress, but thank you for your help!
 
J

Jay888

member
You're smack dab in the middle of the ugly duckling stage. This means, little to no growth of placed grafts, shock loss of native hair (donor and recipient) and you look like you've taken two steps back instead of any steps forward. Don't despair. You're not SUPPOSED to have anything at this point. I tell patients that they shouldn't look for ANYTHING until the 3 to 5 month point so you're not behind schedule at all. Hold tight, it's a long journey and one with plenty of ups and downs.

Hi @JoeTillman thank you as always for you input.

Your post does give me some hope and hopefully I see some good progress in the coming months ( especially with the left side temple).

You're defo right though, I feel balder than ever like I've taken two steps back, but as you say it's part of the process.

I will try and remain optimistic and will keep this thread updated on my progress, so feel free to chime in anytime.

Thank you!
 
J

Jay888

member
Joe is 100% correct. Patient's should not be expecting any signs of growth until the 4 month mark. Do yourself a favor and do not judge your result until 12 months post op. It will save yourself a lot of stress and anxiety.
Hello Sir,

I really need to take your advice, as it is causing me stress. This thread and posts by you guys has given me hope.

It's just sometimes difficult to not compare and check others progress out and then wonder whats the deal with our how transplant.
 
J

Jay888

member
Hi Jay. As others have said, it is too early to judge. People heal and grow at different rates. I`ve seen lots who don`t see much growth until they pass month 7. It is understandable to be worried but you do have to try and put it to the back of your mind and wait it out. Keep updating every month so we can see the changes.
Hang in there.

All the best.

Bm.
Hey @Bigmac , yup as you said it's hard not to be worried, but I guess it's something I need to avoid, as only time will tell.

Even when I reported the left temple being not as dense in regards to graft placement a few weeks after surgery to the Doctor, he just told me to wait it out, but comparing to the other side( not that there's much there also) it's still light an patchy.

Will take on the advice of the guys and keep posting regularly to see my progress.

Thanks!
 
Pete from Farjo

Pete from Farjo

Valued member
Got to agree with the above comments - three months is not the time to start judging the success or failure of your transplant. I've had a few procedures over the years and not once was growth evident at this point. In fact, on one occasion it wasn't until month eight that things really started to happen, but the end result was still a success.

It is a tough, stressful waiting game, but hopefully you'll get where you want to be in the end.
 
J

Jay888

member
Thanks Pete, I will take onboard the advice and remain patient and hopeful that it all come good in the end.

Thanks for your input :)
 
D

Dazzster26

Valued member
Hi Friend

Great to see you posting on the website your amongst friends here , the guys have all said it already and most of us have been were you are now, but what is important is were your going from here and that is forward keep positive and keep posting that is why the site is here for all of us to share and get support , try and find yourself a hobby training getting in shape all that Jazz it does help to keep busy , I remember using a torch to see if the hairs were coming through and one stage , I had some shock loss as well it all came back , keep your head up and all the very best
 
J

Jay888

member
Hi Friend

Great to see you posting on the website your amongst friends here , the guys have all said it already and most of us have been were you are now, but what is important is were your going from here and that is forward keep positive and keep posting that is why the site is here for all of us to share and get support , try and find yourself a hobby training getting in shape all that Jazz it does help to keep busy , I remember using a torch to see if the hairs were coming through and one stage , I had some shock loss as well it all came back , keep your head up and all the very best

Hey Dazzster26,

Thats the goal my friend, try and be optimistic and hope for the best, but I have to admit, it's hard though as we become impatient at times.

I will keep you guys posted regularly on my progress.

Thanks
 
D

Dazzster26

Valued member
Hang in their brother your not alone we been were your at and your going were we are it just takes time , keep been positive keep sharing use the forum .
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hey @Bigmac , yup as you said it's hard not to be worried, but I guess it's something I need to avoid, as only time will tell.

Even when I reported the left temple being not as dense in regards to graft placement a few weeks after surgery to the Doctor, he just told me to wait it out, but comparing to the other side( not that there's much there also) it's still light an patchy.

Will take on the advice of the guys and keep posting regularly to see my progress.

Thanks!


I have seen many patient results where one side is not the same as the other. It could be just the growth rates, not the same amount of grafts placed etc. What is important now is that you keep in contact with the clinic, take regular pictures but as said before, try not to worry. Then at 12 months, if there is a noticeable difference, the clinic should work with you to fix this.
 
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