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.

12 minutes ago, champybaby said:

I'm not discounting your life experiences, but overall, it's my belief that sides are born from issues with a balding man's psyche. The anecdotal evidence on this forum suggests that the majority of people get sides, which I'm hard pressed to believe.

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.

38 minutes ago, Tom Rch said:

Don't be touchy is not about you my friend

 

Navthedon seems to be going through as well just like possibly others that don't post. Your logic of anyone with privacy concerns and who doesn't spend that much time in here should be ignored and not taken seriously is very obtuse,  irrational and emotional

Any one with knowledge regading anagen sychronization would really be of help

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.

8 minutes ago, RandoBrando517 said:

I don’t think anyone is pushing HTs here, but if you want to be delusional about the fact that balding and shaving makes you less attractive, then more power to you

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!

2 hours ago, RandoBrando517 said:

Just shave it bros are the worst. If you can afford an HT and take fin, why wouldn’t you. Let’s face it 99.9% of men look better with hair. 

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.

Just now, win200 said:

Also, even if I do get the product, it makes me worry that I won't be able to get refills in a timely way and that I'll run out before they get their act together to ship the refill.

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

1 minute ago, win200 said:

No. Followed up with Josh and he said they couldn't find my tracking numbers. He offered to ship a new one and send tracking; that was three days ago and I haven't heard anything. I'm starting to wonder if this is a scam or just complete chaos/incompetence. Beyond frustrating.

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.

On 3/6/2021 at 3:07 PM, win200 said:

Has anyone had issues with getting their topical supplied from Dr. Mwamba's clinic? I first contacted them in late January, couldn't get them to send an order link until February 18th, and STILL haven't gotten shipping confirmation even thought it's been over two weeks since I paid. It makes me worried about getting renewals filled promptly and not running out of product before they can get it together to reply and ship. Trying to be patient, but it seems like they're really disorganized.

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?

1 minute ago, JohnAC71 said:

Accommodation is included in the price. So yes amazing value for such a elite clinic/Dr. 

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.

19 hours ago, qui bono said:

.

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

54 minutes ago, nightowll said:

Just to clarify, are you saying that Couto and Freitas can do more with fewer grafts than Hasson and Wong?

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.).

3 minutes ago, Curious25 said:

What he can do with fewer grafts compared to others is worth the extra $$$ IMO. 
 

Maybe you’re paying more in monetary terms, however you’re equally expending less on a finite resource. 

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.

7 minutes ago, BeHappy said:

Those are some very high prices.

 

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:

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.

2 hours ago, Danny1671 said:

Thanks for the nomination! 😁

Just saw yours. Amazing transformation. Congrats!

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