Bamboo

4 hours ago, Berba11 said:

When you say that Eugenix are your "only realistic hope", why is that? Have you spoken with Pittella/his team?

My point is that your case looks borderline impossible, so you're going to need proper consultations with more than just one surgeon. You'll also need to choose the premium packages/options at whichever clinic you go with, which will mean big costs. If a couple of trips to India/Brazil for a consultation (and obviously making a bit of a holiday of it as well!) are going to be financially problematic then I'd suggest you don't have the funds for the surgeries themselves even if you were a candidate.

I think a better option for you might be to try and address the scarring that concerns you, so that you can buzz your remaining hair down much tighter without feeling self-conscious of visible scarring.

It’s not a question of cost. It was more a question of whether traveling so far for an in-person consultation was really necessary. 

Thanks to everyone for the replies.

16 hours ago, jjalay said:

They are doing consultations in London sometimes of the year. MAybe this is a better option.

That really would be good if it happens 

Many thanks Adrian. I didn’t consider that surgery could be cancelled at the last minute.

I’ve posted earlier in relation to my condition and have formed the view that Eugenix is my only realistic hope.

I’m very encouraged by cases like @Gatsby but I’m not sure whether I would have that potential donor. I think I’m borderline for any surgery that would provide an acceptable outcome. 

I’ve had a brief online consultation with Eugenix but it wasn’t very detailed. I don’t know how they could make a comprehensive assessment of my particularly challenging circumstances without an in-person evaluation. 
 

Even though it’s expensive to get to India (I’m in Ireland), I’m thinking that it might still be a good idea to travel for a consultation rather than pay thousands for surgery that may ultimately be for nought. 
 

Am I nuts? Is this over the top?
 

I’ve posted elsewhere on this forum about trying to minimise the ugly duckling phase. I have multiple linear scars from botched operations going back to the 80s so my ugly duckling would be particularly ugly.

I have very limited donor so a full shave for any future transplant is unavoidable. 
 

One thing I’m considering is getting SMP before my next surgery. The hope is that I would have the illusion of coverage a couple of weeks after surgery and for the months before growth kicks in.

Any thoughts?

So maybe an SMP in advance of the surgery is a better way to go 

16 minutes ago, Melvin- Admin said:

Bad idea, the adhesive can destroy your growth. Concealer is a better option.

But using clips instead of adhesive?

Hi all. 
 

Like everyone else considering a HT, I’m not looking forward to the ugly duckling phase after surgery.

Was wondering whether it’s possible to continue to wear a system while everything kicks in - not in the couple of weeks after surgery of course but perhaps for the period after one month or so. 
 

What I envisage is wearing the system with clips and just wearing it occasionally while going out for a couple of hours or so, almost like a cap.
 

Thoughts?

Are there any examples of HT patients with longer growth who used SMP to create a better illusion of density?

Those things pass. It’ll be sorted

On 9/12/2023 at 12:56 PM, A_4_Archan said:

@Bamboo

You can use scalp donor for hairline and body/beard grafts for mid and crown and than can do smp to create an illusion of density ..you may once consult dr pittela who is doing outstanding work in high nw cases and ask about his opinion and see wht he has to suggest ...

Thanks for that.

As far as sequencing goes, what about this.

1. Get hairline sorted 

2. Get SMP on rest of scalp and ditch the system 

3. Get BHT as much as possible and accept the results as being the best possible outcome.

Grateful for any and all views.

Ideally, I would love a hairline like this. 
 

6 hours ago, Gatsby said:

@Bamboo have you had any feedback from surgeons yet? All the best. 

Hi @Gatsby

I’ve had one online but I’d much prefer an in-person consultation even if it means travelling. My donor capacity is limited and I think really warrants an examination that would be difficult t perform online. I’ve been burned badly by reps over the years so I’ve become sceptical, by default, about what I’m being told.

1 hour ago, mr_peanutbutter said:

you mean something like this?

 

Yes something like that. Thanks for sharing.

I wouldn’t even want a hairline that dense. Something softer perhaps that’s more age appropriate (I’m 59)

14 hours ago, Berba11 said:

You're not going to able to get enough scalp hairs to make body hair viable for an advanced NW7. You need to be able to create a strong foundation with scalp hair and then boost it with body hair. This is why I asked who evaluated your donor at only 1300 grafts? It's an important question, because if the surgeon who gave you that number isn't a specialist at homogeneously depleting donor areas to treat advanced NW6 & 7's then it's possible their estimate is quite low compared to what some of the NW7 specialists might think.

Thanks. I appreciate all that. 
 

But my question on this thread was about surgeons who would be particularly good at soft, modest hairlines.

I accept that Eugenix is perhaps the natural route for BHT but the hairlines I’ve seen on their website seem to be quite “full” relative to what I’d be looking for.

2 hours ago, Berba11 said:

I think it's a viable option but one that might look a bit ridiculous in later life if you decide to no longer wear the hair system or for whatever reason you're not able to maintain wearing one (nobody knows what sort of health condition we'll be in by our 80's for instance). Pretty much any of the European doctors on the forum's recommended list will be able to give you a nice looking hairline. You won't be short of options.

Can you say who gave you the 1300 graft estimate from your available donor area?

Thanks. Yes, the older I get, the more I think about how things will be when I’m reach old age. Maintaining a system is not a task I’d be happy to have to assign to someone else.

15 minutes ago, Turkhair said:

Pekiner for hairlines. He’s the best for hairlines. Use whatever remaining grafts you’ve left for hairline. 
 

Your plan isn’t bad. Get a hairline and wear hair system. You can use beard/body hair behind hairline and if it looks good, ditch the hair system. If not you can use it.

Thanks for that. Yes, that was part of my thinking also - that I could replace the system with BHT at some point in the future. The BHT outcome would obviously not be as “full” as the system so perhaps the hairline might need to be more modest to allow for this possibility.

46 minutes ago, Berba11 said:

Are you going to want to be wearing a wig for the next 25 years? 

A system that looks better with a more realistic hairline is one of the options I’m considering, hence the question.

There are pros and cons with all options. I want to tease out the hairline only option.

I’ve posted elsewhere about my current condition and options for surgery.

I’m NW7 with limited scalp donor as a result of botched procedures in the 80s and 90s. I’ve been told I have about 1300 scalp grafts available. I have an abundance on body hair. 
 

I currently wear a system which is okay but like many system wearers, I’m always conscious of the hairline. One of the options I’m considering is the restoration of a modest but natural looking hairline that I could comb backwards, with the system set behind it. I’m looking for something consistent with my age (59).
 

Any recommendations for surgeons in Europe that are particularly noted for good hairlines? 

Could you not just skip the wedding? Doesn’t sound like you’re going to enjoy it anyway.

19 hours ago, KSA91 said:

I'm assuming you're getting a FUE hair transplant and it's your first transplant...If you go to a good clinic and everything goes perfectly post-transplant, then most of the visible signs that you had anything done go away within 10 days. There will be small circular scars on your donor area that will appear from the extraction process but they're too small for the ordinary person to spot. SMP is usually done to cover those very small scars on the donor. You'll have to wait until everything heals up first.

Thanks for the reply.

Unfortunately it wouldn’t be my first transplant and the performed in the 80s and 90s have left me in a poor condition.

For any subsequent surgery, I’d would need my head shaved (which would be the first time ever) and I’m just concerned about the visual aspect afterwards. I feel that a prior SMP would give a better illusion of coverage while recovery and growth takes place.

Grateful for any views.

With limited donor, I’m unlikely to achieve as full a look as I’d otherwise like to have. I’m encouraged by the capacity of SMP to give a thickening effect. 
 

My question is whether it would be preferable to get SMP done before transplant surgery. My reasoning is that it would give a quicker illustration of what the ultimate look would be like.

Waiting until all surgical options are exhausted and then hoping that SMP will complete the look might just lead to disappointment.

Any thoughts?

With limited donor, I’m unlikely to achieve as full a look as I’d otherwise like to have. I’m encouraged by the capacity of SMP to give a thickening effect. 
 

My question is whether it would be preferable to get SMP done before transplant surgery. My reasoning is that it would give a quicker illustration of what the ultimate look would be like.

Waiting until all surgical options are exhausted and then hoping that SMP will complete the look might just lead to disappointment.

Any thoughts?

6 hours ago, Gatsby said:

I would choose Dr Sethi. The other surgeon who I would pick is Dr Pittella. Both these surgeons have lots of experience with Norwood 7 repair patients. It will not be cheap so you really need to ask yourself if you want to go through with this. There's no point trying to save a dollar at this level of hair loss only to jump out of the pan and back into the fire. All the best!

Good point @Gatsby A bit to think about. Thanks for the reply 

40 minutes ago, mr_peanutbutter said:

why dont you go to dr umar again if you had a good experience with him

Well as I said in the introduction, finance and logistics.

It’s a long journey from home to LA. The exchange rate at the time between the euro and the dollar made it a viable option but the rate has worsened considerably since and it’s now become a much more expensive option.