aalbert77

I was derelict in not updating @ 12 months. I was very busy traveling to Filipinas, Colorado, and doing big outdoor projects. At 1 year mark: My hair became full on top, but overall, this transplant did not look as good @ 12 months than my first 2, and there were 2 problems: 1) Quality of the initial growth was low; it was weak, frizzy, stuck straight out, and uncontrollable. Since I'm 10 years older than the previous transplants, and the quality of all my hair has worsened, I concluded that it was my age that caused the initial growth to be poor quality. I was concerned that my hair would never look great again. 2) There was still a significant bare spot at rear part line. New hair grew in, but it was too fine to cover the spot. I couldn't blame this on Neopel since the previous 2 transplants had not covered this spot. AT 1 year, 4 months (Sept 2013) I've received 3 haircuts since the 1 year mark, and after each haircut, the quality of my hair improved significantly. As the crappy initial growth was removed, the new hair is thicker, straighter, and controllable. The bare spot has mostly closed, though it looks better with Toppik in a small spot to darken the hair there. My stylists are not concerned about that spot. Their expressions told the story. I cut my hair yesterday and it reached the state of magnificence for a 54 year old man. The shape and fullness is better than when I was 28, since I had receding hair then. I never dreamed it would look this great, since the transplant density is less than original density. I'm single, and am again getting attention from ladies that I lost after aging in my 40's. My current conclusions about Neopel transplant are They gave me a massive amount of hairs, ~3500. It appears that I got more hair from this transplant than the first 2 transplants combined. Even though Shaving my head was a huge sacrifice for 6 months, it improved the distribution and evenness of the hair. Also, it would have been worth $6000-$8000 for this transplant in USA, but I couldn't after the 2008-2010 recession, so by charging only $2600, Neopel enabled me to improve the quality of my life. I saw Dra. Hernandez yesterday, and her price increased to $3000, but that's to be expected since the economy is better and Neopel is becoming known. That is still half price form USA or some male Mexican surgeons catering to the rich. She is doing Botox in 3 areas for $300 as well.

FUE technology - Dr H has the latest American training and had better technique than Dr Kahn on 2006. You should talk to her in person before deciding, don't do it remotely. There are some American companies doing almost as cheap but I distrust cheap American doctors.I'm sticking with my original post and conclusion. No real updates yet. I did not understand the progress :confused: because I have 3 kinds of hair in the thin areas on top: the original dying hair, the previous transplants, and the new transplants. My first 2 types are almost regrown from being shaved, and my haircutter told me the new hair was 1" long. If that was true then I am disappointed since I'm still quasi-bald. At 3.5 months, I revisited Dr Hernandez last week to say hi and sort out progress. Her inspection revealed that the new transplants are only 1/4" and very few on rear. I need 8 months before substantial progress. This is consistent with previous transplants. 6 months passed before real progress and 1 year to look good. So my haircutter was confused :confused:. Dr H invited me back in 6 months, which will be about 9 mo after transplant

Since Neopel shaved my hair off, I actually look worse (or older) now than I did before the transplant, so I am not happy, but I sacrificed so I will look great for the next 20 years. I'll be happy when my hair evens out on top and I score with a smoking hot Colombian chica.

This post is current. I may update after 4 months when the new hair becomes prominent. It takes me 6 mo - 1yr for noticeable improvement, and 2 years was the peak on previous.

My first 2 transplants were: Shagufta Kahn - San Diego CA 8-12-2003 10 am -3 pm Grafts 1500 Cost $3555 $2.37/graft 9-15-2006 - San Diego CA Grafts 1300 Cost $3600 $2.77/graft This review is about Neopel. Dr Kahn is no longer in San Diego, I read that Dr Kahn got thrown out of California for lying to the state board about her husband (S. Kahn) using her licence to perform hair transplants. I did not have any serious problems from her surgeries, but in retrospect Dr Hernandez cleanup was superior so my recovery was much easier. I was shocked to discover these issues happened at the time I used Dr Kahn. Neopel Review 5-29-2012 This review done 3 weeks after procedure and edited after 2 months. Facts: Procedure occurred 5-9-2012 from 8 am - 4 pm in Tijuana Dra. Ana Gabriela Hernandez Amayo - NEOPEL Grafts 1952, Hairs ~ 3500 Cost $2600 $1.33/graft Medications: Gave me 1/4 Zantax and injected Vita K. Local anesthetic on head My opinions regarding the service are: Pros: 1) Low Price 2) Friendly Personal Service, using telephone, email, and in person at clinic 3) Surgical team mature with good training and experience, but young enough be in their prime. I notice a lot of plastic surgeons in USA too old to be in their prime. 4) Good transplant techniques. I retained most of the transplanted hair after 3 weeks, so it looks good now, even though I expected benefit 4 months out. 5) Superior scalp cleanup resulted in a pleasant recovery. 6) Little swelling or saline solution "sagging" during recovery 7) Good followup instructions and support 8) NO metal staples suture - No pillow pain from threaded suture during recovery 9) Dra Hernandez is flexible and listened to my concerns and agreed to my insistence on the amount of medications which I did not want to take. Note: I took ningun medication after the procedure and had almost no pain. I walked and got 20 min of sun daily which killed any pathogens and sped the healing. Cons: 1) Pre-surgery planning communication to patient was insufficient, in office and I missed an email. Neopel knows how and where transplant will be done, but I did not. 2) Payment method bickering after I was given medication was traumatic and stressful. The email said credit card or cash, I gave the option of check but Neopel delayed 20 min, interrogating me to locate a walk-in bank where to cash my check instead of using credit card. I think asking for cash from Americans will lead to danger. I know of several instances in Colombia, where Americans were targeted when locals discover cash is used. Safe businesses make it known that cash is not accepted. 3) Sterile operating room conditions not maintained. Strangers walked in and out, socializing or doing business. Some stuck their head through the door. The door needs to stay shut and there should be a window and intercom if non-medical people have to communicate with operating room personnel. One of the nurses coughed. 5) Possibly excess local anesthetic used on my scalp. Partly numb after 3 weeks, and every few days I felt slightly drugged, maybe from the local anesthetic displacing. This was a very minor issue. Dra Hernanadez informed me this would take months. After 2 months, I felt nearly normal. Conclusion I feel fortunate to have found a good honest competent hair transplant team for less than half price, in a convenient location. I would not have been able to afford the 2000 grafts in San Diego, so ultimately I got a much better job at Neopel. Operating room isolation isn't up USA standards, and payment method are the 2 issues that should be dealt with before the day of surgery.