Lennney

Thanks man! I almost have to pinch myself and remember I'm only at 4 months. I've already come to terms with my hair if this is as good as it gets. Anything more is awesome, but even if it stops here (which would suck), I look so much better than I did before.

@HLPToronto Be sure to keep us posted on your own progress too, you'll be approaching 2 months this week I believe. **I'll preface this by saying that for me, the 2 month update was the worst** I looked not great at 2 months, but I knew it was part of the journey, so I never felt "down". All of the journey has been exciting, and I think I appreciate my recent growth even more because of it. For me it was also true that I looked worse at 2 months than I did before the HT. Glad you're feeling great with your progress!

Also, great advice Toronto! I think I've gone about as long as I can without a haircut, and my barber is still out. I do think my hair looks more improved with the length, and it is beginning to be difficult (good thing) to distinguish where my natural hair ends and my HT begins. I'll ask for my haircut to keep top length & trim sides and crown area.

Here are my 120 day - 4 month update photos: * Also, I personally feel that my hair looks much better under normal lighting, AND I recently went to a formal event without headwear. I didn't get any mentions, but its a start into the hat-free lifestyle that will come in the next few weeks.

Thanks for the follow-up. I too like the hairline design you've chosen! Your complexion and physiology may help you avoid the prolonged and exaggerated redness (that somewhat forced me to wear a hat) that comes post HT. As an outside observer, I wouldn't see anything odd (in the pic's light) with your hair that screams HT. Wish you the best in your recovery!

Looks very promising! Best of luck on your HT journey, please keep us updated! Do you have the final figures of your procedure? Graft counts/placement counts for your hairline and crown?

This seems like a policy question. Due to the recent posting of the official pricing/plan, there won't be much consensus from already-served patients. You'll have to ask the docs on what their guideline is for the second option. Do they do majority (51%)? Do they do *tasks* like initial hairline, but all the remaining incisions done by others (meaning they do most critical portion, but this portion is perhaps only 10-20%)? You can ask @Gabreille Nelson Mukhia since he can ask directly, and maybe clarify on the website too. As it is now, it's all speculation without official response.

Great attitude to have. Your hair looks a lot more than 2x better in my opinion. I think it may look even better grown out a bit. The added length helps with perceived density. At least it does for me. Try going for a longer on top style, with your sides also longer than they are now. Happy growing!

Those seats don't have a row designation. My gut tells me those are flight crew seats.

Row 88 or 60 are good if you could get the window. Any seat is fine if you're careful. I think an exit row seat would be nice, but I personally didn't want to be bothered. I ended up pretty swollen on my trip back (30hours of travel!), I just didn't want to have people question my ability, especially with me wearing a medical head cover. Your call, but as long as you're careful with your HT, you're fine with any choice.

I was just curious about the finasteride cost. I checked hims, and it was $0.95 per day at 1mg. That's pretty good for someone looking to try it out. I recently had the pleasure of visiting south of the border and picked up 60 5mg pills for $13.90. I wouldn't endorse crazy pill websites online, but I think there are better deals to be had. Has anyone gotten a finasteride prescription post HT? Do I just schedule a visit and ask? It would help to have a legit scrip to move my finasteride over the border lol.

First, your hair will look the absolute worst at the ~two month stage. It's when the implanted hairs disappear, and it's before the new hairs appear. What is cool is that your three month mark will be exciting due to all the new hair sprouts. Your hair is a planted garden; you'll see the life in just a few weeks time. Second, I agree with xadiohead, that your dosage on Fin is a little weird. Fin half life is 8hrs, so you'd have nothing going into the next day. Also, 5/3= 1.66 is a weird dose, more than most of the users here take (~1mg -1.25mg) (some do much less, like .5mg, but have a theory why). You're "loading up" (with a heavier dose), but going off of it for an extended period. Also, isn't it quite difficult to cut that pill into thirds? Wouldn't it be easier for everyone to cut it into quarters? There are lots of hypotheses on how much to dose on fin, but I think you're not getting the prolonged DHT blocking (of taking a daily dose [half life]) and you're placing additional (low) risk of libido lowering due to the higher initial dose. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing your results! Happy growing!

HT safety is the priority. Fortunately for my flight from India post HT I had my SO in the middle seat and I had the window seat. Even without someone as a "buffer," you still want the seat that minimizes risk for damaging the HT. The last thing you want is luggage or someone brushing up against your planted hairs. Having said that, the window seat has a lower height, so you risk standing into the luggage container. Take your time and take everything super slow. When getting into the seat, place all arm rests you can up while you scoot into the seat. Deplane last. When getting up from your seat, place your hand above you so you can gauge the distance, and not bash your head. Also, I agree with what spex said about the saline spray. It isn't explicitly mandatory, but I still would want to do it if the doc advises. The post-op care slip will allow you to board with your medication, and, the spray should be in a 3oz or less container anyway, so it shouldn't be an issue regardless.Now, you'll never see these people again, so who cares? Don't spray them, but do apply the saline on the plane. If they don't ask, great. If they ask, tell them you got a medical procedure, and this is non-medicated saline spray that helps with healing. If they prefer you to get up and move every hour so you can spray in the lavatory, they can get up and move and make their own flight uncomfortable. Up to you how you handle the passengers, but your health (and perceived health) come first. Honestly, airplanes will have the driest air, and thus the most need for the saline spray (if you argue that you need the saline).

Life changing stuff here. Great result!

Any HT at 6 months won't look good if you keep it under an inch length. Start growing your hair out. You're at the stage where there will be more consistent hair growth. Finally, let's be realistic. You have no before nor any after pics of you from the front; as someone would see you. Find a pic of you that someone took 5+ feet away before HT and now(6+ months post). I'd wager you look a lot different post HT, and would look even more so with longer hair. I wouldn't be disappointed, I would look for ways to improve my situation. Shift your efforts to things you can control. At least try growing your hair out, just see what happens after 3 months of letting it grow! Also, change your requirement for a successful HT. You were never going to un-bald with so much area to cover. This HT success should be measured by the attention it takes away from your balding. Again, this is measured by a front profile view of you (as others see you). And, by the way, if you notice you look different from the front, make a conscious effort to keep your posture up (will also make you look and feel more confident) and look people in the eyes. Some of us feel self conscious and look at the floor/away. Highlight your most attractive appearance by making it the appearance people see. Avoid your less-than-flattering appearance by recognizing what actions and behaviors you do. No one will care about the aerial view of your head if you don't show it! There is no need for pessimism. You're on track, and looking much better/improved over your prior situation. I only hope you consider some of the advice here.

Maybe their pricing was done hastily, and omitted actions. I think a bulleted list would be most helpful, and a complete list of HT items. I think it's a great place to start, and is clear for the items listed. Unfortunately, anything that's not listed, the average person will assume it is not performed by the selected doc. Also, does it not mention the extractions because it could potentially confuse people (doc making the incisions for the removal, but leaving the follicle until it is used by doc/tech/other doc for their DHT method)? Aesthetically, I like the simple and comparable descriptions. I do think the extraction phase is critically important, and should be mentioned. Again, this is a great format to continue to build on, and should remove a majority (if not all) of the pricing-doubt with Eugenix.

Looks great! Hard to believe how far it's come from pre-op days! I think that style would look great! Make sure you find a good barber in the mean time. Even if there is minimal progress with your vertex area, I think you can style your hair to minimize the appearance. Plus, most people don't get to see that part of your head, or don't really stare/notice anyway. I mentioned elsewhere, but I do think some thining is fine. It makes it seem like you're mortal, and balding like the rest of us (general public). I think keeping that (at least for now, until it gets much worse) section a little thin will be fine. Enjoy your progress, you're unrecognizable from the eyebrows up!

Looking good! I noticed lots of progress at my 75th day or so going forward. Seems each week brings a noticeable change. I also see your redness fading/becoming less noticable (partially due to new hairs). Happy growing!

Looks great! Almost indistinguishable from non-HT hairline, and you'll see great improvements in the next few months. Great work and great recovery.

If it works, don't stop! You'll have some effects by stopping fin, but why risk it at all? Maybe go from 1mg every 2-3 days, go .5mg every 2 days, or .25 every day. I feel like you're already doing fine (as long as you're seeing the results you expect) with your reduction in dosage, I don't know if I would go much less than that. Plus, fin half life isn't 72 hours. It's 6 hours. You have near 0 fin in your system on day 2, absolute 0 day 3. Upto you to decide. Just understand what you're risking. For as many HTs as you've had, one would be lead to believe you care about your appearance and your hair. What are alternatives? Saw palmetto? Dutasteride? Whatever you do, don't go cold turkey, wean yourself off of it, but not by taking 1mg every 3+ days. Take a lower dose. By blasting your system with a regular dose, you concentrate the effect of the medicine. Do your research, and see what you have in store by looking at what others experienced by discontinuing fin.

Hey Paddy, I can input my experience, but it would be nice to hear other perspectives. 1. I don't know if I would call Dr Bhatti animated, but I wouldn't call him tired. He is a soft-spoken person who is concerned with his craft. 2. I also don't know if I would call him overwhelmed. This is a subjective interpretation which should have a lot of factors to reach the "overwhelmed" conclusion. He did go from procedure to consultation to post-op checkup. I think he's productive, but I don't know if I've seen anything to say he's overwhelmed... 3. In my 4 visits, the busiest day was the 4th day. I was post op, someone else was post op, and someone pre-op was there. I had my post-op care done by techs, and had Dr Bhatti inspect at the end. I see that he has patients daily, but that's a good thing in my opinion. It means he's not sitting on his hands, and it allows him to be objective with his patients (in my opinion). If you struggle to fill the operating rooms, you're more likely to recommend HTs to everyone. If you have a steady flow of business, you can afford to give good counsel, even if it means perspective patients walk away. 4. When I was due for hairline drawing, we very briefly spoke about what I wanted, and I said my concerns of hairline and temples. He measured and Drew the hairline. He gave my so and I plenty of time to consider and even answer all of my questions (why hairlines are never symmetrical, lowering hairline etc). I had the hairline on me for 10 minutes. I took pictures and thought about the hairline overnight. It helped a lot. Of course I had eye contact with bhatti. I think he may remain quiet to help you think. I appreciated feeling like it was only me and my SO in the room. I spoke candidly, and never felt like I was forced to get more or less grafts. Bhatti was letting me decide my hairline, and he only said something when it bordered on unnatural. I appreciated this. The alternative would be a pushy sales pitch for a "here's a one size fits all" hairline. 5. I spoke with Dr Bhatti every day I was there, but most briefly the 3rd of 4 days. It was a post-op cleaning, and he asked if there were any issues or concerns. After I said no, he said it was all healing well, and we scheduled my next appointment. I never felt hostility. I got the sense that he trusts his techs to do their jobs, and he's there to supervise. 6. My techs were professional, and they were under 35. I don't know if they are recent graduates, but I know they were efficient, didn't have issues, and were very nice. I did see some much older techs, in their 40s, but they did not assist on my op. 7. The darling buds building is a nice building in the middle of nowhere. Best way I can describe it would be to check Google maps. It's a new building. The two floors I used was Dr Bhattis office on the 3rd or 4th floor and the phlebotomy area on the 1st floor. I think the 2nd floor was barren, and does look like your home when you're remodeling it. Having said that, none of the floors you need to be on are "under construction". The floors that you use are very clean (no shoes on operation floor (except the reception and Dr Bhattis office). And the floors you're on are complete and finished. I think Dr Bhatti said something about expanding capabilities of the office, but I don't remember the specifics, so feel free to ask. I want to say that the building will offer cosmetic surgeries (by other docs) but Bhatti said he will only do HTs, and he himself will be the one to do it. Hope it helps, let me know what else I can help clarify, or illuminate with my perspective.

Hey, I'm going to try to put together a list of that shows costs to travel abroad in the next couple days/weeks. It hopefully can save you some money. I'll add it in my signature when I'm done.

Absolutely love the balance transfer to an introductory 0apr card. I think it's under utilized if you are disciplined with making payments when they're "not due". Good info, thanks!

I'll take a look and start compiling the list. Should only take a couple hours, if I have the time.

So your loan was secured through your vehicle, and the rest was through credit cards? I was curious to see what a loan not backed by an asset would get you. But it sounds like you were good with your finances. I agree that loans for HT are worth it, especially if you put a value on time in your 20s and 30s. Money doesn't make you happy. Being happy makes you happy. Being happy comes from feeling good, which comes from fixing what was making you unhappy. By this logic, a HT (and debt) in my opinion can make you happy. Also, we all say FUE because of the laxity thing. Try the thing @DrTBarghouthi said, and see how much laxity you find.