Forrest Gump

Sere, nothing to be alarmed about. I retained about 60% of my transplanted graft all throughout. I shed less than half (approximately 40% or so) of my transplanted grafts.

As a result, I had some cosmetic changes within about 3 months only, when the non-shedded transplanted grafts had grown out.

Vollow, in my opinion, you'll definitely need more than 1700 grafts right now. You might also need more over time.

You can consult a reputed doctor in person, and get his/her opinion.

Vollow, Dr. Brandon Ross is a good doctor. I have seen the results of his surgery first hand and they were quite good (not in the league of Rahal or Shapiro yet, but nevertheless the results were quite good).

I think it is a good idea to target the front hairline instead of the crown. Propecia and Rogaine can take care of your crown. The front hairline is more important from an aesthetic point of view. Good luck!

From among the doctors recommended on this forum, in North America, there are a couple of doctors who charge $3 per graft. Most charge between $4 - $5 per graft for FUT. Non-coalition doctors usually charge more, although there are a few who charge $2 per graft, but I wouldn't want them to touch my hair.

In some developing countries, it is much lower, although I have serious doubts about their quality. A few years back, I contemplated on a "medical tourism" trip to India, Pakistan, China, or Brazil. Through emails, and over the phone, I got a few quotes. I think I got a few quotes as low as 50 cents per graft.

However, the quality of work (based on photos) of most of them was horrible! In fact, for several of the patients, they looked considerably worse after the HT than before.

Aquafria, as others have already mentioned, 200 grafts won't make a difference at all. My guess is that you'll need at least 2500 grafts, and possibly 3000+.

If you don't have the money now, you might want to save and do the surgery later in life. Another option would be to get a loan/financing to get the surgery.

I would never do a 200 graft transplant. It won't make any aesthetic difference, but you'll unnecessarily would have to go through a surgery.

Since your hair loss is mainly in your crown area, you might want to try Finasteride (Propecia) and Minox (Rogaine) first.

These medications are usually good for the crown region. Try these for a year and then see if you need a HT at that point.

Good luck!

For the time being take Finasteride (Propecia) and Minox (Rogaine). See if these make a significant difference in about a year from now.

It's quite possible that you'll gain some hair coverage using these products. Also, talk to your doctor or a dermatologist regarding getting prescribed for Propecia.

Good luck!

Looks like excellent work, as Rahal surgeries usually do. You'll look awesome in about a year from now!

As others have pointed out, I personally doubt if 2700 might do the job. I am guessing at least 4000 would be needed. However, perhaps you and the doctor might want to do with through multiple procedures instead of having 4000+ in one go.

Good luck!

As others have suggested, you can open up a zero interest credit card. Usually these are interest free for 12 months, and then at the end of 12 months, you can transfer your balance to another interest-free credit card.

mmhce and Dr. Lindsey, interesting points. You guys might be onto something.

There's definitely something going on... I have not felt this way in a loooong time... and I am loving it!

Dr Lindsey, it's funny you should mention about additional pounds for your bench press. I was at the gym yesterday, and I noticed that I could press a few pounds more than I usually do. The thought about Finast didn't cross my mind. Now that you mention it, let me see how I do at the gym later today.

mmhce, I hope the hormonal levels do NOT "return to baseline" anytime soon

Check with your doctor if the smell doesn't go away. Could be sign of infection.

However, also check if your towels or pillows smell due to any reason (for example, due to cooking onions/garlic in the house).

I have read reports of finasteride's side effects of decreasing sex drive, etc. I was wondering if any patient or any doctor heard of an increased sex drive.

I started taking Finasteride about a week ago (on alternate days), and since then I am highly charged sexually and horny almost all the time. I am wondering if they mistakenly put Cialis in my Finas packet

Seriously, does anyone have any insights on this?

I have read reports of finasteride's side effects of decreasing sex drive, etc. I was wondering if any patient or any doctor heard of an increased sex drive.

I started taking Finasteride about a week ago (on alternate days), and since then I am highly charged sexually and horny almost all the time. I am wondering if they mistakenly put Cialis in my Finas packet

Seriously, does anyone have any insights on this?

Wow! Awesome results, and that too with 2000 grafts! Way to go doc!

Batty, in my opinion, you'll be better off doing the surgery with a doctor in the US or in Canada. Also, the cost of your procedure in Dubai would be almost the same in the US or Canada. You want to do it right the first time since your donor hair is limited.

A friend of mine had his first hair transplant surgery outside the US, to take advantage of "lower costs" for the procedure. They did a horrible job on him, and he has since spent thousands of dollar more trying to fix the problem.

I would only trust a reputed doctor from the US or Canada for my hair transplant.

2 months would be too early to make judgments about growth. I had most of my growth during the 6-12 month period.

Also, different areas might grow at different rates. I had one portion that didn't have any growth at all for the first 7 months, but have had significant growth after that.

I have heard from others that smoking can affect the blood circulation which in turn can affect the growth of the grafts. However, I am yet to get this confirmed by a doctor.

hairadv, although it is tempting to do the surgery with a local doc, sometimes it might be beneficial to search around irrespective of geographical location.

If you do the surgery with a top-notch doctor, chances of having a prominent scar is extremely low. I have seen pictures of post-ops where the donor scar is hardly noticeable.

Sounds about right.

Looks awesome! Great job doc!

Zia, why do you want to spend 16k dirham to transplant 1000-1500 hairs through a doctor in Dubai?

Why don't you get the surgery done from a top notch doctor in the US or Canada for the same, or even lower price? You would very likely get much better results by doing the surgery in the US or Canada.

My google search showed that 16k dirhams approximately equals USD 4,500. You can get more than 1000 grafts (which would be more than 1500 hairs, since each graft equals almost 2 hairs on average) from several coalition doctors at a lower price. Some coalition doctors in the USA and Canada charge $3 per graft, and most charge around $4. Also, most clinics would give you a travel discount.

Believe me, one of my friends had his life made miserable by having a "low cost" surgery outside the USA. He has since spent several thousands of dollars trying to fix the initial butchering that he got from the butcher doctor, but he is limited by donor availability.

I hope others won't make the same mistake.

Good luck!

Wanthair, why do you want to restrict your options to doctors in Asia only?

Why not try out the option of having the surgery from a reliable and top notch doctor in North America (USA or Canada)?

You have limited donor hair, and so you want to get your hair transplant done correctly the first time you do it.

Also, Qatar's currency exchange rate has remained quite good compared to the US or Canadian dollars, right?

It might cost you almost the same to have the surgery in the US or Canada, but you are likely to get better results from the surgery. Think about it.

I had some shock loss to my donor hair, but I think most of it has come back in less than a year.

Your's is more severe shock loss, but hopefully it'll come back.

Wow! Very impressive! Rahal does rock!

Dude, you still have at least 3 more months of growth and thickening, and your hair looks great already.