Speegs

Wow, crowns are tricky, this looks outstanding.

It's a terrific discussion to be had in the ongoing and needless feud about FUT and FUE.

There are a time and place for either method, but they shouldn't be treated as competitors, but rather as both useful on a case by case basis.

On 5/23/2018 at 2:17 PM, estebanprc said:

Hello, I had my first transplant in Istambul, I did not made to much research because I was naive enough to believe that something as important as modify your phisical appearance surgically for the next 20 years was a very serious matter and was handled by very serious professionals, turns out I could not be more wrong.

 

And now, I need to find a surgeon to finish job, to cover my crown and to fix the mistakes from the first surgery and it is a problem to find a surgeon that really perform the surgery.

 

I tried to get contact with some of the most important HT surgeons in the world, correction with their secretaries and asked for a simple question, WILL THE DOCTOR PERFORM THE SURGERY? is impossible to find a blunt answer, YES or No.

 

Dr.Erdogan, Dr.Civas, Dr. Berstein are some of the surgeons I tryed to contact directly, the only one that directly answered my question straight forward and personally was Dr. Berstein, unfortunately is in New York.

 

Si please, I am begging you, IF ANY ONE KNOWS A REPUTATED SURGEON TGA ACTUALLY PERFORM HIMSELF THE SURGERIES, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

 

Thank you

Dr. Steven Gabel in Portland, Oregon is very hands-on, I can vouch for that with first-hand experience. 

It is important for a physician to be involved with a patient every step of the surgical process, assessing a patient in person, making a gameplan for how to utilize the donor and design the hairline or fill the crown, conducting the extraction themselves, creating all recipient sites personally, meticulously supervising their team every step of the way, and even participating in the placement of actual grafts while double checking the work of the technicians.

I had that experience with Dr. Gabel, and feel confident steering you his way.

I'd reach out to the Gabel Center for an online consult if I were you, he does international cases all the time and can skype globally.

Tremendous early growth it appears.

Would be curious to see how you're coming along as well.

Looks like some crown thinning is happening, finasteride could keep it from worsening and possibly even reverse some of it.

8 hours ago, aaron0d3 said:

 

Yes, it is a trauma that heals, it isn't a scar or burn.

Use rogaine on that crown, are you absolutely sure you can't give finasteride another go?

Without it hair loss will inevitably get worse and you'll be chasing it with a finite donor to try and fill in the thinning.

I had a lot of redness with my first HT, it lingered many months but did eventually subside.

My skin was far more cooperative in my subsequent surgeries which were done with Dr. Gabel, for whatever reason the lingering redness was not repeated in post-op with him.

You have an age-appropriate hairline, not even identifiable as hair loss.

If you're noticing thinning you need to take preventative measures such as finasteride.

A transplant in your state would be a mistake and no ethical doctor would likely entertain you as a patient.

Not uncommon after a decade or so of the use to see efficacy drop a little bit with the 1 mg Propecia/ finasteride dosage.

I'd consult with a dermatologist about perhaps upping the dosage a little, you can also discuss duasteride if you feel the efficacy of it has declined substantially.

Wish you had gotten on finasteride at 24, you'd probably have kept that crown and mid scalp, looks like your hairline is hanging on.

You should be somewhat particular with generics, confirming they come from a reputable pharmaceutical provider such as Teva.

33 minutes ago, Anonymous said:

Which laser cap is the most helpful ? I've only seen the ones listed on Amazon, Capillus and iRestore. 

Different doctors recommend different things, you need to vet the opinions of doctors you trust.

I have no personal experience with Capillus, but I do know the doctor I trusted with my surgeries, Dr. Gabel, has vetted them for use with some of his patients.

He never recommended it for me personally, but case by case he has said he finds it helpful for some cases.

If you exhibit signs of classic male pattern baldness then conventional wisdom would seek to mitigate it or even halt it with finasteride, with or without surgery, but it seems imprudent to not give it a shot after surgery as it could diminish the final result. 

6 minutes ago, James81 said:

Good to hear ,thanks Speegs,so have you had zero sides?lately ive  noticed less morning wood,but have no problems when I need to get it up ,

How old are you? Doubtful finasteride has any meaningful impact on your sex life, most of those claims are fear mongering or even in some instances men of a certain age looking to scapegoat something outside of their own physiology.

If' you're performing when you need to then why worry?

I've experienced no side effects, and my sex drive is in no way diminished.

In terms of the expense, the return on the investment doesn't seem to be worth it.

It may help with some thinning in the crown, that seems to be about the best case scenario for the PRP cases I've observed.

On 8/19/2018 at 5:51 PM, James81 said:

In the 9 years you’ve been on it ,have you had multiple surgeries?

I've been on it for 13 years, it still works. 

Do start finasteride.

Minoxidl is up to you, I personally found it a hassle, but finasteride is incredibly effective for most men and taking a pill is no hassle.

I began at age 21, and am now 34, finasteride allowed me to keep most of my hair except for what I lost in the frontal third, and this allowed me to do transplants exclusively in the frontal third of the scalp.

Realistically, you need to wait till 24 or 25 before proceeding with a transplant, it will give you a better idea of your hair loss potential.

You have a widow's peak, which is a hairline with some natural temporal point recession.

You're also entering an age where hairline maturation is not out of the question independent of hair loss.

What's your family hair loss history?

I recommend that if you're concerned you go to a dermatologist or primary care physician to look at your scalp and evaluate in person, they may also give you recommendations and prescribe finasteride, brand name Propecia, this can help slow and even stop hair loss in many men.

If you have no circulatory issues, aside from protecting your scalp from sun damage for a few months, there isn't much productive you can do in this arena.

There are some laser caps that some reputable physicians swear by that may help promote growth, but that's really about it without diving into snake oil products.

Eat right, take care of your head and investigate a laser cap from a reputable physician if you really think you want to do more regarding harnessing heat for potential heightened circulation.

Stay hydrated, don't use blood thinners in the weeks after surgery.

I suppose using organic blood cleansing nutrients in your diet wouldn't hurt, consuming things such as garlic.

There's no magic bullet out there to amp up the circulation, however.

It is possible to have temporal shedding or thinning from scalp irritation that has caused you to scratch a lot.

It's usually a temporary indignation, try to get some anti-itch shampoo and see a dermatologist for a proper diagnosis.

You could have scaling or seborrhoeic dermatitis, which causes inflammation and large flaking on the scalp that can cause you to scratch and lose hair temporarily.  

I know from personal experience that Dr. Gabel is an excellent FUT surgeon, and if you're willing to go to LA then going to Portland isn't much more of a trek. I recommend a virtual consult with him if you can.

14 hours ago, Daniel2037 said:

I am based in Australia and we don't have any good doctors here. I have consulted two of them but I didn't learn much. 

Going to North America is in your best interests as an Aussie, save up for some medical tourism, excellent US and Canadian doctors on that West Coast, closest flights to Oz, especially in Portland, Oregon (Gabel) and British Columbia, Canada where Hasson & Wong are.

On the plus side both Oregon and British Columbia are gorgeous, so you can site see in down time and have a real vacay.

Gabel was my doc, he does excellent comprehensive online skype consultations, even with international patients. I recommend you check in to it, he's incredibly accommodating and empathetic.