Postdoc

Yes, Harley Street is crazily expensive, which is mainly because of the Howard de Walden Estate who own most of the buildings and charge exorbitant rents. Technician costs would be astronomical, too.

Reddy's website certainly looks professional. The before and after photos are well done, although shots of the top and crown seem in short supply. Like Farjo, Reddy seems rather keen on self-promotion. I see he also offers training for aspiring FUE surgeons. I hope it works out well for you!

It's unusual for the pricing to be per hair. What was the total graft count?

Blake, What are your thoughts about minoxidil post HT? I read some papers that suggested it promotes microvascularization. I believe Dr Feller used to advocate it years ago.

You seem an ideal candidate for either FUE or FUT and I'm sure you could ditch your hairpiece. I did and I haven't looked back!

I'm afraid there's no evidence that so-called mesotherapy achieves anything other than depleting your bank account. You need to get an objective opinion of your hair situation and your psychological state. Your should see your family doctor. Obsessive rumination about some aspect of one's appearance isn't uncommon and a licensed clinical psychologist should be able to help you.

Megasesh, That's a seriously impressive number of grafts! It took me two trips with Air Canada to obtain that number of grafts with Dr Hasson. It looks like we share similar hair characteristics. The end result should be fantastic. Out of interest, did you research any UK options for your HT?

Sadly, the 'cooling off' period applies to distance sales where the transaction is done on-line and/or without face-to-face contact. Signing a contract implies that the buyer has checked all the small print and generally considered carefully before signing. You might be able to argue your case on the basis that you were mislead by the AHS salesman and/or that the contract is unfair. The Citizens Advice Bureau might have a lawyer offering free legal advice. But it's certainly worth speaking with your card company to see what they suggest. As regards the laser therapy that AHS advertise, it's been doing the rounds for years and the evidence that it does any good is slim. You'd be far better off trying Minoxidil and Propecia.

If you mean 'rebonding', as in glueing or other methods of attachment of extra hair, then yes, it's very bad for the existing hair as it causes traction alopecia if done repeatedly over the years.Cornrow plaiting is just as bad as well.

Glue itself won't damage the hair or the scalp. Traction alopecia is only a problem when the hair is being pulled for prolonged periods of time, e.g. corn row plaiting, hairpiece attachment with clips or the old-fashioned 'weave'. So whatever hair replacement you choose, you'll still be ok for a HT in the future.

Is this some sort of hair extension technique? If so, it means expensive reattachments plus you need hair in the first place. Possibly ok for those with diffuse thinning.

Omnigraft, Folligraft, Dermagraft, etc. are all the same.

And however they try to phrase it, even Permagraft will involve some sort of adhesive and they'll probably charge the earth for reattachments. It's really not good for the scalp to go for weeks between attachments. Find the right tape and it really shouldn't be too much of a hassle. I did this for 20+ years before going for a HT!

The most practical way of attaching a hairpiece is to use double-sided tape. Some guys prefer glue but it gets pretty messy if you're not careful.

It's just another hairpiece and it's definitely not permanent, so there's nothing to stop you having a HT in the future. One thing to watch out for is that some methods of attachment can pull on your hair which may cause traction alopecia over time.

Thanks. That would be great.

I'd say a year is the minimum. I had my 2nd procedure after 15 months. I think the problem with London is that everyone flocks to Harley Street, which means colossal costs for office rental and staffing. Apart from the Farjos, there's also the Glasgow Clinic and the doctor there trained with Bisanga in Brussels. I've no personal experience of their work but a few guys have posted positive experiences in this forum, so you might want to check them out. I think the key thing is to find a clinic where there's a doctor dedicated to the one clinic rather than the situation were a clinic buys in sessional input from a variety of medics which invariably results in poor quality control. Best of luck.

Don't! Dr Rogers really doesn't have the best reputation, although it's always possible that he's upped his game since his name last figured in this forum. HT in the UK remains fairly dismal and expensive, and in London particularly so. If you really, really want to stay in the UK, there's the Farjos up in Manchester, although they're still fairly conservative in the numbers of grafts they attempt and I'm not convinced their yields are the best. They've recently teamed up with Dr Lorenzo from Spain who really is one of the best FUE practitioners, but expect to pay a lot for his expertise. For FUT, you'd be better off trying Bisanga, Ferudini or Devroye in Belgium, or Hasson & Wong in Vancouver.

Hi Agenteye, The breakdown was 726 singles, 1913 doubles and 251 multis. There definitely won't be a HT#3!

Just back home after HT#2 with Dr Hasson in sunny Vancouver. Very happy with HT#2 carried out in May 2012 (4400 grafts over quite a large area) but keen to have more density at the front and on the crown. No peri-operative complications this time (bleeding and bruising last time) and no post-op folliculitis (used antibiotic lotion on scalp pre-op). H&W as excellent as ever.

I think your donor area looks fine. Hasson & Wong in Vancouver would be a safe bet and 4000 grafts should be sufficient. What's the pattern of hair loss in your family?

Very good to have your excellent write-up of your Farjo experience. I'm also very impressed by how clean your recipient area appears just a few days post-op. Are you using minoxidil on the crown? If not, probably worth doing so as it may help with vascularisation of the grafts and keep them in the anagen stage. Do keep on posting photos!

A very long strip can be excised and stapled in sections. For example, my 37 cm strip of 4416 grafts was taken in nine sections and the eventual shape is more like a 'U' than a flat line. This allows better adjustment to skin planes and where there's the best laxity. Cases like the 8000 graft FUT perfomed last year by Hasson & Wong are extremely unusual and would only be practical when donor density and laxity are exceptional. Most doctors would split the procedure.

If you avoid places like Hair Club for Men and Advanced Hair Studio, and source your hair system via the internet, the costs can be manageable. Hair Direct are a good company with friendly service and they'll also cut in the system. Coolpiece and Hairpiece Warehouse are also good. You might want to try with a stock system first and then get a local hairdresser to cut it in. You can glue a system to the scalp but it's better to use tape around the perimeter. All the companies I've mentioned will be able to advise you on this.

My quandary was similar but in the end I travelled to Hasson & Wong in Vancouver and am very happy with the results. It surprises me that the UK is such a rotten place for good HT work. The experiences of many at the hands of a few bad doctors have really tarnished the UK's reputation and must make it difficult for good doctors in good clinics to set the record straight. The Farjos are, I think, starting to do that, although the photos on their website don't really do them any favours and tend to show conservative numbers of grafts spread rather far and wide on high Norwood class, older men. They do seem to be doing much larger numbers of grafts now and also do some FUE. Another doctor worth considering is Dr Lupanzula at the Glasgow Clinic. He apparently co-founded the BHR clinic in Brussels with Dr Bisanga. Like Dr Bisanga, he does FUE as well as FUT. Clinics I would avoid are those operating as a franchise where there's no guarantee that any particular doctor will do the procedure. FUE or FUT is a tricky decision. If you need large numbers of grafts (3000+), then FUT is really the best option. The scar that's left is very fine if the HT is done by a skilled practitioner and some people believe that staples are better than sutures. The advantage of FUT is that the area where the strip is removed is then covered up by existing hair, so in your case, your appearance would be back to your pre-op state pretty quickly after the procedure apart from the grafts implanted in your crown. With FUE, the donor area needs to be shaved, so it's often best to get all your hair buzzed down. Another thing to add to the decision making is your family history of MPB. Also, have you been using minoxidil and/or finasteride? Regards, Postdoc