Hi Dr. Epstein.
I had an FUE procedure (800 grafts) in October of 2008 with a respectable doctor. The donor site healed well, but I have seen absolutely no growth in the recipient area, which was my frontal hairline. In fact, I have seen additional hair loss in that exact area since the procedure. It actually looked better after the surgery for about a month, but then it all seemed to fall out (I didn’t actually see any many hairs fall out). No growth and additional hair loss has made it look worse than before the procedure. The doctor initially told me that I’d see growth in 3-4 months at the absolute most, but I’m now at the 5 month mark and like I said, no new hair and a lot fewer old ones in the recipient area. Is it possible the recipient area was traumatized during the procedure, killing the hair follicles in that area? Not sure if it matters, but I’m a male in my early 40s with fairly thick, dark hair. Just the front was thinning a bit.
My question is if it’s possible that the transplant did not work and possibly caused more damage to the recipient area. My doctor insists that this is impossible and that it just takes time, everyone is different, etc. However, everyone I know who have had the procedure has seen growth in 3 months or so. I want to stress that the doctor who did the procedure has a great reputation and I know a lot of people who have gone to him and were very happy. I’ve never heard of anyone not being happy with his work. Was I just a one in a million case? I wanted to go for a second FUE to fix the problems from the first one, but now I am feeling like it won’t work. Is this something you would be able to fix with a second FUE? Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
While most patients do experience some growth at 3 to 4 months, it is not that unusual to have delayed growth of as long as 8 to 10 months. This delayed growth phenomenon is especially true with FUE, in which it is not uncommon to have growth not start until 4 to 6 months.
Be patient, and trust your doctor.
Posted by Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD, FACS