SteveB806

Hi sl Thanks for the advice. My patient advocate at Health Travel International told me the same but I am just dubious about it because of my experience in the past and also because of the shedding you mentioned. I think I'll take the advice and go with once per day - hopefully I'l tolerate it better this time.

Before, 6, 9 and 14 days after

Just read this thread - I think the results look good so far considering you were almost bald to start with - hope your shedding clears up I'm sure it will and will look great at 12 months

Ok so I am at approx 3.5 months and currently in the 'ugly duckling' phase. I have shed a lot of my transplanted hair to my frontline and crown (I didn't have any work on the whole vertex as not enough grafts after 2 failed strip ops) but have still retained a fair bit and density definately feels thicker to touch than before. I can see lots of little guys starting to poke through so I am quietly optimistic Having had 2 unsuccessful procedures before I am seeing better results at this stage than witht the previous ops. I am wondering whether I should be taking Minoxidil Foam - it was suggested but I had a bad experience with the lotion type stuff years ago so have so far steered clear. I know it has come a long way and the foam is supposed to be much better......any thoughts?

Congratulations mate, wishing you all the best for the op

I wish my FUT scar was vitually undetectable and may hair didn't look good over all after 2 strip procedures so I turned to FUE this summer - already seeing much better growth, but still having to live with my unsightly scars. Definately proceed with caution over confidence with FUT, I wish I had

Great work on the recipient - it would be helpful though if prospective patients were shown images of the strip scar - as it appears both immediately after surgery and at the final result.

Great work on the recipient - it would be helpful though if prospective patients were shown images of the strip scar - as it appears both immediately after surgery and at the final result.

Hi danznconfzd I don't know an awful lot about Dr. True & Dorin however I have had 2 FUT surgeries and 1 FUE surgery. One of my FUT surgeries was with a very well known surgeon (I prefer not to name him on public forums) but after going through both experiences I can say without doubt in my case I would not have had FUT with the benefit of hindsight. I doubt back when I was deciding to have my first FUT that I would have listened to any nay sayers because I really wanted to go ahead and FUE was not available back then. I had the second because of the familiarity but after having FUE I'm kicking myself that I now have a second pointless FUT scar which can be seen even through long hair (my hair in quite fine). In my opinion it is a no brainer - far easier , painless recovery, no large scar, no stiches/staples, an increased donor area and less limitation for another procedure in the future (if needed). For example I could not have had another FUT because of the scar tissue left but FUE enabled the surgeon to work around the scars in random pattern above and below the scarring, selecting the best quality grafts I had left. It's great that you have made the decision to be proactive - just research research research before you decide to make the best decision for you. Once you have an FUT scar you're left with it - for me I know of no benefit of FUT which outweighs having the scar. We all know FUT is easier work for the surgeon - it only takes around 15mins to extract the strip and close the wound so the surgeon doesn't have to spend hours doing the extraction. That cuts down on surgery time, staff time, overall, money. Having said that, many FUE surgeons leave techs to do the extraction also - if you go for FUE ask your surgeons about this - in my case I had two surgeons working on me doing extraction due to the scarring - again, ask your surgeon plenty of questions about how they operate both types of procedure. Feel free to ask me anything you would like about either procedure if my experience can help you in anyway. Best of luck buddy

One further post - It wouldn't surprise me if some of the posts I have read re my original one are from FUT Hair Transplant consultants who are trying to protect their business interests. I have not been paid for my post, not an employee of Health Travel International, not on any commission or strange kickbacks whatsoever. I have shared my experiences of FUT and FUE in the hope that it helps others. If my original post helps at least one person then I feel pleased that it has prevented him (or her) from making the same mistakes that I made. However, if you still think that FUT is still for you then I wish you well and truly hope you have a better experience than I have had

I am not worried about my credibility just because I don't want to slag off who my FUT transplant was with in 2011 on a blog as my post was about my 2 personal experiences with FUT vs my 2013 FUE treatment. I had very realistic expectations on potential yield for my FUT in 2011 given that I knew what to expect as it was my second FUT as previously mentioned I asked the FUT specialist in 2011 to concentrate on my crown. When I went for FUE and my head was shaved it was blatantly obvious that there was little coverage in the crown area as can be seen in my before FUE crown shot. As I have already said I am more than happy to talk to anyone to share my experience and this still stands if they are genuinely interested in a potential hair transplant. Who you use is up to you but I would never ever have had my FUT treatment in 2011 had I had the benefit of hindsight and that was the reason for my post to share my experience. Not only was FUT poor in results, damage to surrounding follicles, but I can never have a number 1 or 2 cut in the back of my head given the extent of the scarring as is evident on the pics I have added to the original post.

Hello 1978matt No I don't work for HTI, I simply mentioned their name because they are the company I used (!) which to be honest when you had a bad of an FUT experience as I had where my head was butchered, I'm just a happy patient who wants to share their more positive experience. I only had my operation in early July so if I don't get good growth I suspect I won't be too pleased and will perhaps want to take back my kind comments but for now I am very happy with the way I was treated and my experience so just wanted to share. I am new to this so I am collating the few pics I have and trying to upload them now.

Hi MAGNUMpi - I'm new to posting on here so just trying to collate my pics and get them uploaded. I only had my op in early July so not many yet but I'll get some up and keep adding as the months pass

Timintex2 have a look at my article - its mainly about FUT vs FUE but I've said why I chose HTI and why I'm glad I did. I'm not sure how to link to it as I'm new on here...hopefully this will work http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/172096-dont-have-fut-i-have-had-both-fut-fue-read-full-comparison.html

Hi WRajah2012 It's nice to see another Health Travel International patient on here. Your pics look excellent! I'm not surprised you're happy with the result. I had my op with them on 5 July so I've got a long way to go until I can be as happy as you but so far I am so pleased with the results. I had FUT some years ago now with another surgeon who completely butchered me. I have written a long article on here about the difference between FUT and FUE. I wish I had come on here and seen FUE patients like you before I had the FUT. So glad I made the choice to have FUE again though and with the right company this time. Congrats matey - looking great!

FUT v FUE: A Clear Winner! There are a substantial number of websites whose bloggers open debate FUT and FUE Hair Transplant techniques. I am writing this article to share my experiences because I have had both so I feel that I can give you a more balanced view. I had a FUT treatment in 2000 and again in 2011. Techniques have most certainly moved on from 2000 as well as perhaps my memory of the event and treatment on that occasion. So I will cover my most recent experience of FUT in 2011 and of my recent FUE treatment in 2013. THE FUT EXPERIENCE (A DIFFERENT HAIR TRANSPLANT SPECIALIST) In 2011, I believed that I had chosen my hair transplant specialist well for my second FUT treatment using a renowned specialist who had treated quite a few stars. I will not say who because this article is about the treatment and not the specialist in any way. The FUT treatment involved slicing a strip of skin containing the folicles from donor and transplanting them on my bald and thinning areas. To achieve this in 2011, the specialist “sliced” me virtually ear to ear at the back of my head and inserted LARGE METAL STAPLES to hold the wound together. I was given no explanation why they couldn’t use dissolvable stitches! They then transplanted them back into my recipient areas on the crown and top of head claiming to have transplanted hairs from 3500 follicles. Following treatment, they provided me with strong pain killers and boy did I need them. The pain from the staples was excruciating and I found it hard to rest my back or sides of my head on the couch or in bed to sleep. Two weeks later, I re-visited the clinic and had the staples removed. That was very painful given the healing that had taken place on the wound since treatment. The pain never fully subsided until 10-12 weeks in the donor area after the op and I went through a lot of Ibrufen tablets during that time. For up to 8 months, I experienced a tightening of my scalp primarily due to the treatment technique. The end result wasn’t wonderful to be honest given the amount of follicles they extracted. Did they use them all, I wouldn’t like to speculate but I would have expected better coverage. THE FUE EXPERIENCE (Health Travel International) So 2013, I decided to go for one last time. The painfulness and recovery time of the 2011 FUT rang like a bell in my head so I decided not to return the specialist who had sliced me open and decided to go for a FUE treatment. I was recommended by a good friend of mine to try Health Travel International and I was sold when I saw his end result after knowing him for about 10 years and seeing the difference. All I can say is WOW – what a difference! I loved the idea of going to Istanbul and getting away from the eyes of others to get my treatment done. Health Travel International organised the whole thing, flights, hotel, transfers which made it a stress free experience. Chauffeur at the airport to meet and greet took me to the hotel in a lovely air conditioned vehicle. A care co-ordinator was continually available to ensure that I was Ok prior to, during and after the treatment to allay any concerns which I had. On day of treatment, I arrived at the clinic. Blood test, some initial views of hair and some before pictures. Shaving of Head (necessary to assist with the transplantation). My FUT treatment in 2011, had damaged a lot of surrounding follicles which only became apparent at that stage which unfortunately limited my options. NEVER EVER HAVE FUT – this is a learning lesson for all of you who are considering it as if you come back to get more treatment you severely limit the amount of donor follicles you can harvest. I would ideally liked to have had a new front hairline, more hair on my crown and a thickening of my head on top but because of my last FUT I had to forget the latter as the first two were my priority anyway. The staff were lovely about it and sad at the end that they were limited to those two areas because of amount of donor follicles available to them (but hey I wasn’t complaining to be they have done a terrific job on the hairline and crown). FUE involves removing follicles from the donor area and transplanting the individual hairs from them into the recipient areas (so thankfully no slicing me open from ear to ear unlike the FUT before) whilst leaving enough follicles in the donor area to allow hair to grow over the area. At the end a bandage was placed over the donor area and I was incredibly surprised by the coverage from the 3,400 follicles they harvested which seemed to cover more of a surface area than the 3,500 supposedly harvested during my 2011 FUT treatment. My stay in Turkey was for 3 days and I visited the clinic (again Chauffeur driven) to get the bandage removed, scalp cleaned and was shown how to care for my transplant in the next 7-10 days. Honestly, there was obviously rawness in the donor area for the first few days but it healed well as I sat in the shade around the hotel and got lots of air on it. By the time I was leaving, it was healing well both in the donor area and recipient areas and a lot of the redness had gone. My head was slightly sensitive for up to 14 days as they healing progressed but ZERO pain. When I look back at the 2011 FUT treatment and the pain I endured then I wish I had had the benefit of hindsight. FUE is the clear winner. A few months on and I am pleasantly surprised by the results so far. Tiny new hairs are starting to emerge in the front hairline and in the crown. I cannot believe how well it looks already and look forward to seeing how in progresses over the next 6 months or so. The signs are good and look promising when I remember my 2011 FUT treatment at this stage and sparseness of the growth then. I made the right decision having FUE for my final hair transplant treatment. However, the best decision I made was choosing Health Travel International here is why:- • Honest and realistic upfront appraisal prior to visit for treatment • Deal in a friendly yet professional manner • Care Co-ordinators who speak excellent English, couldn’t do enough for you and always go the extra mile to help allay any fears. • Whole trip organised end to end on your behalf so avoiding any stress • The VIP chauffeur treatment was wonderful • FUE treatment and techniques are excellent • Clean, modern and excellent clinic facilities • After care package was very re-assuring. A top class experience and whole heartily recommended. It has already improved my confidence and I remain very impressed with the results to date. STEVE (August 2013) – Note this is a genuine article. If you want to talk to me about FUT experience or before deciding whether to go with Health Travel International feel free to ask for more details and I am happy to answer any queries about the experience as a patient.