HLPToronto

It's a calculated risk if you want to call it that. You have to weigh in your options and priorities.

Yes, Finastride is the ONLY Solid proven drug , # 1 for hair loss patients worldwide with some known side effects.

I am on Finastride for past 2.5 months ( 1 mg per day) after my HT session done on March 18th 2019, I started consuming it as well on a  daily basis as recommended by the doctor

I also researched quite a lot on this. so far, I don't see any side effects AT ALL  lucky me 

85% of the patients cases, no side effects were found so if you are in that unlucky 15% , then sex drive, E dysfunction and prostate cancer could be something that could affect you

there is a case study of all the case studies and it says, its an overstatement that Fina is dangerous. Its not. its just like any other drug with some minor side effects ( major side effects are very rare if you compare the % age of people using this worldwide) 

Dr. Diep in the Bay area ( Melvin Moderator's doctor and he could provide more details here)

Dr R Konior in chicago is a known perfectionist but very hard to find an appointment within next 6 months

Dr Yates is quite famous as well 

These kind of touchups require skilled surgeon IMO,   G|rafts should be  implanted close but still should be fa from  each other to give a natural frontal hairline look, to make sure enough space between each folicle is left to be able to get sufficient blood supply to all and also, to make sure not to damage existing hair nearby ( you have lots)    

also, your redness is still there after 9 months, I am surprised as i think its a rare case.

good luck

Hi Jonny,

Good luck with the final call,  this decision is always the hardest to make  but go with a doctor keeping in mind if he/she is ethical, long term reputation and if they support you after HT as well ( not just done after you pay them )

Based on your case, you will need a skillful doctor. so far, I  am 2.5 months post ht done by Dr B and I can only vouch for him. Never heard about dr D but will also check his work 

density is always going to be a topic of interest/different opinions/different cases/ lifestyle/diet/your age/pre HT condition with native hair quality and donor capability ....... there are many variables attached to it. 

Lennney is a good Samaritan ! thanks for helping out others, this will guide a lot of folks planning to fly out of US for HT

Oh yes, I am on minoxidil too and not planning to quit anytime soon.... I meant to say the post minox. initial shedding phase as when we first time start applying it, it sheds hair also for 6-8 weeks by itself ( even if the patient had no HT )

Its my 68 th day today.... so not yet touched 3 months /2.5 month but shedding is there when i rub minox or oil  ( just gently)

I guess that shedding has reached it's last phase now as you said, its just a few small hairs... reducing by the day though 

thanks

1 hour ago, Lennney said:

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! 

If you could please PM me ,  I would love to explore on that site and order some good stuff from there ( I am a big amazon/online surfer and buys a lot of useless expensive stuff sometimes, but need to stop ) 

Good inputs from you here as always helps me track my progress accodingly, so thank you but one question :  I just finished  my 2 months and when I rub minox/massage gently my hair with oil - i see 5-10 small thin implanted baby hairs stick to my hands.. so it means shedding phase isn't over yet for me ? 

when do you start feeling all hairs are solid now and shedding post HT  and post minox is both over now ?

By the way, looking at your 4th month pics, it seems like you are going for a homerun soon between 5-6 month timeline.

that is the game changer month as its still pink/redness for you which is about to start fading away now...

33 minutes ago, Lennney said:

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.

good question Lennney as it exactly relates to my case. 

Based on my research and knowledge :

we shouldn't touch these small hairs that are staying " as is"  for a month or so. 

there are many experts telling about anagen phase and each and every hair will grow differently. Some comes out faster than others, especially some frontal ones.  I dont think we should forcibly remove them or use excess minodixil on that paticular area. Just let mother nature do its own thing..... its a complex brain wiring and blood circulation, If hair has come out this far... it should grow big  one day  

On 5/20/2019 at 12:01 AM, SprayPaint said:

For those big hair fiber users out there, my surgeon mentioned that if using them, especially during the first year of regrowth, be sure to wash them out nightly. They’re so fine that they clog pores and can actually inhibit growth. Probably cause other issues as well if not washed out regularly. 

I was a huge user of Toppik and colored sprays (hence the screen name) prior to my HT. With 20 minutes of prep time I could do a great job concealing, but always felt the more I used the more I lost. Especially with the sprays. Maybe it was all in my head, but now I’m just being cautious going forward, and if I use anything I will be shampooing it out soon after. 

good points spray paint. Agreed with everything you said. Fibers makes you think you are loosing more than you actually are, it should just be kept for rare occasions and not become a part of our daily life. 

However , I ordered Dermmatch ( just arrived ) and will play with this first time. Heard its better than fibers but one concern for me is that I am only 2 months post transplant with pink scalp, some fine pimples, new hairs sprouting everyday, minoxidil and coconut oil ( baby oil finished ) ... 

Now If I put dermmatch, it might create issues on the sensitive scalp as its a concealer  

any advice 

On 5/18/2019 at 7:27 PM, Lennney said:

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.

Hey Lennney,

Looking sharp wearing this cap   I couldn't find any good ones like yours but end up buying 4 new caps by now lol.... 

By the way, your 4th month is coming out impressively.... waiting game is almost over but wait for me and  then we can throw our flat caps all together up in the air like new grads do lol.... 

Question that I never asked you before : did you also get some hairs on your crown or you are that lucky one with no need to fill the crown.

Happy growing ! 

who was your doctor ? do you mind sharing those details 

2 hours ago, Lennney said:

@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!

Thanks Lennney ! Yes, I will be posting my updates with pics but I thought of collecting /capturing my own growth (almost every week) and post an update straight at 4 month mark.

That post should reflect 2 months, 3 months, 4 months update all at once ( personally I am taking pics for my own records almost daily) 

 I am happy for your growth as 5-6 month is the real game changer for 90% of patients, so you should see a thick bush shortly . good luck 

6 minutes ago, Lennney said:

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, nd 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.

yes, side trim is required. I am almost there   and already started to feel the same it's getting difficult slowly for me as well to distinguish 

Thanks for TOFTT.  I will follow your results, you never know if its skepticism or reality unless you try it first hand. Rest are all theories, Human brain and hair follicles/nerves are such a complex wired system 100 times more than when you open a car engine with a top mechanic, so many wires going in/out, even the best reputed mechanics fail to diagnose sometimes.

No one knows reality, there is not a single standard for billions of wiring circuits out there.  

We are living in a world where people read/follow/promote/write too many theories but only a few actually practically test the waters. 

Again, no one knows this complex science, only the creator ( god) knows and doctors, medical science and product manufactures are all working based on best possible assumptions till date. it will take millions of more years for science to find out how our wiring system actually works.  

that's why I always say " Try and fail but do not fail to try" if it makes some sense, yes research but do give things a shot. 

I would recommend try Minoxidil 5% - Rogaine foam but topical solution is better as it allows deeper penetration. Apply each night and/or day if you want twice a day as recommended, wait for 5 months or so and see if your condition improves

I am sure it will help based on your situation. Finas and hair transplant are next level steps, just ignore for now as you are in very good condition. 

Hi Raj, 

First of all , congratulations for getting the procedure done. It's a big leap forward towards a better/confident future as a man. 

Secondly, sorry to hear you were not feeling well and still endured 2 days of continuous surgery. On the top of all this, you had to fly in/out internationally

Also, your personal experience reflects some mixed opinions. Overall, I wouldn't comment as its your thoughts and definitely should be reviewed on the forum, however most patients ( including myself) had a much better experience than yours.

Could be a very busy season, Dr. quite busy and your sickness - combination of all different elements

However, I would appreciate if you'd like to post some before/after pics ( with blurred face if need be ) so we can all follow each others growth and journey over the next 1 year - Bhatti bus

Now, since the deed is done and you mentioned, Dr. Bhatti's work is clean with minimal pain and quick recovery which is the most important aspect ( yes customer service as well ), kindly focus on your growth, have some peace of mind as its a big task you have achieved. Now waiting begins. 

I wish you all the best with your results, good luck with everything ! 

I am sure the clinic should respond to all your concerns as highlighted above ( as they do standby their patients )

thanks for sharing your experience 

Based on my personal experience and extensive research, I chose India as my HT destination and went to see Dr. Bhatti.

Here's my detailed review outlining all the facts and figures, reasons and conditions and most importantly comparison between the 2 destinations: 

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/53594-3500-fue-grafts-–-scheduled-with-dr-bhatti-darling-buds-on-18th-march-2019/?tab=comments#comment-498396

Good Luck with your journey !

13 hours ago, Petroholic said:

That's right the place and culture where you are living matters a lot. I am currently doing a job in a small town in India ( Agra ). People here are interested a lot in other people's lives and are not afraid to speak anything out .

People noticing , commenting etc although should be a minor consideration in the journey for a final goal . 

 

For you wearing a hat for 6 months should entirely solve this problem .

In my job I have to wear formals so cannot wear a cap . My options are to get a no. 1 trim ( buzz cut ) all over every month for 6 months  or maybe use hair fibre (although am a natural sort of guy and hate using any hair products ) or maybe let ppl say whatever they want to and just remember the final goal .

 

I understand your concerns petroholic, we are all pretty much in the same boat and trying to hide this awkward look as much as possible for the next 6 months or so.

I also work in the corporate environment, even when you wear formals, a flat cap looks nice enough for any office environment my friend. I am wearing it whenever I go to the office just a few days in a month ( fortunately, I run my office stuff and personal business mostly from home ) . 

if I go to the office 10 days in a month, I have started going to another office location which is way less busy location, less people around  more and more. so practically i am just facing office people/my boss 4 days a month for next months and my boss is cool with the flat cap look..... she even said I look trendy in this  so this is an option you should explore within your organization. 

I never had to ask, neither I will for any approval... when few close friends and co workers including my boss wondered about  the new look, i simply said that I decided to shave my head to fix my diffused thinning stage as they are aware,  and  I am trying some serious scalp therapies and medications, initial is shedding/redness phase due to minoxidil... so a flat cap is much better   with a smile on my face and no one bothered me anymore with other questions. 

its no ones business even at work to restrict you to not wear cap for sometime, it could be infection, religious ground, on humanitarian ground, no one should ask you about the flat cap.. or deny the right to wear it.... PLUS it really suits overall office attire. 

But if you can't really do it due to extremely strict policies,  or ask to WFH for a few months , then buy hair fibre and dermmatch.

Conceal your hair with dermmatch first, then sprinkle a little caboki or toppik and you are good to go without a hat

In my opinion, dont buzz cut every month if you are planning to wear hair fiber and concealer as little length is always required to overlap and cover your scalp/redness and then brushing it all together will hide any awkward bald areas during growth phase.  You have good amount of native hair , so it should be easy to cove naturally and look nice with fibers, it will come with practice ....

2 hours ago, harin said:

Good to know, then present it here, provided you are comparing apples to apples 

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/53594-3500-fue-grafts-–-scheduled-with-dr-bhatti-darling-buds-on-18th-march-2019/

FYI - Please review my thread for detailed info ( its long so whenever you have a few minutes

2 hours ago, harin said:

Good to know, then present it here, provided you are comparing apples to apples then either Eugenix will have to provide answer why it is charging double then!, sometimes it might be worth paying the premium, specially if you are a high Norwood person. I am glad you had your HT with Dr. Bhatti, whom i respect a lot, I hope and pray for your excellent growth.

Thanks Harin !

I assumed at that time ( which still stands true in my opinion) that DHT is cumbersome process/slightly more expensive than traditional FUE. Additionally, Eugenix was offeing 2 day/night free stay and 3 meals a day for both days.... so it kinda made sense why they were expensive..... 

I asked them actually if they offer FUE and DHT both and is this why my quote is more than 100 Rs per graft ( I researched and 100 Rs per graft counts as one of the most expensive rate for Indian market ) 

their answer ( i mean patient rep; satakshi wasn't clear ) this made me proceed with Dr Bhatti instead 

But I do have great regard for all top notch surgeons, especially those which are recommended here on this site and all over India, only 7 surgeons are .... so we can easily pick and choose as per our heart beats  my gut pushed me towards Dr Bhatti and until now, I dont have any regrets... seems like I was in great hands, one of the best pre/post op care and very good staff as well !  I am only waiting for results to speak more !

3 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Are you a patient of Dr. Bhatti? You have thread of your transplant?

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/53594-3500-fue-grafts-–-scheduled-with-dr-bhatti-darling-buds-on-18th-march-2019/

Hi Melvin, 

You've contributed on my thread and provided some good guidance also...  Here is the link

Very clean work. Impressive. Also, I can assure you some great results coming your way just by looking at your first pre op pic. You got great hair, strong caliber and Dr Nadimi's work combined.... be ready for the home run

19 hours ago, harin said:

if you have any e-mail exchanges with the clinic which shows that prices are double to that of Dr. Bhatti then please present it here

Harin, I was quoted almost double than Dr. Bhatti. I have email exchanges.

Moreover, when I specifically asked for Pre and post op medicines, they said they don't give any pre op medicine and I'll have to buy my own post op medicines.  

 4000 to 5000 grafts - Eugenix quoted me  ( the window was large as well ) 

Dr. Bhatti quoted me almost half and 3500 Grafts ( In the end, I got 3300 done  - this is called fair assessment ) 

I wrote my detailed thread with some positives/negatives to help future potential patients.... you can have a read ! and yes, it is based on facts ( that I researched first hand ) 

Good 7 month results.  how many grafts ? Were Beard grafts implanted or scalp only ? 

I am also Dr. Bhatti's 2019 patient waiting for my results each and every day very patiently

thanks for sharing !