jimbrann

Keep us posted at 3 months, 4 months, and 6. The incision looks real clean btw. Can tell this result will be good.

Thanks for the update. Good 1500 grafts here.

I started finasteride in March 2016. For the most part the drug has been well tolerated and still is. I never really had major problems but I did go through phases of watery semen, low libido, less satisfying ejaculations etc. Then everything is basically fine again. Well recently all of the above has happened and is currently ongoing. My question is has anybody else gone through phases of the above, it abates, then resurfaces? Just curious how common this is or is it just me?

How many days post OP were these taken? And any pics of your donor area immediately after?

Thank you. Is it okay to apply gel to the donor and recipient area or must it be spray form?

Has anybody used this and applied it on the recipient area during the recovery period post-OP? I was wondering particularly if using Aloe vera (gel or spray?) would help with the scabbing and redness on the recipient area (and to a lesser extent the donor area)? Anybody? Thanks in advance for any comments.

This has happened to me as well it seems. Can a mod activate my PM feature so I can read my messages?

That was over 9 months ago. Do you have any pictures of your hair before surgery to compare with pictures of your recipient area now, with the new transplanted hairs?

Is it possible to have this examined or confirmed at a consultation? To see just how curly the hair shaft is under the skin?

If you could help answer the following 2 questions it would really help. For your FUT, do you know the size the surgeon used for the incision into your recipient area? At this point I'm thinking that smaller slits into the recipient area will house single hair follicle units and larger slits for more multiple FUs, is this correct?

Is this including the Artas robot as well?

How old are you?

What incision sizes were used on your HTs, do you know?

Good write up! How old are you? Do you live in Thailand? And how much total did this cost?

This is not about the punch size for the extraction, but the incision into the recipient area. One clinic I'm talking to says they use tools that are 0.8, 0.9 or 1mm. The other clinic uses a 0.6mm tool for the incision process into the recipient area. Which is the better option?

I have curly wavy hair. So in my case, am I correct in saying that a manual FUE 0.85mm - 0.9mm punch size for the extraction is more optimal and better than the 1mm Artas?

This seems to be the general consensus. That's why I'm not sure if I should go with Clinic A, a HT clinic that focuses on only FUE. Or Clinic B, that mainly advertises Artas (but apparently can do FUE when I asked specifically about it). The thing is the surgeon at Clinic B was good and I had a more thorough chat with him than with the surgeon at Clinic A. What should I do:confused:

I have narrowed down my choices to 2 clinics, and have already had a consultation at both clinics. However; there is one distinctive difference between them. Clinic A only does FUE. The doctor extracts the grafts from the donor area (0.8mm), and makes the slit for the recipient area (the slit size here is 0.6mm), and the nurses/technicians implant the hairs into that slit. What's important to note is that they chose to do all procedures via FUE. Clinic B mainly pushes the Artas machine for the extraction process. Their reasoning is that with the robot, it minimizes possible human error during the extraction. The Artas uses 1mm size tool for the extraction. HOWEVER, Clinic B also can offer an FUE (no robot or Artas) with a punch size of 0.85 - 9mm for the extraction. At the consultation, I think the surgeon at Clinic B was more knowledgeable than the surgeon I met at Clinic A. However as a whole, it seems that Clinic B is a lot less confidence in its ability to conduct a HT without the use of Artas. Whereas Clinic A has no need for Artas and that they do not even want to buy the machine as they focus on FUE only. Based on thee above, would you recommend going with Clinic A or Clinic B?

Hi Bill, Many thanks, appreciate your input. What's your opinion on robot/artas being used for the extraction as opposed to manual punch?

Yes it does, thank you. From my understanding the most optimal procedure is (via a top surgeon) with a manual punch of various sizes of 0.6 to 0.9mm and not via something like a robot due to its universal punch size. Would this be correct?

What do you feel is more important in order to have a successful HT? And which is the leading factor correlating to graft survival rate? The extraction process (punch size/tool used etc.) or the incision process of the grafts into the recipient area (I know direction is important here)?

Thanks for the reply. Is the recommended punch size for the extraction process 0.8 -1mm? I believe ARTAS uses 1mm, so that is one issue with it? (Not sure if the size can be modified with the robot)

Hi all, The clinic I am looking to get my HT mainly do the extraction process via robot (ARTAS). However many people online say that a manual punch yields better results as the robot uses a larger punch. Is using the robot / ARTAS really that bad?:confused:

Would you say this lack of result is more due to the ARTAS machine or more due to the implementation of the grafts into your recipient area? I.e. machine's fault or the fault of the tech/surgeon?

Hi Swooping, Many thanks. But are there any complications in doing so in terms of re-growth? Is it bad for the transplanted areas to have native hair covering it? I thought maybe the new grafts won't be able to 'breathe' etc. if there is native hair covering it every day and during sleep etc. What do you think? And if there is anybody else reading would also appreciate your input.