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Dr Arshad, The Hair Dr

H

Hoping_for_hair

member
Month 7 update.
Would appreciate any feedback- thanks
Looking at the pre pics you have had some really good growth - crown is really starting to fill in! If you put the before and after pics side by side you would really see the progress!
Can be hard looking day to day to remember the start point
 
M

My2021story

member
Thanks
Hoping the hairline thickens up as it seems a little thin still?
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
It looks like you are making progress but the hairline does look thinner in the central area. With regards to pictures, if you could take some in normal lighting without flash as that’s how the naked eye sees it.
You still have 5 months to go until you reach the 12 month mark, hopefully, you get more density by then.
 
M

My2021story

member
Month 8 update.

not a huge change from last month- the front still lacks full density as does the crown, but hoping for continued growth.

Fingers crossed I get better density over the coming months.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated at this stage.
 

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H

Hoping_for_hair

member
Still got a lot of time to go - can you see or feel any more hairs coming through? Does seem that a.lot of people have some months where they see more growth then less in others.

If you look back to early pics you can see the improvement, think it's sometimes hard when you see it everyday to see how far you have come.
 
M

My2021story

member
I’m now just short of nine months, latest pictures attached.

I visited the surgery last week for a checkup. The doctor was in agreement that growth is slower than we would hope for and that the left side of the donor was a little light, but not over harvested.
Under the microscope, he noticed mild scalp irritation which could be preventing growth and has provided shampoo and medication to help here.

I was also given PRP treatment, oral minoxidil and laser therapy to help growth.

it was made clear to me that if I was not happy with my results then a top up procedure would be offered.
Whilst my result is behind where I would have liked it to be at this stage, I cannot fault the way the clinic have treated me post treatment.
 

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B

Baldingman23

Valued member
Glad your check up went well!! It’s very reassuring knowing the clinic stand by their patients and want you to be 100% happy with the result. Hopefully the extra treatments will improve the growth in the next 3 months.
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hi My2021story.
At your 9 month check up did the clinic estimate what percentage of growth they think you’ve had?
I can see a crown swirl pattern in some of your pictures. Looking back at your pre op, this area was bald and a light covering was planted. The hairline had more density placement which is thinner than expected. It may improve further if you do get more growth.
Hopefully, the extra treatments kickstart some late growth.
Did the doctor say what he thought the mild scalp irritation was and why it might be affecting growth?
Would you be able to add some top down pictures showing the crown and mid scalp with all your hair combed forward? This way, it can be compared to your pre op pictures.
Thanks Bm
 
M

My2021story

member
Hi My2021story.
At your 9 month check up did the clinic estimate what percentage of growth they think you’ve had?
I can see a crown swirl pattern in some of your pictures. Looking back at your pre op, this area was bald and a light covering was planted. The hairline had more density placement which is thinner than expected. It may prove further if you do get more growth.
Hopefully, the extra treatments kickstart some late growth.
Did the doctor say what he thought the mild scalp irritation was and why it might be affecting growth?
Would you be able to add some top down pictures showing the crown and mid scalp with all your hair combed forward? This way, it can be compared to your pre op pictures.
Thanks Bm
They did not say what % they felt has grown but will ask on my next visit.

The pics of the crown pre surgery actually look a lot worse than my hair looked in real life but will try to do some pictures post surgery under the same conditions- wet hair and bright light to give a clear comparison.

Scalp appeared to have mild folliculitis, I say mild as this could only be seen under the microscope.
I’m hoping that I see more growth as for the number of grafts taken this is far from the result I was hoping for.
We regularly see others with similar patterns of hair loss achieving much better density with less grafts, although I appreciate no 2 people are the same.
Thoughts on the crown and overall density improving?
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
I`ve did a rough comparison from some of your pictures from pre op to your latest at 9 months. There is a clear improvement but the coverage is thin.
Your hair is combed from left to right making it difficult to see how much growth is underneath. The crown certainly looks better.

See here for comparison.

35CF5A6B-DBF0-401F-B232-4F7E01A6CAB0.jpegC3A63425-0EC7-4E81-B351-373FC839E0DC.jpegB9D5D63B-58E3-498B-A4EA-BE2825E351EB.jpegECB5F34A-55B9-4F91-A6EF-330FB5DCAB67.jpeg8E699653-711A-4637-8678-02C46E32B396.jpeg

Here is your immediate post op that shows the hairline was placed at a higher density, the mid scalp looks less dense and then the crown is slightly higher than the mid scalp. It would be good if you knew what density each of 3 areas were planted at.

70C50478-BF85-46AD-A8D7-EB5A9FA5C711.jpeg

Your hairline/frontal third is what’s lacking the most in my opinion. If these were to gain more growth and density in the coming months it would help make a nice difference.

Was any reason given why mild folliculitis could hinder growth? Does your scalp feel any different after using the medicated shampoo?
 
M

My2021story

member
Month 10 update
Density is still not quite where I would like it to be, the crown is thickening up And I can feel new hair is coming through. Am I likely to experience any improvement over the coming months?
 

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alex5

alex5

member
You should definitely see more improvements over the next few months, even up to 18 months post op I think.

Sounds like great service from the clinic, are you going to take them up on their offer for a top up?
 
M

My2021story

member
You should definitely see more improvements over the next few months, even up to 18 months post op I think.

Sounds like great service from the clinic, are you going to take them up on their offer for a top up?
I definitely need a top up as the density is not where it should be. I am hoping that further improvements happen over the next few weeks but I really don’t think it is likely to change much more- perhaps the crown may improve as I know that area takes longer.

not decided on the top up- my fear is another surgery with poor yield will leave me with no donor area and still lacking density
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
It still looks thin for the number of grafts you had. Has it made an improvement so far? Yes it has but not enough to meet your expectations. If we could see pictures with dry hair, hair combed straight forward, not to the side covering the transplanted area. Then it can be compared to your pre ops.
Whilst every patient is different in terms of hair characteristics, bone structure, growth rates etc, comparing to similar results from same size surgery, similar loss pattern and graft distribution does provide a ball park estimation of what you ideally expect when researching. Obviously, graft distribution plays a part on which areas receive whatever number of grafts resulting in say, a nice density frontal third and thinner behind, or concentrated on the frontal half with no crown work.

Most patients see what is perceived as their result at 12 months. Growth does continue in a smaller percentage of patients past this point but usually 12 months is what we go by. You’re still feeling stubbles in the crown which is a good sign. Will you see enough growth in the coming months to make you happy, who knows but the odds are statistically stacked against it.

When you next visit the clinic, have them take the same lighting and angled pictures to make a better comparison.
Did you receive an answer as to why mild folliculitis could have been an issue? It may be worth having your scalp checked by a dermatologist just in case there is an underlying condition with no symptoms.

Out of interest, how does your hair look from say 6 - 10 feet away?
 
M

My2021story

member
No, still looks the same. Will put another round of pictures up at the 11 month mark but at this point I am not expecting much more. I’m feeling disappointed given the number of grafts taken, I’m seeing a few other results where growth has been poor so starting g to think it’s not isolated to just me.
I could be (and hope I am) wrong and get some late growth but at 10.5 months I doubt it
 
bullitnut

bullitnut

4 awesome repairs with SMG
I understand how worrying it is after having failed hair transplants myself…. Seeing others in a similar situation will not be helping, probably giving you more stress…. Any more growth will be welcome but more than likely not enough to make a big impact.
 
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