Ibby

I am also going for FUT (Strip), in terms of gratfs needed this is the most efficient method, I simply do not have the time to go through a number of FUE procedures to get the same amount of gratfs.

Sorry for the delay in replying. I went for Devroye, the pictures on his website look good as are the reports on this forum, his staff are extremely good at replying to e-mails and price wise he is better than Farjo. Feriduni took an extremely long time to reply to my e-mail enquiries. Melike's staff are very prompt and she is by far the cheapest but some of the reports on this forum are not so good. HT scheduled for July, will report back.

I agree that the different formulation (propylene glycol) seems to be an attempt to skirt patent laws because the patent on the Minoxidil itself has long expired so only the formulation of the delivery method (the foam) can now be patented. I would also guess that this is why it is only available in Europe (although strange that it was available on Amazon.com until last night - perhaps someone is watching this forum!). Anyway, hopefully more choice = lower price :-)

I cant comment on US prices for Rogain but in the UK the Newton Everett version of the foam is 33% cheaper than the original (about GBP45 for 3 months of Rogain Foam, GBP30 for three months of the Newton Everett version). The savings over the long term would clearly be quite significant. It remains to be seen how much the Perrigo generic version will cost or indeed what the ingredients will be (other than Minoxidil) - has anyone managed to find any indication of this? Any generic version is I think a good thing because hopefully it should at least bring the price of the Rogain original foam down. I will be buying some of the Newton Everett version and will report back but I would be interested to know if someone has already tried it. I also think the original e-mail / blog post should be amended to point out to people that there is already a cheaper version of Minoxidil available in the foam delivery method.

To answer my own question, it seems that propylene glycol is commonly used even in oral and injectable products and is generally regarded as safe (although there are of course different views on this) see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propylene_glycol. Anyway, I appear to already be using it in my shower gel without it doing me too much harm!

Yes, propylene glycol is listed as an ingredient, is that a problem?

I am a bit confused, I thought that there was already a generic version of minoxidil foam available, produce by Newton Everett Biotech? Its available on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/FOLIGAIN-MINOXIDIL-fluid-ounces-SUPPLY/dp/B004QDWNIE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=beauty&qid=1305140916&sr=8-1) and in Europe from Biovea (http://www.biovea.co.uk/(S(tkujednaqq1opa45qnudmoin))/product_detail.aspx?PID=2455&CID=0&OS=204).

Having now booked my hair transplant for July (with Dr. Devroye) I am looking at what other effective products there are on the market which may help. I am already using Rogain Foam and feel this has been effective: I would be very interested to know peoples opinion on: Folligen Shampoo - I am currently using normal head and shoulders but have looked at a number of Shampoo's on the market and Folligen seems to look like the best. Hopefully it will stop my head itching as well as supplementing some growth. What do people think?

And thanks to Spex from me as well, was great to meet up with you, good info and advice - will be in touch soon as I am flying home tonight.

I have been e-mailing photos to a number of North American and European surgeons and it has been noticeable that the European surgeons (Farjo and Devroye) have all suggested 3000 grafts while the North American surgeons (Feller and Rahal) have all suggested they could do 4000. Now while I recognize that it will all come down to their assessment on the day of the procedure does anyone know if it is usual for the North American surgeons to get more grafts out of a patient than their European colleagues? Since I am based closer to Europe and have been impressed by the work of Farjo / Devroye I am tempted to go with one of them. However, if it is really likely that I will get more grafts in America / Canada then I will go their instead, I am a bit confused!

I have been using Minoxidil (Rogain foam) for the last six months and have noticed (as have other people) significant improvements in hair growth. No real issue to use - takes a couple of seconds to put on in the morning. Only side effect, maybe a little bit of itcyness but I tended to have that problem before anyway.

I am considering a number of options for a HT (both in Europe and the USA) but need advice regarding Dr. Melike Kulahci (Transmed) please. On the one hand Dr. Melike is a recommended surgeon, has offered by far the cheapest price and her team reply to my e-mails very quickly. On the other hand, out of all the surgeons I am considering Dr. Melike is the only one I have managed to find bad / unsatisfactory reports about on this forum. There also seems to be a general lack of information about what Dr. Melike offers in terms of blogs and photos. Please, what are peoples impressions of the work Dr. Melike does? Would people recommend the I pay the extra and go to a Coalition surgeon such as Dr. Devroye or Dr. Feller? Just to note: its seems that I will need aprox. 3000 to 4000 grafts. Many thanks.

When I refer to Dr. Melike I mean Dr. Melike Kulahci.

Help! I have decided to definitely have Hair Transplant surgery later this year but, even after reading the various reviews on this site, I am struggling to decide which surgeon to go for. This is particularly difficult because I live in Saudi Arabia and therefore it is problematic for me to attend a consultation prior to the actual treatment (I have tried to arrange consultations with (Drs Devroye and Farjo and but neither are able to make the dates I will be in Europe). I have narrowed down my options to Drs Devroye, Farjo, Melike or Feriduni. My impressions so far are: Devroye His results and reviews look very impressive and his staff reply extremely quickly to e-mails. No concernes really. Farjo While reviews and results look very impressive I have not yet been able to get a price quote. Generally they take longer to reply to e-mails than Devroye and Melike. Melike (Transmed) Very impressive responses to e-mails and very good prices (by far the cheapest quote I have received). I had decided on Melike but there seems to be a mixed view on this forum as to quality especially when a high number of grafts are needed (I will need at least 3000 and ideally would like just to have one sitting). Price for me is not an overidding factor but clearly if I can get the same quality for a lower price then this is a good thing. Feriduni Only just found out about Dr. Feriduni and have yet to receive an e-mail response to my questions. Please - does anyone have any view on who I should go with? Thank you for your help.