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CatsMeow83

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Everything posted by CatsMeow83

  1. Yeah - the USD thing did not go unnoticed. I was a little surprised by this, but they explicitly stated that all prices were in USD. They are clearly seizing on the strong USD by pricing everything in USD instead of CAD. Those sneaky Canadians. Can't say I blame them - although I was hoping to take advantage of the favorable exchange rate.
  2. Yeah - the post-op recovery is my main concern as well. I would love to hear from someone who has had both FUT and FUE to get an idea of how they would rate the post-op pain/recovery of the 2 procedures.
  3. This is the type of insight I was looking for - I didn't know this. All extremely helpful.
  4. I mean absolutely no offense by this . . . but there is no way in hell I am getting a medical procedure done in India. I am going with H&W because I think they are the best in North America for the type of work I need done. Of course, whether they are "the best" is debatable, like all discussions on this board, but I'm definitely looking for the best clinic to do the work, and not necessarily the cheapest.
  5. I know there are a ton of threads debating FUT vs. FUE, and they have been very helpful. But I was hoping to get some specific feedback on my situation. My current plan is to schedule an FUT procedure with Hasson & Wong (Dr. Hasson, specifically). I am choosing FUT over FUE solely due to the cost savings, but I am having second thoughts about whether I'm making a smart decision by opting for the more invasive FUT procedure simply to save money. Here is my situation: Basic Profile: Frontal hair loss and thinning hairline. H&W has suggested 3,000 grafts to restore hairline and densely pack thinning frontal and temple areas. Both FUT and FUE options are available. Scarring from FUT is not an issue or consideration for me due to an existing scar on the back of my head that prevents me from keeping my hair very short (scar is from old injury - not a prior transplant). I have plenty of donor hair to accommodate current and future transplant needs, so that's not an issue or consideration here either. The results of FUT and FUE will be roughly the same for me (this is what H&W has told me). Based on similar H&W case studies and prior results, I believe I will get good results with either method, and if anything, may get slightly better results with FUT, at least based on my personal assessment of similar H&W case studies and their past published case results. Cost Difference: FUE = $23,000 USD; FUT =$13,000 USD. So we're talking about a $10,000 USD cost savings by going with FUT. My Quandary: Is submitting to a more invasive FUT procedure worth saving $10,000? I feel like $10,000 is a lot of money to save by opting for FUT, but is it stupid to go the FUT route just to save money? Am I being ridiculous? I'm not as big of a pussy as I sound like, but I certainly don't want to be in a lot of post-op pain or discomfort that I could have avoided by shelling out an extra $10,000. Is there anyone who has had both types of procedures that could weigh in on their post-op experience? Any major differences in post-op pain/discomfort? Any other issues that I should consider that aren't addressed above? Basically, am I being an idiot for going the FUT route just to save money? $10,000 isn't going to make or break me, but it's still a lot of money no matter how you slice it. Any thoughts are appreciated.
  6. Makes more sense with this added context. When I read the earlier post it sounded like doctors were hiring freelancers to come onto forums and wreak havoc. Sounded like easy money. Was considering a career change.
  7. I wasn't aware this was a paid gig. How exactly does one go about getting one of these paid shill gigs? Asking for a friend.
  8. Yeah - this definitely all makes sense. I'm probably going to go the FUT route this first time for the reasons you state. But I'm still a little wheezy about the more invasive nature of the procedure. I never really considered FUT until I started seeing some of the results from guys like Hasson. I always figured I would go the easier FUE route, so I am definitely having to adjust my mindset and get comfortable with something that's a little more invasive than originally planned.
  9. Yeah - it appears I may be following your same path. Based on some of the feedback I'm getting here, and after hearing more about AfterMath's incredible experience with Hasson, it seems like Hasson is probably the better play. I have a consult on the books with H&W for next week, so I am eager to see what they have to say. Now all I have to decide is whether to go FUT or FUE.
  10. Look, no matter which way you slice it, this is a very gray industry and the due diligence process is tough. Not only does everyone have an opinion, but you have to parse which opinions are real and legitimate, and which are being pushed by shills or other folks with a vested interest (or other tangible bias). The international aspect of this industry only further complicates the decision making process. Digging through it all is hardly a science. You just have to make a judgment call based on the weight of the evidence, as you see it.
  11. You have any pictures you care to post? I am a little curious as to how SMP turns out. Did you do SMP only, or is this a follow-up to a hair transplant?
  12. Erdogan is the Ryan Seacrest of the hair transplant world. Hardest working man in show business!
  13. I'm not getting too aggressive. Mostly keeping the hairline at the current low point in the center of my head, and filling in the temples and density. If I do go any lower with the hairline, it would only be maybe 1 cm, if that. If I end up on the highest end of the estimated range and get 3,000 grafts this time around, I still have 4-5K left. The hair loss you are seeing here happened over the course of 10+ years, and for the last 3 or 4 years, the loss and thinning has pretty much stopped. But like you said, I could end up with a Norwood 5 down the road, although that would be the first Norwood 5 on either side of my family. My hope is that if I do continue to experience new hair loss, that it will happen relatively slowly, so that by the time I get to a Norwood 5, the treatment won't even require native donor hair. EDIT: Also, definitely getting on Propecia as well, so hopefully that will help slow down any new hair loss that might decide to kick up again. Fingers will be crossed.
  14. I wish there more case studies as well. I noticed he (or someone at his clinic) posted a handful of new results a couple weeks ago, and they were all pretty solid. This whole process is nerve racking, because no matter which clinic you are looking at, their published case studies are showcasing their successes. We all know that every doctor has bad outcomes we're not seeing. For Rahal, I get some comfort from the fact that very few people have negative opinions of his work (the same seems to be true for H&W). If he had a lot of bad outcomes, there is no doubt that at least some of those disgruntled folks would find their way here or to some other forum, and be bitching up a storm.
  15. Man . . . your results really are fantastic. Inspired me to go ahead and get that H&W consult before I make my decision.
  16. I decided to get a consult with H&W as well before I make up my mind. They are a good bit more expensive than Rahal, so I doubt I will go with them unless they really convince me that they are bringing something to the table that Rahal is not. But who knows . . . they may dazzle me. Plus, Vancouver is definitely a more appealing place than Ottowa to spend a week during the dead of winter.
  17. All very good points - our imaginations have probably started to run a little wild in this thread.
  18. I think this is exactly right. But . . . given some of the operational changes at the clinic (6 simultaneous surgeries, etc.), I think the guys that run this site really do need to conduct a little more diligence on what's going on at ASMED. Erdogan is clearly an awesome doctor. I don't dispute that. But if he is going to rely so heavily on his technicians, I think the folks running this site need to get a better understanding of what qualifications and standards there are for the technicians that are doing most of the work. Erdogan could probably address these issues no problem, and get most everyone here comfortable.
  19. I hear you. I mean hell, it's possible that there are ASMED technicians that have so much experience they would do a better job than Rahal or Erdogan themselves would do. But in the majority of procedures, I think more doctor involvement = better results. Do we know anything about what qualifications there are for ASMED technicians, other than the 10,000 practice graft requirement that Dr. Erdogan noted in his response awhile back? I would bet you a dollar to a donut that some of the technicians doing these procedures have no formal medical or nursing training, and nothing beyond a 12th grade education. EDIT: My last question is really one that we should consider, and see if the mods know the answer. I think it's an important question given how the procedures are being performed at ASMED, and I don't see how any clinic could possibly be vetted and recommended by this site if we don't know what qualifications and standards are required of the lead technicians that are responsible for doing most of the heavy lifting in these procedures.
  20. Jesus man, I don't freaking know. I also don't know why he's running 6 surgeries at the same time. I know nothing about his clinic protocol, other than what he posted on this forum awhile ago. And based on his own words, it's possible that a technician working on your procedure has only mere weeks of experience. I don't know what the odds of that are, or whether it actually happens in practice, but I do know that it is absolutely possible based on what Dr. Erdogan posted to this forum, re: the experience and training of his technicians. Again - I'm going off his words here - which is all I have to go on. Everything else is just speculation. I agree that this scenario would be risky on his part, but I'm not getting the sense that best practices are being observed right now at ASMED. I absolutely understand that doctors need to delegate heavily in these procedures. I work as a licensed professional as well, and delegation is also a big part of my job, so I get it. But I also know first hand that you can only capably supervise and oversee so many things and so many people at one time. No doctor can manage and monitor 6 active patient surgeries, and supervise and oversee 20+ technicians, all at the same time.
  21. I couldn't agree with you more. I am new to this forum, but I find it more than a little crazy that some people (including some of the mods, apparently) seem to be totally fine with this 6 patient surgical medley that Erdogan is doing. I mean, how many surgeries can one person capably supervise at one time?
  22. As I said in my comment: "I certainly don't expect Erdogan or any other doctor to personally handle or oversee an entire 8 hour FUE procedure." Neither Rahal nor Erdogan handles the entire FUE procedure, that's a given. The issue is how qualified are the folks doing the work while the doctor is elsewhere. Rahal is a Canadian doctor, so there will always be a doctor, PA, or registered nurse in the room during the procedure (this is the bare minimum that his medical malpractice insurer requires). In other words, there is always a medical professional in the room while the procedure is being performed. Erdogan isn't subject to these same regulations and requirements in Turkey, so there may be times during the procedure where there is no doctor, registered nurse, or other medically trained professional present. This is what I find problematic, but again, maybe it's because I'm an American, and I'm used to there being a higher standard of physician care and supervision. The other key difference is that if Rahal's technicians screw up, I have plenty of remedies at my disposal, including the peace of mind that the clinic has medical malpractice coverage. If Erdogan's technicians screw up, all you can hope for is that Erdogan makes things right. You don't have any other meaningful redress, other than coming to this forum and bitching up a storm. Dr. Erdogan's exact words were: "Each team member is trained using the K-Head (a life-like training model) placing and extracting a minimum of 10,000 grafts before placing or extracting any graft on a live patient." This means that the technician working on your procedure may have a week of experience (10,000 practice grafts), or he/she may have ten years of experience with hundreds of patients under their belt. Some technicians obviously have more experience than others. Which ones am I going to get on surgery day? Am I getting the most experienced technicians? The least experienced? Who knows. You hope for the best. Bottom line: you don't know whether the technician placing your grafts at any given moment has a week of experience, or a year of experience. This fact is indisputable.
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