I Have a Failed Hair Transplant, How Do I Find Someone Who Will Do It Right?

The most common cause of hair transplant failures in men are technical failures caused by the surgeon and his team unless there is an underlying skin disease present. As you know, the hair transplant process is a team effort requiring skills on many levels. Make sure that the next time try to find an experienced surgeon with an experienced team


2019-12-10 10:58:30I Have a Failed Hair Transplant, How Do I Find Someone Who Will Do It Right?

Wrinkles, Shock Loss

Did you say that scalp excercises and massages actually CAUSE wrinkles in your forehead?

Also, Im not sure if you answered my question regarding hair follicles, but if you have a hair transplant and hairs fall out due to shock loss and dont grow back….does that mean that the follicle is actually destroyed or is it still intact, but just not producing hair anymore.

Thanks for your help

Massages do not cause wrinkles in the forehead, nor will exercising the forehead muscles make that happen. You may be thinking about what I said when a person is trying to find out where their hairline was when they were youths. Wrinkling the forehead will produce a line at the top of the forehead muscles (frontalis muscle) and that line marks where a child’s hairline or a woman’s hairline starts.

‘Shock loss’ from a hair transplant may grow back if the hair is permanent hair (most women) or hair that is not at the end of its life cycle (such as an accident with a scalp wound in a non-balding man). When the balding process is at the end of the cycle for those hairs that fall out from shock loss, these hairs may not grow back. Miniaturized hairs which result from genetic balding are ‘weak’ hairs that will not live through a major stressful event.

When it does grow back in balding men, it is because the hairs that were lost are usually not at the end of their natural life cycle. If they grow back, then clearly there is life still left in them. Hair that does not return after shock loss in the male is for all practical purposes hair at the end of its ‘life’. With that said, I do not really believe that the hair is ‘dead’, but rather impacted by whatever the defect that causes male patterned genetic hair loss. Some day, hopefully in my lifetime, a medication will be produced that will take up all of the ‘seeds of hair’ that I believe are still in the scalp, closing the defect so that the hair will start to grow… in a way much like the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty, I suppose.

Sometimes ‘shock loss’ can be minimized by being on Propecia prior to having the hair transplant. Shock loss does not happen to all patients who undergo hair transplants, just some of them. Most people are quick to forget the robust nature of permanent hair which comes with the hair transplant process. Shock loss should be something that is explained to you before you get hair transplants. It is a part of the informed consent process and you need to know all of the risks involved when you undergo a hair transplant (or any surgical procedure).


2006-05-04 09:25:39Wrinkles, Shock Loss

I have been on minoxidil and finasteride for over a year and now am shedding very fast

Is there a way to tell the difference between a standard min/fin shed cycle and min/fin no longer being effective? I’ve lost a ton in the past 3-4 weeks after being on fin and min for over 14 months, and am terrified min/fin are no longer effective and that this shedding won’t stop.

If you have been on finasteride and minoxidil for 14 months are are now seeing shedding, you most likely are experiencing an acceleration of your balding. You might want to see your doctor and get an opinion. If you were my patient, I would have had a HAIRCHECK test done on you a year ago and would repeat the test to confirm new hair loss and to what degree. That is the value of the HAIRCHECK test when you start treatment.

You Only Want to Sell Hair Transplants to the Fruits and Nuts in California!

Sir,

I am 58 and starting to lose my hair front and top.

I have never used any product other than Nioxin, (for 20 years) but not for hair loss, I simply like the products.

I am having a very hard time, not only believing in the infomercial hair loss products like Provillus but also your negativity towards all these products. I find your foot print, disclaiming most of the infomercial hair loss products and this includes Rogaine…

Should I believe that all these products are completely bogus OR are you degrading them because you charge an insane amount of money for your hair transplants, especially in Calif where the fruits, nuts and very vain people live! I seem to feel that you are bias towards these products because you need to buy another million dollar mansion some where in the fruit and nut state? Am I correct?

By the way, I have many friends that live in Calif and I consider them to be fruits and nuts also!

Sincerely,
– Name removed
New York

I’ll just assume you were making a very poor attempt at humor with all your “fruits and nuts” comments, so I won’t take offense. Considering our fees for hair transplants are lower than many physicians in your own state, you’re pretty narrow-sighted to think pricing is outrageous because we’re in California. But let’s get to the real meat of your oh-so-insightful email…

Most of the hair loss products you read about on the web are bogus and the makers prey on desperate people trying to retain their hair. The products that do work (and are proven to do so) are finasteride and minoxidil. And even then, I post plenty of reports from readers about side effects and concerns for those medications. I like to think I’m pretty balanced when it comes to this stuff. If you like a particular hair product then by all means continue using it. I never said these products were unhealthy or would hurt or kill you. A product like Provillus just contains minoxidil, so it works like minoxidil does. If you want to spend more on a boutique minoxidil with vitamins that I feel won’t aid in regrowth, that’s your call to make. If you want to buy a shampoo because you like the way it makes your hair feel, then please go for it.

It sounds like your biggest gripe is that I’m not writing positive things about unproven treatments. I’m asked about nearly every hair treatment product under the sun, and all I can do with most of these is review the ingredients listed and give my 2 cents. Recently I was asked about a product that lists rosemary as some kind of hair growth treatment. Simon and Garfunkel might’ve had a hit with Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, but it doesn’t mean those same ingredients will work to grow hair (otherwise I’m sure Garfunkel wouldn’t have had his infamously bad hairline). My point is that there are hundreds of products around that claim to work — and they simply don’t. There’s no proof that they are effective… and it seems people don’t tend to care if there’s proof, as long as the website looks slick and they’re offered a “guarantee” that may or may not be worth anything.

You’re free to believe what you want to believe about me, but you couldn’t be more wrong. If I was going to try to persuade people into getting surgery, I wouldn’t bother recommending any medication (which I don’t make money on). If I was trying to buy a “million dollar mansion” (actually, it would be my first), I wouldn’t offer my services, time, and support for free through this website. Why would I bother educating people about how to be a better consumer if I was trying to take advantage of them? Give me a break. As for the so-called “fruits and nuts” in California, this state has some of the most normal, driven and brightest people in the world. If you want more information on what this state has to offer, you can visit the California Tourism site. I found that site by using Google… which incidentally was founded in *surprise, surprise* California.

I have had 2 hair transplant (photo)

This will be my 3rd attempt at hair transplant. How many grafts will I need and how many can my donor still provide? I would also like to blend my next HT with SMP. Please find the pictures attached. Thank you for your suggestions. Thanks.

The original donor density has to be known. It may still be possible to estimate that number but I would have to examine you and measure it myself. In addition, you did not state how many grafts you had so far and there is a suggestion of over-harvesting on the photos, but I would still have to see you to understand what your remaining supply is. SMP is the final step and should not be done until a Master Plan has been built!


2020-09-15 15:53:53I have had 2 hair transplant (photo)

Some Young Men with Hair Loss Often See Themselves Differently in the Mirror (Photo)

Body Dysmorphic Syndrome reflects people who have Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). These people think about their real or perceived flaws for hours each day. They can’t control their negative thoughts, and don’t believe people who say they look fine since they think of themselves as deformed. Their thoughts often cause severe emotional distress and interfere with their daily functioning. They may miss work or school, avoid social situations, and isolate themselves. They even hide from family and friends, because they fear others will notice their flaws. We see this all of the time in young men with hair loss, and internet forums are replete with these men who are reaching out for help from peers, often without much benefit. Suicide is a common consideration, and when I see this from young men on hair loss forums (which I actively participate in), I often reach out to them. Here are two courageous young men who came forward to speak about it on Reddit:

Balding is the only thing I truly hate about myself from tressless

Being Ugly from tressless


2018-05-30 13:42:13Some Young Men with Hair Loss Often See Themselves Differently in the Mirror (Photo)

I have ‘pits’ in my scalp after my hair transplant (photo)

What caused this and will they go away?

These “pits” are the results of the recipient site tools used by the surgeon. Small instruments usually do not produce these “pits”. Once you get hair growth, I would expect that you will hopefully not see them.


2020-08-18 07:21:33I have ‘pits’ in my scalp after my hair transplant (photo)

I have too much hair (photo)

He sent me an email complaining that he couldn’t get a hair cut and had to live with this hair uncontrolled. I think he was bragging. I had performed 3200 grafts one year before.

 


2021-06-11 12:28:07I have too much hair (photo)

I just had 4000 grafts for my Class 3 pattern, is this a good number?

4000 grafts are likely 60% or more of your donor supply. Have you considered what you would do if your hair loss pattern evolved into a more advanced balding pattern? If you are under 26, this is a significant question; however, if you are over 35, the risk of developing a more advanced pattern may not be substantial unless some male in your family line developed a later pattern of advanced balding. Who do you take after in your family line? Do you have a worst-case plan? I think 4000 grafts for a balding Class 3 pattern male is mal-practice.

I Mapped My Scalp for Miniaturization and Found Finer Hairs That Could Suggest MPB

Hello Doc,
I mapped my scalp for miniaturization (since no central European doctor or rocket scientist does). What I found was there was none in the front, crown, mid- anterior or top of my head, only as expected in my hairline corners. However, when I went further back at the temples, a narrow space between the sides and top of the head, going about half an inch to one inch further back than a Norwood 2 had also more fine hairs. (no recession up to there yet) This suggests Mpb, right?

Still I’m glad that after one year of hairloss it doesn’t look like I’m going bald soon, although at age 22 and a NW6 maternal grandpa one can not be sure (still all other male relatives are Class 1 or 2). I’m well aware that a self examination does not fully replace a medical one, so perhaps one day I’ll get it confirmed

After all, I wanted to thank you for your site, delivering infos, without which I would still not know about scalp mapping, mature hairlines or a master plan.

Thank you for the comments. While it may not replace a good medical examination, it is good to know that some readers can be empowered to take a proactive and objectively see the degree of thinning / miniaturization.

What you saw could suggest early MPB, but I couldn’t say for sure without seeing what you’re talking about.