Fozzie

Wouldn't be worried about spaces at 5 months, still pretty early in the process tbh. Review around the 8/9 month period but bear in mind you want to give it the full 12 months.

Length definitely plays a part in getting the most out of a HT. Too short, and do lose the illusion of density somewhat depending just how short you go. Similarly, if have had a HT but still have a fair amount of native hair that is miniaturised but say you are not on meds, growing it out too long and it can start looking bit of mess and not particularly great. Seen this close up on someone and when the hair is cut just right, the result looks really good but he had it grown out during lockdown and the weak, miniaturised hair grown out amongst the transplanted hair made growth look very uneven and really took away from the result. Although not sure how much of a factor length is in the OP's case.

Never been particularly impressed with that Dr/clinic to be honest. Recently saw a guy on Youtube who had two procedures with that clinic (second procedure as he wasn't happy with the first) and he didn't have too many great things to say about his whole experience with them. As @LonelyGraft mentioned, you may be better off looking at some of the other clinics in Europe.

Personally, would only consider Dr Reddy or Dr Ball in the UK.

Interesting point about the weather. I always seem to notice shedding (not crazy amounts but enough for it to be noticeable) when it switches from summer to Autumn/Fall. Scalp is drier with it. Not sure if the change in the air has anything to do with it

Maybe it's just me and I've got it wrong, but going over his HT timeline, considering most if not all the hair on top of his hair is transplanted, it doesn't look as healthy as it was compared to his earlier post HT years despite his ongoing use of finasteride. Styles it really well though. I don't know, maybe finasteride has prevented it from completely going but over a long period of use (say 10-20 years), not convinced finasteride ultimately has the ability to fend off what one is genetically pre-disposed to, especially those destined to be higher up the NW scale. Obviously everyone is different and sure they'll be older people who feel finasteride has done a great job for them over a longer period but think there are a number of question marks for me.

Avoid like the plague imo.

Have read some guys mention they noticed growth came in waves for them. Initial burst around the 4-6 months, then things seemingly slow down (to the eye anyway) but at 8-9 months they've seen more growth.

Think this can vary from one person to another. If I wash my hair everyday, it can start to look very straw like and lifeless. Leave a day or two between washes, and the hair looks healthier and has more life to it. Saying that, I guess the shampoo that is being used can make a difference. May try experimenting with washing everyday but alternating my regular shampoo with one that is very mild and maybe doesn't include a lot of the usual harsher cleansing agents.

Think I know of that one in Essex and saw an absolutely terrible account online from a patient of theirs. I'd only ever consider two surgeons in the UK, one being Dr Reddy and the other Dr Ball. Turkey has some good clinics but the problem is unless someone has thoroughly done their homework and only really picks one from the small handful from the 100s over there, can be a case of russian roulette and so can get very easily get stung with a bad result.

Early 20s I'd say, although recession had probably started at 18-19 but wasn't particularly obvious....didn't really pick up on it myself nor did anyone comment. Looking back, 22-23 years old was when it was truly clear I was on the MPB path. Recession as well as crown thinning was kicking in although not really obvious to others as my hair was generally thick so covering it up without it looking obvious I was trying to hide something wasn't particularly hard. Hair generally started to feel much more lifeless and didn't have the same 'energy' it had before. Fast forward a few years to say 27-29 and thinning spot on the crown was clear although not totally bald but fairly obvious it was heading that way. Forehead was looking larger with the hairline having inched backwards. That, with the rest of my hair miniaturising and generally looking pretty weak and so difficult to cover up the thinning, got the odd comment regarding my hair loss. Friends/family who I had grown up with them saw me with quite thick hair in my younger days so for them the difference would have been stark. For me, one thing I never really had or maybe didn't notice was a great amount of shedding apart from one occasion. Was shampooing and had what seemed a huge amount of hair shedding and it didn't seem to stop. Seemed to be tons of hair just continually coming out the scalp whenever i ran my hand through my hair which really freaked me out. After that, really took note of any shedding but can't say I ever had anything like that again.

To be honest, if HLC is the clinic that your are leaning towards after your research and fits in with your budget, I really wouldn't let a short flight from Istanbul to Ankara and a 5 night stay put you off. At your budget of 2.70-3 euro, kinda of limited as to who you can go to. Most of the well renowned Belgian clinics will be outside your budget. You could possibly consider Bruno Ferreira in Portugal who I believe charges at 2.5 Euro per graft but apart from that, think Turkey is where your main options are going to be at your budget. In Istanbul, you may want to look at ASMED seeing as you have advanced balding going on or maybe Dr Demirsoy but to be honest, if you are liking what you are seeing from HLC, I'd bite the bullet and go with them and not let a short flight and 5 night stay put you off. Kind of stuck with a HT once it's done so an additional flight and extended stay shouldn't really swing your decision imo.

Not necessarily saying better condition in terms of donor management but specifically scarring. Obviously scarring is there regardless, but when I saw a couple of pictures from ASMED patients like @dust78, @jonnyalex and @Yaz89 who had procedures a good number of years ago and compare them to more recent cases such as @DEB1982, @Craig2412 and a couple of others, their scars seems to be much more prominent when shaved down/trimmed extremely short imo.

Huh? Think the kebot is just used to analyse donor area pre-procedure using high powered cameras and doesn't play a part in the surgery itself.

Great result. Donor in the 4th picture down is looking impressive considering the amount of grafts taken. Quite surprised it looks so good with the hair that short at the back . What guard was used? Think something may have possibly changed in recent years at ASMED with regards to the punch used? Seen a couple of instances of guys who've had procedures at ASMED say around 2015 and before shaving down and scarring was much more noticeable. In more recent cases, the donor areas are looking pretty impressive when shaved down/trimmed very short when it comes to scars.

Never really been won over by that particular clinics work to be honest. Recently saw a guy on Youtube who went there and had two procedures (2nd one to fix issue from the first) and he had less than complimentary things to say about his whole experience.

Dr Reddy and Dr Ball

Sorry to hear about your experiences/results from your previous procedures. Turkey can obviously be a complete roll of the dice apart from a handful of clinics out of the hundreds that are over there. Unfortunately, apart from say 2-3 clinics, it's generally not much better in the UK imo. Assumption can be things will be better as it is the UK and you'd think standard/quality is higher but but seriously, the UK is lagging behind apart from 2-3 clinics. Personally, there's only 2 UK clinics that I'd consider. Otherwise, better off jumping on the Eurostar and heading to Belgium or catching a flight to Spain for the options there if you'd prefer not venturing too far out.

Yup, great result. Think this patient has documented his result in his own thread here.

Sorry to hear you were not happy with the outcome of your first procedure and hope you the touch up turns out well and leaves you happy. Did the clinic confirm what percentage of grafts from the first procedure grew? Your donor area looks pretty good after the first procedure.

In your case, I think I'd be probably be heading to H&W. No doubt, Dr Diep has some pretty impressive results come through but I think considering you've already had around 7500 FUE grafts extracted, managing any remaining donor is going to be a crucial part of any further procedure imo. I'm not always a fan of how Diep's donor areas look afterwards and believe he uses a bigger punch which may not be in your best interests seeing as you have your hair short at the back and sides and have already had 7500 odd grafts removed from the donor area.

Maybe you are following in his footsteps in that case. Unfortunately do find with mpb that if there is a pattern of hair loss in your family, it can strike at any age. Even if your father had no signs of balding until he was older, doesn't necessarily mean it will be the same for you and it does look like it has started quite early for you. In my own case, my father had a full, thick set of hair up until his mid to late 40s and then started balding into a NW5 pattern. My pattern is exactly the same as his, only difference is I started thinning in my early 20s. You may want to do your research and also speak to your physician/Dr and look into medication to prevent further loss and possibly thicken hair in that area.

Looks like thinning imo. Some of the existing hair in the area looks like it is miniaturising. Does balding run in your family?

I generally try and stay away from gel/wax type products because the wet/shine look amplifies the thinning on top. Find clays and pomades with a matte look generally seem to work better for guys who are thinning and maybe even some who have had a HT. Issue with clay is as they are a heavier and more gritty product, as @Dr. Glenn Charles pointed out, have to be careful brushing/combing it through the hair to avoid getting tug in the hair. Need to ensure the product is really well emulsified in the hands and probably best to firstly distribute it gently and evenly using hands/fingers and then maybe using a larger paddle type brush to further distribute. Have noticed some clay's out there are more creamy in texture which helps avoiding that issue.... otherwise maybe a good pomade is a happy median. In terms of actual natural styling products, difficult finding too many that are genuinely all natural and that also do a good job. If anyone has any recommendations, do chime in. Also agree with @Dr. Glenn Charles on trying to avoid products with alcohol in them.

Things like Biotin and MSM will help hair grow quicker/thicker and generally give it a more healthy look (won't do anything to prevent further loss of native hair). Can help give any shaved down native hair both in the recipient and donor a little boost in growing back (probably won't do anything much for any hair lost due to shock loss as that'll usually grow back in its own time) Some people take saw palmetto to try and prevent further hair loss but personally don't think it'll do much in that regard but no harm in giving a go if you want to.