palma13

No luck for updated pics?

Hello,

 

I will keep it sort and sweet and try to keep the thread up to date as best as I can.

 

Finally took the plunge and underwent a hair transplant after years debating and looking at forums. 27 years old been losing my hair since my early 20s.

 

Had a few consultations in the UK and online but decided on Erdogan due to results on this forum and others. My main focus was my hairline/frontal area.

 

Stayed in the Radisson blu over the weekend as my procedure was on the Monday, really enjoyed my stay as the room, food and staff were great. The Staff at ASMED where fantastic and was very impressed with the building.

 

My stats

 

2828 Grafts

 

290 single

 

1003 Double

 

1279 Triple

 

246 quadruple

 

8 Quintuple

 

2 sextuple

 

Ratio – 2.54

 

Calibre – 55 microns

 

Donor capacity – 8300

 

Generic finasteride 18 months

 

Dr Erdogan told me to change to Proscar which he supplied me.

You are going to have an amazing result mate! Congrats on getting it done. Did you have any worries about carrying all that money in cash form especially getting past security/customs points at the airport.

Also did you have a say in how many grafts you would receive? I have been quoted something almost 50% more than yours but I don't know how much further I am compared to you. Here is my thread if you are curious:

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/188771-fue-graft-hairline-estimation-%2A%2Apics%2A%2A.html

Have to admit (forgive me erkso, in no way intended to be offensive or a knock on the doctor per se) that this result strikes me as a bit of a disappointment. I appreciate you had fine hair, but from that starting point, with ~70fu/cm2 this just isn't the result I'd have been expecting. This seemed to me one of those "slam dunk" cases, though that may say more about my own ability to assess what makes a case slam dunk than the quality of the result in this instance.

 

I certainly wouldn't call it a failure or anything of the sort, but I'd have been expecting a lot more in your shoes. Perhaps that's just unrealistic, though! Regardless, certainly looks natural to me (r.e. your mentioned concern) and ultimately, you're happy and that's what counts.

I agree, looking at the first pictures I was also expecting a good result, although your hair still have time to grow more, but considering the price you paid compared to other clinics in turkey, I was expecting really good results based on your initial hair.

 

but as @thatoldchestnut mentioned, the only thing that matters is that you feel a difference and you are happy.

You guys think its a sub-optimal result at 9 months. Isn't the 9-12 month the period of the most growth?

When I think of three months thats kinda what I picture. The ugly duckling phase and all that?

Oh ok well I am glad to hear that. You know what its so interesting you mention that about the hairline because I have noticed that with other cases from Dr Erdogan as well. Don't other docs throw like streaks over the hair line so it kinda mimics natural randomness of a hairline. I wonder if this is something one could request. Did you ever look into that?

Hi JustJax, yeah, I get a few comments - most people ask if I've lost weight and got fit or something. Others closer to me suspect something like a HT, but only one friends has come out and asked me direct. I remember my aunt saying a few months back 'what's going on? you look 10 years younger'. I thanked her, told her I had lost weight and the conversation moved on.

 

Hi Wibbles - my hair looks fine wet; the change in transplanted hair to native hair is no more noticeable than when dry. I'm one of the rare few who doesn't bother with product so I'm not sure how that would go, though based on my hair looking good when wet, I'm guessing product would be fine.

How are the temples looking now? Properly filled in?

Looks great. Ive had my eye on getting my HT with Asmed and Dr Erdogan for the past year. Like what you said, Im apprehensive about going to Turkey, taking that much money, and just getting it done period.

You have to carry the money with you? Aren't the customs authorities going to get suspicious. Can't you just get your family to Western Union you the money and then when you arrive in Turkey go to their location to withdraw.

There are only two doctors I would go to Turkey and they are Dr. Erdogan and Dr. Keser.

 

People like to lump all of the Turkish docs into one group and say the results are "not that different" but that is not true.

Erdogan stands out by miles ahead in terms of amazing results and few if any cases of subpar results.

Keser is up there too but the clinic communication is not the greatest.

 

The others are just in tier 2 or 3 lower and are only chosen by people looking for a cheap doc.

I can't see a single before after photo on his website for some reason?

I had never realized it but my donor area was thinning prior to the HT. I went back from pics from a few years ago and noticed the sides of my head had thinned out. So I initially attributed it to the HT but it was just from the natural thinning. I just never really paid much attention. I have new pics and I'll post them in just a few minutes.

Wait I thought HT surgeons were super careful about not extracting from areas on the sides where the hair might thin (certainly not if it already is thinning). Isn't the whole point of the HT to pick hairs from the side that are likely resistant to DHT driven loss. I guess maybe the thinning hair they transplanted will take a while to fall out. But its a bit of a crushing realization for me because I had hoped after my 4000 graft FUE I would only need filling of areas where my old hair (not transplanted ones) would naturally fall out. Unless I am totally confusing the issue. In that case my apologies.

It's hard to be sure based on these photos, but I don't see any significant change, if any. Your hair characteristics will work in your favour, just as they did for the patient example you gave.

 

I still think you should opt for a slightly higher hairline than the one you drew. It's the sensible way to go and most doctors would agree.

This hairline that you drew is a more sensible position. Closing the temples and strengthening the front will make a world of difference.

 

https://imgur.com/a/D3ZeR

I agree with “mattj”, go conservative with your hairline... at your age. My recession stabilized in my mid-30s. You just don’t want a lower hairline when you reach your 40’s. It may look unnatural at that point. Go conservative. You may want to consider fewer grafts now and have a second surgery a few years later hopefully after your hair loss has stabilized. Best of luck to you.

Thanks again for your responses guys. I really appreciate it. I am actually a very risk averse person believe it or not. Sensible use of donor area at the cost of a higher hairline is something I have always been comfortable with. In that old pic when I drew the more conservative hairline it was based on an estimate of 3000-3400 grafts which would have been fine. But now a year later the estimate I have gotten is 4000-4500. The customer service rep I have been talking to seems pretty adamant thats what I need. Of course in the end I will go with the opinion of the doctor. But anyways, if they are going to use that many grafts I felt the hairline should be lower or else where the heck are they going to put them? Mind you I haven't gotten a hairline estimate from ASMED so I will try to get that. But maybe now it seems like they feel the need to fill in a larger area of the scalp and not just the front peaks which is why I asked how much loss I had experience over the last year. Do you feel 4000-4500 is a risky approach for the future? Again keep in mind I am 30 taking Fin 2.5 mg which is keeping my hair stable...I am sure I continue to lose but maybe not at the rate before I started Fin. But this new estimate from the clinic created doubts in my mind about how much loss I might have experienced. After such an HT I guess I would roughly have 3000-2500 grafts left to work with assuming a standard donor capacity of 7000. I don't know if that is enough for future procedures I might need. Your opinion is greatly appreciated.

EDIT: My mistake guys. I remember they did send me a rough mock up so here it is. It certainly seems more realistic and maybe a bit higher than what I drew. But I am an absolute amateur of course.

I definitely see new hairs coming through. My hairline has gotten stronger. But still missing density. I was hoping to really see a larger improvement between months 4-5. Here is a picture from before a haircut and immediately afterwards. I was hoping for better hair quality as well from the fin but I don't see a change. I think I had a shed about a month ago but it's very difficult to see a big difference. I have been on Finestride for about 6 months.

Are you relatively happy with the donor area now? Not going to lie your first few pics scared the hell out of me. I mean you can always keep the donor area short if the density is an issue. But it looked more like you were trading thinness up top for on the side...i mean thats the point of an HT, but it shouldn't in the end look like you are balding on the sides either. People will notice that. But it looks like your donor area has come a long way since the last few pics were taken. I hope your end result is absolutely stunning. I think I have hair very similar to yours and the loss might be similar too but I think your front was stronger than mine. I am in the process of working out a date with ASMED myself. This is my preliminary thread: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/188771-fue-graft-hairline-estimation-%2A%2Apics%2A%2A.html

Hi Matt,

Thanks you so much for your response. Would you say based on my pics from one year ago versus now I am still experiencing quite a bit of hair loss. Do you think 3500-4000 would be enough to create a hairline like that? I also have curly hair and though every patient is idfferent I was using this guy as my inspiration.

https://www.hairtransplantfue.org/asmed-hair-transplant-result/results/dr-koray-erdogan-3214-grafts-fue-35

Cheers

Jay

Hi guys,

I am finally in a place physically and mentally to get an HT. I have been lurking on the forums for a few years now. I am thinking of going with ASMED because of the consistently great results and Dr Erdogan's expertise.

This is a rough mock up of the hairline I am hoping for. Its an amateur MS paint job, but should give you a rough idea. Do you think this is a realistic placement if I am considering 3500-4000 FUE? Please note this is my creation NOT ASMED estimation.

I am 30 years old on 2.5 mg finasteride. I am a little worried if I am still losing hair or if it is stable enough for such a hairline...I don't even know for sure but you can see pics below for a comparison from a year ago versus now. Assuming I have 7000 units total donor capacity I will have half or a little less left over to consider future procedures.

My hair a year ago:

My hair now:

Your input is greatly appreciated.

Coming up on 5.5 months and my right side is extremely sparse and lacking. See the picture. I'm pretty disappointed to say the least.

any updates bro for the rest of us considering HT

looks thin

Exactly my concern. That is why I asked for updated pics. Nothing so far.

Do note that this patient literally just hit the 7-month mark. So more growth may still come and maturation of his current hair shafts is still expected.

 

The lightning is also extremely harsh on the 7-month pictures as you can see.

 

We will try and update this case later when you can expect the end result is there. Thank you.

Did you get an update on the case. Would be nice to see what it looks like now?

I have read nothing but positive things about him and the clinic. He seems to be relatively new on the scene (?) so while there are great examples posted by the clinic not many patient experiences from members on this forum. My communication has been very honest and clear with the clinic.

Are there any reservations or things I should be aware of before I put down a non-refundable deposit? Including, why I may consider Bisanga over him. I am giving more weight to Lupanzula because he has less technician involvement compared to Bisanga in the actual surgery.

If you aren't comfortable discussing it here publicly feel free to PM me.

Your help is much appreciated.

Not in any particular order,

 

Erdogan (still get uneasy about how many available grafts are being quoted but amazing work)

Lorenzo (overall wow results but pricey)

Maras (pristine clean work time and time again, just unsure how any docs are involved in procedure)

Shapiro (Ron) (Still the best hairlines in the world in my opinion and genuinely cares about his patients)

Bisanga (super super ethical vibe from emails and reputation in industry)

Konior (Clean superb work and is involved in all steps of the procedure)

Where do you put Dr Lupanzula in that order given that he is one of the few docs who does most of his work and not heavy involvement from the techs.

I had a 2,000 graph Fue Procedure last June costing $16,000. Long story short the results were extremely poor. I didn't realize how poor until i consulted with two top california transplant doctors. I wanted an expert medical opinion on the previous operation and advice on my options moving forward. Both Doctors said the previous doctor's work was horrible. Not only in graph success rate, but hairline design. They said they'd remove a good amount of the successful graphs because of the poor placement. I told the original doctor this and he offered 300 free graphs, i declined the offer. He then offered me that value in a refund which is $2,400. i declined that offer also saying i want my money back or i'm going to court. He is now refusing to give me my medical records and before and after pictures and says he's filing a lawsuit against me for harassment. There's been absolutely no harassment, only me trying to get my medical records which are required by the attorneys i've contacted. I have 1 year following the operation to get the lawsuit going so he's obviously trying to intimidate me and stall me. I filed with the california medical board so once the paper work goes through he'll be required to hand it over. I'm looking for advice and recommendations to attorneys that can help me through this process. Thanks

Horrible. Any updates?

All image links are broken...really should be using a better image hosting service.

May I ask specific reasons for why you are sticking to USA and not willing to travel?

Any updates?

Thanks for the responses. I will wait until a year. It is extremely frustrating, as most sites say expect about 70% at 7 months. I am attaching a photo I took today. I honestly don't see any improvement. On the positive side, my hair does not look any worse, and I do not have thinning of the donor region. I would appreciate any thoughts on the matter.

Did u say the hairline is coming in on schedule or is that showing less than expected improvement as well?

Furthermore, the doctor you chose, without disclosing their identity, is a well known/ISHRS approved and backs his results?

About 5800. I'll cut my hair nxt week so better idea of back and post those picks too

Did u start out completely bald on top? NW6? I would think otherwise 5600 grafts would give a rather impressive result.

Did your doc not tell you how many you have left? In the planning phase of the surgery that would surely come up?

You're still quite young so I'd wait it out a bit more.

If you're not on medication - and be sure to fully research your options and possible side effects before ever starting - then you could possible lose more ground from shock loss in the areas currently thinning if you were to undergo a procedure.

 

Have you also researched the pros and cons of FUT vs FUE and which one best suits your case yet?

Shock loss is temporary no? I do agree that would be a reason to not go for an HT yet for the OP since still has very thick hair.

Meds could really help preserve your hair OP. Sometimes it can take upto 2 years to see the effects so i would get on it asap. Without it you definitely need to wait till you are near 30 so you can see if HT is still a viable option. Getting an HT now near your hairline and realizing later you have aggressive AA would leave you with an odd appearance IMO.