MachoVato

I'm no fan of Dieps' work at all. Honestly, I'm surprised you went back. That said, this looks better than the first implant pattern. Seems to be blending in the cornrows. I hope for the best!

I can't find it now, but I saw a real good example of Bisanga's temples, which was a factor in me going to him for my second HT. It was interesting to hear him work... he was talking to his technicians when extracting hairs for my temples, he was working around my ears (if I recall) and he said he was looking for "sexy" hairs. Haha! He explained to me that he not only wanted single grafts but also thinner caliber. In hind sight, I wish I did more grafts to close out temples. I still might have another procedure just for that. It's worth mentioning that Bisanga uses a tool called the K.E.E.P. implanter (or rather his technicians uses it). Bisanga makes the incisions and then the techs use the KEEP tool to implant the grafts. Allegedly, it protects the grafts while inserting them into the skin better than just using tweezers. Bisanga says it helps with survival rate and early growth.

No, I usually go pretty heavy. I mean, my heartrate is faster but not like I am on a treadmill. What I mean is, I'm not dripping sweat. Nothing wrong with getting warm. At 1 week, your grafts are permanent, they aren't coming out. I didn't have any unusual bleeding or scabs. Just try to keep your head elevated and not sweat all over. Of course, I'm a bit of a crazy person. I was drinking beer the night of my procedure. haha

I was in the gym on day 6 or 7 of my last FUE. Still had scabs. I just had a baseball hat on, it doesn't really touch the recipient area. I did no cardio, tried not to do anything that made me sweat. Still did a lot of weight lifting. No issues.

Pull him up on Facebook. He posted a video where he shaves his head completely. Apparently he's going back to Mwamba for FUT scar repair.

Thanks! Alternatively... I believe if your procedure is considered a "repair", as in your previous transplant was botched, the VAT is also waived. Who knows? So many rumors out there.

I paid less than that, too. I'm from the US and had to pay VAT. Maybe there's some intra-EU exception? Not sure.

Last I heard, Bisanga charges 5€ per graft, if he does the extractions and incisions. I believe it is less if you let his staffer, Dr. Kostis, do the extractions. Something like that. Belgium also charges 21% VAT.

I always really liked Bisanga's work. I saw a really good example of his temple points, which is very hard to do. And he had many examples of successful crowns. I couldn't afford him for my first procedure, which required many more grafts. The second was only about 1500 grafts, so it was more affordable. And I have been to Turkey a few times, but never been to Belgium. So why not? It is hard to know exactly what the result will be when you're sitting in the chair and your head is shaved and they are drawing lines on your scalp. Only after 12 months do you see the result, not every graft survives. It is rare to see a perfect and high dense hairline in 1 transplant. The best transplants I've seen took 2 procedures to refine the hairline and improve density. I am considering having another procedure myself. I still want my temples closed a little more. Maybe 200-300 grafts. But the flight to Turkey would be more than the transplant! haha

Personally, I think it looks pretty good. But hey, it's your head not mine. If it bothers you, get it fixed! It's hardly a big deal, a minor revision. Look at what @mustang did. He's had something like 15 procedures. He'll never be satisfied even though his hair is arguably the best on the board, period. May be visit Dr. Mwamba for a 300-500 graft revision. Easy peasy. Until you want another revision! haha

No, I wasn't a NW6, you can see my HLC thread in my signature to see where I started. Temples/hairline were receded and plenty of diffusion, and just small amount of thinning on the crown. Fortunately my donor is good and I kept most of my temple points. Getting 50 grafts/cm2 at the hairline is considered dense packing, I know that's what HLC does. Higher than that is not common at all, at least in 1 procedure. The challenge with high norwoods is always available donor. The average hairline temple to temple, is about 7 inches long, or about 18 cm. 50 grafts/cm2 X 18 cm is 900 grafts. To get a proper illusion of density, you'll probably want it to be at minimum 2 cm deep, so that's now 1800 grafts... and that's only 2cm deep! Maybe you can get 30 grafts/cm2 for the rest of your mid scalp, which might need 4000 grafts depending on where you draw your hairline. And that's not touching your crown. If you're really bald there, you'll likely need another 2000-2500 for that. So now you're over 8000 grafts. If you have 8k grafts in your donor, go for it. But as I said, most high norwoods don't have that. So they have to go to the beard and chest, which are less ideal. If you're lucky, you can find 2000 grafts there. That'll get you over 10,000 grafts, which might get you full coverage with some compromises. And of course, that's at least 2 transplants, preferably 3, which will take 2-3 years to see full results. Personally, I believe any good doctor can meet your needs under these conditions. I would look for a doctor that can do good extractions, since this can go badly in the wrong hands. Zarev is a standout here, I have a "man crush" on his donor management.

I added test after it dropped to the low 200s (as a result of taking Anavar alone). Yes, as I've said before, test 300 and deca 150 puts me in a mild AAS cycle. I'm likely to increase it to 400/200 after I see the impact on my bloods. Half of this dosage puts you in TRT range, including the deca, which has amazing joint pain benefits. Yes, I have arimidex to manage high estrogen, if I get side effects. It's important to repeat, everything I'm doing is prescribed by a doctor and monitored with monthly blood tests. No underground juice for me! Truth is, if you have the money there's no reason to buy that "made in a garage" crap.

The transplanted hairs are relatively DHT resistant already, hence why it is called the safe zone. Like people with Norwood 6 who get a full front-to-back transplant really don't need finasteride. There's no native hair to protect. So I'm not worried about that hair. But I do need to retain the native hair. Full hair loss isn't in my future genetically, but more thinning is. Finasteride and oral minoxidil should help. So far, no unusual hairloss or shedding, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Before starting anything, my test level was in the 800s, which is pretty good. I started on 50mg Anavar daily. I really like it, made some nice gains. But it crashed my test levels to the 200s. So I added 200mg testosterone cypionate per week. My test levels recovered and went into the 1200s. Today, I've dropped the Anavar (you shouldn't take it longer than a few months at a time) and I've changed it up. Now I'm taking 300mg of test per week. And 150mg of nandrolon (Deca) per week. I haven't had my blood tested yet so I don't know my numbers. I'm also taking a couple extra things... Arimidex, 0.5mg/week, which is an aromatase inhibitor. It prevents estrogen from increasing, which can cause gynecomastia. I'm also taking gonadorelin 50mg/wk, which prevents my boys from shrinking. So every week I inject twice in my quads and twice into my belly fat. And take a couple pills. The test 300 & deca 150 regimen is a proper cycle, albeit low dosage. Most guys are taking double that amount. I might bump up the dosage to 400/200 after I see my blood numbers in a month. I paid about $1600 for a 4 month prescription, for everything including syringes. Anavar and deca are fairly very hair safe since they don't covert to DHT. Adding a bunch of testosterone on the other hand can increase DHT levels. I'm hoping the finasteride can manage that.

I'll start a new thread on TRT in a bit.

The issue with Belgium is that you have to add 21% vat. 3€ turns into 3.6€.

I went to Turney and Belgium from Texas. I flew business class and stayed in 5* hotels, 5 extra days in Turkey. And I probably still saved $10k by not doing it in the US. And no one can convince me I could have had a better result by not going overseas. I say budget $4/graft and go to Spain, Portugal or maybe even Turkey. Maybe Switzerland or Bulgaria. Go a week early and make a vacation out of it. Have zero regerts!

It's a long story but the short answer is that my clinic is treating symptoms, not the numbers. Weight gain, mood, anxiety, sleep, libido. All my meds are prescribed by a doctor and come from a pharmacy, no illegal gear. I'm increasing my testosterone and adding deca (not tren, as mentioned above), which puts me in PED/steroids territory, although a mild dosage, and relative "hair safe" combo. Finasteride actually increases your test levels, since it prevents the 5ar enzyme from converting it to DHT.

That's all in range, although a little low. You could also look at your estrogen levels, as it impacts stress/anxiety. My test was over 800 a few months ago without any TRT and I'm 51. Today I'm on TRT and my test is over 1200. 💪 Genetics are stubborn. Finasteride/dutasteride are not perfect but they are the best chance at keeping your hair. My transplants have been the biggest improvement to my life in many years. I'm still on meds and will be for the rest of my life. And probably testosterone, too. Sorry to derail the thread.

Ok. Have you taken a blood test to check your test levels? I doubt DHEA is increasing your test levels enough to make a difference.

You're taking testosterone injections?

In the US it can be hard to get a regular doctor to give you testosterone without some real medical necessity, like gender reassignment. It is easier to go to an "anti-aging" clinic. That's what I did. The best part of that is I get real, pharma grade product. The worse part is that it is not covered by insurance. I'm paying around $200/month for standard TRT. But I'm on a "get bigger/stronger" program so I pay a lot more. 🤣

This is looking so good! You're stepping into the dreaded shed phase. Be patient and remember to "trust the process"!! 🤣 I'm glad I was able to answer your questions... I bet you're excited! Did you tell HLC to give me credit for the referral? Apparently I get paid to sell HLC services. /sarcasm 🤣

In a word? No. The lease expensive option I could point you to would be Dr. Turan at FueCapilar. I *think* he charges 4000€ for 4000 grafts, one day procedure. But anything cheaper than that is gambling.

This a very common question. Feel free to use the search. Lot's of good stuff in there.