1800 Graft ARTAS FUE 6.5 week update

[ThrowawayFUE2020]

Had an ARTAS FUE 6.5 weeks ago and here are the pics from immediately post op, 10days post, and now.

The scarcity scares me but I’m holding out on it being part of the process. Currently on propecia, nizoral, and minoxidil. What are your thoughts?

 

[ThrowawayFUE2020]

ARTAS is a robot that performs the extraction. 1800 grafts as stated in the title.

 

[ThrowawayFUE2020]

Oh yes, read over it. Yeah 1800 grafts isn't a lot for that area to get good coverage imo. But we'll see maybe it will turn out fine.

What did the Doctor say about the density you'll get with only 1800 grafts?

He really didn’t say a lot. Him and all the techs said that 1800 grafts will “be enough”. He did place a lot of emphasis on maintaining donor supply as I am young and male pattern baldness is a lifetime condition. He also placed a lot of emphasis on a natural result which explains the conservative hairline. also stressed not overcrowding the area covered as that would lead to limited blood supply for the grafts.

At this point all I can do is wait and see but it’s obviously left me concerned.

 

[WallaceMa76]

Interested in seeing the immediate post-op donor area from an ARTAS surgery. Please post them if you have any such pics.

 

[ThrowawayFUE2020]

11 weeks post op. Not a lot of progress. I did buzz it 4 weeks ago so it would come in evenly. I know you don’t see any growth till the 4 month mark or so but the lack of any hair breaking thru is slightly concerning.
I’m on min/finasteride/nizoral.

 

[Hairloss Hell]

You're right about where you should be

 

[WallaceMa76]

At 11 weeks, you are supposed to look absolutely dreadful. Given that, you look perfectly fine.

The important thing for now is to assess the work that was done. That can only be done by looking at immediate post op photos. Hope to see donor photos from immediate post op.

 

[ThrowawayFUE2020]

At 11 weeks, you are supposed to look absolutely dreadful. Given that, you look perfectly fine.

The important thing for now is to assess the work that was done. That can only be done by looking at immediate post op photos. Hope to see donor photos from immediate post op.

As requested

 

[WallaceMa76]

To be honest, 1800 grafts is not nearly enough for that area. But if 80% yield or higher is achieved, consider the procedure to be a success. So if greater than 1440 of the 1800 grafts successfully grow, then your procedure is a success.

I think though the future holds that you will need a 2nd procedure to add density. Looks like your mindset is in the right place and it sounds as if you know that you will not have high density already. Also, don't equate the resulting density as being a failure. Density and yield is not the same thing. Density is a relative thing, while yield is just a numerator-over-a-denominator. For that conservatively designed hairline to achieve the illusion, I'd think the range of of 2500-3000 grafts were needed (frontal half w/conservative hairline + the temple work).

While donor management was not elite, it is not terrible by any means. I have never actually seen the aftermath of a donor from an ARTAS machine. So thank you for that. I can tell you your donor does look like 1800 punches were made + no more than 5% lost to transection. That is elite level transection rate. Anything greater than 5% is trash. Your donor supply before the procedure must have been excellent based upon the photo. So it looks like you have plenty of reserved supply for a follow up procedure.

If you want any further honest feedback, do let me know. Thanks for the pics and do keep us posted.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Thank you for sharing your pics. I know how hard that is to do but seeing your donor area is key knowledge for many considering hair transplants in the future.

Goddess bless.

 

[ThrowawayFUE2020]

One with flash one without but this is the donor area 3 months post op. I buzzed my head once about a month ago so it hasn’t been growing uninterrupted since the procedure.

 

[WallaceMa76]

Thank you for sharing your pics. I know how hard that is to do but seeing your donor area is key knowledge for many considering hair transplants in the future.

Goddess bless.

Start your own thread and allow a fellow hair loss sufferer and surgical hair transplant patient, like myself, to help you along the way.

 

[WallaceMa76]

One with flash one without but this is the donor area 3 months post op. I buzzed my head once about a month ago so it hasn’t been growing uninterrupted since the procedure.

I'd estimate the length of the hair in your donor in those pics is about a 3 guard and it is imperceptible from those pics of your donor that you've had any work done. That is the primary goal of FUE and why you pay the extra $$$'s for FUE over strip surgery. In general, I would not recommend a candidate for surgical hair restoration go to a clinic that uses a ARTAS machine, but so far so good. The final and true measure is going to be yield however. So given that, I look forward to your results. In the end, the ARTAS is just another surgical tool. It all depends on the surgeon's skill with the tool.

At 3 months, I got pretty good growth. How is your recipient looking at the moment?

 

[ThrowawayFUE2020]

I'd estimate the length of the hair in your donor in those pics is about a 3 guard and it is imperceptible from those pics of your donor that you've had any work done. That is the primary goal of FUE and why you pay the extra $$$'s for FUE over strip surgery. In general, I would not recommend a candidate for surgical hair restoration go to a clinic that uses a ARTAS machine, but so far so good. The final and true measure is going to be yield however. So given that, I look forward to your results. In the end, the ARTAS is just another surgical tool. It all depends on the surgeon's skill with the tool.

At 3 months, I got pretty good growth. How is your recipient looking at the moment?

This is 3 months post.

 

[Narwood2.5V]

This is 3 months post.

How’s your 3 half month mark. Can we see some pictures. I bet there some hair growth now.

 

[WallaceMa76]

Where are you at now @ThrowawayFUE2020?