Richie888

What an excellent result 👍

Hello my fellow follicle fighters

Firstly thanks to all who provide valuable info on a daily basis. When I started out researching about 2 years ago I was in the naïve mindset of basing everything on price. I had no understanding of who performs what, donors being limited and so on. It was only the fact that my passport needing renewing that delayed me from going to Turkey!

Fast forward to now and I am exactly 2 days post op. I have chosen Dr Arshad because he is creating a lot of proven and solid results. For me it was just a lot easier to get my transplant done in the UK due to family and work commitments, the fear of surgery abroad - as I've literally never been in hospital - and the fact that he is one of the few UK clinics charging a reasonable price. 

Anyway my main concern is the temples which we addressed and also some mid scalp. I am aware that the crown appears to be showing loss but at the minute I intend to start at the front and work back. 

On the day 2267 follicles was extracted with the breakdown being:

Singles-440

Doubles-1121

3/4's-706

A 0.8 punch was used. 

I won't go over a full breakdown on the day as it's been covered before what what I will say it's ran like a well oiled machine and every one of the staff from the minute you walk in the door to when you leave are excellent. It was in no way a walk in the park and in the end I just wanted to get home but the day is over soon enough. 

I suffered quite bad swelling on the day which cleared up really well on day 2 with the meds. I'm also spraying saline regularly as directed and the grafts and looking clean. Feel free to ask any questions 😃

1 hour ago, Shart19 said:

Thanks for the reply so quickly. Money isn't the driving factor but i am gauging whether an additional 4,500 euros would be a significantly better result. Another option who came back to me after an online consultation would be Dr Maras at HDC. Have people seen positive results from him on here? 

He has good results but I can't see what would sway you to him rather than BF IMO. Also UK to Porto is not a bad flight. I've just had mine done at the hair Dr clinic and will be doing a review shortly. I know you have exhausted UK clinics which I did too but they are definitely worth a second look. I would try not to overcomplicate it by choosing too many options. Find a clinic that has results similar to your ideal end result Vs current NW and take it from there. 

1 hour ago, Shart19 said:

Hi, i have during the past month been extensively researching Hair transplant surgeons/ clinics, as a bit of a background i've been quoted 2500-3500 grafts for a frontal restoration as im a NW3, i really want it densely packed with the most natural looking hairline as possible (I'm sure this what everyone is after?). Originally i wanted to stay in the UK but after many consultations i have decided this is not a route due to poor results for extortionate costs and very poor customer service from the patient advisors or even the surgeons. I have excluded the idea of going to Turkey due to all the varying reviews online and uncertainty behind who will actually be performing the surgery. My list has been narrowed down to Dr Bisanga of whom seems to have the most consistent results on forums, online and from talking to other patients or, alternatively Dr Ferreira of whom i've heard great things but i can't find many reviews or photos online of his work. Both doctors are very in demand and are booked three months in advance which must be a good sign, doctors in the UK were offering surgery the week after! 

Who else on here has been to either Doctor for their HT and how were your experiences? 

My thought process is currently to go with Dr Bisanga as it's the least "risky" option in Europe and his results do look consistently excellent. Are their any other recommendations that potentially provide similar or better results than the above drs?

Thanks in advance! 

In all honesty if it doesn't come down to money I would say Bisanga hands down. His hairline designs etc are the best in the business. If money is a factor than I would be on a plane to Porto as you will get an excellent result from Ferreira. 

8 hours ago, Chris32 said:

To have a HT thin after 2 years is not normal and definitely one of the more extreme cases. Even if the hairs from the safe zone were to obtain the characteristics of the DHT susceptible hair after the transplant as you say and therefore be prone to miniaturization, why would it happen in such a short period of time (2 years), if it didn't even occur that quickly with the DHT sensitive native hairs that were there in the first place? You're taking an extreme case and applying it as the rule.

Very wise observation. No hair is guaranteed no matter what we think but accelerated hair loss in that time to me would point to underlying issues. 

5 hours ago, neoname said:

Long term lurker in this forum and feels like a life time hair loss experience.

Started shedding early teens and 20+ years into it having tried hair pieces and masking products as the HT industry evolved around me.

In a phase where HT results are more consistent when tagged with realistic expectations, wanted to take the leap and evolve into a more new me.

A Norwood 5/6 with an intact hairline (for now), was quoted a conservative 4000 grafts. 

Live in the states and a journey to India with COIVD around....will be an an interesting tale to share.

Will be posting my detailed journey along with some great pictures of a HT lifecycle along with Eugenix experience.

 

 

What date have you took the plunge, is there much of a delay with travel etc?

On 11/25/2020 at 11:18 AM, DrTBarghouthi said:

This is quite unfortunate. I deal a lot with middle eastern hair and in my humble opinion, hair can be slightly longer or deeper into the skin. I tend to use a slightly longer punch at times (5mm) instead of the (4 mm) length punch. What you had experienced is a technical issue called "decapping" of the follicle. This means that when the root is firmly tethered or deeper than what they are used to, they tend to try and pull harder when releasing the graft. This ends in the more fragile skin part to come off with the remainder of the root still inside. The right way around this is to go a bit deeper with the extractions until the punch releases all this tethered tissue and then things are smooth again. It is always important to check the areas being extracted every few grafts to make sure that follicles are coming out nicely and without transections. This in fact is done for all FUE cases as direction and depth vary in different areas. Give it a year and hopefully then you can add density to the area. 

I hope people appreciate the priceless information I see you dish out on this forum, I doubt the clinic he visited could even give him that explanation. Bravo to you doc 

It's the smoking side that's the issue not so much the marijuana. If you can get edibles and feel like you really need to get high then I would go down that road. 

4 hours ago, Curious25 said:

If the reduction in DHT is still more or less the same as taking 1mg and 5mg daily, why should the side effects be less so? 

Very valid point. The problem with Finasteride is there is no money to be made from doing any research on it as it's unpatented. 

Off them stats alone, would it not make sense for someone to bring out a 0.2 pill that would put a lot of people at ease and probably sell a shed load? Seems a missed opportunity to me since cutting up already small pills is a tedious task yet popular. 

Anyone fancy setting up a factory? Plenty of cheap property about 😀

3 minutes ago, Doron Harati said:

Give it some time or see a doctor, I tried Finasteride 15 years ago and it just hurt my libido, I stopped taking those pills (which didn't help to prevent DHT) and after 3 weeks mt erection came back to full function, honestly I never recommend paitents to take those pills, many men had those side effects.

That's good to hear Doron. Obviously you have had a successful HT, do you use any topical solutions or recommend anything else to patients?

17 hours ago, TrippieBread said:

Hi I’m 31 years old and a long time lurker on this forum. I’m at my wits end and need some help and advice. After seeing a couple of hair transplant doctors this year eg dr lupanzula, the maitland clinic, also spoke to dr Bruno Ferreira who all recommended taking fin starting with small/low dosage. After reading up on all the hair forums and websites, I decided to try it out with caution obviously after seeing all the horror stories I reached out to a few people who are taking it and have positive feedback. Only using 0.25mg for twice a week. After 6/7 week I noticed genital numbness, it was like a plug was switched off. Just didn’t feel right. I was at crossroad and thought it might be my body getting use to the drug as many other takers have suggested and overcoming it, fast forward 2 weeks on and I have noticed not only the numbness as before hadn’t got better but now problems with getting a full erection. So I stopped taking the drug straight away. All in all I was taking the drug for 9 weeks and now I am beyond worried that I am stuck with this. It’s been nearly a month and i feel no better in that department. Some people suggested 1-2 months. Has anyone stopped like me and completely recovered? All I see is it’s continued to affect people’s life and nothing to hope. I really would appreciate any response on how to continue I appreciate that it could be in my head and that’s what’s making the situation worse as the mind is very powerful but I hope some people on here have managed to go back to normal after a brief battle with the after effects. 

 

Thanks in advance and for taking your time out of the day in reading this.

First things first take a step back and, as easy as it is for someone else to say, relax. You will be putting yourself under mega pressure to get aroused which is probably the equivalent of trying to get it up in front of a room full of people! Also porn is not a good way physiologically to assess if you can still get aroused, try do it in a natural environment with your wife/hubby/milkman(delete as applicable). 

As stated above the dose you have taken over 9 weeks is what people take daily for prostate issues. You can tell from your description that you were already anxious before you took it, just relax man there's no way you have done yourself irreversible damage. 

32 minutes ago, Zoobz said:

Hi all

Firstly would like to thank all members as a silent reader for the last 4 years or so. Gained a wealth of knowledge.

I want to nip this hairloss problem and depressive crap that comes with it in the bud once and for all whatever that may mean. I would like honest advise to plan my move.

I am 30 years old and started hairloss I think around 23-24. I am a diffuse thinner with hairline recession aswell. I have been told by the doctor I am a NW3V, and most likely will progress to a NW5 or NW6. I think looking at my family history 6 is most likely dad and mums brother are both 6 (funnily enough both grandads died with NW0 hairloss and both my older brothers in late 30s don't have hairloss, sucks to be me)

Never took anything to combat hairloss. Recently I decided to give fin a shot. Unfortunately I'm highly sensitive and get gyno symptoms on all doses and even topical formulation. I am currently trialing minoxidil, but doubt it will be effective.

So is transplant a option without fin. Assuming I went conservative on the hairline, concentrated on front and mid and just a light sprinkling in crown and accept this part will always be sparse. I understand this will probably mean multiple (2-3 surgeries). I would be looking at someone like Bruno Ferreira/eugenix/Dr arshad. £3 per graft max. All have said they can do it, but I would like feedback from the forum.

One of my main concerns is the transplanted hair also falling out over time, I know many surgeons claim it doesn't, but after all my years of research I am starting to doubt whether this is true (I also think a lot of surgeons are now starting to feel this is the case aswell, although they don't want to be forthcoming with this as it puts the whole industry at a disadvantage now)

Tried to upload some pics but my phone not letting me. Appreciate all advise. Apologies for mega post. Thanks all

Hi

The argument for Fin has probably been raised daily since this website was created! You will/would be in a better position having stabilised you hair loss before undergoing any surgery. There is no doubt about Fin being a saviour for many men's barnets and could possibly prevent any surgery. But here's the thing, if you are decided on getting it done without taking meds afterwards then there is no point in people bombarding you with opinion and making you second guess your decision. 

You sound like you understand the implications of going ahead without meds and seem happy to undergo more HT's if needed so I would say why not?? It is vital that you choose a good doctor which is already clear from your list, as you want to know how good your donor is for them future transplants. Has your donor been assessed? There may be members who will give an honest opinion of where you are heading from a pic. It's also worth remembering there are people who have had transplants with Fin and still suffered loss, it's unique to each person. 

I am literally going in for my transplant on Wednesday. I won't be using any meds besides the standard vitamin/biotin/topical treatment. I'm about NW3 and receding gradually. If it all goes tits up as I age I will shave it off and SMP any obvious patches. 

But why not enjoy life when you are young and image conscious, I would rather make the most of now and roll the dice, then chicken out because I may be bald in my 50/60's. Plus with a bit of luck if there's any progress with science who's to say in 10 years you won't be limited by your donor. 

Hope this helps mate it's quite a mouthful but I was in the same boat as you and it helps to know other people are there too. I'm 32 and if your hair is one of the main things that bothers you day in day out, like me, then it certainly needs addressing. 

I'd be wary of making life changing choices based on Google and yelp reviews which can be easily fluffed. Granted travel is not an easy option right now but I would really take the time to look at screened clinics at home and abroad. If there's doctors in the state's doing it for half the price without any patient based results then you would have to ask yourself why. 

I would think after 11 months you should have a rough idea by now if the hair was growing back, is if possible it's just not a gap from poorly placed grafts maybe? 

Where did you get it done and are you happy to post any pics for the more seasoned members to elaborate on?

12 hours ago, Portugal25 said:

Totally understand.

Sadly we won’t see much on HRN because he’s affiliated with Dr. Lorenzo so he can’t promote his work and almost all of the patients from his own clinic don’t take the time to post at HRN or any other forum.

P.S I'm a fan of BF and in no way bashing him or how he works, it's just frustrating that his work is trickling through. I think in 24-36 months internationally he will be up there to compete with but for me now and the way everything is shaping up with travel etc I am happy to get it done close to home. 

9 hours ago, Portugal25 said:

Your math is incorrect.

A ryanair return flight from the UK to Porto costs 50£, a decent Airbnb in Espinho will cost you 40£/night and Uber Eats won’t be more than 30£/day so for 4 nights you are looking at 230£ for your flight plus room and board. 

Also, you can’t compare Dr. BF with Dr. Arshad because he’s in a whole other league.

I understand that with Covid19 you don’t want to travel but I would advise you to wait and get a better quality HT at a lower price with Dr. BF.

My math is correct, because it suits my situation. If I stay abroad it will be in quality accommodation, I won't be treating it like I'm backpacking my way through a hair transplant. There's all other costs that I will have to factor in besides room, flights, and food. As I said there's parking at the airport, fuel in my car amongst other things. My business will be affected if I'm away from home and also if I have to factor in isolating. Basically I know what I will and won't spend.

That's beside the point, I haven't chosen where I am going based on price, it's just happens to be well priced for the UK and an hour's drive from my home.

Whilst it's not easy to compare any two doctors as they all have different styles and surgery is not black and white, I am impressed by what the Hair Dr has achieved and the results his clinic is creating. 

I am hearing great things about Dr Ferreira and believe him to be capable, but until he starts creating a portfolio of clientele of what he is producing for all to see, I don't think you can start ranking him above other doctors. I have followed him for a while now, and he literally posts no results. Does that fill me with the confidence to jump on a plane and undergo surgery in a foreign country to save a couple of quid? Not yet. Rolandas had a great result and I'm sure there's more, but terrible clinics have lucky results. He has his own clinic, staff and uses social media, there is no reason for the lack of documented surgeries he is performing. 

1 hour ago, Runner said:

Hi mate, sorry didnt see your reply.

Are the costs considerably higher staying in UK for your procedure compared to your initial plan of Portugal?

Costs for the Hair Dr is £3 per graft. Bruno Ferreira charges €2.50 which is roughly £2.25 so for me:

2000 grafts

Bruno £4,500 Vs Hair Dr £6000.

So for some people £1500 would be a deal breaker but for me by the time I factor in flights, accom, food, airport parking etc etc it would leave £1k. I'm a slight hypochondriac so it's a small premium to pay for the peace of mind that if anything does go wrong I will be on English soil and going home to my own bed plus Dr Arshad has proven results so for me it's not a compromise. 

Hope this helps 

It's hard to tell with such close up shots, can you take pics at a wider angle and maybe blur your face?

I have to say the actual end result is not bad by any means but then you didnt look like you needed it in the first place. The problem with afro hair is you need a doctor who understands how to frame your face properly and regularly puts it into practice. Cinik seems to have a one shape fits all approach. 

On 11/13/2020 at 12:56 PM, MeganYterni said:

I feel bad every day I need advice! please help me!

Are you on Finasteride as well? If so I would make sure its not having an emotional effect on you. If you have been on it a while then maybe not but I would rule it out 

2 hours ago, Maa said:

Hi.

No i dont use any kind of med and have never done and Will not do.

I think i maybee Will have to fill in the mid scalp in the future if I loose the hair there and maybee a lilltle in the front Between the hairs i have transplanted now if some of the native i had there Will Fall off.

I dont Think i Will loose my Crown as it is almost uneffected now and my family historie on both sides do not have Crown lose. 
And i have High sides bisanga Said and not lost anything and the tempel points so the 4500 in the bank should be very good for the furture.

 

here you Can see the crown 

 

Ok buddy it's good to hear a renowned doctor creating a plan for future loss without meds. From what I can see your hair is in good shape currently, and with donor available for filling in at a later date you should be set future loss. Good luck and keep the updates coming 👍🏼

23 hours ago, Maa said:

5 weeks have gone now since my hairtransplant with dr. Bisanga

So Enter week 6 tommorow.

Here is an Update.

 

Results are looking really good.  Do you intend to carry on without using Finasteride? Do you use any other meds like rogaine etc or will you just go down the good diet and regime path? 

I only ask because without starting a debate on meds I will be similar to you in the sense that as long as my donor area is good I will carry on without meds and maybe have several future HT's as and when needed. 

Yea the density looks fine and if the shape was good it would prob be a good result but they have literally ran a straight line across a round head. It just doesn't tie into his features. 

At the end of the day its how it makes you feel and by the sound of it he's a happy man although rather him than me 🏃🏼😮

This has just popped up on my news feed. Former X Factor contestant Eoghan Quigg has had a lockdown hair transplant at the Cevre Hospital in Istanbul. 

I'm no HT expert but this looks horrendous in terms of design, it's almost as if they have placed a bowl on his head and drawn round. You would think he would have enough celeb connections to find a decent place. 

Has anyone heard of it? Apparently he is now an ambassador.