Gatsby

@HairGuy90. RESEARCH, research and then research. Are you able to put up some pics of your current hair loss situation? Are you taking finasteride (and if so how long?) to stabilize your hair loss? Forget about marketing and BS photos. You should be able to meet with previous patients if the surgeon is in your neck of the woods. You should be looking for results from patients that have a similar hair loss to your own with excellent results achieved on a consistent basis to find the surgeon that's right for you. You will be looking into the mirror everyday as a reminder of how much research you have put into your choose. Price should be the last priority (and that doesn't mean that you have to see the most expensive surgeon in the world - and it is surgery never forget). All the best!

If you are happy for a 'very conservative' frontal framing of the face then you might just cross the line. But you will need to have taken Finasteride for 6-12 months to stabilize your donor. Personally I think SMP would suit you better plus it will also frame the face. You have no scars so you really should think twice about surgery. Many people have said that they wish that they never had surgery and just left their scalp the way it was. All the best.

Looks very good. I look forward to you sharing your updates. Thanks for sharing!

6 hours ago, SLA said:

While you have a valid point @Gatsby, I do not agree entirely as I have seen examples in which 80% or so of body hairs looks great. One example is Rahul, a Eugenix patient, a NW 7 with around 12k grafts with only around 1k or so coming from the scalp. His results are posted somewhere on this forum. You can probably find his video is a google search.

Yes you have a valid point. I chatted with Rahul in August of last year after he did a podcast on Instagram with Dr Sethi.  He had three failed hair transplants prior to going to Eugenix. His beard hair and scalp hair are both straight hair and it matches well. 

Personally I would just pass on Turkey. If your donor is good remember it is still finite. I would be looking for a surgeon/s who specialize in high Norwood cases. Hence the recommendations you have received for Eugenix. Are you able to show pictures from the front? Do you still have your temporal points? As Dr Khokhar has stated get onto Finasteride and give it a good 6-12 months and if your hair loss has stabilized then go from there. All the best.

On 1/11/2021 at 1:23 AM, Mike_2020 said:

For example, could 80% of the hair required for the transplant be extracted from beard/chest?

Thanks.

The problem is that if 80% of the recipient hair was made up of beard/chest hair the results would look completely unnatural. The characteristics and behavour of these donor sources are completely different to those of scalp hair.

Everyone is different in the growth department. How long did you find it took you to see growth from your first procedure? I would imagine that in the next month you should start to see growth starting to begin to kick in. Patience is always the hardest part after surgery. Are you taking finasteride? You've gone to a great surgeon and I look forward to your future updates. All the best!

At just 6.5 months out this patient could be a one and done once he hits the one year post op mark! Great results already at such an early stage. Thanks for sharing!

The most important part of considering undergoing a hair transplant (and even more so for a repair) is to have excellent communication with the surgeon. No question should be made to feel as though it is a silly question and you should be made to feel that you can never ask too many questions. You need to understand everything that they are saying and have confidence in them. Personally I would consult with Eugenix about your situation. Wishing you all the best.

That's an incredible result and you're only half way there!

Looks fantastic. How many grafts did you have? Thanks for sharing.

@Beaumontabc I think you are going to have a great result. Blonde hair and Caucasian skin will show very little contrast and should aid to the illusion of density. I was just wondering. How many grafts did you have? It's interesting that you were told to start minoxidil prior to surgery as most surgeons ask patients to cease this at least 4 weeks before surgery? Stay on the finasteride and I look forward to following your updates. All the best!

@Anandu123 I totally agree with John. You need to see a good dermatologist/trichologist before you do anything. Stay on Finasteride for a good 6-12 months and see how things stabalise. All the best.

On 1/7/2021 at 12:41 AM, Westview said:

Elton John wears a wig for sure.  If you look at his 70's pics he's a strong NW7

 

Yes Elton had a punch graft hair transplant around late 70's/early 80's. That's why he was big on hats for a while.

At only four months @Pauls your results so far look fantastic! Your donor area in previous pics looks very good too! You appear to have struck it lucky and I look forward to your further updates. Looking like a home run in one pass. Thanks for sharing!

This was an issue with punch grafts and micro grafts. Overtime (I'm talking many years) it is possible for them to improve. However obviously best avoided by doing your research (you can never do enough) and from Doran's post. Thanks for sharing.

@Dello I would seriously consider taking finasteride to try and stabilize your hair loss and strengthen your donor. I can understand your reluctance though. I would also consider contacting Eugenix as they produce excellent results which can include the use of beard grafts to blend in with scalp grafts. Keep researching other clinics and take your time. Wishing you all the best!

You appear to still still have a good looking scalp donor supply going by your pics. You have used 3,000 plus grafts already. I don't know how long you have been on 1mg per day of finasteride but it can take up to a full two years for it to have full effect to know if it will stabilize your loss (though 6-12 months is more common). If you go forward with surgery at some point in the future you may want to consider adding beard grafts as a donor supply to preserve your scalp donor. Eugenix are at the forefront with the use of beard grafts mixed with scalp grafts. Who performed your surgery in Greece? Keep researching and asking questions. All the best!

You could get butchered here in Australia or any country in the world for that matter. The problem with Turkey is that there is no real protocol or standards to oversee the many clinics that operate there. There are a few though that do appear to have built a reputation of good results such as Dr Erdogan, Dr Yaman and a couple of others. There are many other issues with Turkey hair mills, however the biggest ones are pricing and the people performing the surgery. The vast majority of people go to Turkey because of the low cost of surgery. Price shouldn't be your indicator of good, consistent results. Good, consistent results should speak for themselves. Also as I said earlier their is no minimum qualifications to operate on a patient. Hair dresser, taxi drivers and Syrian refugees can and do operate on patients. Also you will not be the only person operated on in one day. You will be one of several which is why prices can be set so low as money is made on volume. Finally the number of people who have created a thread on this forum stating that they have had a botched hair transplant from Turkey far out way anywhere else. All the best and who ever you choose the more research you do the more control you can hope to achieve with your results.

12 minutes ago, rhal22 said:

thanks bro! I really appreciate it

No worries rhal22. She really is a lovely person and will go out of her way to help anyone. I'm not affiliated or paid by her (or anyone for that matter). I've just gained a friend along my journey. All the best!

Hattingen is an excellent clinic. If you could post some pics on here that would be great!

Just now, Gatsby said:

 

 

45 minutes ago, ciaus said:

I'm probably going to be doing some smp and looked up who did the work for @Gatsby -its Caitlin James and her operations are based in Australia where he is, not sure if she travels occasionally? https://www.smpaus.com.au/about-us/

I'd love to get the work done with her based on his results but I'm in the US, and due to potentially needing touch ups every few years, traveling to the other side of the world every time for that is not something I'm willing to do when there are some top practitioners in the US too.

32 minutes ago, rhal22 said:

thanks for the info. would you mind sharing the US practitioners that you’re referring to?

Contact Caitlin James on that link. Tell her that you know me (Adrian) and ask her for reputable SMP artists that are closest to where you live. Caitlin did a series of interviews on YouTube where she interviewed SMP artists in the UK, USA, etc. So do a search on there as well. Caitlin travels overseas annually for conferences and has won many international awards. SMP aside she is a fantastic person and will be able to steer you towards someone who will be able to help you. I'm actually seeing her next month for a four year top up. All the best.

Personally I would start with the least restrictive alternative. I would seek out an SMP artist who has a good portfolio of SMP results in FUT scars. If you are not happy with the results then you can always opt for FUE into the scar. If your scalp was tight as a drum I could understand the strip scar stretching. But if you had laxity in the donor scalp then I would put this scar down to personal biology. All the best!

As has been mentioned with the advent of beard grafts being utilized along with a good scalp donor region and meds you can certainly be a candidate for a hair transplant. The two other variables are the skill of the surgeon/s in Norwood 6/7 patients and ultimately the expectations of the patient.