wilkinte

12 hours ago, JohnBob said:

Also, very interesting that you are doing TRT and your test levels are at 1000! That's some aggressive teenager test levels man, I like it. 

How long have you been doing TRT? Do you think your transplanted hair is dealing all right with such high levels? May I ask with kind of test and how much you are taking weekly? Did you have to increase the normal dosage of 1mg of fina per day because of that?

Sorry for this amount of questions, it's because I'm thinking of having a HT in the future too AND also think about TRT but I would be afraid that extra test would be too much even for the transplanted hairs.

For me, I inject .6 ml per week, so that's 140 mg.  It's prescribed by my doc since I was very low.  Been about 4 years.  I don't think the transplanted hairs are affected by the T.  Dr Nader and I talked about test (and other drugs I take) and he didn't have concerns.  That being said I'm sure I've wiped out my native hairs in my crown/front from it.  

Feeling good versus looking good.  And trying to balance it.  You'll have to figure it out.  I would recommend picking a HT surgeon and then talk it out with them. 

I'm guessing you don't have low T.  If you were suffering from the brain fog, lack of energy/drive, depression, etc. losing a few hairs wouldn't be a concern.

At this point in my life, no.  It maybe more effective, but the sides seem to be more severe.

Plus I'm pretty convinced the hair on the top and front are all grafts so they shouldn't die anyways.

Finally for me, I'm at peace and happy with my hair.  Thanks for reading.

38 minutes ago, giegnosiganoe said:

Interesting that you were on finasteride for 20 years. What did your hair look like before getting on it? How much did you lose over those 20 years?

I started losing my hair in my late 20s.  By 30 you could see my crown was getting very thin. You can see what I looked like pre HT in the 2013 pic above.

Fin/Rogaine/etc battles your genes, but for me it was a losing battle.  Thus 2 HTs.  Now I still do fin/rogaine/biotin/ketaconazole shampoo to give my body it's best shot to keep what I can.  

1 hour ago, asterix0 said:

Don't mean to ruffle any feathers, but I would have expected a better result. Thank you for sharing your experience though, but why not go to a different doctor after your first pass? 

No feathers ruffled!! I appreciate your comment.  I wish I had more density, as does Dr. Nader.   As far as another doctor, if I had spend 15-20K instead of 4-5K on HT 2 would I feel better?  Is a little more hairs worth a trip to Europe?  That's a question that everyone needs to answer for themselves.  Would I have more density?  Who knows?

My confidence in him was based on the standard of care.  He takes every hair out and places every graft himself.  You're the only patient his entire team is focused on for the day or two you're there.  Is that common with other doctors?

Everyone's biology is different, my T runs about 1000 due to TRT.  (I'm on fin of course).  We know that high T indicates high DHT, thus more balding.  Should I drop my T down so my hair grows better?  For me the answer is no, with low T I was miserable.

So did I consider another doc for HT2, no.  If I get HT3 will I consider another doc?  No.  But at this stage of my mid 50s, doing another 3K grafts isn't likely.  If I just brush some topix in, or dye my hair (the light grey color definitely "highlights" my scalp) I'll have a more dense appearance.  Is that important to me?  It's not right now but who knows tomorrow.

For perspective, this was 2013

Hey guys, haven't logged in for a long time!  My progress has been fine.  I actually texted Nader about a month or so ago.  He is hanging in there and his staff is still together.  Knowing him I'm guessing he's bankrolling his staff to get through the pandemic.

My density is better after number 2, but not really in a linear way.  I think whats going on is my native hair is still thinning, dropping out, and whats left are the grafts. Of course I'm on fin and minox, but shitty genes are just that.    Another thing that effects me is my gray hair - my scalp is more visible 

These shots are from just now and my heads a little wet from the shower but you'll get an idea. 

I've experimented with growing it longer, but outside that accentuates my low density.  So generally I keep it tight.  Like all of us I want thick dense hair, but it's not happening.  I look at pics from 2014 or so and know I'd be pretty much bald by now.  

Oh, and anyone who is going there, the girls offer Ceasar Salad or the tacos for lunch.  And yes, if you've been on the forums the tacos are legendary.

But I had the fish both days based on last time.  I'm not kidding when I say this is the best fish dish I've ever had.  It's stuffed with shrimp and some other stuff and breaded.  I should have asked for one to go instead of doing grub hub at the hotel!  Also Bar B Cutie via Grubhub was fantastic.

The journey continues.  I arrived Sunday May 5th, and just walked over to the Wyndham Garden.  This is the same place he put me up last time, although it was an Istay 2 years ago.  One difference this year is getting back into Texas from Mexico.  It was about 30 minutes or so to get back.  If you go, definitely take your passport, but I learned if you have the passport card OR a global entry card you can use an express lane.  That definitely helps.  Same driver too, Mr Santos, and he knows what bridge to take etc.

After talking it through, and considering my goal of having a reasonable loss pattern over the next 10 years or so ( I'm on rogaine, fin, biotin - but I'm planning on my genes just overwhelming all that), we decided to hit both the crown and front, with more of a concentrated approach in the crown.  Got 1400ish in the crown and 1700ish in front.

This time I was more focused on aftercare than last time.  For the last week I've sprayed the grafts almost compulsively every day, washed twice a day with johnsons.  And after day 4 or so gently worked the grafts with the shampoo.  He encouraged me to rinse for up to 5 minutes (using a bowl of course).  I also have slept at a 45 deg angle on my couch with the neck pillow.  Of course ran through the meds he provided (anti inflam, antibiotic, and a mexican pain reliever).

Results on day 7, shown.  Almost zero scabs left, I've had ZERO swelling (I think the sleep regimen is the biggest factor there), and almost no pain in donor area.  While I look a little red, that is in direct sun in my house.  In the mirror under lights I really don't see much if any redness.  Last time I was quite red for a while, and my donor area felt kind of tender for a while too.

I don't know if he's just gotten better over the last 2 years, if he's using better instruments, or if something's different with my biology (I will tell you I started taking Turmeric with my supplements about 6 months ago - that's a natural anti inflammation agent supposedly).

Will I get lucky and have minimal shed?  I doubt it!  But knowing that the hair from HT 1 should be coming in strong will hopefully make the shed psychologically easier.  

On 7/7/2018 at 6:58 PM, Legend007 said:

What’s your current status ? I don’t think u have enough grafts 3300 to cover that large a space .. more than likely u have to do another round.. please keep us updated .. thanks 

I just noticed this post from last year - you were correct !  

His thought is to spend more of the grafts on the front than the crown. But I still want some crown added.  It will be a two day session with front one day and crown the next. 

Like the first time, we'll come up with the plan when I get there next month.  

I'm 52 1/2, so I want to ensure that as I age and lose more hair, I have coverage that looks somewhat natural.  Thus if we do 3500 grafts again, I'm leery of putting them all in front, only for me to have a puff in front and a big bald spot when I'm 60.  I'm sure I lost native hair from the HT two years ago, so I'm sure I'll lose more as time goes by.  (and yes I'm on rogaine, fin, and biotin).

With respect to the pics, I wanted to show honesty.  I'm not here to pump my doctor or pump my ego.  I'm 75% happy with the results of HT1, and I think my biology is a big reason why I'm not 100%.  (Maybe 85% happy when I look at 5 years ago pictures and think about what I would look like without the HT).  The third pic is what I look like to the world, but under light and looking top down shows the truth.

Thanks for commenting, and I'll be sure to snap some pics as we go forward (as long as they don't close the McAllen TX border!).

On 3/12/2019 at 8:06 PM, Baldy1974 said:

I am considering either Dr Nader in Mexico o. The problem with Dr Nader is his poor response time. Dr esponse time is great but I don’t see lot of info about him on this forum. Is he a good FUE Doctor?

There's a bunch of threads on this forum including mine, just search.  My thread started about 2 years ago and there are older threads than that about Dr. Nader.  His response time is bad due to the volume of inquiries he gets, you need to be persistent and serious.  I reached out in late January and am on the schedule for early May for my second HT with him.  One patient at a time is how he works, the whole staff is focused on you when you're there. 

Heading back for round 2 in May.  That will be 2 years after the HT.

These pics are from January and what I sent to Dr Nader in preparation for going back.  These are 20 months after the first HT.

A total of 3300 grafts were done then, 1/2 in crown and 1/2 in front.  While it gave me structure and coverage I (like everyone else) want more density.   Also I'm sure I've lost native hair over the last 2 years, even with my rogaine, finesteride, and biotin regimen.  Genes are a bitch!

I've kept my hair short, I found when it grows out the light density is accentuated.  

While we haven't dialed it in yet, I'm thinking HT2 will be similar, with maybe more grafts in the front.  (so it will be another 2 day thing) I want to ensure a natural look even as I'm sure I'll lose more hair as time goes on.  So definitely the crown needs beefing up since I'm guessing any native hairs in there will fall out.

My hair is generally thin, so I'll never end up with John Stamos looking hair.  But hopefully I will be able to grow it out more than now and do some different kind of styling.

I'm happy to be going back to Luis, and I'll update the thread as we go.

I'll do a one year update in a week or two. I'm happy, but I now understand why guys get 2 or 3 HTs. The HT gave me structure, but I want rich, thick, John Stamos hair! I may see thickening up down the road. I haven't provided any pics to Nader for his opinion lately. Will do that before I post.

I'm liking it man!

I'm about 9 months post HT and I am still a little pink in the recipient area.

No biggie

Nope, 1.25 mg/day on the fin. You cut the 5 mg tab in fours. Over time I have cut down to 3 times a week.

Not sure how you would cut the 1.25 mg in half, you'll see when you get them!

Wow, that's amazing. I did Aloe and a scar creme he recommended and I'm still a little pink. You just have good genes that way.

The Nizoral is an anti fungal and is prescribed typically for dandruff. Same thing as fin, if you have sides or it bothers you just stop. I don't think it will hurt your follicles, may just sting a little.

At this point you can wash normally. I was gentle with my finger tips, and Dr. Nader was firm on not manipulating the scalp, but massaging gently will be fine. They aren't going anywhere at day 12!

Also, this is covered widely but be prepared for some shedding from both rogaine and fin. It's documented and no big deal, but some guys get discouraged from that. I think its over after 3-4 months or something

Your progress has been impressive, especially the redness fading so fast. Definitely consider finesteride with the rogaine. If you have the side effects you can stop, but blocking that DHT is critical.

Also look into prescription strength Nizoral shampoo (Generic costs me 10 bucks a bottle). I use that about 2-3 times per week, it has DHT blocking effects (as I understand it).

Any progressive doctor out there should have no issue prescribing both for you. And that's maybe the only downside of using Dr. Nader or anyone else out of the country - getting scripts.

Of course I'm sure you agree with me that for the level of care we received it's a small price to pay!

YUP, and even though we all know it's coming it truly hurts, especially after the scabs drop and all those pretty hairs are looking at you.

Just gotta keep the faith!

Very excited for you, do take the aftercare serious. He'll be texting you about daily for the first week after to ensure you're on track.

Glad you had the same great experience I did!

Thanks for the ping. All is progressing. I did start Rogaine about 6 weeks ago and am experiencing some shedding from that. Also went back on fin about the same time. While I was starting to think the fin had lost effectiveness for me, and I wanted to be able to donate blood, the risk to my hair was too serious.

I have structure for sure, but not as much density as I want. I'm at 8 months now, so maybe it will be 4-6 months more.

I'll put some pics up at some point before the year mark.

Best wishes for your hair too!

I had the procedure done on Wednesday and it's now Friday. Over the next few days just need to carefully wash the donor area be careful around it. The swelling around the forehead has worsened but this explained that it could happen by Muzaffer and should calm down over next couple of days. Will post some more images once there is something to see.

 

Any questions welcome.

You'll be a little lumpy for maybe even a week, no biggie. My doc had me do warm compresses on the forehead and then massage the lumps outward.

Just a ball cap - and like I mentioned, they will sanitize it for you.

I have some random questions.

 

1) Is everyone paying cash? I don’t have a chase account to get a cashiers check. Do I have to be a Chase bank member? How did you pay?

2) Did you wear a button up shirt?

3) Did you feel embarrassed when traveling with the head looking like it did? Did people stare?

4) Did you get a haircut before the procedure?

 

My surgery is next week!!

1. Many of us did (I think) for the discount. You can just carry the cash. Under 10K there's no problem at the boarder. At the end of the day if paying in cash is too hard just pay by credit card.

2. YES, and take 2 or 3. You do not want to be pulling a shirt over your head for a couple three days.

3. Not really, take a hat - he'll sanitize it for you and wear that.

4. Save your money, his girls will buzz you at the clinic

Thank you! Yes, I'll post progress pictures.

 

Has anyone lowered their hairline? I really want to lower my hairline, but don't know if I'll look weird.

 

Don't know if that's too much.

The best part for me of working with Dr. Nader was the hour or two we spent on day one talking about the surgery and expectations.

He will do that with you and he will be very honest. If you want something that he feels is a bad choice he will tell you.

There are probably 5-10 posters on this forum that have used him (including me), and you can find our results and threads if you search.

Oh and definitely get the tacos for lunch!