UnbaldEagle

She's not bad actually, I've seen some really great results from her. She's an ABHRS member too, which is a whole different league than ISHRS, IAHRS imo. She actually has some HQ comb through videos too, which is always a good thing in my book. I'd rate her on the same lvl as some other more "obscure" surgeons from Eastern Europe, like Saifi, Sikos, Michalis. Only thing is she charges something like 3 EUR per graft, which is kind of unjustified if you consider Serbia is as poor as Turkey + she's not a super well known surgeon, for that amount you can go to top clinics in the region like HDC or Bisanga's in Athens.

It just doesn't work that way. In order to effeminize your face, you'd have to 1. reduce or block serum testosterone significantly, almost to child levels , 2. supplement estradiol. Really, both these conditions should be met. 5-ar inhibitors don't reduce your testosterone levels, on the contrary. Both fin and dut increase your testosterone levels as less gets converted to DHT. But even if you take something that would reduce your testosterone levels, that on the other hand would lead to less estrogen production, which btw incidentally would also lead to hair loss (yes, even men produce some estrogen). So yeah, the point I made earlier.

BTW, imagine if this patient went to a hairmill where there's absolutely no consideration or means to refine a hairline and ended up having those quads and quintuples (I noticed he had a fair number of these) in his front rows. Sorry about these little derailing remarks, all I'm trying to say is it's a fantastic result. 😁

That's actually a very ingenious solution. Even if you refine singles and even if you select the thinnest among these (not a lot of surgeons do this), you still can't beat what nature has given you, so it's best to just keep some of that. Even some of the best results will still have some minor HT-iness about them, if you compare them to a perfectly virgin native hairline. Nothing that's perceivable to the layman, people who haven't seen 1000s of HT results.

I simply love these feathered hairlines. Great result.

(OP looks like a shill tho.. Doubt we'll get any responses from him. For all we know this could be his natural hair in the absence of any before pictures or relevant information whatsoever. I do apologize in advance if he's genuine.)

4th procedure? You had your 2nd not long ago. Wow, you're really planning ahead. 😁

Yes, of course.

Like an invading army, I love that. 😁 Cheers, buddy. I hope I'll follow your path.

@Kieran2020, my hair loss is very similar to yours and weirdly enough I posted the same question (verbatim these words) in a thread I made about diffuse thinning some while ago. Since then I've been assured we're not a lost cause and anecdotally speaking, I'm a decade older than you, diffuse thinning badly since 19 and I still have some hair left. My only regret is not taking meds earlier. But I can 100% understand where you're coming from and quite often DPA certainly feels worse than regular patterned alopecia, simply because we feel like there's NOT A LOT left to lose and we're losing it evenly everywhere. Stay on meds and choose a good clinic, reconstruct the front regardless what happens behind it because that's what most people see, and do smaller procedures instead rather than risking shocking out the natives with a one and done. That's my advice but of course try to get as many 2nd opinions from top clinics on what should be done. P.S. I'm also in the UK and in the end it was a tie between Dr. Edward Ball and Dr. Maras at HDC. I choose the latter.

So pubic hair behaves like beard hair. I know where I'll get the grafts from on my next HT. 😳 🤩

I tried my best to pay attention to what you were actually saying without contemplating how many grafts could be extracted from that nice thick beard. ADHD sucks.

Nope, but DHI was considered to be a hairmill in the UK. They're the same, except a Greek branch. There's two reputable surgeons in Greece, Dr. Anastassakis and Dr. Michalis (former MD of HDC), but why not just go over to Dr. Maras at HDC in Nicosia, they're recommended on this website too.

Thanks for the encouragement, guys.

I think you are being very unfair and rude to OP, he's not here to post pictures on demand of every single requested area and angle and lighting, etc. He's shared more pictures than needed, updated nicely every month or so. He is a great help to the community for sharing such an amazingly turned out body hair transplant. It certainly gives hope to many, many people who are considering other means than regular scalp donor.

Yeah, sure, sorry for not providing any sources earlier. I'll just cherry-pick some bits that are more relevant and then provide a link to the studies below. There's actually 2 ways in which stemoxydine is effective: 1. It counteracts hypoxia. We all know the mechanism of AGA and we blame it all on DHT, but the real reason why our follicles are shrinking is due to their inadequate blood supply (as they are chocked by binding androgens). So anything that increases blood flow can only be beneficial. Minoxidil, niacin (the flush-type, a.k.a. nicotinic acid), PRP, stemoxydine. "Called stemoxydine, this active ingredient works to counteract hypoxia—a condition that’s known to contribute to hair loss and balding. Hypoxia is a decrease or deprivation in oxygen supply. The condition can be serious, such as with generalized hypoxia, which limits oxygen intake throughout the body. But hair loss is a symptom of tissue hypoxia that affects the scalp—it’s been proven that hair follicles without growth are surrounded by oxygen-deficient microvasculature. Stemoxydine targets this condition, attempting to increase oxygen levels in the tiny vascular structures of the scalp. The molecule acts upon hair-derived stem cells, improving their regenerative potential and maintaining function so new growth can occur. In a double-blind study of 100 men between the ages of 18 and 55, a once-a-day application of stemoxydine was found to increase hair density by 4 percent. This may not sound like a lot, percentage-wise, but when you consider the actual numbers, 4 percent represents an average of 1700 new hairs. It not only thickened hair, it also “woke up” follicles that had been dormant and stimulated new growth." [1] 2. What I mentioned in my initial post, stemox shortens the kenogen phase. "Hair kenogen phase, as the latency period required for a new hair growth to engage contributes in part to decreased hair density, a hallmark of androgenetic alopecia. In vitro findings on a new compound, a potent prolyl 4 hydroxylase competitive inhibitor, Stemoxydine®, led us to assess, in vivo, its potential in shortening the hair kenogen phase, through three vehicle-controlled protocols. Three double-blind and randomized clinical studies were conducted on healthy male subjects aged 18-55 with AGA Grade III to IV: 1) Two intra-individual studies on 16 and 23 men, respectively with 5 days a week product application. 2) One inter-individual study on 100 men with daily application. In the three studies, after 3 month treatment, the results showed a significant increase in hair density with Stemoxydine® 5% versus vehicle, without any difference in telogen percentage. 1a) Stemoxydine®+ 4.5% versus control -0.3% (p = 0.04) 1b) Stemoxydine® + 11% versus control + 7% (p = 0.029) 2) Stemoxydine® + 8% versus control + 4% (p = 0.036) No skin intolerance was recorded in any of these 3 studies." [2] 1. L'Oreal introduces NeoGenic with Stemoxydine to target hypoxic scalp follicles - Alan J. Bauman, M.D. -- Hair Loss / Hair Transplant Expert --BaumanBlog.com 2. Oral Presentations (nih.gov) (Ctrl+F for stemoxydine as there are multiple studies on the same page)

I don't think it's very fortunate, the crown and vertex are usually the areas where most people experience regrowth. I've seen people regrow hair in the crown from friggin lasers, let alone something more consistent like fin or dut. In 11 years of using antiandrogens I went from having a proper bald spot the size of a tennis ball to having just a thin crown. And at the same time I think I've lost some density in the midscalp. So it's weird how meds work.

I'm an ardent finasteride fanboy, but I also fully respect if someone doesn't want to take it. Yes, it somewhat changes the game plan for a HT, but it's not impossible with realistic expectations. If you leave your crown to fully thin out and adopt a hairstyle that would be compatible with that, or use concealers, it's achievable. Only real concern is if you're headed for a high NW, that area will keep growing and your sides will drop too. It's really important to know how much donor you've got and plan for the future accordingly. I've also noticed throughout the years that the guys who were reluctant to take fin because they were so scared of the sides almost always did experience sides when they were peer pressured to take them eventually. That's not to say fin side effects are "all in your head", but nocebo is a real thing too. Why not try a topical antiandrogen then? You can get topical finasteride (Morr F or the more expensive ones from minoxidilmax), slightly less efficacy but clearly with a higher safety profile. Or topical dutasteride if you want to be certain you won't have any sides at all.

One month update: So I've shed almost all transplanted hairs now and I'm experiencing some massive shock loss. I lost a lot of natives but I guess that was expected. I'm just hoping everything will regrow. Fun fact: I had a very resilient thick native hair, pretty much the last remnant of my original hairline which was never really incorporated into my current hairline, as we went a few cms higher with the transplant, so it just kind of stuck out a little bit, almost like a lone soldier battling the elements when all the other wimps quit the fight. I named it Harry. It's strange but Harry was "always" in the anagen phase, or at least I don't ever recall its absence. Today I saw Harry was gone. R.I.T. (as in rest in tellogen), buddy, I hope you come back. 2nd pic shows my "bad" temple, the one that was patchy and thin, I think my left side (last pic) looks okayish even now.

Thank you so much, matey. You, me and @Rossybop all had our HTs at pretty much the same time, ± 2-3 days, so it'll be very exciting to see how it turns out for us.

I've got DPA too so when I was shopping around for a clinic I've got flat out rejected by a few, others were too cautious suggesting multiple sessions with a small number of grafts. The main concern (as you may already know) is shock loss to the natives, which, if occurring and if you have a high number of very miniaturized hairs makes them permanently vanish. I know some clinics treat such vellus hairs as intermediate, so they'll transplant on them as they deem their cosmetic value insignificant. I'd be wary of this last approach in your case as you have a large area to cover. Are you on finasteride? It is highly recommended if you want to avoid permanent shock loss to the natives. Also, which area you'd like to address first? It is generally recommended you rebuild the frontal third first as that would have the highest cosmetic impact + it's well integrated in your future plan. You still have some hair in the midscalp, when that's gone too you could have a 2nd round. As for the crown, I think it depends on your donor assessment. It looks thick to me, but on a relatively modest area as you've got some thinning there. Better have those hairs checked for any miniaturization. But you could throw in some body hair too at some point, works great when mixed. I would suggest contacting a fair number of top clinics (there's a recommended list on the top right corner), see what they suggest and what is achievable. It is very important to have realistic expectations too. If you stay in the US (or hop across the border to Canada) you've got the best FUT clinics, which may be considered to maximize your donor area.

So I just started using stemoxydine 5% one month after my HT (crushed 5 Proscar pills in it too just to gain advantage of that great vehicle) and I wonder if it could be a better alternative to minoxidil for those wishing early and better growth, etc. My reasoning is as follows: - Minoxidil is generally not advised for a few weeks after a HT (even more according to some doctors), mainly because minox can be rather strong to the scalp, which is still healing. - Minoxidil extends the anagen phase, which is great, but most, if not all of your HT grafts would still decide that minox or not, they'll have a nice tellogen nap. However this where stemoxydine kicks in and shortens the kenogen phase, thereby causing your follicles to wake up earlier. In theory of course. - Stemoxydine is claimed to be side effect free and you can actually discontinue its use every 3 months and not lose any of the benefits (not the case with minoxidil) So I'm calling all the treatment fanboys and junkies here. Has anyone else tried it after a HT?

No, I agree, it's probably more than the % reported. But why not try it first and see if you're one of those? It's not the best idea to have a HT without preventive measures, unless of course you have a good plan for the future, such as knowing where you're headed in the Norwood cemetery and whether you have a good quality donor or not. Also knowing you're going to a good clinic, etc. And Hair of Instanbul is not one of those. 😕 Just search this forum for a few horror stories. Please don't be deceived by their fake instagram.

There was a study years ago showing that moderate caffeine consumption significantly decreased cerebral blood flow, which is crucial for the new grafts in the first few days. That being said it's weird but it doesn't seem to be on the banned list like smoking, alcohol according to most surgeons. But just to be safe I drank decaff in the first week or so.

Hope you do your research on both though..