Mat16

So the doctor amended the assessment to 1800 grafts. Do you think that will be sufficient? And also do you think dr Freitas is the right choice? Or should I also consult someone else?

13 hours ago, formesenlair said:

I think more important in your case is to strengthen the temple points somewhat. These go so far in helping frame the face. Yours are ok, but a little weak. You'll have a great result with Dr. Freitas I am sure.

Thank you for the encouragement. I think I will go ahead and book it. Need to sort out financials but it’ll be alright I hope. I know it’s a big step but I feel excited only thinking about it 

20 hours ago, Spring15 said:

Yes it was. Not really I'd lost maybe half a norwood in those 6 years, though I never took Fin or Dut due to side effects. If you can tolerate either it might stabilize your loss

So you never teach the point everyone is always warning about. Having transplanted hair in the front staying and non-transplanted hair behind falling out? That’s awesome since I am using 0.5% topical dut once a week

3 minutes ago, Spring15 said:

I went with one of the better hair mills, the result was decent. Main thing it gave me a NW1 hairline and I had more confidence again. If I could do it again I would have paid extra for a better surgeon

I had my second transplant January this year, 6 years after my first - for added density and to fill in where I've slightly recessed. Dr Pekiner performed this

Wow that sounds great. And was it visible when you started receding behind the transplanted hair?

1 hour ago, Spring15 said:

I was in your position 6 years ago, 25 years old when I got my first transplant, though I was a little worse than you around Nw2.5. If it's on your mind and you're constantly self conscious about your hair and longing for a better head of hair then absolutely get it done would be my advice, with a good surgeon - De Freitas is one of the best. I've never heard someone regret having a transplant when it's not botched

Thank you for your input. Could you please tell me more about your procedure and how it ended up? Maybe in a message if you feel better discreetly 

31 minutes ago, Kraki77 said:

Obviously, you are very young and that's the only obstacle on your way  But, if current situation affects your confidence to a degree that you're not living your life to the fullest then go for it. My advice would be to strengthen what you already have to take care of donor management whilst you're young. Further down the line you can always lower your hairline if your MPB turns out to be milder. De Freitas is a great doctor, he will surely take cautious approach and tell you to eventually come back later for something more aggressive if circumstances allow.

I don't think that you will have any regrets if you end up choosing him as a surgeon, however there are always risks with any operation.

I can relate to your story in the way that many people are giving me advice to not proceed with the operation because I still have plenty of hair left. And you should accept that because there are always people that are having it much worse than you. However, if you're not fan of your image in the mirror and you have reasonable expectations than it's better to act and do something to feel better about yourself and this could certainly be a good step towards that goal.

If you have any more questions, let me know, I also have surgery scheduled for the end of this year with de Freitas.

Thank you very much for your reactions it means a lot. I have been learning about this industry and everything that comes with it almost for 5 years now so I’d say my expectations are more than reasonable. I am very afraid of the operation but I am more afraid of myself in the mirror sometimes 😀

On 6/21/2023 at 2:18 PM, RobertoDeNiro said:

You look fantastic

 

Do not go for HT at this time. Keep with those meds and your hair for sure will stick for years to come. 

And if in 5-10 years your keep losing hair, then you could consider the HT path. As @TheGreatPretender  pointed, there are many variables on a HT and you are not in need to go there yet. 

Anyways, best of luck.

Just wow, look how good your hair looks here

So this is how my hair look 2 weeks in a haircut. As you can see it’s really really bad and this is not even a strong lighting. I have the option to book the procedure with dr Freitas in November 2024 and when I see myself like this it is the only thing I want….

On 6/21/2023 at 2:18 PM, RobertoDeNiro said:

You look fantastic

 

Do not go for HT at this time. Keep with those meds and your hair for sure will stick for years to come. 

And if in 5-10 years your keep losing hair, then you could consider the HT path. As @TheGreatPretender  pointed, there are many variables on a HT and you are not in need to go there yet. 

Anyways, best of luck.

Just wow, look how good your hair looks here

Yes I know that it looks fine in this picture but it is a fresh cut and it stays like this only for a few days. 

On 6/18/2023 at 7:47 PM, TheGreatPretender said:

I would still urge you to reconsider going down the surgical path. Not trying to actively discourage you but you have to consider the risks/rewards implications that come with a surgery.

I am only a week before my proccedure with De Freitas and I can tell you de anxiety I have felt so far hasnt equaled anything I have been through in my entire life, there are a lot of factors that go into consideration when you go for a HT and you got to understand that not all implanted folicles will grow back after being implanted, there is a risk of transection and permanent loss of your native hair especially in diffuse thinning cases. But my baldness is way too advanced to not consider surgical means while yours is not. 

If I saw you down the street I wouldnt probably be able to tell you had hair loss which means that meds have been helping you maintain what you currently have and at least keep yourself presentable to the outer world. 

If you decided to grow it out it would be 99% impossible to tell any signs of thinning and I think you should try to at least wear it that way that makes you comfortable because you certainly have options where many dont. I completly understand the need to recover lost ground and the depression that comes with it, but in my view your hair already looks great and it wouldnt really make a top tier difference as someone with more advanced form of balding would.

Again not trying to discourage, only trying to give some advise. 

Unfortunately it’s not true. If I grow it out I still look like a skeleton under the sun or a brighter light. That’s why I would like to enforce and strengthen my hairline a temples. I don’t want to lower it necessarily. 

On 6/16/2023 at 12:32 AM, Eli_Avdikian said:

Just out of curiosity, did De Freitas accept operating on you knowing that you're not on any oral 5AR inhibitor? 

Yea, I just told them that I use oral minoxidil and topical dutasteride and they were okay with it

On 6/15/2023 at 3:24 PM, Gavinlee said:

@Mat16 I agree with what others are saying - you have great hair! Stick with the meds and give it time. Especially if you’re a student and money is tight. What is Freitas charging for you? 

So after I told them that I don’t want the transplant to be very noticeable they lowered the amount of grafts to 1800 and the price is in the region between 5000-6000€…

Also, what do you think 2000 grafts will do to my hairline? I don’t want it to be so obvious so everyone immediately knows my hairline is much lower. My primary goal is to strengthen the temples so the look even with hairline under the light.

Thank you all for your answers. Yes I am aware that the hairstyle on photos with red shirt looks quite good, however under a brighter light or under the sun it looks so very weak and then my temples are completely fu***d. That’s why I would like to strengthen my hairline. I don’t know maybe less than 2000 grafts would be more optimal.

Hello guys,

today I have received email assessment on my situation from doctor Freitas from Spain. He quoted me 2000 grafts to allocate to my frontal area. 

I would like to hear some experienced opinions on whether I should go ahead and do it. If yes, I would like to do it in January 2024 (I will reach my 25. year that month) since I’ll be living in Spain from January until June that year (exchange studies). 
 

The procedure is very costly (more than I expected with this dr) so I really need some good advices on what to do. I started using topical dutasteride from farmacia parati approximately 3 months ago and oral minoxidil 2.5mg five times a week more than a year ago. Regimen of dustasteride is 1ml of 0.5% once a week. When I finish my bottle I would like to go up to 1% once a week. So far cannot assess the efficacy. 
 

here you can see my photos. The ones with white/yellow wall behind me (first two) are from before I started using medicine. The ones with longer hair are also 1-2 years ago. The other ones with short hair are quite current.

the fact is that my hair is bothering me so much (not as much as before I started wearing it short) that it is affecting other areas of my life and I would like to solve it asap.

thanks to anyone who reads this

1 hour ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

It’s safe to put on with your bare hands, it needs to stay on for a long time to penetrate. Women can touch your hair as long as they’re not pregnant or trying to conceive. 

Thank you very much

5 hours ago, Mat16 said:

Hey guys, I just received a bottle of topical dut 0.5% from farmacia parati. Any advice on how to apply it? And how often to apply it? I was thinking about applying 1ML just once per week.

Is it safe to put in on with bare hands? How long should it stay on and should I wash it off after some time? Or when is it safe for a girl to touch my head after I have put it on. These are the things I am kinda worried about

Hey guys, I just received a bottle of topical dut 0.5% from farmacia parati. Any advice on how to apply it? And how often to apply it? I was thinking about applying 1ML just once per week.

2 minutes ago, mr_peanutbutter said:

oh thanks a lot, a few follow up question if you dont mind

do they speak english?

did you just ask your general doctor?

thats kinda pain in the ass to ask a doctor and pay another 30 eur for prescription…

 

some people with criminal energy probably just sign that stuff themself i dont think they will really check on it right

 

No problem.

So yes they were speaking English during mail conversation and yes I have asked my gp for prescription and he filled it out for free.

I am still a bit lost when it comes to what concentration should I order and how often to use it. I would really like to use it only once a week but I’m not sure what potency should I get

6 hours ago, mr_peanutbutter said:

can you link the website? and they want a prescription from a doctor right?

This is their website. And yes they will send you a template to fill out by your doctor

17 minutes ago, arthurSam said:

Take the same as Xyon as it is the same gel. You can try directly 2% if you are courageous or 1% personally I order a 1% because I already try fina 0.01% and got sides after 5 months so I will try 1% 1x week

🙂

Thank you for the advice. Do you think 0.1% is to low? I had quite bad sides on oral fin so I want to play it safe

I just got a response from farmacia parati. The offered various concentrations of their topical dutasteride gel (liposomial). They offer 1%, 0.1% or 0.5%. What is the best concentration of I would ideally like to use it just once a week? 

45 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

I believe the shelf life of dutasteride is lower. Even with Xyon who lab tested shelf life, they’re formula lasts 4 months vs. 6 months of finasteride.

I think the best thing to do is to either use it more frequently 3x per week, or use a larger portion of it, so it doesn’t go to waste. It might not make sense to buy it to use 1x per week if you’re having to go through these issues on ordering it. 

And doesn’t that increase the risk of side effects? I had a bad experience with oral fin so…..

42 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Yes, shelf life is 120 days for dutasteride. That means that after 120 days the drug becomes less effective. By the way, many have complained about this lab on this forum. Buy at your own risk. The formula itself is good, but shipping has been an issue and tracking as well. 

I tried to contact farmacia parati but they don’t seem to respond to me and I cannot really understand their website. What is their price in comparison with anagenica (80€ with shipping for 60ml)

16 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

^This, the vehicle is SUPER important when it comes to topicals. Something that absorbs quickly will go systemic and defeat the purpose of using a topical. 

Xyon if you’re in the US/Canada or Farmacia Parati if you’re in Europe, best way to go IMO. 

 

Everyone here talks also about anagenica (fue clinic) which is somehow related to dr Mwamba (I’ve heard). I have contacted them and they said they sell 60ml of topical dut and that they recommend to start with 1ml per week. Then they said the at the solution is stable for 120 days. What does that mean? That after that it’s not usable and I should throw the rest of it out or?

1 hour ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

I recall a few users complaining about bad sides with minoxidil max topical dut. 

You probably don’t remember their names right? Would be nice to ask how they are now.

22 hours ago, JayLDD said:

Simply put there’s no “strengthening” a hairline when you’re not on Finasteride if you don’t have money to chase losses. You require broad areas of coverage so you can comfortably hide further losses as you lose more hair.

A small surgery to strengthen what you have is a huge waste of time and puts you on the hook for more surgery. You’ll have a small band of resistant transplanted hair and everything behind it will disappear. Stupid idea and doctors shouldn’t even entertain it. 

With the amount of money you just described I wouldn’t get surgery for at least 3-5 years in your position. Wait until you have broad losses and then go for procedures that create broad coverage with 3-5000 grafts as your losses go further into NW3+. 

 

 

I will try to acquire topical dutasteride and try that out for a while. That’s kind of my last hope so I really wish it’ll work for me so I can jump into the operating chair asap 😀