garet

I plan to get dr pong to do my HT, any reviews from him so far?

His charges are half of dr path

Actually, Pong's cost is perhaps 30-40% less than Dr. Path.

During a consultation with Dr. Path, he said his assistant could do it for 15% less, but that is still more than Dr. Pong.

One of the reasons Dr. Pong's cost is cheaper is that his clinic is in Chiangmai in Northern, Thailand, much cheaper than Bangkok prices.

Hope some of Pong's patients post some reviews.

Just wondering is there a list anywhere on the site of all the clinics that were declined coalition membership for 1 reason or another?

 

Also if a Surgeon is recommended by this site, does that mean he is recommended for both the FUT & FUE Method, if he offers both?

 

What is the Protocol for when a new clinic is opened? (do you wait a few years before considering the clinic for membership?

There are definitely excellent surgeons recommended on this site, but there are also excellent surgeons not recommended. Some doctors are busy enough or, for one reason or another, choose not to pay the fee necessary to become recommended on the site.

The best thing you can do is research many doctors. If they are recommended, they will most likely do quality work, but if not recommended on this site, they still might do excellent work.

definitely see how you look bald first. I've read a number of times that people who have gotten HTs wished they had the head shape to go bald so it could be something you regret if you don't try it. With that said, if you go to a good doctor, the scaring will hopefully be minimal. I've seen pictures of people with very short cuts after having a HT and you can barely notice the scar.

I'm scheduled to get a hair transplant in 5 weeks. Since I'm having questions about how I would look with a shaved head or buzz cut, I'm thinking of shaving my head this week to see how it looks. If I like it, I can cancel the hair transplant and continue with the finasteride. If I don't like the look, I can carry on with the HT as sceduled.

Is one month enough time for a shaved head or buzz cut to grow out, before a HT? In particular, will one month's hair growth be enough to cover the FUT scar?

Also, perhaps even more importantly, I would start my job teaching 6 weeks after the hair transplant, and 10 weeks after the shaved head. Will that be enough time to hide the fact that I just got a HT?

Garet, I would definately try shaving first if youre cuirious about it. When I went for my ht and the doc buzzed my hair, I was thinking it doesnt look bad and kind of wished I had tried that first. You dont have to postpone your HT if you try buzzing. You could buz and have a ht the next day if you wanted to.

Thanks for the advice, but I couldn't get the HT with a shaved head because the stitches would be visible for weeks, as well as the pink skin in the recipient area. I don't have an option of wearing a hat at my job, so I'd have to grow my hair back before doing the HT.

I agree. Postponing your decision won't hurt a thing. Possibly start by buzzing your scalp and then experiment different lengths. Some guys are happy with a number 3 guide and can still hide the scar.

Can you please tell me what a "number 3 guide" is? I don't know what cutting length a guide 3, 4, 5, etc. represents.

Is it 3 mm? 3 cm? 3 in? Also, will a number 3 guide on a Panasonic razor purchased in Asia be the same as a number 3 guide for a Philips razor purchased in Europe?

Thanks

So...never leave the option to buzz or shave behind, UNLESS...

you don't mind a thinning crown and horseshoe. (and if u r here, I guess u do, at least now)

I think what you mean is "never leave the option of a buzz or shave behind, unless I DO mind a thinning crown and horseshoe, right?

garet,

 

I also recommend shaving/buzzing first if you've done tried it. If you like it, this' the cheapest and simplest solution to thinning hair.

 

As you yourself have pointed out, there is no going back after follicular unit transplantation (FUT).

 

Give it a shot and let us know how it goes.

I guess this is what I'll have to do: try a buzz cut or skin head. I've never really had the urge to do it before, but I should try it at least once, as that option is eliminated after getting a HT using the FUT method.

How short could one cut their hair after a HT using FUE method?

Once you decide to get an HT, shaving your head, or even a buzz cut is out of the question, unless you want to reveal your long strip scar (if you do FUT method).

I've been debating whether or not to just get a buzz cut to hide my thinning hair, or to get a ht to make my thinning hair denser so I don't need to hide it. Is there anyone else wrestling with this choice?

For me, I like my curly hair, and think I want to get a HT, but at the same time, I know once I make this decision, short haircuts and buzz cuts will never again be an option. My brother has a 3mm haircut with a goatee and it works for him. I know I could never do that after an HT surgery.

I've never even tried a skinhead or buzz cut, so I'm a bit curious how it would look. Perhaps I should get a buzz cut and try it for a few months to see how it looks. Of course, this would mean I would have to postpone my HT for 6 months or a year.

What do you think?

Anyone else with this same concern?

What is a "number 4"? People use the numbers 3, 4, 5, etc. all the time when referring to razors, but I have no idea what these numbers represent. Is it:

4 mm?

4cm?

4 in?

Or are these numbers just an arbitrary number given by a razor comapany, and if so, is it universal with a panasonic razor, a philips razor, a remington, etc?

Also, what about people who get their hair cut with scissors? These numbers are meaningless....

Anyone have any recent experiences with Dr Pong in Chiangmai, Thailand? I'm still trying to decide between him or Dr. Path in Bangkok.

Garret,

 

Man, you still have ALOT to learn about HTs dude !!!

 

You were VERY wise to cancel your HT. Spend a few more years doing research (both on and off HT forums) and then you may be ready to take the plunge. IMO without finasteride you will wish you never stepped into the HT ring. You simply do not yet understand how important the bridge, rim and crown hair that you still have is for pulling off a successful HT. If that hair is lost (which the chances are likely 99.9% that it WILL be in the coming years if you do nothing) then you will forever be chasing a mediocre result at best. Do yourself a favor and try to meet with as many NW5/6 patients as possible and see what you think of their HT results. You might find yourself running for the hills once you've met with some of these patients!

 

As my results come in I find myself getting less and less interested in spending any time on these forums; a definite "disconnect" is beginning to form which is really where most of us want to be anyway. The reason ANY of us are here (and spend any time here) is because we are emotionally bothered by our hairloss. I've researched this stuff for over 5 years and I feel that many can benefit from my knowledge without having to spend as much time as I did. But most will probably have to learn the hard way anyway, which is OK by me.

 

As far as finasteride is concerned, I see it sort of like trying out for a professional football team. Some will have the toughness and willpower to battle through the rough stages in the beginning where the body is still adjusting, and others will give up because it is not easy and they want everything to come easily. Some will make the team and go on to have great success BECAUSE they endured the tough times, and others will just sit in the stands and watch and wish that they were one of the success stories. And the only difference between the two is that one had the willpower to face adversity, and the other just wanted everything to be easy.

 

IMO the only legitimate reason to quit finasteride (IF you REALLY are interested in having hair) is because of ED, gyno, or some other medically diagnosable condition. If you are with an attractive woman who is being sexual with you and you cannot get it up, then YES -- BY ALL MEANS quit the drug immediately!

(Useless personal insults removed and edited from content)

I have done a lot of research on HT's already, on and off HT forums and I will do a lot more. I will take my time before making any final decisions

With or without side effects, finasteride only works for some people. It is much less effective at dealing with my hair loss pattern (receding hairline) than it is with male pattern baldness (balding crown).

Don't give a lecture about "facing adversity" by dealing with the side effects of finasteride, which again, only works for some people in some situations.

I'm not on this forum because I'm "emotionally bothered by my hairloss". I'm here to find information and learn about other people's experiences. That's all.

Moreover, If you don't think depression (absolutely a medically diagnosable condition) is a serious side-effect, than you are deluded.

As I was the creator of this thread, I will clarify my original points.

1) I never said finasteride was bad. I said that finasteride has been linked to depression in a small percentage of people.

2) I said that i was depressed nonstop for 2 weeks, but the depression disappeared after I stopped taking fin. I was not experiencing any crisis or difficult personal situation that might naturally lead to depression, nor was I on any other medication.

3) I said stopping fin probably wouldn't effect my hair loss much anyway because most of my hair loss is a receding hairline.

On Merck's own Propecia website, it states

"There is not sufficient evidence that PROPECIA works for receding hairlines at the temples." See link to the Merck Propecia page below.

Hair-loss Treatment Results

If fin works for you and you don't experience the side effects, keep taking it. I just wanted to know who else experienced bad depression as I did. Even If I don't take it, I still may get a HT but I need more time to consider it.

Cheers

6 weeks ? You've got to be kidding, right ?

 

6 weeks is not even enough time for your body to adjust to the drug. Most likely what you were feeling was exactly that, your body adjusting to the new experience of the lower DHT levels.

 

Depression ? Maybe I'm from the old school (41 years), but when I used to tell my parents I was depressed and didn't feel like getting up out of bed to go to school my father would whip out his belt and smack me a good one on the ass. It's truly amazing what a sharp pain sensation like that can do to get rid of depression.

 

I take 1.25 mg of finasteride daily. Brain fog ? I can still remember phone #s from ex-girlfriends in the early 1990s. I can also play Beethoven's most complicated piano compositions from memory without missing a single note! Lethargy ? I'm 41 years old and I'm in the best shape of my life; I ride 20 miles every day on a bicycle and leave guys in their mid 20s panting and gasping for air trying to keep up with me. I think they watch too much TV which is another MAJOR cause of depression!

 

Are there days when I wake up and it's hard to even get out of bed ? You bet! But do you know what I do to GET MYSELF OUT OF BED ? I smack myself on the ass and FORCE myself to get up !! Try it -- it works !

 

My motto: no pain, no gain. You either REALLY WANT to keep your hair and look your best, or you're mamby pamby about it. Also, the MIND is a much more powerful tool than 99.9% of people realize. You can overcome anything IF you have the WILL POWER to do it.

 

Spending too much time hanging out on hairloss forums can also be an EXTREME source of depression !!!

Your "old school" views about depression and how you deal with it and what your father use to tell you is irrelevant to this topic.

Fin has been shown to be linked to depression in some people. You don't have to be on it for a year to feel the effects. I prefer to not take a drug that makes me feel crappy. No, I didn't lay in bed and cry like a "namby pamby". I lived my life as usual, but I just felt awful for about 2 weeks, nonstop. That was enough reason for me to stop. Within a few days of stopping fin, I felt normal again.

If I was convinced fin would help me, I might have stuck with it for a few more months, but fin doesn't even prevent receding hairline, which is my hair loss problem. On the Propecia website it even says that fin has not been shown to prevent receding hairline.

Um no. I don't if you are trying to defend fin or not...It seems when someone on this forum posts their feedback that they are getting bad symptoms from fin, everyone goes into 'say ain't so" mode. An act all surprised, when sides from fin are very common. More common than the supposed only 3%.

 

You can automatically assume if you suddenly feel really depressed while in Fin..Well then its more than likely its the fin.

Right, like I said, most people who take finasteride won't have sexual side effects or depression, but there are links to these side effects, though the link with depression is less publicised. I never had any sexual side effects but the depression came on strong within 3 weeks of starting finasteride. It wasn't just normal up and down moods, it was prolonged depression.

I was curious if anyone else experienced this problem on fin. Unfortunately, now I can't determine if fin would have limited my hair loss, but since I have a receding hairline, fin probably wouldn't have helped anyway.

Hope you feel better...I think a lot of people will go throught depression on or off Fin or any other drugs. When someone starts a drug, and have a medical change, they automatically assume it is the med, but it is not always.

 

Especailly with a drug like Fin....becasue I think most men losing hair go through heavy emotions about it (the loss of the hair).

No let's get this straight, my depression has nothing at all to do with the gradual loss of my hair, which has been happening for more than 10 years already.

It isn't normal to just start having extreme depression when going on or off a drug. Read my post a bit more carefully. I said most people don't have depression on finasteride, but it has been linked to depression in some users. I stopped using it a few days ago and I'm already feeling somewhat better.

Don't try to diagnose me or tell me it's in my head.

I just stopped taking finasteride after about 6 weeks. The last 2 weeks I've had a prolonged period of depression that seemed to come from nowhere. This wasn't just normal depression, as I know the difference. After doing some research, I found some studies which link finasteride to depression.

Curious if anyone else had similar experiences?

BioMed Central | Full text | Finasteride induced depression: a prospective study

Update Propecia and Depression

Anyway, just like with other side-effects, such as erectile disfunction, most people won't experience this, but if you are susceptible to depression, and are taking finasteride, you might consider discussing it with your doctor. I don't want to take yet another drug, an anti-depressant, to fight the side-effects that may be a result of finasteride.

Of course if you feel well, and finasteride seems to work for you, then no need to be concerned.

The bottom line (IMO) is that if you cannot handle the finasteride then you have no business seeking a HT of any type if you have any concern for the long run. If you want to retain the option to shave your head then just shave it down now -- what is stopping you ? If you are insecure now about doing it then why do you think you will feel any different about it 5,10, or 20 years from now ? And if you get a FUE HT you will be a SLAVE for life to having to shave it down !!! Why ? Because those patches of permanent HT hair will continue to grow for the rest of your life and you will never have any other option but shaving down your head to hide them !!! :eek:

This is making the huge assertion that finasteride even works. It does not help regrow hair in the front of the head, and it doesn't even prevent the hairline from receding. It has only been proven to slow hair loss in about 60% of users, and only at the crown. I'm not even loosing hair on my crown.

That said, I will still try it and hope it prevents some hair loss on some part of my head.

What is the scar is 3-3.5 cm? How big can the scar get before there is a noticeable difference? Does it depend on the transplant itself? Or body type?

I think you misunderstood. We were talking about the length the hair needs to be to cover the scar, not the thickness or length of the scar itself.

The reality is, this is an average looking scar, which was confirmed to me by Dr Path's assistant as well as Dr. Pong. It is actually quite thin, but it reveals how awful it would look if you ever trimmed down to less than 2 or 3 cm's.

Hi garet. a few things

 

[1] in another thread you mentioned Dr. Pong was trained by Dr. Path, however I don't think this was ever verified, but rather mentioned offhandedly by some random post.

 

[2] Also, its VERY interesting how many english-speaking clients Dr. Pong has had and yet on the testimonials, many of them have broken-english recommendations.

 

[3] Most forum posts mentioning Dr. Pong originate from unique accounts that are only a couple of days old with only a few posts to their name. None from senior forum members.

 

Dr Pong could be an amazing HT surgeon. just not sure that all the facts are available, or even what is a fact.

I asked Dr. Pong and Dr. Path's assistant directly and they both confirmed that Dr. Pong used to work for Dr. Path, but offered no additional information. I have no idea if it was an amiable split, as they are now competitors in Thailand, though not in the same city.

Since Dr Pong has been on his own for at least 7 years, I would think that should be enough time to gain enough experience to do good work. I do need more direct information from actual patients, with before and after photos before I would go with Dr. Pong.

Lot's of good advice on these last posts.

Please tell me if this looks like a reasonable scar in these photos.

I don't plan to shave my head, but I use this photo example because it's a rare example of a shaved head with scar 1 year post-op.

Also, I have no idea what a haircut with a "3, 4, or 5 guard" means. Someone explain to me what hair length the scar would show through in centimeters or inches.

Cheers

wb,

 

In my case, the funny part is, that it was not an ignorance on my part. I started seriously researching HT forums while I was few months post-op (3 or 4 months can't remember now). My whole research was literally typing this in google search bar "Toronto hair transplant" and wolaa I was sold with first few links that showcased "great results", and the rest was history. But those waiting and reading months were sick. I was scared shitless of all the stories that I read regarding FUE all while waiting for my HT to deliver goods. All I gotta say thank God I'm not one of the unlucky ones with poor yield. sheeesh!

If you don't mind me asking, what was for the cost for 4,000 FUE's two years ago in Toronto? I'm in Vancouver now, but I would travel within Canada and the States. I was considering getting it done in Thailand as well.

Garet,

 

If you ever intend on wanting to shave your head to the skin like in those scar pics you posted, then just forget about ANY type of HT -- period ! I have seen pics of numerous FUE patients shaved like that and there were white dots everywhere and others with a swiss-cheese look. The bottom line is that this is surgery and there WILL be scarring no matter how good the doc is. If you have 2500 FUE grafts extracted and shave down to that level then chances are high you WILL be able to see the dots in the back of your head! Choose your poison -- strip or FUE.

 

Garet, if you have not met with several patients in person then you have no business scheduling any type of HT. This is an absolutely CRUCIAL part of your research! After meeting some patients in person you might very well feel ALOT more comfortable about going thru with a strip surgery -- I know I sure did!

I didn't say I would want to shave my head after having a HT. I used those photos as examples because it shows the scar one year post-op clearly. I'm more concerned that the scar would show through with just a short haircut, with the hair 1-3 cm in length. I do periodically cut my hair short and I can't seem to find a straight answer about whether the scar would show through a short haircut.

Meeting HT recipients in person is a good idea, but how can I find them? I can't just go to the doctors office and expect the Doc to give me his patients contact info.

Garet, u r right, i dun think i will ever buzz down to such a length if i can. In fact, if i want to buzz down, i will not be here chatting with u as i do not see the need for a HT

 

I am at 2.5 months so i cannot really comment though it seems to be recovering fairly well. Back to your question, if u consistently have short hair ( like the ones u posted ) and if the docs feel u r a good candidate for FUE, my advice is to go for FUE

Right, well, I didn't say I wanted to shave my head, but I do cut it rather short sometimes. I just want to know how short I could get away with without it showing through. I guess that is the disadvantage to the strip method. Less costly, but bigger scar.

Garet, if u are intending to buzz down to such a length, i agree that FUT might not be the way to go for u. Scar5 is rejecting ES' notion that the scar will get better down the road which i do not want to comment.

 

Anyway like i said, if u intend to have your hair buzzed down, i am afraid the scar might show. If so, consider FUE and maybe delay it first and save up some money for the time being.

See these 2 scar photos I posted from the web. They look somewhat thin, but still absolutely horrendous on a shaved head. I doubt I would shave my head, but I do trim it quite close on occasion. How do your scars compare to these photos?

If these scars are the norm, then I'd better wait until I can afford FUE or commit to never ever getting a haircut below a level 4 guard.

If your hair isn't very short, I guess it would be difficult to compare with these photos though.