bennyt89

Did you get similar work done? Care to share any pictures? What I was told was that given a I do have strong native hair behind where the transplanted hairs would go it would blend in well and I shouldn't have to have a 2nd procedure for a while. So bit confused with the conflicting information. If that was the case wouldn't it just make more sense to be aggressive with the first HT?

That's what I was concerned about? I would think though since it's not advanced hair loss in the scheme of things I could get the density I needed from one HT in the short term (not taking into account a second HT years down the track should the MPB get worse)..

Hang in there mate, they always say the first 3-5 months are the worst. I'm also seriously considering Dr Bisanga, so very interested in your journey. How did you find the redness post op, how long did it last? It seems to have gone down quite quickly! We both have similar skin tones so keen to get your thoughts.

Thanks spanker. I should have been clear regards my drawing of the hairline was at the request of Feriduni's office, but we've yet to discuss formally what the hairline will be should I proceed (it was a quick scribble on my phone app haha) So you think don't touch the front hairline at all?

If you followed my other thread you would know that I am close to locking in surgery with either Bisanga or Feriduni in Belgium, who have quoted around 2000 grafts max. I'm currently a NW2.5 heading to a 3, been on Fin 7 years and have been at least a NW 2 since I was 21. My question is, as someone at this NW level what can I realistically expect in terms of thickness and coverage from a hair transplant given I still have most of my hair and this is to restore the temples and bring down the hairline ever so slightly? (pics attached). And is it realistic to get back to a Norwood 1-1.5? Also in terms of styling my hair, I used to style my hair like Lionel Messi in the photo attached back when I had stronger temples and hairline. Is that still an option or am I having a laugh? Thanks guys.

That looks amazing! Especially considering where you've come from, you look great.

So a question I neglected to ask earlier. Given my current situation (NW 2.5 with pattern of 3 emerging) what realistically could I expect from a HT should it be successful? I would be in a better position to get full coverage and good density back compared to say a NW 4 and beyond?

Not rude at all mate, I appreciate the concern. One of the great things about this community is the level of support and knowledge everyone brings to the table. I hope once I go through it , and my result is (hopefully) successful I can help others in the same way with my experience.

Just an update for those interested. Been consulting with both Dr Feriduni and Bisanga's clinics. Graph estimate from Bisanga was 1600 (conservative) to 2000 (agressive) to address the temples and front hairline, still waiting to hear back from Feriduni. Just an open question if anyone knows, when it comes to donor area. My donor zone back all the way up to my early 20's used to grow fairly fast, I noticed now that even though it grows and still quite thick it doesn't grow AS fast as it used to. Would this casue issues with grwoth after the HT?

You're right, I am very caught up in my image. But unfortunately as a single guy in the western world it's a very shallow place in the dating scene, im the type of person that looks attractive with a head of hair but if I lose that framing of my face I look like pure dogshit. I also have a weird shaped head and I have very white skin (which I actually like), but wouldn't suit going the bald look. There are other things that bother me about my looks, however they are only things that i stress about rarely. Whereas this hair is an all day everyday thing for me. But it seems everything has aligned for me to go ahead and do this. And if I don't the only way my hairline is going go is back further and thinner.

It's basically down to Feriduni or Bisanga. As far as my research has taken me, these guys are in the discussion as being the best in the business. I want to make sure it's given every chance of being successful, and evidence of their work looks great. And both clinics have been incredibly helpful. Feriduni isn't available until October and Bisanga I believe is similar waiting period. Which is fine with me, I'm going to Indonesia and the Philippines for a month in mid August, will enjoy that and have toppik there as a safety net if my hairs bothering me. My ideal plan is to get to do Indo/Phil, come home for a few weeks then fly out to Belgium for the surgery, come back home for maybe a month to recover. Hopefully my hair is long enough to cover any redness and then I can head back out again and travel (having toppik as a safety net and knowing that there will be hair sprouting on my head will keep me in good spirits I hope). In my experience though there's always spanners being thrown into the works with the best laid plans so who knows..

Sent my donor pics to a few doctors and general consensus is I have suitable donor area which is good. At this stage I've basically decided I'm going to go ahead with it, I've been stressing about my hair and going bald for too long and whereas before it was manageable, it's getting harder and harder to style and the stress/lack of confidence are now starting to impact my work, love life, social life etc.. I'm at that stage of having to check the mirror every hour to make sure my hairs still sitting right among all the other stresses. So it's now just a matter of deciding a surgeon and sorting out timeframes/logistics

If the expected result is communicated to me beforehand I can keep my expectations in check. And if I don't like the sounds of the expected result, I just won't go through with it. I've been procrastinating for a reason, I want to maximise the time with my exisiting hair as much as possible, I don't want to hop in too early as the results are permanent for better or worse. Up until probably November last year it was pretty easy to style my hair how I wanted without much fuss, but now it's getting harder and harder which would indicate that now is probably the right time.

Apologies marty, I missed your reply. Who did you go with out of curiousity? And were you happy with the results. Only sent photos via email given the very far distance between Belgium and Australia. So awaiting their response at this stage.

Thanks Matt, can definitely relate. I'm two different people depending on how my hair looks, if it looks good I am confident, outgoing, witty etc etc. but when it's not I'm the complete opposite and just feel like staying inside and not seeing anybody. So of course the prospect of being able to fix that permanently is tempting to say the least. So realistically given I'd be going from Australia to Belgium (20+ hour flight) there's a few options - 1. I do it in October, after a few months of travel. Rest up at home for a month (optimistically) and head back out 2. I wait until say April/May next year, towards the end of my trip and before I go back to work 3. If I don't do the above, I don't think I'd get a chance to take a week or 2 off for around 1.5 years minimum.

Financially it's not much of an issue. The trip is all self funded from my savings, and I can take a small loan for the HT if need be and could still get the same amount of time overseas either way from my budget calculations: And yes you're 100% right lol.. I am a stresshead. And I would rather fork out extra money and travel further for better quality and then save money to go to a less reputable doctor. The X factor should I go ahead with it is more around the recovery, the ugly duckling phase etc. I'm very self conscience about how I look and the last thing I want to do when I'm looking my worst is being in a different country with people I don't know. Hence the apprehension.

Waiting to hear back from Dr Feridunis office, they've been great so far and are in the midst of assessing my photos'forna quote. 6 months ago I got an estimate from Dr Paths (Thailand) and they said 3,000 grafts which seemed high.

I guess it's the gravity of the surgery. Though not invasive what happens if it yields poor growth, then it's not reversible. I'm likely going with Ferudini so chances of good result are fairly high, but still. Not to mention shock loss as well. Just weighing up pros and cons. When my hair looks good I don't tend to worry about it much so is it worth the trade off.. I'm not sure...

Thanks. I guess what I'm trying to get at is if it appears that I have a nice head of hair (like a normal person that isn't balding) after I style it then I would be content to maybe leave it a bit longer and just get on with my travel. Unless I'm having a very bad hair day it only takes 10-15 minutes to get it like that and the hairspray holds it fairly well. hope that makes sense?

Thanks for the advice. To clarify (as I'm curious about my Norwood pattern)... which top view are you referring to with the NW 2 into 3 pattern? With the hair done up or when it's exposed? As mentioned im so used to hiding it I guess it wouldn't be that bad waiting around.

Thanks Spanker, I probably worded it in a way where it sounds like a last minute decision. But I've been sitting on this off and on for the past 5 years almost, and definitely done the due diligence when it comes to research. Point taken though, we probably scrutinise our hair more then the normal person. It's mainly the front that bothers me, do you feel when I do it up like in the photos in is noticeable?

Firstly apologies as I have bombarded the forums a bit with different questions, however it's getting closer to crunch time regarding me having to make a decision about getting a HT. The reasons why I'll explain below. So am 28 y/o and have been on fin for the past 7 years which has stabilised the MPB somewhat, and up until this year I was actually fairly happy with where my hair was at. However recently in my opinion it seems to have been getting worse. This is where it get's complicated, before it started getting worse I organised a massive long term overseas trip which would see me abroad for around 12 months. So no working and just travelling, awesome right? Of course but the thought of being overseas by myself and then having to stress about my hair should it get worse is throwing me into a vicious cycle of stress and anxiety, which is potentially ruining what should be an awesome time in my life. So I'm in a bit of a conundrum about how to approach this. Given I will be off work for a year that's almost the perfect scenario to get a HT without anyone being suspicious. I was thinking about doing at least a few months travel (and bring along some Toppik as a safety net).. then head back home and reassess, and if it's impacting me that much to go ahead and get the HT (which would be in Belgium). after a few months of recovery and getting passed the ugly duckling stage I could head back out and resume my travels. Was hoping to draw on your guys experience here and get some advice, ultimately I know it's my decision at the end of the day, but I'm so caught up in my obession with my hair loss that I feel like I need a neutral party to weigh in. I attached some pics of how I can make my hair look when I blowdry/hairspray it to hide the receding hairline (thats taken under fairly harsh bathroom lighting). Then also pics of what the actual hair looks like at it's worst. Does it look pretty normal when I try and hide it? If so I might just continue with the travelling and maybe even get the HT a few months before I return to work.

Thanks Spex, I did use the search function before making this thread. However I couldn't find any substantial results post 2014. Apart from the odd repair job with sub 1000 grafts which doesn't give me much of an idea around his work. Again not doubting his results as he seems to be universally respected. But would be good to see some of his later work.

I was originally set on going with Bisanga due to all the glowing reviews and vast array of different results to reference on this forum. Only problem is trying to get any kind of response via email to my queries (though I would rather they be bad at communication and good at HT's than the other way round). Anyway through further research I came across Dr Feriduni, am currently liasing with his clinic who have been fantastic with getting back to me about my queries. However my only concern is there is a lot less patient result before and afters on this forum compared to Bisanga, and nothing very recent either. So my two questions are, when it comes to filling in temple loss and hairline. Is Ferudini the better option? And secondly, can anyone point me in the direction of some of his later results or share any experience? Thanks.

That's interesting insight about majority of patients just having temple loss, I always assumed it would be the NW4's. and above. Anyway... My hair's always been a big part of my identity, I would love to be able to mess around with different styles and whatnot. But I am restricted to just 1 style basically, albeit one I am fairly satisfied with (When my hair decides to sit right). Good food for thought anyway, thanks.