Gatsby

Nico how are things traveling? Be nice to see an update.

Lucian. Thanks for posting and sharing your situation. If a hair transplant surgeon rejects you at the age of 27 then definitley take that on board! You may very well be thanking him one day. Give Minoxidil more time. Definitely commence Finsteride and if you have no side effects then give it a good 6-12 months before making a decision about proceeding with a hair transplant. My final bit of advice is FORGET TURKEY. Their are too many bad results that do not justify the odd (lucky) good one due to how surgery is performed (or not performed) there. Start looking at hair transplant surgeons recommended by this forum and from patients who are in a similar situation as you and have successfully realized their realistic goals. All the best and keep asking questions!

You could go for a hair transplant if you have done all of your research and have chosen the best surgeon who meets your needs. The only thing though is that you have only been on Finasteride for 4 weeks. I developed side effects at 8 weeks and stopped the drug. I strongly recommend that you give yourself a good 6 months as a minimum on Finasteride before proceeding. If you cannot tolerate it then your plan of attack will change dramatically. All the best!

Your donor looks excellent! Look forward to following your progress. All the best!

Bare in mind too that no insurance company will cover you now with Covid 19. A lot can happen between walking out of your home door to returning back a week later.

@DeLatorre I hope you continue to share your beard growth journey with us. It's become quite an in demand procedure and yours looks completely natural. Thanks for sharing!

Many thanks follically challenged. I had my SMP done after a lot of research by Caitlin James at Scalp Micropigmentation Australia. It does last though the length of time can depend on how well you look after it (from the sun, etc). I had it performed nearly four years ago and it's probably ready for a touch up. If you Google her you will see a lot of work on scars, etc. Caitlin also worked for many years (while performing SMP) as a hair transplant tech so she really understands how hair should behave, even at a shaven level look.

All the best Corbonite. you can always improve upon a scar. 👍

Because you would have a head full of ink from ear to ear and in a few shot years regret an irreversible catastrophe. You would end up with a life sentence of wearing wigs. No surgeon would do it and if they did should be struck off ever performing surgery again (at the very least).

Sam818 many thanks for your kind words and encouragement. Yes I have ruled out any laser treatment as it will only leave deep scarring below the surface of the scalp which is not conducive to growing transplanted grafts. Over the years it's really only of late that I have become philosophical about the scars that remain with the SMP (above the temple points, etc). If I do manage to go through with Eugenix (due to the current lock down issues here in Australia) Dr Sethi has told me that the frontal scar will be covered (in the same way that the SMP design has) and when I grow my hair out the donor scars become hidden. I wore a hair piece for 25 years to cover not just my baldness but to hide the frontal hairline scar equally as much. It feels great to be free of that!

Personally if you are in the UK then I would be looking further abroad. Look at some of the work coming out of Belgium. No offense but from what I have seen from the UK (London more to the point) there are far more success stories and less unhappy ones overseas compared to the UK. I really have to say that you are doing everything right in looking at your donor availability, etc for what might be two to three surgeries over the lifespan. Kudos to you and your research and wishing you all the best.

Can you post some before and post op pics? Thanks for sharing!

Excellent results! 👍

NOW that looks like one of the most natural results I've seen. Your hair all over looks really balanced and having curly hair is a definite plus. I've just read through your entire thread. The change while in many ways is subtle (compared to say covering a Norwood 6) yet at the same time you really do look ten years younger. BTW have you found the use of finasteride has helped in 'thickening' your hair or halting anymore hair loss? Your crown actually looks pretty good. Thanks for sharing!

The best (and only non drug) way to increase your free testosterone levels is by heavy resistance weight training. The down side is that those who are genetically predisposed to MPB increase their risk of hair loss. Plant based protein is better also. But remember if you do suffer from genetic MPB, not working out/staying healthy isn't going to stop losing your hair anyway. I did serious body building all through my 30's and even though I wore a wear a hair piece (not while training obviously) my hair loss really ramped up during this period I noticed. On the other hand my hair would still have gone South anyway.

Melvin it's incredible to see you with a full looking head of hair and yet you were a Norwood 6. Great video! 👍

Sam818 I'll show you my scars from two botched 'punch graft' procedures when I was 18 and after having SMP nearly four years ago.

Sam818 what city/town are you from (I'm in Melbourne)?

Definitely start on meds as soon as you become aware of MPB. In terms of surgery, I view a 'successful' hair transplant as one that is 'natural' and has a patient feeling like they have achieved their goals. This just doesn't happen when you are young (18-25 TRUST ME) because your goals are unrealistic and often your hair loss pattern has not become predictable. Even failing medication (side effects, etc) I highly recommend waiting as long as possible. Your goals will hopefully become more realistic in terms of expectations of what a hair transplant can do (and not do) and understanding that a hair transplant has to look natural over the course of one's life. In terms of an age I would put it at around 30 (give or take).

I also have scarring front and back. What is the donor scarring from? FUE?

Cool! Now I have an alibi for my scars! 😄👍

Who performed the surgery? All 'natural' looking hairlines are 'asymmetrical' and differ from person to person. I wouldn't worry about your hairline design at all. It's the hairline's that look 'perfect' that don't look 'natural.' All the best and I look forward to you sharing your results. Take care.

@Raymond92you are only 4 weeks out after your surgery. It's way too soon to make an assessment at all. I understand your anxiety totally but you are panicking and being really hard on yourself. You really need to try and take your focus off this somehow and observe your growth month by month. It's way too early now and for the first three months. You need to give this 12 months before you can assess your final results. At that point 'IF' you're not happy and want to shave you can always have SMP on the FUE scars and no one will be able to tell. But for now try and focus on remaining calm and trust the slow process. I wish you all the best and look forward to your updates in the many months ahead. Take care man!

I really love the asymmetrical hairline design as it should be. You have had two of the best hair transplant surgeons in the world eave their magic on you. I look forward to following your results. Thanks for sharing!