JohnnyDrama

Or this.... http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/170970-dr-bisanga-1477-strip-traction-alopecia.html

There is no regulatory body, that's the thing. You have to be your own regulatory body, and set your own standards. You need to do a LOT of your own research into this, even if it is a small procedure. You should listen to the advice of experienced posters on sites like this because, if we like it or not, most of us have spent probably far too much of our spare time researching the good and the bad in the industry, but for the right reasons.

Chocolatelover......you seem to be underestimating the procedure....even if it is a relatively small one in your case. You are looking to get work done on one of the most important parts of your scalp, your hairline. To get this right, you should go to a true artist in HT, not just someone who might be 'fine'. I've been impressed with female cases I've seen from both Dr Bisanga and Dr Feriduni. They are both only an average train ride away from you. You do not want to regret this decision so why not go to docs with a genuinely proven track record (and excellent post-op care too, this is something often overlooked by people when researching!).

I wasn't aware the big 3 'era' was over?? I use Niz 2% twice a week since my HT, every Sun and Thurs night........and don't find it problematic at all. Twice a week is as much as anyone should use it in my book, and reduce frequency to 3 or 4 times a month if that causes issues. It is a harsh shampoo, so I balance that out by using a sulphate/SLS-free shampoo as my daily washer and find it good.

Dr De Reys (Belgium) Dr Hakan Doganay (Turkey) Dr Koray Erdogan (Turkey) Dr Maras (Cyprus)

It varies quite a bit to be honest. There are a lot of docs there who provide FUE, and their prices vary depending on number of grafts required etc. Do you have any idea how many grafts you may need, if going down the ht route? 2,000 FUE grafts with a certain doc would cost €5,000, while 2,000 FUE grafts with another would cost €10,000.

Best of luck! You should be in much safer hands this time around and in 12 months you should be showing off the fruits of your research! Keep us posted.

You've already commented on his thread Stinger! http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/172880-3-553-fue-dr-jose-lorenzo.html

Hariri who posts here regularly had 700 chest grafts put into his FUT scar by Dr Hakan, so he would be in a good position to comment!

Very impressive work Dr.

That's impressive work. Very clean and refined as mentioned. You should be in for a very nice transformation in the coming months.

I think general consensus on FUE has changed a lot over the past 12 months, in that it is in a much healthier state than was previously mentioned. Some seem to believe as a result, FUT should no longer be considered. Even though I recently got an FUE procedure (my first HT), I still believe FUT has a big part to play in the industry. How did your procedure turn out gobble? Has the scar been any issue to you?

I've had FUE, and I'm grateful how it has advanced in recent years. I am baffled though how some people have formed the opinion that FUT is no longer a viable/ethical/moral/good (insert many other words here) option. In my opinion, FUT is a great option for those in need of the extra grafts. Everyone needs to make the best use of their donor, so for some to tackle it at some point with FUT makes perfect sense to me.

Thanks lads. Matt, I was hoping this would be the one forum I could go on without the rugby being brought up....cheers! Ya it was a fairly brutal end to the game....tough to take.

Thanks Stinger. Absolutely BeardedOne.....I've been a very athletic bloke all my life.....but I've noticed a trend in recent years and my outdoors activities have really dropped. Subconsciously I was coming up with excuses not to play ball, cycle, swim etc.....all down to hair. This has shown in my body mass right now.....I'm a bout 20 pounds heavier than what I normally would be! Long working weeks and lots of driving (which leads to a dodgy diet) have a lot to do with it too, so I'm expecting big changes myself in the coming months from a physical point of view.

Donor looks and feels good to me stinger. Here's a few pics taken outside.

3 Months That was a quick 3 months! As expected, there hasn't been any significant changes from month 2. I do think there has been some kind of growth though, because I certainly do not feel quite as 'exposed' as I did around weeks 6-10. About 18 days back I got a 321 buzz again. While there, the shop was quiet and the woman who I informed about my HT was there along with another lad whom I had spoken to about my thinning before. Just after we got started, she said to that lad "do you know JohnnyDrama got a hair transplant?". Caught me off guard a little....seeing as she was one of 4 people who knew about it. He came over and I talked him through the process and growth times....in case he thought it was less than spectacular seeing as my growth phase hadn't even begun. He was fascinated....and found it hard to believe I had work done.They were even more impressed when I told them my full result wouldn't be for another 8-9 months. As you can see by the harsher pics, my recipient is still quite sparse, but in certain lighting, it looks much fuller. As I've mentioned, redness really not an issue and hasn't been since 1 month mark. Healing has been great. Again, I'm glad to report I've gotten to 3 months without any use of concealers.....something I thought I'd struggle with pre-ht. According to the clinics post op instructions, swimming in chlorinated water can resume at 3 months and that's something I'm really looking forward to doing again. It's amazing the things my hair loss held me back from in recent years.....and avoiding getting my hair was contributed hugely in me avoiding all forms of swimming. They say the first 3 months is the toughest, and I can fully understand why. There were certain social events I may have dodged over the last few months, but for the most part.....it hasn't been as difficult as I thought it would be. Here's hoping my 4 month update just before xmas has a few more of these guys sprouting!

They do indeed. My last few have been like that.

This is looking brilliant Stu......great to see. Nice to read about your recent meet up with the doc ans Steve too. Also great to hear about the forelock.......200 to that region (which will largely be made up of 3s and 4s I'd imagine) will give you one very thick head of hair. I've just hit the 3 month mark.....if I have this response in 6 months I'll be delighted.

All of my scabs were gone on day 7/8. When the clinic told me I could begin gently massaging that area while having a luke warm shower, it didn't take them very long to come off and I was looking very clean 1 week post op.

I think what Spanker means (correct me if I'm off) is that, given the fact that we can actually see your scalp through your hair in your donor pic, that may indicate that it is not quite as dense as one would wish. Of course this can only be confirmed in a physical consultation, lighting etc can sometimes not reflect the true situation in a pic. I think 4-5k is the typical region someone would have in their FUE bank (scalp). I would be surprised if you didn't have at least 3k however. I think your characteristics are in your favour though, in that the calibre of your hair seems pretty good. You do have quite a bit of loss in midscalp so you possibly would require 3k+, but I think it would make a big difference in your case. You seem to have a solid enough frontal regional. Your pics certainly seem of good enough quality to send to a clinic. I would maybe take a few more of the donor region, back and sides etc, so the clinics have a bit more to work with. I've been very impressed with the 2 docs you narrowed it down to so I'm sure you'll be in good hands either way.

Drs Ron and Paul Shapiro at SMG would be my suggestion given the locations you mentioned.

Nice first post BeardedOne........at the very least you seem well-educated on the whole thing and this is of huge benefit. If your research has been as extensive as I'd imagine, you've more than likely come across my thread/threads, so you'll be aware that I recently had an OP with Dr Bisanga. He will certainly give you a very honest appraisal of your situation and won't sugar coat things to you. A lot of it will come down to his assessment of your donor. I can completely relate to your comment regarding confidence. Like you, I reckon I have always come across as a confident kind of bloke to my mates etc, and (thankfully) have always got on quite well with the ladies. However, my hair was beginning to have a serious detrimental effect on me, unbeknownst to others. I was becoming far less of an out-doorsy kind of guy, as wind and rain was my enemy. Concealer began to play a big part but then decided enough was enough and had to go the HT route. Regarding your questions: 1. What NW am I? Like you said, probably between a 2-3. 2. What do you guys think of sticking a few hundred grafts into the crown? To be honest, I wouldn't touch your crown right now, and I have a feeling Dr Bisanga will recommend the same. If you had more advanced loss there, then maybe, but I don't think a few hundred grafts to anyones crown will achieve a great deal, without more work being needed within another few years. For now I would concentrate on the front. I'd hazard a guess that you may need between 1500-1800 grafts. Of course this all depends on your goals etc, but I reckon that would be ball-park about right. 3. Will I be able to slick back my hair and have the transplant remain undetected? One thing you have not mentioned, even though your post was quite detailed......is what procedure you favour! Do you intend to go with FUE or FUT, or are you open to either? This decision play a BIG role in exactly how 'hidden' your work will be. 4. Is it possible to shave down to Blade 2 or 3 after a transplant and have it remain undetected? Again, this depends largely on the type of procedure you have. I got FUE and have shaved to a 1.5 blade and nobody has batted an eye-lid. 5. Can I style my hair whatever way I want after a transplant or do most people tend to sweep it forward to cover the hairline? Again......this depends on your type of procedure. If you go with FUE.......I'm sorry to say you will likely have little hair to sweep anywhere except into the clinic bin as they buzz the donor entirely and sometimes it's just best to match the top with the sides and back! With FUT, you may get away with the strategy you mentioned a little easier. 6. In short - can it remain undetected? I'm almost 3 months post op and would like to think at this point my work has been pretty much undetected. I've gotten plenty of comments about what the hell was I thinking shaving my head etc, but nothing by way of a comment towards a HT. A big factor in this I feel was me having spent the first 3 weeks post-op abroad.

Nice compilation! Pt#5 has quite similar characteristics to myself.

That's a nice cosmetic difference for only 4 months. You should be in great shape in another 6 months or so!