Lennney

Yeah, hopefully it's clear to the reader what to do.

Oh and, sometimes you have to break the itinerary you need into two+ separate (roundtrip/one way) bookings. I did it for my Chandigarth trip, and the Chicago one required a lot of work because of this.... Which would have been almost nullified by just flying into New York or LAX to get the same benefits.

Hello, I write this in hopes of helping you the reader. I plan to help by showing you how I save money when I travel. If you have a question, I will try to answer as best I can. All prices round trip unless stated. Thesis: Sometimes certain airports are cheaper than others. Background: I'll try to keep this brief but concise, feel free to ask if you don't understand. I needed to fly to India for my HT. My surgery was on the 8th/9th, but I wanted to give myself time to visit Taj Mahal. I started looking for tickets early June and ultimately booked in September 6th. What I learned: Tuesdays are typically the best days to book. New fares get released for Tuesdays (9pm Monday to about 9pm Tuesday PST), and are substantially cheaper/less expensive (there is a difference) than the rest of the week's fares. Skip past "**" to avoid long story ***********Story you may ignore****************** (LAX - Los Angeles Airport - - - SAN - San Diego Airport - - - DEL - Delhi Airport - - - IXC - Chandigarth Airport ) In June I checked tickets. I needed tickets from my location (San Diego, CA) to Chandigarth India. Of course I looked up these tickets first - $2,680. Too much. I checked from LAX to IXC (chandigarth) and it was $1,800. I then looked at SAN to Delhi, $1300, not horrible, but definitely cheaper than the other alternatives. I then looked up LAX to DEL, $780!! I nearly booked this trip. My SO wanted to go, but didn't know if work would accommodate time off (they did). By the time I was ready to book 2 weeks later, the price rose to $940, and I decided to wait. I kept checking, and found that price rose in next two weeks to $1,040. I was upset that I missed out on the cheap fare. I kept checking, but the fares fluctuated only ~$100 at most. In mid June, prices started coming down. I found fares for $850, which are tempting, but I decided to keep waiting. I saw that fares fell to $720, but I held off for a better deal, fares rose the next day to $850. I then noticed that the following Tuesday (one week later) fares went back to $740 or so. I my suspicions were confirmed by Kayak's price over time tool. It showed a consistent drop of ~20% or so 4 times a month, all on a Tuesday. I used this tool to check what the historic low price was, and found that it was ~$550, which became my goal. I watched the prices sink on Tuesday to a low of $600, I nearly pulled the trigger, but held off. I then waited a week or two, and found that prices for the other days fell to $600/580. I was then excited to check the following Tuesday. I checked Tuesday and booked my tickets for $458.31. Patience paid off, and I still had several more months to plan the other aspects of the trip. The down side to these tickets: they were cheap for a reason. I had a 15 hour layover in Beijing (which was awesome - I did a Great Wall and forbidden city tour during this time for $120 per person. BTW, you don't need a visa if you are transiting through China. You can get a transit visa, good for exploring and getting hotels in the China for up to 96 hours with proof of a departure flight.). On the way back, I had a 9.5 hour layover in Beijing which sucked. I didn't leave, but I wasn't in a good condition to leave (less than 96 hours post op). *********************************************************************************************************** So after buying the sick tickets for $460, I had to figure out how to get to the LAX airport. I did a cost analysis. I had options of driving there and paying parking (too expensive for 9 days), flying (couldn't find tickets for less than $80 per person at best one way), and taking the coaster ($39 + $8 fly-a-way shuttle) one way per person. I then looked up rental cars. I found a rental car there and back for $49 one way (+ $12 gas) and $55 back (+ $12 gas). I ended up taking the rental car, since it was the lowest cost option, and got me and my SO to LAX. I then had to figure out a way to Chandigarth. Dr. Bhatti said his taxi could get me for ~$120 each way. It would be a 3 hour drive minimum so I looked at alternatives. I found tickets, which didn't change in price at all from DEL to Chandigarth for $75 per person round trip. Not only was it less expensive, but it was faster and Dr. Bhatti's taxi picked me up and dropped me off for free! So, by changing airports and hopping on a local flight (on a separate itinerary) I got a great deal. I had to do additional planning though. It was definitely worth it for me due to having two travelers. Doubling the travel means that any savings per ticket is doubled as well. I paid: $460 + $75 + $31(49+12 split in two) + $37= $603 to get to Chandigarth for my procedure. No joke, this is less than 4% of the cost for a USA performed procedure. Just think about that for a second. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX So, what I've done so far is compile an excel file with some data to get you to understand that not only does the location of your airport (and the recipient airport) matter, but time of year matter too! This is a write up I did earlier to help with planning the trip. When you read this, take note that it was for a member who wasn't sure where to go for a HT, but price was a large concern. Before you jump in: Timing could cost you $X,xxx more or less depending on when you travel. Also know the additional travel costs involved. So be smart with your time to get the most value for your $: 1. Create a list of doctors. (You should) Prioritize the doctors who you see yourself using, and then add them to the list. Usually their websites will list a range. I don't recommend "shopping" docs at this point - asking what they will charge. Build your list first, I'll come back to this point. 2. If you're looking for value, look up the Countries you find the surgeons you wish to hire. Use google flights to explore destinations from your Country's airports (plural) to those country airports. Find the cheapest airport for that country, then find the cheapest time to fly - the month or time of year. You're not booking yet, you're only assembling a cost database for the 2-5 countries abroad you've found reputable doctors for. I can help if you don't understand this. 3. Now that you know what you should pay for the travel, find out what lodging and transport looks like in that country. How long do you plan on staying there? Estimate a per-day rate for each country. *Personally, I am passionate about this, but I recommend traveling while you're there. Feel free to ignore this, because it is purely an opinion. 4. Now that you know when the best rates for travel are, plan to book a procedure during that time Next year. It will do four things: A. Allow you to save and ensure you can get that travel rate in the future (I can explain on the booking a travel plan theory later). B. Allow you to establish dialog and communication with a clinic where you feel confident in your doc, and set expectations on the procedure, talk about hairlines etc. C. It will Ensure that your doc is available when you want your procedure done and D. Allow you to save up some money/clear off some credit card balance etc. to afford the procedure/ pay off the airfare after you book it. 5. Now that you have the costs for travel, the narrowed list of surgeons, the open communication with those surgeons, ask the price. Build it into your budget. Travel + expenses while there + HT + Qualitatives (things to do if you travel, idk, but these are "what it's worth to you if all else is equal" among surgeons/total price). Then do your own cost analysis and get the best value. Value = benefits/costs.  Know that there exist good surgeons who perform FUE at a cost which is less than other surgeon's FUT. Geography changes costs. VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV To help you all, I've started an excel list. I picked what I thought were the best airports to fly FROM and TO. I picked 3 random months, Jul, Sep, Mar2020 and selected the best time during those months with the criteria of at least 7 days. I also looked at Christmas, and the best time to travel using "free" days off most of us get from work/school. When I found the days that were lowest cost, I then checked those days at a later date (on left side) *using the same date* (perhaps alternate days could be lower cost, but I wanted to show some consistency). This is just a couple data points, it is far too time consuming for me to do this unpaid (haha). I used a combination of Google Flights and Kayak. Again, if there's a small description, use the description above for dates/ airport. ^New York^

Completely agree with the side effects. If you begin to worry about it, you'll manifest your own side effects.

The guy's 28. This isn't the time, nor is it the appropriate forum to define the appropriate age. You come off extremely elitist. Look how far his fresh recipient goes, he clearly addressed a real issue. You should know as well as anyone here that finasteride will not recover his lost hairline, a HT will. He said he's going on fin now. He did his research for a good, forum recommended doc. He's clearly mature enough.

I think your current strategy of building a foundation of hair is valid, and the hairs you did transplant will transform your appearance. I think you will be pleased with the progress from the before to the after. I see you're talking about experimental treatments, but no need to plan too far out not knowing where you will be in 18 months. Continue to nurse your HT and take the recommended medications, it may be enough to complete the transformative look you're seeking. I hope you provide periodic updates if you can.

It looks like a natural part in your hair from the length of hair you have. All of your hair lies flat. This section of hair is the only section which appears to stand up. Get a haircut that uses feathering scissors, to reduce the large volume of hair you have. You also look far too young to be concerned with hair loss. Start tracking your hair at age 18, and see where your hair goes by your 22nd birthday. Regardless of your predisposition to lose hair, you can't do anything at your current age. Hope this helps. Don't bother worrying about it now, but you don't have anything to worry about anyway! Relax and enjoy your youth.

Who cares if you can see through it when you comb it? It looks good when you have it styled and it looks normal when you don't comb it. Most people won't notice/ look hard enough and study your hair for minor differences. You achieved your goal, enjoy it! Change your perspective from: wanting and hoping for added thickness TO enjoying what you have. You've come a long way. You got what you set out to get (not having to conceal hair), and achieved it in under 9 months! Maybe other members and I have the wrong idea with the updates, but the updates feel negative. It doesn't come across as happy. If you broke your arm, and just wanted it fixed, I feel that you would bemoan that your arm doesn't feel like it used to. You got the function back for your hair. Live in the moment. "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

I'll just ask instead of doing math, but you finished your 2 months- How many days are you post-op? I babied my hair and was essentially losing implanted hairs into my 2.5month mark. I think all of my hairs were rock solid by the 3 month mark. By the way, I am keeping up with the minox (I thought you were supposed to stay on minox 5% to the 6 month mark per Bhatti's post-op care).

Haha, thanks for the complement. Like I said, I got this hat on "Geek" app (green lowercase g for symbol - also they have a referral program if you're interested that benefits both parties) and I can message you if you are still interested. I buy lots of goofy stuff there, as long as you don't mind the 1+ month shipping. I didn't get any hairs past the frontal third of my head. I will eventually need to, but at this time, I don't have any issues. If I did have some early issues, I definitely think the minoxidil + finasteride are keeping it at bay. I am really not looking forward to the second HT when my Norwood eventually progresses to the 6-7. Thanks for the input. I'll continue to keep an eye on him. Thanks! Month 5 is just around the corner! It seems like it has been both a very long time (in the sense that it feels like it's been a while since my HT) and a short time (only 4.5 months!). I'm very fortunate to have at least a nice base of early growth. This base gives me the confidence to go outside without worrying about what I look like (I was really "worried" during the ugly-duckling phase at 2weeks-2.5 months). Best of luck in your own healing and growth!

So I have an additional question, maybe I will post elsewhere if I don't get any traction here. I have a hair I've been keeping an eye on. It hasn't grown at all in last month or more. It looks healthy enough, no pus or ingrown look. But I've been watching it do nothing for a while, and I wonder if I should do anything about it. Does it need to be plucked? I already apply minoxidil to that and other recipient areas (that's the only topical medication I use). Anyways, I'm really curious as to what you guys recommend I do, and what you would do with a hair that isn't growing.

Day 135 post Op. Pics are all post shower, no product or medications in hair.

Thanks for additional photos. I am still confused though. So first pics are his before and after. Are these the only ones that exist? They do not compare to each other. One shows a recession in the temples while the other is a top view. Third photo is again an entirely different angle. This angle is focused on the thinning crown. I still feel like there are unanswered questions: 1. In what areas did you receive hair? Please provide post op pics. I don't know where you received the transplanted hair, but that is the only relevant area to study. If the doc didn't plant hair there, it is irrelevant. If the doc planted hair there, but it's not growing, let's see the extent of it. Please post comparable pics. 2. Are you on finasteride, minoxidil, or other medications? How long have you been on them? Have you been consistent with the dosage? @det9925 That's a pretty harsh statement. There are several good docs in the US, but they are significantly more expensive. Several US docs push conservative treatments that take a full 1.5 years+ to mature. They don't want to use too much from the donor. Bloxham and Gabel come to mind. Skill fluctuates between one surgeon and another, and does not correlate to a geographic location. The docs recommended on this site are all ethical. 10 months isn't a sufficient time to judge a HT, 18 months is much better. Also, I don't know how you're judging this HT with the lack of comparable pics. You don't know where the hair was transferred. How are you able to judge?

Very clean donor, that punch is very small... Try to sleep partially elevated to help with the swelling, and don't lean forward (like looking at cell phone). Be very gentle with your post-op care, there's no rush. Taking care of your HT is the most important thing, so move slowly when addressing your head care. I personally preach against direct shower pressure on your HT. Try to place hand over the showerhead and let water flow down onto your head - or use a pitcher to rinse. I see you did your own research, but we're all here to help should you need it. Best of luck. Please keep us updated on your progress!

1. You did a very large procedure if you were a Norwood 2.5. That's a lot of grafts. You also mention 12,000 hairs, but I think you're counting the doubles and triples as individual hairs multiplied by their category. I don't know what you're seeing in yourself, but obviously I see nothing that you've posted. Pics would help, but I'll address this as #4. 2. I don't think this recommendation is based on age, especially when you say in the next sentence HT is only for those who have good density. This is a disjointed argument. I don't know what it is you're trying to say, so maybe you can explain why you think age is a factor, and what age you think is appropriate for a HT. I believe Norwood progression + stabilization of hair loss are larger factors than age alone. 3. Why will you have to shave your head? Who is making you do this? You'll have to deal with the scar, yes, but "dealing" with it also includes the option of growing your hair to conceal it. 4. The lack of photos mentioned in #1 and the comment here makes me think you're A. Trolling, B. Claiming the doc is photoshopping your results/ not presenting them as is C. Mentally unwell. If the doc is presenting photos that are not factual, I think this is the best place to air this out. Present the docs photos next to your own. Is it lighting that makes them different? Angles? Bring objective observers into the conversation. This brings the point of your mental state. Should there not be a difference between doc's photos and your own, I think you may have issues with your body image. 5. This could be the general issue: you may not understand what density is. When you add density with a HT, you physically move density where there is abundance to the vacant. You don't manufacture density. It is currently impossible for your head to have a Net increase in density through a HT. So when you add density to an area, it will never be as dense as it was originally. If you seek to recreate this effect, you will overharvest your head for a costly and potentially futile endeavor. 6. How bad? Depends on your scar. I assume you are talking about a FUT, so it depends on how much the scar has stretched. I personally think that a buzz will look better than a razor shave. Your donor hair surrounding the scar will minimize the look of the scar. The longer your hair, the less noticeable your scar, until it hits diminishing returns (added length that will not improve the look beyond "undetectable").

Haircut looks good and the progress is miles better than what you started. For what it's worth, I think your crown looks fine with the current situation. If it were me, I would wait for the second crown HT for at least a few years. Your crown will continue to thin, so why not do it when you know what is necessary? Again, I think your crown looks fine, and unless you're short or have multiple people walk to your desk from behind, no one will notice your crown anyway. I think you're also in the target audience for topik and other concealers. You have lots of hair surrounding the crown, you have some native hairs in the crown, and you have a hairstyle that supports it. Something to think about. I know you didn't say when you're looking for the HT, but I hope you at least try waiting and enjoying the change this HT has brought.

You can almost conceal the HT with your current progress. Very excited to see the next two months!

Look at family history. Mostly your maternal side: grandfather & uncles. Without pics of you maybe 2-3 years ago we can't tell if it's receded, only where it is currently.

This is not helpful at all. It's not constructive nor informative. He is a patient. Concern turns to fear with toxic comments like these. I don't think you'd want people shitting on you when you're a week out from surgery. Ask yourself why you're saying what you're saying. What do you gain with this? How could it possibly be construed as beneficial to the OP's question/ thread topic? You don't have to radiate positivity, but you definitely can not be an ass.

Can you please take more pictures? Different angles in helpful lighting that shows us your situation. Obviously the crown of your head isn't where the bulk of the transplanted hairs go, but we'd like to see where the remaining grafts are. This pic shows maybe half of the grafts that you're saying got transferred. As far as the bleeding, it looks for sure like more bleeding than normal. Are you drying your hair in a dabbing motion or a rubbing motion? It looks like some grafts are in a questionable state. Maybe you're just a bleeder. Take extreme care of your HT. Touch your skin as if it was sunburned; lightly and non-abrasive (no lateral motion on your scalp, purely dabbing/patting). Best of luck.

Thanks for feedback! I don't use hair fibres, and I don't think I will. I happened to have a receding hairline rather than thinning, so I never felt I had to use it. Appreciate the compliment for facial features!

I think Melvin is spot-on with saying that you'll have to grow your hair out post HT if you want any procedure done other than SMP. Look into docs who specialize in high Norwood cases. I don't want to sound biased, but Dr. Bhatti has several cases where he did transformative work. There are others too, but his stand out to me especially. If I were in your position, I would want *"thinning" hair rather than a bald head. I think with you having 2 inches on top, half inch sides would improve your appearance. I would focus on a strong hairline that's appropriate for your age, and then put the rest on top. I think you'll look fine without super dense coverage on the crown, but I would want more coverage on the frontal third. Just my two cents.

Guess who bought a $3 flat cap (on wish/geek after all shipping charges)! It came in just this week. Tell me what you guys think. I think I got it too late now, should have bought it sooner/before the HT. I am a starting my summer position which is business casual or slightly above, so I think I may go in without the hat for a while... Great advice though @HLPToronto . Like I said, tell me what you guys think about the cap.

Got a haircut today. I went and washed my hair and took these pics. Day 130 I believe post op. I asked for the sides to be cut in half and to leave the top untouched. I got rid of the "halo" of hair that was all whacky.

Good haircut, you're on your way to that reference pic! Gotta grow out the front some more and start using hair product. Looks good! I also just got a haircut, actually. First one in last 2 months.