Shera

Hi Novakia, 3500 grafts should make a huge difference and also help preserve some of your precious grafts for future procedures. It makes sense. I had roughly the same amount 3.5 years ago so feel free to check out my thread or get in touch to see how its still rocking!

Hi Alvez, I personally think you should give the Finasteride another go. You could start with just taking 0.5mg (half a tab) every other day for a few months and monitor whether it causes you any issues. If it does, then it's not for you. If you cope OK you could gradually increase the dosage. As for the Saw Palmetto, I took it myself for several years and it didn't make a difference, in fact I'm yet to see a scalp where it has. If you are getting away with using fibres then you should carry on as long as you get away with it, just remember to cover your face and nose (scarf) when applying them, you don't know what damage they can do if you inhale them. If all goes well with the Finasteride, then I would give it a chance to kick in for 6 months to a year and then look at where you are. There is the possibility then to have a procedure of about 1500 - 1800 grafts to strengthen you hairline and fill your temples depending on how much your miniaturizing hairs can recover through Fin usage.

I actually posted on this thread a few years back. Its now been nearly 3.5 years I've been taking Biotin and I can definitely say it makes a difference, the obvious sign being it makes your finger nails stronger and grow faster. The dosage I take is 5000 micrograms a day. I would say you're OK with the 6000mcg you are currently taking, alot of patients take 10,000mcg a day. I've never heard anyone complain of any side effects from taking Biotin.

Hi Alvez, Good advice from Matt as always, just one more thing, is there any reason you haven't added Finasteride to your routine?, you do look like a good candidate.

Hi Swift, It is a very strong possibility that your Finasteride usage reduced your hairloss further whilst you were taking it. Unfortunately you will only realise if it had an affect once you stop taking it and your native hair continues to recede. It is my opinion and many others on the forum that Finasteride is the main drug that will slow down your hairloss long term. As for your plan with Dr Bhatti, it seems reasonable to me but as you are local perhaps you should take the time to visit the new state of the art clinic before your actual consultation a day before your surgery, the best time to go is after 3.00 pm. Of course if you wish to bounce anything of me then feel free to contact me direct.

After one month, grade 3 or 4 won't be a problem. It makes sense to keep it all uniform and tidy until it start to grow out.

I would go along with Matt's explanation, IE. the new hairs pushing the remnants of the transplanted hairs out. You are still within the boundaries of the "ugly duckling " stage.

Ahh Benjamin Button, great analogy, I know the feeling only too well.

Hi, 20 years old and suffering from hair loss since you was 14, that's tough! If you've just started taking the Finasteride it may take upto 6 months for you to start seeing any improvement. I would take clear pics month by month and compare the difference. Looking at your fuzzy picture, I would guess that you have many miniaturizing hairs that theoretically should respond to the Finasteride and spring back to life. This should improve your overall thickness, to what extent you will have to wait and see. You should take heart from the fact that the drug has helped many users enhance and preserve their current hair. As for growing back hair that has long since gone, then I'm afraid that is very likely not to happen. Basically you are doing the right thing in starting Finasteride as long as you aware of possible side effects in a small percentage of users. Hopefully for you the Finasteride will make the difference, you also have the option of using hair fibres to enhance your overall look. You should continue with the Finasteride for 12-18 months and then reassess your options. It may at this point be possible to have a minor procedure (nothing major, you are far too young) to enhance your look. Feel free to contact me direct if you have any other queries. I wish you all the best.

Do you have any photos of your hair prior to your first surgery. I just want to see the bigger picture and where you started from. I have also sent you a PM if you wish me to look into whether any kind of repair work can be done on your scalp.

Sorry, what I meant was that you can get approximately a little over half of the grafts you got in the first procedure. Once a graft is out, then its out, gone! no duplication. Therefore the grafts used in the first procedure are gone (relocated to your implantation area). The grafts taken in the second procedure are different grafts which have never been removed. It's important for some Docs not to go gung-ho and take too many in a single procedure for a variety of reasons.

Two trips all in to see Dr Bhatti will cost you way less than half of your total figure there.

Never mind city, there are thousands of patients who have done their HTs halfway across the world. You should be fine doing you own post op care as all patients do. It's not an issue, your clinic should advise you accordingly.

The plan offered to you is good. There is always the risk of over harvesting when large numbers of FUE grafts are extracted, it really depends on the skill and experience of the surgeon along with the patient donor. The last thing you need is to damage existing remaining grafts in your donor by over exuberance. As well as damaging grafts, if the holes are punched too close together there is the added risk of them joining up thus creating one big hole increasing the risk of scarring. 4000 or thereabouts is generally the limit if the donor is good. This can be more accurately assessed in person. Its good that you are giving Finasteride another chance, your approach sound like a plan.

Hi Baldeagle, Your hair actually resembles a UK patient I send over to Dr Bhatti for surgery a while back. He had a few more than your proposed 1700 but hopefully the pics will give you some idea of what improvement can be made. Just click the link below http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185576-dr-bhatti-9-months-result-uk-patient-24-years-old-2218-fue-grafts.html

Hi Dio88, I would say your donor area is good to go for FUE if you are concerned about the scar with FUT. There are countless examples on this website alone of good FUE results from a decent donor similar to your own. Saying that, it would be good if you could perhaps give Finasteride another go, you do stand to lose more native hair judging from your family history and Finasteride is perhaps the only solution to delay this. If you were to go for FUE surgery then I would recommend 3500 to 4000+ grafts to restore your hairline (mature, no lowering), slight fill to your temple points, fill in your temple areas and a light scattering on your crown with whats left. Your mid 'tuft' area is still strong so I would leave this area alone, that's a big bonus. Wait a year or so to see how this turns out and either accept the change or go for another pass to increase the density. To conclude, in my opinion you are a candidate for FUE but due to your extensive balding you will most probably need more than one surgery. You are likely to get just one decent shot at this, so choose your surgeon carefully. Please find below some rough estimate pics showing the proposed areas of graft placement. As for delaying it for another 5 years, you are nearly 30 now and in your prime. If you are unhappy with the way you look now, do you really want to sustain this unhappiness for another 5 years or do you wish to address it and move on. I know which option I would choose. I hope that helps you, I wish you all the best.

Hi Dio88, It would be useful to have clear pics of your donor area at the back of your head to allow for a more accurate assessment.

Hi Phil, If the couple of clinics in London have assessed you and recommended 3000 FUE grafts, then I take it your donor is ample if the clinics are indeed reputable. It would be useful to see the proposed hairline the clinics suggested for 3000+ grafts. As it stands, subject to graft availability, if you wanted to keep your hairline at the same level it is now but strengthen it along with your mid scalp as well as fill in your temple regions then I would say you are looking at 2500-3000 grafts. If you could get some thickening of your existing hair through the use of meds then I would say nearer the 2500 graft mark. This is going by what I can see in the fuzzy pic you have posted. If cost is an issue then you could look at traveling abroad to a recommended surgeon thus joining the many others who have saved a few thousand pounds. E.g. If you went to Dr Bhatti in India, the surgery including flights, hotels etc would cost you approximately 4000 pounds.

Hi Panamera, My personal opinion is that firstly you still have some hair that should respond to Finasteride use. It should thicken around the crown area somewhat but I think you are too far gone to rely on medications alone. I think you have a reasonable donor area and if you decide to go down the FUE path then I would recommend you go for a 2 procedure approach. In the first procedure I think your donor area could give you up to 3500 grafts without over harvesting thus risking scarring/damage to existing precious grafts. These 3500 grafts can be used to rebuild your hairline and your mid scalp with the possibility of a light sprinkle across the crown area. You do have the option of adding beard/chest grafts into the mix. If all goes well, upto a year down the line you should be in a position where your face is nicely framed by your new hairline and you do not appear to be balding at first sight as you walk into any room. This is the illusion you should aim for. Seeing where you came from you may be happy with this new look and decide to move on. Alternatively you may wish to go for a second procedure to increase the density across your previously implanted area and address your thinning crown area. In this second procedure you will be able to harvest maybe a little over half the grafts you used for the first procedure. Totaling over 5000 grafts for the 2 procedures you should be able to carry off the illusion of a full head of hair everywhere you go. Obviously bright lights will expose that you do not have the hair of an 18 year old but hey, we all have to live with that! You do have the added option of SMP, the tattooing of the scalp in order to further enhance the illusion of a full set of hair alongside your implanted grafts. So in reality, you do have options other than a hairpiece. You do need to manage your expectations, there are no guarantees in any surgery. Whether its worth it or not is a personal matter for you. I think it really depends on your strength of character and how much baldness effects your life. It does seem like a long long road but in reality it can be an enlightening experience that for many just flies by. Also, you are a candidate for FUT, I'll leave it to the FUT gurus to explain your options there.

You have quite a large area to cover there, as for being a candidate for FUE, it's almost impossible to tell without seeing what your donor area at the back of your head looks like, so please provide some clear pics of this area.

Hi David, A lot of patient reviews on this site are written by patients wanting to give something back for the amazing experience they have had at the hands of their surgeon. This is not marketing, it's independent customer feedback. Only a small percentage of patients including myself will feel the need to give something back this way. Therefore it is natural to see a red flag when not one patient has made the effort to write a review thanking a particular doctor on the world's biggest online hair forum, or any online forum for that matter. If they have had successful repair work done then again is that not even more of an incentive for them to big up their doctor and give something back. I do understand where your bias statement comes from, you only have to read my own review to see the blatant evidence of trolling, but hopefully this has somewhat died down over the past year or so. There is certainly no evidence I have experienced of any bias from any posters on this thread. I am actually quite close to Birmingham and only 15 minutes drive from Royal Leamington Spa, I meet a lot of patients so I for one will listen out for any experiences at the mentioned clinic. I hope they are all good.

Hi itxrd, I've corrected your photos for you. For 5 months you are doing OK, you seem to know what to expect so you should see significant changes now month by month. I feel you have the perfect chilled out no panic approach to handling your transplant, I wish all patients were that way !

Hi Cyrihan, If you are interested in a price from Dr Bhatti then you can access the pricing structure at the link below Hair Transplant Cost in India, Affordable FUE Costs & Prices There is also a currency convertor on that page. You can email me if you need any other help.

Looking at your picture I am quite surprised you was quoted 4000-5000 grafts. I really can't see you getting that many from your donor area without over harvesting which will result in an extremely thin donor area with a strong possibility of scarring. The only way you can remotely carry something off is to go down the 2 surgery route coupled with SMP to help provide the illusion of density. You will need to utilize body hair. This will be a lengthy and costly process with the risk of still not achieving an end result you are happy with. You need to consider this before you commit.

Hi, Judging by your pictures and assuming you have a good donor area and recession to the temple areas only then I would say you have the option of filling in these areas with approximately 1200 grafts. Your hairline itself looks perfect.