Greenlantern2020

My hair loss journey began 10 years ago as I started on a daily (1mg) finasteride and (topical) minoxidil. After extensive research, I decided to get my hair transplant at HMR Tijuana Mexico with the Cortez brothers. Nearly two years later after multiple conversations, I can say that I personally did not like my experience. The day of the hair transplant I was extremely nervous and Dr. Cortez did not have the most reassuring temperament, but was nice to begin with. Everything went well during the extraction process as I conversated while the staff while they watched a soccer game (the distraction can be good or bad/ you can judge that for yourself). We had lunch and soon after began the implantation process. This is where I began to feel very nervous. After Dr. Cortez made the incisions, he began implanting my hair follicles and I began to hear grunting and groaning. It continued for about an hour, and this point it was not just grunting and groaning but it sounded like straight up frustration. I asked him if everything was okay and he replied "You have a very dense cranium, I am trying my best to implant the hairs". Well my anxiety before was probably a 6 or 7 it was now surely a 10! Mind you, when I am anxious I freeze so I was not moving around, just overthinking a lot in my mind but trying to stay as calm as possible. We ended up going a little longer than expected as it was 8 hours for 1,750 grafts. I was glad things were over and immediately began the recovery process. Below are pictures of my recovery process. Some key points I would like everyone to keep in mind:

• I only had one Cortez brother, not both so fatigue might have been a factor.
• I did have some shockloss in the donor zone but for the most part recovered.
• I do have a spot the right side that he overharvested but it's noticeable only to myself.
• He may have under estimated the grafts needed for the procedure.
• He gave me a very linear hairline even though I wanted a widows peak. 
• Although we agreed to give me a widows peak, he drew it but barely gave me more than a few hairs in that zone.
• To be fair, perhaps some of the hair grafts in that area and overall did not survive.
• I personally believe the force he put into my head diminished some of the survival rate of the follicles.
• Although I am happy to have more coverage, I do think it could be better and I will be going to another doctor in 2023.
• My biggest problem with the actual result is that he gave me a permanent "comb over". No matter how hard I try my hair online looks "normal" and is not sticking up unless I comb it to the right.
• Perhaps he was trying to flow into my temporal peaks. But then again, he did not want to do my temporal peaks so what is the long-term goal of this hairline design?
• I've noticed this tends to be his style as some of his procedures show a linear hairline with a slight comb over.
• At the end of the day I just wanted to voice my opinion on my experience.
• I will advocate for anyone that goes to the Cortez brothers or any doctor in general is to have a specific game plan laid out. More importantly to know and understand where and how they plan to implant your hair follicle directions especially on the hairline.
• This can drastically effect your hair style choices and overall attitude of the result just like myself.
• Once again, I know some might believe this is an "amazing" result or others may say it's "not very good" or maybe even somewhere in between.
• I simply wanted to report my experience now that I have had a couple of years to think about it.
• I do not completely hate it, but I am not happy with it either.

Dense skin? I don't know my Spanish isn't the best. That's all I got out of it. In any effect, not a fan.

4 hours ago, 5BetaReductase said:

Your donor actually looked pretty good tbh even at a skin fade. Why the sudden change of heart? 
 

with that being said I know pics don’t always capture the real story

I had some spots that corrected, however, one patch that I rarely take pictures of that is still there. Moreover, I'm just not a fan of my personal experience with HMR including the linear hairline they always tend to do

On 7/19/2022 at 7:48 AM, THE TRUTH said:

Go to a better doctor bro. 

Cortez has several cases of donor area overharvesting on this forum.

100% agree with this. This was my own experience. 

On 7/15/2022 at 10:59 AM, Darth FUE said:

Hi everyone, 33 year old male who is scheduled for a FUE with Dr. Cortez of HMR clinic in Tijuana this September.  I was quoted 2-2.2k grafts for frontal hairline restoration. I've been on fin 1 mg oral daily and min 5% topical once daily for years, and added ketoconazole 2% shampoo twice weekly a few months ago. First two pics are hairline with no product in hair, 3rd pic is hairline with product in hair, and last pic is crown. A few questions:

1. does 2-2.2k grafts seem reasonable? My layperson hunch was estimating just slightly below 2k but who knows. Just want to make sure not to overdo it in the event I need a second procedure down the road.

2. From 4th pic, does it seem like crown needs any grafts or nah? 

3. Almost everything I've seen from Dr. Cortez of HMR has been overwhelmingly positive and I feel confident going with him, but I just want to ask on here if there are any hidden horror stories or words of caution regarding HMR before I proceed. 

Edit: thanks for the feedback everyone. I did take a look at some of Dr. Cortez's negative feedback and questionable work and it has definitely got me rethinking. I've got a few months to mull it over and see if I'd rather go with a more reputable doctor.

 

My HMR experience was not the best not the best.... Density is not what I expected. When he was implanting my hairs he kept complaining that I have a "dense cranium". He put a lot of pressure to fit in the grafts and I do honestly believe that affected my yield (maybe it's my fault lol). He also gave me this comb over look where my bangs only look good when I comb it to the right side. My hairline is very straight even when I told him to give me a widows peak. Honestly, I think this clinic is overrated. But then again this is just my personal opinion and experience.

50 minutes ago, NARMAK said:

I am pretty sure the idea is to follow generally the angles of the native hair where visible but in patients that have extensive loss like Norwood 7 and this isn't visible, then there's a guide Dr Ron Shapiro made of how hair naturally tends to flow which is used as the gold standard of recreating hairlines. 

The "comb over" you describe isn't a technically accurate thing at all. When a person gets a hair transplant, the ideas to follow nature and the pattern of hair angles on each side of the head and middle. 

That way, when the hair grows out, you can style it out however you like. 

My hairs were implanted to the right of the hairline. It's frustrating to me personally because I like my hair slicked back but only wants to go to the right. What I HAVE noticed, is that other patients that went to this doctor have a very similar hair design. I was just curious if this might be some kind " philosophy" I was not aware of.

My hairs were implanted to the right of the hairline. It's frustrating to me personally because I like my hair slicked back but only wants to go to the right. What I HAVE noticed, is that other patients that went to this doctor have a very similar hair design. I was just curious if this might be some kind " philosophy" I was not aware of.

Is there a philosophy in terms of hair follicle directions on the hairline? I've seen certain doctors favor the "comb over" look as a hair follicle implantation method. Is this a standard practice? Case by case basis? Or just a general practice depending on the doctor? Does it take away from the versatility of hairstyles?  What is your overall thoughts and opinions on this look? 

Just curious to hear people's input on this often overlooked topic.

On 6/2/2022 at 11:44 AM, RODY94 said:

So a little update: I'm almost 90% sure I'll be doing the procedure sometime in August. Had a very friendly email exchange with Dr. Konior and he really advised against anything more than 2-2.5k, and to focus mostly on the frontal region. I guess this is based on my age (26) and although the hairloss is stable with finastride now, it might take a turn over the course of the years. My #1 option right is Dr. Cortez in Tijuana, not as much patient reviews as the others but the work seems very good. His graft count was also 1.8-2k, which agrees with Dr. Konior's. Would love to hear from anyone who's been there, and what to expect. At $4.6k, it's not cheap but around the same <5k that I was hoping for. I'm from Canada, so Mexico is a much better destination than Turkey for me.

 

I've also been in touch with Dr. Gur, Yaman and Bicer. Dr. Gur and Yaman have both suggested 3.5-4k grafts, which I believe might be too much. The communication with Dr. Bicer's been more difficult, and I haven't been getting consistent feedback from her employees. But she's also one that I'd be looking forward to hearing from. Thoughts on the shortlist I've generated?

 

Lastly, I was thinking of doing SMP for my crown area which Dr. Konior said to not touch at this moment, but has significant scalp showing and thinning. Any thoughts on pre-transplant SMP? Should I consider doing the whole scalp, just to get that extra density before the transplant? I don't plan to lower my hairline that much, just reconstruct it and focus on frontal density. Would SMP pre-op be a good idea?

 

Thanks everyone, glad I've found this forum.

I have been to Dr. Cortez and this is what I will say: Make sure you are not double-booked with another patient and tell him exactly how you would like your hairline to look like (hair follicle direction included). If not, you will likely end up with a very horizontal/ flat hairline that favors one side (comb-over design). It just depends what you like, but keep these small details in mind.

On 5/24/2022 at 5:09 PM, Steeeve said:

I have personally corresponded with Dr. Nader through email and would say he was extremely polite and professional just through email.

We basically went through the consultation process during those emails and all that was really left was for him to have a look at my head and perform the procedure.

He even gave me his personal cell number (which I never used) and told me to contact him any time if I have any more questions.

I ended up not going with him after deciding that I wanted FUT prior to having FUE. I have no regrets with who I chose as my doctor but just based on my correspondence with him and judging by the patient reviews on this website you would be in excellent hands with Dr. Nader.

on a side note @Melvin- Moderator, I would vote yes on Nader for a recommendation on this forum.

I don’t know if any other doctors other than the Cortez brothers in Tijuana but there are reviews scattered across YouTube for them and I have yet to see one where anybody was underwhelmed once they completed their HT journey. 

I can only speak on my experience, but I am one of the few that was underwhelmed by HMR. The hair follicle directions are frustrating (look up videos and most people have a straight hairline with a comb over). Density could have been better. When he was implanting my hair I heard him very frustrated and he blamed my "cranium" for being "dense" so the implanted hair was not setting in. Very scary to hear that. I gave it over a year and I just was not entirely happy with it.

Hi all,

I know HRN has a list of approved doctors that have been closely vetted. However, I am curious to hear what people think about Dr. Luis Nader (Reynosa, Mexico) and his overall artistry and body of work? If there are any patients of Dr. Nader, please feel free to comment below your overall experience and satisfactions with the final result. Thanks in advance!

I personally just want to soften my hairline and add density. Anywhere between 500 to 1000 grafts.

10 minutes ago, HappyMan2021 said:

this is called badly angled transplant hair, and it is 100% human error due to the surgeon or techies. Badly angled hair will not correct itself over time, it is permanent. 

You can temporarily remedy this by using your hair holding product of choice. Heating/straightening your hair may also work. 

The only permanent fix is to have a repair surgery. Sorry. 

I 100% know my transplant angles sucks but I was trying to speak a little more positive about it lol. Okay, thanks I will use hairspray

My hair transplant left me with a cow lick that favors the right side. Any advice of at home procedures or remedies that would help change the hair follicle directions to a more "slicked" back hair style? Should I use some form durag, special comb, etc?

Thank in advance!

Quote

HMR is notorious for overharvesting one side of the head more. I went there so I would know. Although, mine did recover with time/ minoxidil on the donor zone after 3 months. Give that a try in the near future and see if that works for you. Good luck!

Maybe so, but if you look up El Tio Juan Carlos, his nephew mentioned the same thing. Overall when you see people's videos from HMR one side is always a bit more harvested. Not adding to the fear factor, because a great portion of people recover well. However, in the initial stages it can be tough.

HMR is notorious for overharvesting one side of the head more. I went there so I would know. Although, mine did recover with time/ minoxidil on the donor zone after 3 months. Give that a try in the near future and see if that works for you. Good luck!

2 hours ago, J.A.C said:

Since you mentioned Mexico… Dr Nader + HMR (Dr Cortez) 

Thank you, I will look into Nader. I originally went to HMR for my first procedure and I was not impressed by their work.

I know it's best not to narrow things down based on region, but I would like to stay with California or Mexico. Can anyone direct me to a clinic that is highly regarded for adding density and or temporal points? Most doctors have quoted me anywhere between 500 to 1200 grafts so it's not a large procedure. Any suggestions based on personal experience would be greatly appreciated.

Hi all,

I am pretty sure this thread has been created before but I figured I would add to it. Please comment down below a short list of doctors that you would recommend for someone who is looking to reconstruct temporal points/ peaks. Thanks in advanced!

8 hours ago, Curious25 said:

You look like you could benefit from a hairline softening, which would be a lot easier to execute, as @anotherbaldguy has previously alluded to, addressing the angulation issues, whilst doable, is quite a tricky and lengthy process, which would require a lot of time, money and inconvenience for what could be up to 3 years given the volume of surgeries required combined with the general average wait times that top clinics have. And when I say top clinics - you really need to be going to a top clinic for something like that. 
 

For that reason - in these situations I think the superior strategies to tackle this, tend to be one’s that think outside the box, and look to mitigate the issues via focusing on interventions that don’t actually address the (angulation) issue itself, but rather help minimise the effect of the issue.
 

Craft-full reconstruction of your temple points will balance your hairline, and softening it with some fine haired singles, will enhance the naturalness in appearance, so these two relatively do-able surgeries (for a top clinic) could actually save you a lot of time, hassle, and cost. 
 

And as a disclaimer, I have no idea who you had your previous surgery with, to cover myself from any accusations from people who may feel I’m being unfair on the surgeon . . I’m just saying what I see from these pics in the thread. 

Yea, I don't entirely hate my hair but just wish the yield had more density and the angles were a bit better. My surgeon advised me not to the temporaral points, but quite frankly it's probably because he's not experienced enough. I was thinking about going to Dr. Diep. Any thoughts on his work?

On 4/16/2022 at 10:30 PM, anotherbaldguy said:

I have a similar issue where a surgeon mis-angled my entire hairline upwards and not forwards

1. You CAN train hair to act a certain way, but it takes a lot of time (i.e. years). People who wear their hair in a ponytail have trained their hair to sit backwards.

As you are 2 years post-op that's when the hair should have settled already, so if your hair was mis-angled that way it's likely permanent. 

2. Possibly yes. but most surgeons would be hesitant to do it because the amount of scarring/transection/permanent redness to the hairline isn't worth it. If you did want to remove and re-angle the hairline you'd have to do over multiple surgeries. If you are a low norwood and have an abundant donor you could theoretically remove the hairline with something like electrolysis and start over, although most clinics wouldn't like this because it wastes grafts. 

3. I asked my surgeon a similar question and they refused to do add more hair because they would have to similarly mis-angle the new grafts to match the hairline, thus only adding to the problem. Alternatively if you added more density to the hairline that was now angled properly you'd suddenly have two competing hair directions which would leave you even more frustrated. I mean if your hairline isn't that dense or it only affects one side maybe a surgeon would consider it removing one side, but you're going to have to consult with some elite docs to find out (preferably in person).

Great input! I appreciate the thoughts. You know, my hair doesn't look all that bad, it's just frustrating getting the correct style and "fighting" the "cowlick" the Dr. gave me. But in the right setting I can get it to work but it always favors the right side. Perhaps reconstructing my temporal peaks would help as well?

Hi all,

I have posted before, and I apologize ahead of time if it seems like I am a bit of a complainer. But as we all know here, our hair is very important to us. For awhile after my HT I was not sure why my hair was so hard to style some times. I think I found the culprit: hairline design/ directions of follicles. It kind of of irritates me that it seems like I have a "permeant" comb over, as combing it to the right side seems to be only way hair falls easily and naturally (I would ideally like to slick it back evenly). My questions are (bare in mind I know I need to consult with a DR. but I appreciate all advice):

1. Is it still possible to train the hair follicles some how (2 years post op)? 

2. Would a Dr. have to remove the implanted hair and reposition the directions?

3. What a small procedure for density help alleviate the hair directions?

12 hours ago, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

Greenlantern,

If you can post some additional photos showing Airline close-ups and some photo showing the top of your scalp.  Based on the photos you’ve presented, I think your results look pretty good. That said, your hairline could definitely be refined to look more natural and more density could be added as needed.

best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant

I am overall fine with the hair procedure, although, I have a bit of a "cow-lick" with the hair follicles leaning more to the right. Sometimes if frustrating when I want to comb my hair back. Would a 2nd hair transplant with alternate directions help? I just don't want to remove hair grafts and implant them again,

37 minutes ago, JoeMan said:

Appears to me that it was a success. Are you happy with the results?

I'm not familiar with the Dr but if you liked the job he did the 1st time, I'd consider him again. Of course I would still research and add a few other clinics to your search. Maybe you'd find out that say after 3 years, your Dr isn't doing the same quality work. You have to be the person to decide if a 2nd procedure is what you want to do though. I know you're seeking input but I think it's a coin toss looking at your hair. It certainly doesn't look bad but if you're after a more full/dense hairline, then ho for it. I can't imagine that this procedure would be too many grafts unless you are lowering your hairline. 

 

Good luck!

A very thoughtful response. Good point, in fact I think it's a coin toss myself lol. If I do go back for a 2nd I think it would be bit more density and perhaps temporal points.

8 minutes ago, AB2000 said:

The further your hair loss progresses the less donor you will have and the more you will need.  Do you have an understanding of what Norwood you are heading towards?  Depending on your loss pattern you might be chasing it with transplants. 

Well aware or it, that is why I am on Fin, oral minoxidil, minoxidil foam and Ketoconzle 2%. Based on dad and older bros probably stage 3-4.

2 hours ago, JoeMan said:

 Need before pictures and maybe some just after the procedure would help. What Dr did you go to?

Dr. Cortez (HMR). I added some more pics to see before and after.