Hi

Everyone is not capable of 5k sessions.. No way I could get over 3000 without going out of the safe zone.. My scalp is tight as many others are as well.

9 months is still a bit early.. Doctors do say it can take up to 2 years for some people to 100% mature.. Personally, I think my peak was 14 months .. 2500 grafts is not going to give Elvis hair to a N5.. From my experience , I think minimum is 5k for an illusion of density and that is not even considering hair type, head size, etc..

I hope you do start to grow and get a mad rush of growth but i can see why you are concerned.

Maybe the doctor can post your pictures he took of you.

ttds,
Let us know what dr. E says. He's very good and will take care of you. W/ your next HT you really should go for max grafts. 2 or 3 smaller sessions will produce alot of down time and ultimatly cost alot more.

TTDS
There are a few in here who say that even full growth at 2500 will not make a difference.

I mean how carried away are we getting? 2500 was a mega session not too long ago, and people were raving on this site. Now it's nothing?

Go to Epsteins website. Most of his patients are in the 2-3K range.

Did you discuss your goals with Epstein?

Did you leave it up to Epstein to dictate grafts re: goals?

Did Epstein tell you this will make little difference in your look?

Did Epstein tell you you had a limited number of available grafts?

I'm in your exact situation, at 6 months, and I'll be damned if I'm going to be told AFTER the expense and long wait that "oh... by the way you actually wont get an illusion of density" unless you have a certain amount of grafts.

If that's the case, then this should be fully disclosed prior to surgery.

Keep us informed on your progress with growth and what doc says. I will do same. I really hope we are just slow growers.
-KK

KevKristy is right, I do not think 2500 is a small session by any means. I had a 1625 session which made a very nice change.

Doctors/patients who say wait longer than a year to see final results are only partially correct.

A 9-12 months, you should have seen most of the growth come in and have some idea of what things will look like and wha kind of coverage you can expect. After that, hair may grow longer, become softer but most all of those grafts should have sprouted at least by 9-12.

TTDS, your hair looks pretty thick on the sides, you should be a prety good candidate and get good results, I would not go back for round 2 until you see this final result from round 1. Keep us posted.

I know I still have some growth coming but right now at nine months I'm basically still bald in the front and would not take off my hairpiece. If I had to judge the procedure on the results I see today I would say it was a failure. However, I'm staying positive because I know Dr. Epstein will help me if it comes to that.

Kevkristy-You bring up excellent points. I did discuss my goals in detail with Dr. Epstein and he decided which route we were going to take. He did tell me on the second procedure I could decide if I wanted the next grafts to go in the front, on the crown or a combination of both. Never was it mentioned that 2500 grafts in the front third would leave me still looking bald. Dr. Epstein told me I had enough grafts for a third procedure if I wanted one. I am really feeling discourage after waiting this long and seeing basically nothing. I have been very careful not to come on the forum bitching and complaining about my lack of growth because I wanted to give it time. From every post I've read on here in the past year almost everyone says by this point in time I should be working with new hairstyles. Well, that ain't happenin here!

TTDS
I agree. The bottomline is you went in for cosmetic surgery. By definition it is supposed to improve your appearance.

Would you (or anyone else) have gone through with the procedure if you were told pre surgery that this was the end result?

I know I would not have -- not for 10 grand and 9 months of down time.

Again, I'm in the same boat, and I'm getting fed up with the goal post changers. 6 months with no growth (for me) and 9 months with little cosmetic change (for you) is way out of the norm.

-KK

For all of those toying with this notion, let me say that 2500 grafts packed into the frontal third of a scalp (like in TTDS' case) should make a huge difference. If it was spread out all over the scalp on a completely bald area, I would argue otherwise.

I too would be very concerned if at 9 months I had very little hair growth in the area.

I know we are all trying to help make TTDS feel better, but let's be honest, wouldn't you all be concerned if you were in his shoes?

Now it IS possible that he is an extremely early grower and a lot still COULD happen. I'm not going to negate this, but the call to be concerned certainly is valid in my opinion.

TTDS may have to visit with Dr. Epstein (if possible) so he can evaluate his scalp to see what may or may not be going on.

A "failed hair transplant" procedure can occur for a number of reasons including the improper handling and care of the grafts, but also physiological reasons.

Before making a judgement however, I recommend that we hold off until we hear from Dr. Epstein.

Best wishes,

Falc

"Falc states that the average at 9 months 90% growth."

kev,
that is an average. it does not mean everyone will experience 90% growth. also, just because all of his hair may have grown does not mean it's fully thickened and matured.

i am speaking from experience here, whereas you are speaking from 6 months growth of your first ht. plus, you are already a bit panicked yourself. my point is, should he be concerned--of course! it's only natural to feel that way. hell, i'm concerned and i'm only at 4 months. but the reality is that you cannot come to a full conclusion until 12 months time. every single ht doc will tell you that as will many experienced posters here.

p.s. spex has posted a few times an example of a patient and his thickening between 8-9-12-18 months. the difference is dramatic.

Hairthere
I think I included the word "average" in Falc's quote. And I do understand that average does not include all.

However, 9 months is 9 months. No matter which way you slice it.

Additionally, I think my "experience" counts as much as yours, if not more. I'm the one going through the so-called "panic." So I can relate with TTDS.

It's a real sickening feeling.

I know by now, six full months post surgery, I thought for sure I'd be well on my way, enjoying spring (sans hat), excited about growth and looking forward to what's coming. And I'm sure TTDS feels similarly, possibly worse.

Hang in there TTDS. Let us know what you hear back from the doctor.
-KK

Kev,

I encourage you to hang in there and try to separate your experience from TTDS. We don't have all the details on his case yet, and your case is way too early to evaluate. I do however, understand that you are concerned, but try not to panic. All you can do at this point is take a deep breath and relax.

Hairthere is trying to be helpful by giving you some comfort showing you that it is possible to be a late bloomer. It's not too terribly uncommon, but nobody likes to be in that position.

Best wishes,

Falc

okay kev, so at 6 months time you are panicked and think your ht might be a failure. and so is ttds'. there's absolutely NOTHING you can do about it right now. so stressing yourself and this other poster will get you nowhere. call your doc and he will tell you the same thing: you must wait at least 12 months for the final result to make a judgment call. the reason i am telling you my experience is that while i had growth at 9 months, it was still thin. then the grafts thickened up and looked like the rest of my strong native and donor hairs.

Falc
I understand. But it's really annoying to see the selective outrage around here.

It can be guaranteed that if this were a Bosley job, the regulars in this community would be ripping and roaring.

I mean, here is FAQ copy straight from Epstein's website:
"...The transplanted hairs then usually fall out two weeks later, only to regrow in two to three months."

What are us so-called inexperienced patients supposed to think after reading this FAQ?

Yet we're ridiculed as "panicky" because at 6 and 9 months, respectively, we're concerned?

I'll keep quiet going forward.
-KK

I really appreciate everyone's comments, I don't feel so alone. I'll post what Dr. Epstein says once I hear from him. I hope he isn't going to ask me to come to Miami to look at it before my appointment. It is only about a 3 hour drive from Orlando but a hassle and I'll need to take time off work.

Kevkristy-You are right Dr. Epstein's paperwork said I'd see new hair coming in within two to three months. Well you can imagine how I feel at month nine with just a sparse covering. I saw nothing in months two and three. Maybe I'm officially a slow grower but my native hair grows incredibly fast I have to go get it thinned out every three weeks.

kev,
people would question this if it were a bosley result based on bosley's piss-poor track record. nobody on here is showing favoritism. i have seen people show off their bad results from top and coalition docs. the difference is that it's usually after 12 months time.

and epstein says on his web site growth STARTS at 3 months. why are you insisting that you should see close to the final cosmetic results at 6-9 months time? some people might have close to it, others won't. again i urge you to find spex' post--it may help assuage your fears. and again, i'm not trying to attack you at all, just giving you some hope!

herethere

Here's the FAQ I was referring to. Where does it say "START".

PS - I don't appreciate your attacks on my credibility.

After the procedure can I resume my normal activities?

Most people are able to return to work and most social activities in one to three days. In four to six days all activities, including most exercise and regular hair care, can be resumed.

Tiny crusts will develop around each graft, falling out after one week. During this first week a powder, Toppik, provided by the office can be applied to the scalp to conceal the crusts. The transplanted hairs then usually fall out two weeks later, only to regrow in two to three months.

...And furthermore... I am in no way "insisting" on final cosmetic results at 6-9 months.

Nice try with the spin.

But I am insisting on SOME results, SOME hope at 6-9 months. Is that too much to ask for?

Or maybe I'm just inexperienced and panicky.

Kevkristy-I don't think you are being unreasonable, especially if you are at the six month mark with no hair growth. Have you posted a photo? Who was your doctor?