Forrest Gump

Sparky, based on personal experience, I'll have to disagree with you on this. My left arm is way more tanned than the rest of my body... that's the body part most exposed to the sun when I am driving... and I often take long drives. Btw, I always have my car windows up. Would you be able to point to a credible scientific study or credible website that would back this claim? Thanks!

Among the doctors recommended on this site, the costs usually range from $3 to $5 per graft. At the top of my head, I can think of Dr Ross (of La Jolla, California) who charges $3 per graft. There is another doctor who also charges $3 per graft, but I am going blank on who that is. I think most doctors would charge about $4. However, you can sometimes negotiate, especially if you are doing a megasession, and also due to the fact that you'll be traveling from a foreign country. Plus, the doctors that I've checked with give travel discounts. Some doctors were willing to give me a 10% discount (off the total cost of the surgery) for travel allowance, while others gave a composite amount as travel discount (e.g., $500, irrespective of total cost of surgery). So research around and feel free to ask for international travel discounts. I personally heard of 1 guy, who had his surgery in California... he got a pretty good discount since he was flying in all the way from a foreign country (either from the middle east or from somewhere in Asia).

I wore a bandana as I felt more comfortable with it than with a hat. I believe flying the next day should be fine. In fact, you might want to fly out before the third day since that's the time when the swelling starts (at least it did for me).

Thinkfly, the doctors are not present for a great part of the surgery. In my case, the doctor did only the donor strip extraction and made the incisions in the recipient area. The techs planted all the grafts - I do not recall the doctor planting any of the grafts. So what you experienced was perfectly normal - the doctor is not around for the major portion of the surgery. Btw, I have never heard of your doctor. Where is he located? If you don't mind my asking, how much did he charge per graft for the FUE procedure? You should look a lot better over the next several months, as your new hair starts growing. Good luck!

Sandy, why do you want to do your HT in Dubai? You can take a short flight and get your HT done in Europe or in North America. I know there are several non-stop direct flights from Dubai to New York... and New York City itself has some great doctors (Drs. Feller, etc.). Same would be the case for options in Europe. Moreover, most HT doctors would give you a travel discount which should cover your airfare and even hotel expenses. For example, I live in the northeast US and I have had 2 HT surgeries - 1 in California (US west coast) and the other in Canada - both are coalition doctors... both of them gave me travel discounts that covered my airfare and hotel expenses. So check out the options in North America and Europe instead of looking in Dubai only. Plus with the depreciated values of the dollar and the euro, your overal costs might be quite low. Good luck!

PD, I suspect you'll need way more than 2400 to give decent coverage... given the extent of hairloss that you've experienced. I understand you want to tackle only the hairline at this stage (which is a smart strategy), but even then you'll most probably need more than 2400.

Labrat, you lucky bas****!!! How did you manage to get a girlfriend 16 yrs younger than you? That gives me inspiration to ask out a girl I know, who is also about 15-16 yrs younger than me. On a more serious note, I agree that females in general, and especially those who are younger tend to be more patient, caring, and nurturing, overall. In addition, if they are also paid well, that'll get positively reflected on their work outputs.

Looks good indeed! Very natural looking too!

Littlewolf, I'll echo what Shadow_of_empire and Hairthere have stated. It is really surprising that a decision regarding a "remedial" second surgery has been made only after 7 months. You didn't mention how many grafts you had - that could give better indication regarding the degree of success of the HT. Shadow_of_empire and hairthere have given some good advice. Best of luck with correcting your HT situation, whatever route you choose to go for!

The cosmetic results are significant... but I don't understand people. For the life of me, I can never understand why someone would have a strip scar and undergo a surgery to get some hair in his beard. However, it's his money, life, and time... so he is entitled to what he wants to do with it.

hrvoje, this looks quite good for the 5.5 month mark. Things should get even better in the next few months. Good luck!

Zlatan, my top choices, in no particular order: Feller, Shapiro brothers, Rahal, Alexander, Keene. However, I am biased towards doctors who give more dense and youthful hairlines. If your goals are different, you might have a different list. Check patient results of different doctors and see whose style you like the most. Good luck!

Labrat69, good post... you raise some good points. The techs can play an influential role in determining the final outcome. I'll admit that I was a bit naive when I did my HT, and did not try to find all the details regarding the techs. I did casually ask about the techs, but did not have a thorough query regarding their experience/qualifications, etc. If I ever do another procedure (hopefully not...), I'll definitely inquire about the techs more thoroughly.

MiketheDane, thank you for the post. Very informative and extremely useful, and at the same time a very balanced perspective without taking sides or getting opinionated. This is a very serious issue and I am glad some actions are taken to rectify the situation. There might also be a cultural angle to it. As was pointed out in Dane's opening post, anywhere you go in Pakistan, everyone would be begging for extra money from you, especially if you are a western tourist. I have been to Pakistan only once, on a business trip, and sometimes it is really uncomfortable when people stretch out their hands and beg for extra money just for doing their job. Along the same lines, maybe the technicians did not feel that they were doing something wrong by asking for a "reward" money since it is apparently a cultural norm in Pakistan. However, for someone from a developed country, this can be shocking and quite unnerving (especially when the same techs actually working on your scalp with sharp instruments).

Martin, you can try out concealers like Toppik and Dermatch.

Everything looks good so far. In about a couple of months, you should start noticing new hair growth! Good luck!

Jjarden, most HT patients will have some see-through effects especially under strong lighting. HT provides an illusion of density that is uncovered under strong lighting. If you get a transplant with high coverage density, say 60 grafts per cm2, then you might be able to avoid the see-through effects under strong lights. However, only a select few might be able to afford such a high density, given the donor limitations and the degree of baldness (area to be covered).

Mushigao, good question. I never thought of this issue before my HT. Perhaps a doctor can chime in and offer his/her opinion regarding this.

Qwerty, do you have any pre-op pictures? Without knowing how your hairline looked pre-op, it is difficult to judge the degree of progress. Also, since this is 5 months only, you should have further growth over the next few months.

Megatron, good point. I think you might be right about self esteem issues when someone posts pictures with concealers... However, when a clinic does that, it is criminal, since it is misleading, and false advertising.

Hairwaiting, I haven't heard any new developments over the last 1 year. I think Drs Feller and Shapiros are still the only reputed ones offering FUE.

James, based on the photos that spex posted, I agree that you are NOT a candidate for HT. You can get started on Minox and Propecia to stop and perhaps even reverse the loss to some extent. Also see if the shaved look fits you. I have a colleague with a shaved head and he attracts some of the hottest chicks... I think he looks better shaved than he did a few years ago with scanty hair. Good luck!

Romeono1, I have some issues with the use of concealers for post-op pictures. This has nothing to do with the original premise of this thread but pertains to your last post. I have no idea who Abby is and my comments have nothing to do with him, but I am always apprehensive about people posting post-op pictures, which can be HIGHLY misleading. I personally use concealers (Toppik) occasionally, and it makes a HUGE difference to the illusion of density. I am always worried about "dishonest" clinics posting post-op pictures with concealers... and naive patients falling into their traps... I personally almost fell into a similar trap a few years ago, when I almost signed up with a clinic after I saw their too-good-to-be-true post-op photos (e.g., NW3 patients getting dense coverage with 1000 grafts). Now I know that they were possibly using concealers. Luckily, I found this forum just in time, and I finally ended up doing my HT with a coalition doctor last year... So all potential patients need to be aware of the possible (mis)use of concealers by "dishonest" clinics.

Mushigao, you should definitely consult a doctor if the headache is very severe. Don't take chances. You might want to talk to both your HT surgeon as well as your primary care physician.

James_1986, I am not 100% sure, but I believe that Minox and Propecia can theoretically grow back hair. Do some background research on these drugs... their effectiveness, side effects, etc., and perhaps also talk to a doctor before starting these. I personally think that I benefited from Minox (used daily) and Propecia (I take it twice or thrice a week), but who knows if they were placebo effects. Good luck!