MachoVato

I believe the half life of finasteride is 4-5 days... in tissue, where it matters. So it builds up over time.

Why? That doubles your budget. And that's not including crown work, so you'll still need a second HT.

You can view my thread where I had my temples worked on, very small procedure, by Bisanga. 

I think you're underestimating the number of grafts needed. I would think you need 4000 just for the hairline and mid scalp. Maybe an additional 2000 for your crown.

That's a great list of doctors. Ferriera did brilliant work with Mr. Rolandas, who had a similar level of hairloss. It took 2 procedures to get full coverage and good density. Eugenix doesn't have an advantage with high norwoods.

I've seen his video. It's not a bad result at all. IMO, the density could be better but it looks fine because of his darker skin and thick hair. He's the perfect transplant candidate.

That said, their Instagram has lots of sub-par outcomes. Low densities, some hairlines too straight and some plugginess. One patient had his temple peaks done and it looks pretty bad. Maybe most people wouldn't notice it, but everyone here can spot the work.

Technology has made it rather easy to grow hair. Most clinics can do that. Naturalness is hard. Comparing Vera with Bisanga isn't fair. Bisanga is 5X the cost for a reason. For under €1.5/graft, you're best bet would be Dr. Turan or Dr. Gur. 

For my transplant, it didn't start to look better than pre-HT until month 4. You're totally on track. 

19 minutes ago, blast said:

Hey @Jarrod-

I am wondering if you ever had trouble posting this review of Dr. Pekiner? 

I have done a detailed write up of my experience a couple of days ago now, however it seems that the Hair Restoration Network has blocked it from appearing until a moderator reviews it.

I noticed other reviews have been posted since, so I can only guess there is some sort of keyword block on his name. Either that or all reviews require approval and others have been getting the priority.

I tried messaging Melvin but no response.

Perhaps @J.A.C @Gatsby @MachoVato may also know the process to getting posted better than I do?

Was eager to share my experience.

 

I don't know for sure. At some time there was a block on Pekiner (or something like that) maybe 2 years ago? Some issue about Pekiner offering a discounted price if you posted a review... I don't remember the details, I wasn't that active back then. But I've since seen reviews posted, so maybe not an issue any more?

Which forum did you put it in?

Month 8 Update

Just got a haircut. Crown looking good. I'm able to get a proper haircut now, cut shorter, and it still looks filled in. And temples are fine. I'm thinking I should have added more grafts there. Maybe I should start planning my next transplant for 2023!!

9 minutes ago, Jaz159 said:

Thank you for the info. I’d never heard of Dr Zarev before but his results look incredible. He seems quite highly regarded in the industry as well.

His website has many patient cases, each with many photos. And they look great. Especially donor management! He uses some type of vacuum-assisted extraction that minimizes the scar. Probably the best post-op donor areas I've ever seen. 

I disagree that Eugenix is the best option for high norwoods. Every good doctor can give you full coverage in 3 transplants. I'd consider Dr. Zarev over Eugenix for mega sessions, for sure.

For your 3 options, go to Bicer. You need to prepare for at least 2 more transplants, though. For your front, my guess is 2500 - 3000 grafts, no crown.

Looks great! 

Of that list, Bisanga and De Freitas are the best. De Freitas takes a couple months to get an online evaluation.

This patient wanted a pretty extreme design... I'm not a fan...  but it's good information.

Yeah, shock loss sucks. It can take a few months to fully recover, but it will.

As already said... this is the peak of the worse part. For me, it didn't look "as good as before the transplant" until month 3.5 or so. But at month 4, it took off. 

Just try to laugh it off for now. Trust the process.

I would add Bisanga and Saifi to your list to research.

HLC the very best clinic? Even I wouldn't say that. Are they the best at €2.5/graft? Or better than Bicer? Personally, as an HLC patient, I absolutely say yes.

I did my research, too. I've seen most of the sub-par patient cases, and I agree a couple were not good. The others were fine, albeit needing a top up. But the vast majority were great. Natural hairlines and good density. I see no better option at their price point. To get better, you have to increase your budget to €3-5/graft.

You need at least 2 procedures. I agree 3500-4000 for your hairline and mid-scalp. You have a good budget, but it puts you out of range for the top clinics. If you can find another 3000-5000 Euro, your options open up. And this is just for your first procedure.... you'll need another $10k for your second.

Another strategy would be to go with someone like Dr. Turan or Dr. Gur, who are half the price. They could probably get you most of what you want. Probably get you everything you want over 3 procedures. And it would cost your $10k in total!

Just my opinion.

1 hour ago, ReticentRaccoon said:

Really? Am I the only one seeing this see-through scalp? I'm not saying it's a failure, but it could definitely be much better. 

 

This is pretty much a homerun. 

Yes, of course we see the scalp in these angles. What you have to do is calibrate yourself a little. Native hair density is much higher than can be accomplished with a single transplant. To get very high density and a perfect hairline you'll need more than one procedure. It's just a fact.

 You have a great head of hair. If you want to chase perfection, you'll need to go back to Porto.

Spain has Lorenzo, De Freitas and Ximena Vila. Those are the popular names. Maybe include BHR Malaga (Bisanga's network) in your search. There's also Cuoto but I believe he's booked through next year. 

I'd look into Feriduni (Belgium) too.

And people get mad when we call them a "hair mill". 

3 hours ago, Has212 said:

What is the name of the company as I am struggling to find contact details for pekiner?

Ask @blast I think he just went to Pekiner.

I wouldn't worry about the DHI thing. It's just a tool/technique for implantation, not better than traditional FUE. 

Not many doctors in Turkey will do no-shave that I know of. HLC Ankara (where I went) does it, but not sure how popular that procedure is.

At this point, you need to let the process play out. The next 3-4 months will be tough, as it will shed. But you should see some improvement by month 5 or 6.

If you're looking to have another transplant, you should expand your search. There are some excellent doctors out there. 

The crown will take a lot longer to fill in. I'm at 8 months on my crown and it's just now kicking in.

Are you on finasteride or minoxidil?

Thank you for sharing. Who was the doctor in this case?

8 minutes ago, HairRun said:

Never heard of getting a skin biopsy, details? From my consultings it's related to the types of techniques Diep uses. I've seen the same ones used on other reviews on here. 

You should try to eliminate any skin conditions before having a second transplant. I'm no fan of Diep's work, but he's not a rookie. Your results are uncommon. Some scalp conditions are like scarring alopecia or lichen planopilaris. These can cause HT failures.