JohnArbuckle

^This. Also applies to dutasteride. Try not fapping before blaming the meds.

In Europe, Freitas, Couto and Lorenzo are very good. Bisanga and Feriduni just a step below. In the US, Konior and Cooley stand out.

I am on month 9 of 12 of my wait. I have read that sometimes he bumps patients up based on openings, but I have not had luck with this. This is not the longest wait out there. I submitted a request for CONSULTATION with Freitas 11 months ago and he hasn't even looked at my pictures. May be different for Spanish patients. Couto is reportedly booked out 3-5 years. I didn't even bother calling them.

His wait time for foreign patients is so long that he is not a realistic option for folks outside of Europe. Same issue with Freitas. Also their post op pics are incredibly bloody.

I have PRP scheduled soon with Cooley and was wondering as to post procedural guidelines. I assume, to a degree, that they are similar to those for FUE/FUT, but more lenient. Googling has shown me some basic ones, but there is a lot of variability: -Avoid ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen, oral Vitamin E, ginko biloba, fish oil, etc -Don't exercise for (x) days (there doesn't seem to be any agreement about this, anything from 3 days to 6 weeks I've seen listed. -Neck pillow, button up t-shirt, shower cap (I'm flying out, don't want to get folliculitis from the gross plane seat) -Cooley also suggests some sort of protein shake that his clinic sells, which I'll give a shot 3 questions: 1. Ice: some say it's a good idea, others are against it. When I had PRP on my elbow, the surgeon said it was fine. 2. What's everyone's take on Vitamin E or aloe ointment for after surgery? 3. I have also heard that Minoxidil is supposed to help prevent shock loss for FUE/FUT. What do you all think about this? If you apply it, how long would you wait to start? Anyone have personal experience? I noted some comments on witch hazel, but I don't think I'm going to mess with it as it's not a common recommendation on surgeons' websites.

PRP is basically a sustained anti-inflammatory treatment for hair loss. The DHT that makes follicles atrophy and die does so via inflammation -- the theory is that PRP throws a wrench in this process. It will wear off, and your follicles get more sensitive to DHT based inflammation with age, so it is not permanent, and it is expensive to have it done correctly. The protocol is key -- some have suggested that if not done just right, you can induce shock loss. But, when you look at it like that, hair transplants often have a shelf life as well.

Could you show more magnified images? The difference is not as striking as a hair transplant and difficult to appreciate at this resolution.

Did you post your review under the same login or was it deleted? I only see 2 posts under your name.

Couto in Spain is 3-5 years. He has remarkable FUE results, but a large part of it is related to the fact that he did some fairly high profile celebrity soccer/football players in Europe who were very open about their results, even posting them online. Freitas takes about 4-5 months for even a consultation, with a wait time of 12-18 months *after* that. The ratio of doctors to patients in Europe is a bit more asymmetric than it is here in the USA, combined with a relatively new class of upper middle class and wealthy, whereas the procedures have been mainstream on this side of the duck pond for longer. Ultimately, if a doctor is busy, and still has a wait like that, he is doing something right. Don't rush the process and don't take anything for granted. Remember: the early bird may get the worm, but second mouse gets the cheese.

Seriously. Would have liked a back shot, but presumably he wouldn't cut his hair that short unless it was pencil thin.

From the time I've spent on there, there does not seem to be a strong single subreddit, but rather each new post gets diluted into its own individual stream. Really impedes substantial depth from being generated. Some of the AMA discussions are decent, but overall its akin to trying to have a philosophical discussion in the middle of the mosh pit at an EDM rave.

Any update? Would love to see how you're coming along.

Older guys get their hair transplants, successful or not, and move on. Younger guys favor reddit b/c voting on comments is the new trendy thing, the web development is a solid MEAN stack so it is very fast, and its easier for them to branch into a new subreddit than join a new forum. For better or worse, subspecialty forums across the board taken 2nd fiddle to the megaforum mosh pits. That being said, this is still the best resource on the net for patient submitted cases and surgeon reviews. BT is a joke and the other forums focus more on medical tx. Spend any time on Reddit and you quickly realize that, while amusing, its little more than a bunch of 20 year old kids barely scratching the surface of hair restoration. No depth.

Lucky you. Any pics of the donor area?

Thanks for your insightful responses, this is all extremely helpful. One last thing, for those of you that applied aloe vera or vitamin E ointment, how soon after were you able to start doing this? Advil is ibuprofen which increases your risk of bleeding.