BadBeat

IMO, this thread is ridiculous. First of all, you aren't posting any pictures for anybody to see this so called "worst mistake of your life" and you aren't saying who your surgeon is. You are 17 days post op. If you search the hundreds of photo albums on this site and others you will see that the first couple of months are usually the worst for most people. Often times people actually look worse than where they were pre-op. Your transplanted hair has been through a lot of trauma it's very common for them to look weak after the scabs come off. They will probably end up shedding completely and you might be able to see some pinkness in the recipient area for a month or so. This is completely normal. It sounds more like the mistake was that you didn't really need an HT to begin with and you're regretting it. It also sounds like your doctor didn't do a good job of educating you about what to expect. If your doctor did a good job it's likely that in 6 months+ the transplanted hair will mature and you'll be happy with your result but in the mean time to be making statements like this 17 days post op is premature and ridiculous.

I hate you! Just kidding. Man, your hair looks phenomenal. Congrats. You must be thrilled.

Your hair is still really short right now. I'm sure when it grows out a bit they will be unnoticeable but, like others have said, FUE does cause scarring so this is normal.

Michael, you could easily get away with no oral sedation if you wanted to. I took a Valium when I did my FUE and I didn't really think it did a whole lot anyway. I think it just relaxes you a bit but it's not like you're totally out of it.

Unreal. His 2 year photos with the beach bum hair are ridiculous (in a good way)!

GNC sells it.

I get all of that stuff from Amazon.

Yah, Eman's looks great. I wish he had more pics after the 5 month mark. He probably doesn't care about us anymore now that he has hair!

Great write up! At 6 months you already have made a huge transformation and you have many more months of grown/thickening up to do. Congrats!

Amazing!

Janna is correct. The plan I outlined is typically the best course of action but if you don't want to get on Fin, then that's your decision. I'd at least start Rogaine foam immediately as that can really help. Do your research and pick a few clinics from this site that you feel good about. You can do online consultations that are really helpful if you're not able to travel out and meet face to face.

The best thing you can do right now is to get on the meds that are FDA approved to fight hair loss -- Propecia (Finesteride) and Rogaine. You should give it at least a year to get a good idea if the meds will stabilize your hair loss and if you have any side effects from the Propecia. After the year, you should have a consult with a couple of top surgeons to determine what the best plan of action is for you. If it is likely that you will continue to lose a lot more hair and you have an aggressive balding pattern (like you mentioned you probably will) then you and the doctor will probably go for a more conservative approach with your first HT. Usually guys get their hairline done first because that's what frames your face and it's what you see on a day to day basis. You'll likely need a 2nd or 3rd procedure to give you some coverage behind the hairline and the crown later on. I hope that helps. Good luck!

Wow. Amazing difference!

I love the hairline design. The work looks really clean. Do you have any before pics? BTW, not sure if you were aware but it looks like your real name is listed on the file name of your pics.

Sorry to hear about all of this Trizzy. How did the hair in the recipient area turn out? Was that also not to your level of expectation or are you just disappointed with the donor area?

Looks fantastic. I love to see good larger FUE results. Congrats!

To me, the design of the hairline and the incisions are where the "talent" comes from in a good HT. Also, the surgeon I believe will usually make the decision on where the 1's, 2's, and 3's are placed which is key for naturalness, especially at the hairline. Sure, it's extremely important to have quality techs who are removing grafts and then planting them but a good clinic will have highly skilled and experienced techs who are going to do a great job on removing and implanting the grafts.

Just reread your post and saw that he is one of the recommended doctors. Maybe because he's based in Pakistan his pricing is lower. Also, you mentioned that you'll likely wear your hair long enough to easily cover a strip scar. I would say go FUT 100% if that is the case, especially because you're going to end up needing 5000+ in the long run. You'll be able to get more from the donor area using FUT.

It would help to see some pictures of your current hair loss but most people are probably going to recommend FUT for you because you say you're a Norwood IV but heading for VI. I've never heard of that doctor but maybe others have. I've also never seen pricing that low -- ever. I mean, he's not even close to the average price for the recommended doctors. The average price for FUT is probably around $4-5 per graft and for FUE it would be $5-8. I know you're probably looking for a deal but that alone would really worry me! Would love to see some pictures though....

Wow!!

I thought you looked great with a shaved head. Have you considered buzzing your hair to like a #1 or #2 all the way around -- same length? How is the scar in back? Maybe you could do a small FUE procedure to hide the scar. You would at least have a resemblance of a hairline now and some stubble which would look pretty good IMO. Add a little facial hair and you'd look like a stud! I know that's not really the answer you were looking for but I agree with others that you'll likely need another 3000+ to get the density you desire.

Your hair looks great and it could look perfect if you used a little concealer.

Phenomenal result! This guy must be jumping for joy.

This is great news! Any idea of how much less it will cost than Rogaine Foam? It should be the exact same formulation, right?

Yep, and I see at least 1 other guy who is balding and 3 others wearing hats who probably are hiding their balding. :roll eyes: Can we get a cure already?