caricatura

Looks amazing. In a couple of months it'll only get thicker. This, my friend, is a successful transplant. You still aren't taking Fin.?

Suffice it to say I don't believe the 2% statistic is accurate. Of the many friends I have out in the real world, many of them (I'd say about 3 out of the 7 I know who've tried Fin.) also experienced serious sides and decided to quit. None of them did research on the drug beforehand. I did, but was hoping and expecting it to work. There's little incentive for people to make up side effects for a drug that would actually alleviate another psychically large problem for them. Whether PFS exists or not, I can't say, but I and many others are living proof that the drug can have real physiological effects, and is unfortunately not viable for long-term treatment. That said, I recommend anyone suffering from hair loss to at least try Fin.

This is silly. The forum's most active member and moderator, @Melvin-Moderator, experienced real, physiological sides. I did too. Nothing about "the balding man's psyche." If anything, contrary to everything I was experiencing, I tried to convince myself otherwise--that I didn't have side effects--because I wanted Fin. to work. I'm glad it works for you; count yourself lucky. Also, "Big Transplant" massively depends on Fin.

Don’t mind ciaus, he gets touchy any time someone posts ambivalent information or their worries about HTs, then tries to dispel their posts by claiming they’re on shill accounts. It makes little sense; in fact, there is more incentive (a multi-billion dollar industry) for people to post positive HT stories on here than negative. However, as I see it, the more information—good or bad—the more transparent and helpful to the community. After all, this is a relatively historically novel procedure, and people’s bodies will, especially over time, react differently to it.

That's silly, I just said, verbatim, that I agree most people look better with hair. The question is how much better, and if it's all worth it. For example, I think Joe Rogan looks pretty good bald, and I wouldn't be surprised if many think he's more attractive now because he has a great attitude to boot. If I looked like Joe Rogan bald, I'd probably rest easy and focus my attention elsewhere. That's my personal opinion. However, because I don't think I'll look good bald and am pretty sure I'm willing to commit to a HT, I'm here. This isn't about being on teams, ha--the universe is more complex!

I'm not a fan of the "just shave it bros," but I'm also not a fan of "just get a hair transplant because being bald is consigning yourself to the trash bin." It's more like "if you can tolerate fin for years and/or afford and tolerate multiple hair transplants while considering a slew of risks." I agree that everyone looks better with hair, but that doesn't mean everyone necessarily looks horrible bald. I also agree that most people look better at 25 than 50. So what? The question is, how much money, time, and energy do you want to spend on one aspect of your appearance before you feel diminishing returns and decide your money, time, and energy is better spent elsewhere, on other things that matter to you. It comes down to resources and personal choice.

Yes, let's also not forget that most men are not working in Hollywood where appearance is of such importance. And getting multiple HTs from the best surgeons in the world--which is still a risk--is certainly not an option for most balding men. Let's face it, HTs are a serious commitment.

In an ideal world, both being bald and getting hair transplants would be considered perfectly normal. Because nature pushes our bodies towards balding and because there's more of a stigma around being bald than getting a hair transplant, I appreciate Rogan's message, which may put some at ease with this natural process and de-stigmatize balding. You're right that Rogan may have been in a critical period in his career during which baldness would have prevented success, but it's also true that he's never been more successful than when he's been bald. When I first heard about all the raving for his podcast, I was like, "that nondescript host of Fear Factor?!" Now I feel different, and I think the same reason Rogan's podcast has been successful is within his explanation for just shaving--not giving a bleep what other people think. This boldness which has led to success goes for other "transgressive" bald comics like Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr. Now, granted, it also helps that Rogan's head shape and face seem to be perfectly suited for being bald. And I do think he was going bald when the industry was nowhere near where it is today, and had he gotten transplants of today's caliber then, he'd probably be singing a different tune about the procedure. Nonetheless, again, I support his opinion, and even those people you cited each received over three procedures within that time. Most people simply do not have the money, nor want to deal with the constant upkeep and headache.

@mustangHow do you get yours from Dr. Mwamba? @win200and I put in orders online and neither of us have even received shipping info. Would you mind posting a photo of the bottle, because I'm becoming a little suspicious.

Yes, hopefully they will get their act together soon. After all, Dr. Mwamba is a reputable doctor.

Same. "Josh" said "We will send you a tracking number as soon as it ships." If I don't receive any shipping info. by the end of the week, I'll probably call my credit card company to cancel the order. The website is pretty new, and it all makes me a little suspicious.

Yes, I've had same problem so far. I purchased it a few days ago, still no shipping information. Have you received yours yet?

How's it looking at 7 months?

Thanks, @mustang. I tried oral Fin, even at low doses, experienced sides, then did like you, tried topical liposomal Fin at a low dose, and experienced even worse sides. I'll give this a try. If I experience sides, I'll just have to wait for the next miracle cure! Do you leave on overnight? Did you experience an initial shed?

Wow! Not to mention it's in Valencia, Spain, which is beautiful. A vacation with a purpose, ha.

So a 3000 graft procedure would cost [(1000 x 3.5) + (2000 x 2.5) = 3500 + 5000 = €8500 =] $10,102. @g4designs Even with airfare and hotel, this likely meets your $12,000 budget and you'd be going to one of the best in the world.

Why'd you delete this, there was some interesting info. here!

That's my assessment, yes. I rarely see Couto or Freitas cases bigger than 6000 grafts, whereas Hasson and Wong are known for their mega sessions. They always look good, but with Couto and Freitas, I am often shocked at how much hair they get with a comparatively smaller number of grafts. This could, however, have to do with Spanish hair characteristics. None of this is really a knock to H & W, more a "how in the world" to the other two.

I hear you--thanks for the feedback, @Snowboard. I can't pretend to be an expert, but I think what these elite surgeons have that others don't is their strategic graft placement. Whereas other clinics will just densely pack an area, thinking merely about grafts per square cm, these other surgeons are like painters who seem to be able to tailor fit their surgeries; they envision, beforehand, the end result with your particular hair characteristics, and so know exactly which grafts to place where and why (considering things such as parts and slight comb-overs and how the hair will land, etc.).

This is true, and why he's at the top of my list. Hasson and Wong, for example, give you more grafts for the price, and are consistently solid, but their grafts often don't seem to go as far. This is the same for Couto and Freitas. For them, 3000 grafts looks like 5000 at other clinics, and when you're progressively balding and want your results to last a while before getting another surgery down the road, this matters.

Yeah, to be honest, he's my top pick, but the year wait time and price are a bit ridiculous. He's clearly aware of his market value and raised his prices accordingly. I also imagine he will retire in the next 5 years, and so is raking it in during his final rounds.

I'm thinking about getting a HT of about 3000 grafts in the next year or so, so I've created a chart with all the doctors I'm considering: Hasson and Wong (5% tax added to these): 4000 FUT $16,800 3000 FUT $13,650 4000 FUE $29,400 3000 FUE $23,100 "Our FUE fee schedule is $8.00 USD ($5.00 for FUT) per graft for the first 2000 grafts and $6.00 USD ($3.00 for FUT) for each graft above 2,000 plus a 5% tax." Konior: 3000 FUT $25,000 2000 FUE $25,000 Nadimi: 3000 FUT $16,000 2000 FUE $16,000 Wesley: 2700 FUE $17,000 Bloxham: 3000 FUT $14,000

Keeping a beard itself (versus shaving it) bears no significance on your scalp hair. For all intents and purposes, the body does not know nor care whether you shave your facial hair. However, there is a known correlation between excess facial and body hair and scalp DHT sensitivity, meaning that, on average, those with more and thicker body and facial hair are more likely to experience balding. Keep in mind that this is a generalization and not a rule of causation. At the end of the day, it's all about how sensitive your scalp is to DHT.

Just saw yours. Amazing transformation. Congrats!

Looking forward to your thread on this--I hope Dr. Wesley and team treated you well!