PizzaWolf

@Gasthoerer That's an interesting observation about Dr. DeFreitas and Dr. Diep. I've been particularly impressed with De Freitas' work, but when I went back and looked at some of his fresh surgical photos, it was really obvious that DeFreitas was implanting in symmetrical rows. Why is he using this technique? Does it increase density? The end results look stellar, but would they not hold up with shorter length hair because of the row implantation?

2 hours ago, Gatsby said:

So a surgeon asks you to pay in full months ahead of a procedure that you haven't even had a consultation with? How does the surgeon know if you are a candidate for surgery yet still wants the total cost of surgery months in advance? How does this surgeon know how to charge you in full when he doesn't even know how many grafts you will require? Who's the surgeon?

It wasn't as shifty as I made it sound from my first post.

Clearly I should have put more thought into my initial post, but I was pretty confused on the clinic's method of paying until I gathered more info.

I did have an online consult based on six photos and an initial quote based on that. When I agreed to a surgery date, they wanted:

I was pretty confused about the payment rules of the clinic, so my post was confusing as well. Sorry. I asked for clarification from them.

They want a 1000 dollar deposit.

A second payment of around 2500 two months prior to the surgical date.

And the remainder of the full surgical cost one week prior to surgery.

So would it ever be reputable to have to pay a surgeon in full before the day of surgery?

What's the standard for paying international surgeons?

I understand that a surgery deposit is the norm.

What if a foreign surgeon asks for payment in full, months ahead of the surgery, before even having an in-person consult?

The vast majority of hairlines reshape to some degree because of the influx of hormones during puberty. You could be noticing your hair transitioning from juvenile to adult.

IMO, you're too young for Finasteride and other hormone altering drugs -- your endocrine system hasn't fully developed at 17. I don't think topical minoxidil (Rogaine) would be out of the question, though.

Probably best to consult with a doctor who has experience treating hairloss. They can give you some actual medical advice and hopefully a little peace of mind going forward.

@Nickpatay12 I've experimented with different compounds over the last few years to manage hair loss and find something that's effective, but also something that I'm comfortable using forever. I currently use Finasteride and haven't noticed any side-effects, but I'm not super-thrilled with the idea of systemically lowering a potent androgen for my entire life, so I continue to experiment.

I think if you're getting side-effects, then you're getting side-effects. Maybe consider moving on and trying something else to manage your scalp DHT. It might initially seem like there are very few options, but with some research you can find many.

Unfortunately, I don't believe that ingesting collagen will increase your body's production of it. I think that Tretinoin for its potential to improve localized production in your skin (not controversial) and increasing your growth hormone/ IGF-1 levels (controversial) are effective. 

Ouch. That was a scathing take on oral minoxidil for hair loss. I found it compelling.

17 minutes ago, johnto said:

Why did you choose such an unnatural design for the hairline?

It's not unnatural. It just has more irregularities designed into it than you're probably used to seeing from a HT. 

IMO this kind of design takes more skill to pull off, which is why it's not more common.

I took Fin for 2 years but stopped 6 months before knocking up my wife. I then resumed taking Fin. I really don't think my hair got any worse. 

I don't care what anyone says, if there's even a .00000000000000000000001 chance of causing birth defects, I'm not risking it. At the end of the day we're only talking about hair. It's absolutely a bummer to lose it, but I would go Norwood 7 in an instant for my children's health.

1 minute ago, Charlii said:

Oh yes, they were really long. Especially the first session was horrible. When you have to stay with the facedown on the extraction bed. My face was hurting as hell! I Think Dr. Umut was hating me, because i moves allways my head.

But i am happy, that its over now! In 2 hours they will take my bandage off, i am curious how it looks 😁

It will look amazing. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Which surgeons operated on you? Were all six doctors there for your consultation?

@Melvin-Moderator It says in the Dr. DeFreitas recommendation blurb that he has an English translator on site. You could see if they might be available to translate DeFreitas for the interview?

7 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I would like too, not sure how much it would benefit the community though. We have a few fluent in Italian, and maybe a few who speak Spanish. But if the community would like to see it I would without hesitation.

De Freitas and Couto have an almost mythical reputation. It would be exciting to have one of them interviewed.

35 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Dear Community,

Join me in congratulating @De Freitas Clinic on becoming recommended and approved on the Hair Transplant Network. After receiving an enormous amount of positive feedback, from both patients and physician colleagues, we have decided to approve Dr. De Freitas into our network. I have personally been impressed by the quality, skill, and talent of Dr. De Freitas, I plan on visiting his beautiful clinic next year and sharing my experience on the forum. 
 

Take a look at Dr. De Freitas profile and feel free submit a free virtual consultation. 

Since you're fluent in Spanish, could you do a video interview with Dr. Freitas somehow? Like the Instagram ones you have?

3 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

While I agree with some points, I don’t think it’s right to post this on a patient journey. Having surgery is stressful enough. If you have these concerns I would create a separate thread and not put it on someone’s journey. Journey’s are for encouragement and help, not seeding doubt. 

I apologize. My intention is positive but I come off as too blunt and aggressive sometimes.

Topical Fin or Dutasteride. RU58841 or CB-03-01. Flutamide. High dose saw palmetto. These are options not recommendations. You need to do your own research to figure out what you're comfortable with.

Do something. You'll save yourself a lot of grief in the future. 

From a technical and aesthetic standpoint I think HLC is excellent.

From an ethical standpoint I have some real concerns. I've never heard of them turning down anyone for surgery.

Their graft numbers are always high and never fall under their initial estimate.

There was that recent 22 year old guy from Germany who was a solid Norwood 5 and they put him on Fin the day of his surgery.

They advertise as a team of doctors but no one knows anything about their credentials or training. They don't even give full names of the doctors on the HLC website. 

@Charlii You need to do something to manage DHT. It doesn't have to be Finasteride. There are other things to try.

1 hour ago, Domino said:

I’ve finally decided Eugenix is where I’m getting my surgery done. Going to try to book for the fall.

Which package?

On 3/11/2021 at 7:50 AM, Melvin-Moderator said:

1-2 patients per day, there is a language barrier which is why many of their patients post on the Spanish forum (I’ve verified this myself, as I can speak Spanish). Many of our senior forum members have confirmed this as well. If they are popular it is for good reason. Quality and skill is not antihetical to HRN.

Thanks for clearing that up. I thought quality and skill might be something the HRN was trying to avoid😉

I wanted to know if there were true specific metrics or criteria a doctor needs to meet for recommendation. There are other clinics/doctors that have significantly more patient posted threads on this forum but haven't been put up for recommendation.

Does someone from the HRN visit a doctor's clinic before considering a recommendation? 

How does the HRN continue to evaluate their recommendations over time?

How many patients per day are operated on?

Currently only one patient posted thread on the HRN.

More patient posted threads from other doctors like Bruno Ferreira, HLC, and others.

This recommendation seems like it would be based heavily on popularity rather than direct evidence from this forum. That seems antithetical to what HRN alleges it's about.

8 minutes ago, GuyFromLondon said:

Hi Pizza Wolf. I was made aware of the recommendation discussion so got involved to support Dr Arshad. As mentioned above, I've been eyeing up HT for a number of years. 

The photos I've taken myself. If it would reassure you, I've got plenty of pics that I've taken myself that I'll be happy to share on the forum when I have a little more time. Also happy to post my email exchange with Farjo's clinic confirming my appointment too if that helps. 

At the end of the day I'm contributing to a post in an effort to try help others but I appreciate your comments nonetheless. 

You don't have to prove anything to me. I'm just another dude posting anonymously on a hair loss forum. I've become suspicious of all things HT related. It's a bit of a cesspool out there.

@Gokul Krishnan There's also RU58841 and CB-03-01. These are still antiandrogens, though.

@JohnAC71 Where did that growth chart come from? Thanks.

7 hours ago, Gatsby said:

It's great to hear and see the excellent results and follow up care of Dr Ashad from his patients. It also begs the question why risk going to Turkey???! Thanks for all who have shared as it's great to see more patient reviews!

Some of these Dr. Arshad reviews popping up suddenly in his recommendation thread are a little suspect. An issue that might be more readily called out if his clinic was located in some gross country like, I don't know..