fueguy

Well done! Do you have any closeups of the hairline?

Joe. Do you get any compensation from Dr. Karadeniz? Curious as to what your arrangement is.

Is your doctor shaving the area? If so, at 10 days the recipient area will look like the attached picture. Also depends on the number of grafts. If it's over 2000, forget it. How many grafts are you getting? Clinics seems to underestimate how many days you really need off. A full two weeks is needed in most cases. And even then you're dealing with redness and possibly some stubborn scabbing. It's safe to say that you will look different.

Agree. Only a few good ones out of Turkey. And all are FUE. Forget strip. Maybe it costs less for USA guys. But if you’re from Canada like me, forget it. The Canadian dollar has taken a hit and with the exchange rate, travel, etc. you will come out on par. Personally I choose Rahal over Edogan. Edogan does ok work. But Rahal's unmatched for density and hairlines. Says who? Just because both Feller and Lindsay have admitted that their FUE survival rate is 40% less than strip does not mean it is. If you get FUE and shave, you will see white dots. Others might not notice. But you will. If you want to shave, get smp for the dots. Well said! “ultra refined follicular unit grafting” is just follicular units transplantation. Anything above 55-60 is a waste and not needed.

No real advantage to strip except that you can get more life-time grafts. Tax on an additional 2500+ grafts is you start with strip and then move to FUE. For the most bang for your buck, you can also look at strip/fue combo and smp to thicken things up in the crown. You can then focus on the front. The crown is a black hold anyway and by the looks of you photos, you won't have enough grafts for full coverage. You would really benefit from SMP in my opinion. I stated with FUE but my hair loss pattern is not advanced as yours and i'm on meds to slow/keep what I have. I'm hoping (and sure I won't) need the extra grafts a strip/fue combo will give me. I'll be straight up here: It's not a good idea to consider a hair transplant without meds. Rogaine at minimum. But it does seem that your goals are in check. If I were you, I would start with 2500 or so grafts to around the midscalp with a conservative hairline. Maybe a second down for the road for the crown. But only a light dusting. Then SMP to thicken things up. This opens up a lot of options. Great your asking questions fyi. Lot's of options. I've been there! Took me years to jump in the chair. You're in great hands though. Rahal is great.

There is a great collect here, http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/167825-dr-rahal-results-collection.html I had a HT recently and while the results are not in, i'm happy to share my experience. It's widely accepted that Rahal's one of the best.

Hey man, we have a few things in common. I recently has FUE with Dr. Rahal and being from Canada also (Toronto), I can tell you that it’s cheaper to have it here than travel. After taking into consideration the conversion to CAD, cost of flight, etc. Or at minimum on par. A lot of guys also don’t consider the possibility of needing a touch-up. Most guys need one after a procedure--even it’s a couple of hundred grafts. Are you going to travel to another country, pay flight, etc. just for a couple of hundred grafts? We’re lucky to have Rahal in our backyard! He’s considered the best for FUE in CAD/USA. Feel free to PM if you have any questions. I met a few guys at the guest house and happy to share. All got FUE. BTW Rahal is booked 9 moths out for FUE. Says it all. You can find some great FUE results here, http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/167825-dr-rahal-results-collection.html Have you considered strip at all? Are you on medications? I ask because it looks like you have an advanced hair loss pattern. FUE might not be your best option. Unless you’re ok with lighter density/coverage. While FUE is a great procedure, it does limit your life-time grafts by 2500+. This can make the difference. Maybe looks at strip/FUE and SMP to help conceal the scar. At least keep your options open man. Hope this helps.

I'm willing to bet that you had Artas. A few concerns here: 1) were all of the grafts taken from the safe zone? 2) Artas uses blunt force, so there is a real danger that you damaged a lot of the graft during extraction 3) There is also a danger of over harvesting and having the appearance of the a see-through donor. 3500 grafts is one session is just too much. I would discuss all of this with your doctor. If it was Artas, I would also document everything and make a complaint. While I support FUE, I feel that a strip/fue combo is best for mostt guys. Most guys don't have enough life-time grafts for just FUE.

I have no doubt that Tricopigmentation will fade. It's not a long-term solution though. Only a gate-way to permanent makeup. Start with Tricopigmentation and if you like it, get permanent SMP. You WILL save a lot of money in the long run. Don't let anyone tell you different.

You're a strip doctor Dr. Feller. Not a FUE doctor. I'm my opinion that means you're not qualified to make his statement. Maybe YOUR FUE is not as consistent as strip. But I’m sure that Feriduni, Rahal, Lorenzo would all disagree. Please stop this silly mFUE nonsense. It’s misleading to patients. It’s strip. Period.

I’m really disappointed to read this thread. It's borderline false advertising and has the potential to do more harm than good. It's not FUE. Has nothing to do with FUE. And to be honest, sounds like a desperate attempt to ride the popularity of FUE. In anything, we should be calling this mSTRIP, which is what it is. There is only one limitation with FUE: you have to be good at it. Unfortunately, most doctors just don’t have the skills or desire to master FUE. Look at Artas. It’s not popular because it’s a great technique. I’m my opinion, it’s a terrible technique. It’s popular “with second tier doctors” who don’t have the skills to offer motorized/manual FUE with sharp punches, see HTs as a means to make a quick buck and are basically lazy and looking for a quick fix to a labor intensive procedure. Great FUE doctors have a transection rate equal to strip. Only strip doctors will tell you different. Slightly larger than a traditional FUE punch? Really? I promise you it’s MUCH larger. Please Google, “Ellipse Circumference Calculator.” It’s not so messy Sorry, but you basically created dozens of small strips scars and possibly even limited future procedures for the patient. Please show a patient’s donor area shaved after dozens of these strip scars. BINGO! BINGO! It’s modified strip BINGO! Agree. 100% agree! Think about the damage this “advancement” can do to patients. It’s a desperate attempt to ride the popularity of FUE. Call it what it is—mSTRIP. Then you have my support. At least patients patients are informed then. By definition, it’s not FUE. Don’t pretend its FUE. You’re miss-leading patients. It’s strip and false advertising. Joe. Do you get ANY compensation from Dr. Karadeniz? You’re a great resource for guys no doubt. But let’s be clear. You’re compensated by Dr. Karadeniz. He has hired you to get him patients and represent him. Nothing wrong with that. But lets not pretend otherwise.

Give it time. You're only two months post-op and won't see anything significant for another couple of months. Even then you're looking at 12+ months to judge the final result. Bottomline it's a long-process. Looks like your on Propecia. Have your considered Rogaine and maybe adding Nizoral to the mix? I ask because you're only 21 and have what appears to be an aggressive hair loss pattern. You would really benefit from all three. I would argue that it's mandatory since you have taken the plunge with a HT. I guess what I'm saying is don't go into this thinking you're only going to need one HT. You're looking at 2-3 in your lifetime based on your hair loss pattern, so getting on meds (and being consistent) is smart. I'm not against younger guys getting a hair transplant. You just need to and realistic and smart about it moving forward. Fire off a PM if you have any questions.

Lorenzo if you're going to travel. And thanks for the sharing everything Sean--wishing you the best in your upcoming procedure.

If you go the permanent SMP route (which I recommend), pigment will just fade over time. How soon depends on the color (dark vs light), exposure to sun, etc. Some worry about black turning green/blue but it won't happen with inks from Kuro Sumi and Dynamic. If your worried about your hair color turning, just dye your hair to match. But to be honest, by the time this happens, we're taking years, so you will probably need a touch-up anyway. This might all seem new in the HT world but "permanent makeup" has been around for a long time and used for eyebrows, scaring, etc. If you want advice, reach out to these people. Just Google "permanent makeup [your city]" and make some calls. It's too new in the HT world. Tricopigmentation does have its benefits though. For one, you can feel things out and get something more permanent if you're happy. But long-term, it does not make sense.

Saying that strip is the “most consistent growth/yield” is misleading. Yes, it’s consistent. And growth yield is better because strip it’s MUCH more forgiving than FUE. Meaning that a less-than skilled doc can harvest 3000 grafts via strip and reasonably expect most of the grafts to grow. Will it look natural—that’s another story. What I’m saying is that it’s not the procedure that screws things up with FUE (unless it’s Artas) with but rather the SKILL of the doctor. It’s that simple. 100% agree with donor damage. FUE does more damage for sure and really does limit your life-time grafts. That’s a fact and I think a lot of guys overlook this. Your best “long-term” bet is a strip/fure combo. Starting with strip. Once stripped out, you have “above and below” the line for more grafts. Going FUE only and say goodbye to 2500+ life-time grafts. Dr. Feller, saying that you won’t perform FUE on a patient who is a candidate for FUT is silly. Most people are by “definition” candidates for FUT. I would also disagree that they “are starting at a disadvantage.” Look at myself. I decided that FUE was the better approach because I’m on medication to slow/stop my hair loss, have enough life-time grafts for FUE as per Dr. Rahal and will opt for SMP at some point to give the illusion of greater density. In my case, FUE is the better option. And you would have recommend that I get strip? Really? As for “modified FUE”. Really? How does modified FUE help anyone? Kind of silly. It’s FUE, period. You’re still dealing with scaring, etc. if you decide to switch to strip down the road. You also forgot to mention that strips via FUE can create the same “strip scar effect” or “hat head.” Start with how many life-time grafts that you need, your family history of hair loss, use of medications to stop/slow your hair loss. All will help make the decision on what procedure if best. It’s FUE only or strip/fue combo. Meds to slow/stop your hair loss and SMP to thicken things up. That’s it.

I would also add a third: Amature Dull punch (most start with Harris safe) Professional Sharp punch (more skill needed)

I think we should breakdown like below. Much more clear. There is more to it like technician vs doctors extractions, dull versus sharp punch. But it's a great start for newbies. Hand-held Neograft Manual Motorized Robotic Artas Amature Artas Neograft Professional Manual Motorized

I do and will try and post tomorrow. I have to remove some of the guys staying their also. Great guest house FYI. Literally beside the clinic. It's cool to stay and chat with others getting a HT--Rahal staff also pop in with pizza every so often

I can't imagine a time when Artas is the best method for anything.

Just had FUE with Rahal. Results are not in. But happy to answer questions.

When considering strip, I looked at H&W. Strip results are phenomenal. And Wong's crown work is among the best. I can't say the same for FUE. Sadly, they offer ARTAS. I think purchasing the machine recently. More than likely out of desperation. If you're considering FUE in USA/CAD, take a look at Shapiro and Rahal. I just had my FUE procedure with Rahal so i'm a a bit biased I did have a great chat with one of Shapiro's techs prior though. They are doing everything FUE right and hairlines are rock solid. I just felt that Rahal had an edge in density. Interesting that neither Shapiro and Rahal offer ARTAS. I think Shapiro sold his and Rahal's machine is collecting dust in a basement. Neither recommend the machine. And anyone searious about FUE won't either. I would reach out to both.

Hey guys, as promised here’s an update on my FUE procedure with Dr. Rahal. In the end, I opted for 2438 grafts. Amazing experience! We drove in from Toronto the day before and met Larissa (their patient care manager) to go over all of the paperwork and get a tour of the clinic. She’s great FYI. Overall impression of the clinic is that it’s massive and nicely renovated. Larissa calls it the Rahal campus. The clinic has two levels, and I think I counted five rooms for procedures, a guest house and offices. Not sure how many procedures were going on that day. But I know that I was the only FUE scheduled. It was busy though. Staff are also well-trained. Everyone wears black uniforms including the doctors. I would describe everyone as polished. I stayed at the guesthouse, which is cool because it’s attached to the clinic. VERY convenient. My procedure started at around 7:30 AM. I was up at 5 AM though. Couldn’t get much sleep that night. The morning started in Dr. Rahal’s office. First impression of Dr. Rahal is that he is empathetic and patient. I think he could tell that I was nervous, so he took the time to make sure all of my concerns were addressed. We also chatted about different procedures, doctors and techniques. It was interesting to hear his opinion. All in all, very professional. I was really looking forward to Dr. Rahal designing my hairline. I’ve said before that I feel his hairlines are the best in the business. And he didn’t disappoint. In the end, we both agreed that a conservative approach was best. We did discuss density versus coverage, and I decided to book an additional 400 grafts. I also wanted my hairline to be slightly asymmetrical. I’d say the process took around 45 minutes. Definitely happy with the hairline design. I then met a nurse who took some before photos and changed into a gown. I was also given slippers and led into the procedure room. I didn’t manage to eat much on the morning of and was offered some light snacks, which included a couple of granola bars and juice. There was a lot going on around me. Everyone coming in and out of the room did stop to introduce themselves, which I definitely appreciated. The procedure started with Dr. Rahal freezing the scalp. While Dr. Rahal was freezing, the nurse used a massager on my back. Not bad at all. Freezing took a couple minutes at most. Dr. Rahal entered the room again around 15 minutes later and started the extractions. I mentioned earlier that Dr. Rahal uses sharp punches and why I feel they are superior to dull punches. Please see my first post as to why. I’d say that Dr. Rahal performed the FUE extractions for about an hour. The nurse then took over. Dr. Rahal was in and out of the room every 45 minutes or so after. We then took a break for lunch. I was given a menu prior and decided to go with a tuna sandwich and chicken salad. They have a little area set up for patients to eat at. Great view. Next was the hairline incisions. And some more one-on-one time with Dr. Rahal. Genuinely a nice guy. Followed by implanting. I counted eight technicians and one nurse in the room throughout the day. The procedure ended around 5 PM. The freezing was wearing off at this point, and I started to feel a dull ache. I really just wanted to wrap things up at this point. Dr. Rahal did give me some extra freezing, which did help. After the procedure, I went over the post-op instructions and headed to the guesthouse. Popped a couple pills and crashed. Before I crashed, I did take a second peek at the hairline Dr. Rahal designed I was surprisingly fine the next morning. And more excited than anything. It’s a great feeling to look in the mirror and get a glimpse of what’s yet to come. Swelling hit a few days later. Nothing to complain about though. Overall great experience, and if you’re fortunate to have one of the best in my backyard. I’ll definitely keep you guys posted as the months go by. For now, enjoy some of the photos that I asked the technician to take for me. Any questions, let me know. Thanks guys.

Hey guys, I’m scheduled for 2000 FUE with Dr. Rahal on Tuesday. I must admit that I feel a mix of emotions right now. I’m nervous and excited! I’ll start with a little about me and why i’m getting a hair transplant. I’m 34 and from Toronto. I first noticed hair loss at around 25. At first it was slight hairline recession, which I was ok with at first. But then my hair loss progressed to more of a “diffused pattern” in the frontal area. That’s when I started medications. Rogaine 5% at first and Propecia later. I also added Dermaroller to the mix shortly after. Overall, I’ve had success with medications. While my hairline is essentially gone, the back and sides remain strong. With my hair loss under control, I feel that it’s time to get back the hair that I’ve lost. I feel shitty without hair. I feel older. I look older. I like to think that i’m informed, having researched this for years. My expectations are in check. I’ve planned for a second procedure at some point in the future. And I have chosen one of the best. Having learned so much from this forum over the years, I’d like to contribute as best I can moving forward. Having said that, here are a few things that influenced my decision. I’m sure that some will agree and disagree with what I have to say. And that’s ok. It’s what makes this community great. Please keep in mind that these factors are important to “me.” I encourage you to do your own research. Making an informed decision is empowering. Strip vs FUE - Why I Chose FUE Let me start by saying that I’m not “anti-strip.” I feel that a Strip+FUE combo is the way to go for a lot of guys. I considered two large strips, followed by FUE strategy. Overall, I would get an additional 2000-3500 lifetime grafts vs FUE alone. But I also considered my age, family history, use of medications and conservative hairline approach Dr. Rahal suggested. I’ve had great success with Propecia, Rogaine 5% and Dermaroller over the years. And while my hair loss is most visible in the front, I’ve been able to stabilize my mid-scalp, crown and donor regions. My family history also indicates that I’ll progress to a 5A. My current hair loss pattern and level of hair miniaturization (measured by Dr. Rahal) confirms this. Based on these assumptions, I feel that the option to “wear my hair short” outweighs the benefits of “additional lifetime grafts.” Bottomline, I don’t feel that i’ll need them. Manual vs Motorized FUE That brings me to the “manual vs motorized” debate. Personally, I feel that you can achieve a great result with manual or motorized. The debate should really be about “dull vs sharp” and quality punches. Let me explain. In my opinion, a sharp punch is the best method to minimize trauma. A dull punch will create shearing and frictional forces that can damage the follicle. A punch with thin walls, sharp edges and small internal diameter greatly minimizes resistance. So much so that it negates any oscillations or frictional forces seen with motorized FUE. This of course eliminated Harris’ SAFE System for me, as I strongly feel that shearing/frictional forces and distortion of follicles, combined with improper handling (since FUE grafts are typically stripped of fat) are likely responsible for the majority of poor growth. Of course this also eliminates Artas, which uses Harris’ SAFE System and blunt force. Doctor vs Technician Another hot topic right now is “who does the extractions” - doctor vs technician. For me it’s more about “experience.” I would rather a technician with 10 years experience extract the grafts vs a doctor with two years experience. Or vice versa. Transection, size of punch used and difficulties in extraction, etc. all point to the operator's experience or lack of. I feel that a transection rate of less than 3%, combined with using a punch size of 0.75mm - 0.9mm are much better indicators of experience. FUE in Turkey I did consider Dr. Koray in Turkey due to cost. His FUE results are also excellent. But after the conversion to CAD dollars, cost of flight, etc., the difference in price was negligible in my case. One thing that I also considered is the need for a possible touch-up. I’m going into this knowing that I may need a touchup of some sort - an area that didn’t grow “as well”, etc. It’s a very real possibility and more common that many think. Anyone considering a hair transplant in Turkey or traveling any distance for that matter should take note of this. Or at least budget for it, as I doubt any clinic would foot the bill for travel. Having one of the best in my own backyard should the need arise is reassuring. I should point out that both clinics were complimentary of each other’s work and very professional during the consultation process. Why I chose Dr. Rahal Besides meeting all of the above criteria, I wanted a surgeon skilled at hairlines. Hands down, I feel that Dr. Rahal’s hairlines are the most natural and that he could give me the most natural results. Unfortunately, my hair characteristics are less than ideal. I have coarse hair that’s straight (though slightly wavy when long) and high contrast between hair and scalp. I needed a surgeon skilled at creating a “feathered hairline zone” with less than ideal hair characteristics. I also wanted a surgeon skilled at creating the illusion of density or “more with less.” I also had the luxury of meeting several of Dr. Rahal’s patients in person, a few from this forum. As expected, I was impressed by the results. It was also expressed by many Rahal patients that Dr. Rahal’s aftercare is exceptional. Something that’s important to me. I want to say “thank you” for the support and words of wisdom from each of you along this journey. Scheduling this procedure was not an easy decision for me. I’ve waited years to get this done and promise to update everyone on my progress as the months go by. One perk that Dr. Rahal offers is a guest-house attached to the clinic. So if you’re staying at the guest house next week, I look forward to meeting you! And if you’re from Toronto. Email me. Let’s grab a beer!