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JDEE0

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Everything posted by JDEE0

  1. JDEE0
    That is indeed some serious temple work! Looks good man, you'll be a nw1 in no time with that hairline, I'll be keeping an eye on your thread. What was your graft count - looks like a bit more than 2500 in the end?
  2. JDEE0
    Sorry to hear mate, but don't give up, if you make the correct decisions from here then you too can still turn things around and improve things a lot. I mean, to be honest, yes; at least 5000 more. Your whole top from front to back was essentially bald minus a little frontal tuft at the forelock. I don't know why your doc ever led you to believe that 3000 grafts or so would sort you out, it was never a possibility - you are/were a fairly solid NW5. Zoomster was a 6, so he was a little worse off than you, but the difference doesn't seem huge to me. there is no arbitrary number or threshold that once passed means you've been over-harvested, like most aspects of a transplant, its completely based on maths and the characteristics of each individual patient. If we know that baldness only really becomes visible once someone has lost around 40-50 percent of their original density, then we know we can take a similar ish amount from the donor before the same happens and the eye can detect thinning. So, surgeons will pick a cut off of where they draw the line, lets say its 35 percent of any patients donor, and then they will calculate how many grafts you have in your donor and at max take 35 percent of that. For some, it may be 5000 and anything beyond will start to show signs of over-harvesting, for others, it may be 7000, or 8000 etc - it depends how many grafts per cm/2 you had to begin with. But either way, 3500 would be a very weak donor, an average gives probably around 5-600. I think Eugenix would be the best option for you yes, as Berba says, it would be useful to get an examination before committing to surgery though. You said you're in Ireland, I've heard good things about the blackrock clinic, maybe you could see them to get checked out.
  3. JDEE0
    Yeah, it's quite tricky to navigate hair transplants in general as these dedicated hair loss forums (this one is my favourite, but there is one for the UK, a Spanish one, Italian one and German one) are truly the only places with sound advice and recommendations. It's a tall order for a newbie to even consider the fact that they should probably do some research before diving into a procedure as most just think its a routine thing and all are equal, but when they do, they often turn to YouTube or maybe something like reddit or just google reviews where the vast majority have no idea between the quality of a renowned surgeon vs a cheap hair mill and as a result people begin to actually think that this Turkish clinics for example are amazing. I've seen so many people say that Turkey has the best quality, that they do so many procedures compared to everywhere else and their time in the OR is so great which means they're so highly skilled as a result yada yada, when the truth is actually the complete opposite. So, good on you for not falling for it and finding this place.
  4. JDEE0
    Turkey is 99 percent awful hair mills under the guise of hair transplant clinics, so yes there are much better clinics in other countries. To be fair, it's nothing against turkey, 99 percent of clinics in any country are also bad, turkey just has the highest concentration of them. Out of the whole of turkey and its 500+ clinics, around 3 are actually very good, and there are 3 or 4 more that are cheaper budget options that still do quality work.
  5. JDEE0
    Have you looked into Dutaseride mesotherapy? From what I've read and heard from credible Dr's such as Bisanga, it is side effect free. That in combination with oral minoxidil should be pretty effective and then you could add Pyrilutamide or whatever comes out when it does. But anyway, apparently only mild adverse effects, which is hopefully just some local rash on the scalp or something, and statistically significant changes in hair count. Sounds pretty good, I'll be waiting for the release of the study - hopefully it's pretty soon.
  6. JDEE0
    Phase 3 pegged for the end of the end of the year - Kintor have been moving extremely fast and I have no doubt that this will beat out Breezula to market. Let's hope their androgen receptor degrader which is beginning its phase 1 trials is successful - it would undoubtedly be the best treatment we've ever had. For now though, finasteride stacked with pyrilutamide and perhaps a low dose of oral min daily would really be a 'cure' for anyone at the beginning stages of baldness in my opinion - I think that protocol would keep 99 percent of users steady for pretty much the rest of their lives.
  7. JDEE0
    I just saw your after pics, it honestly doesn't look like there's much difference - did he implant across the whole top or? You still need another 6000 grafts easily for decent coverage.
  8. JDEE0
    I'm with @Gasthoererhere - those are your before pics, right? If that's after 2000 grafts, then I'm sorry to say they hardly grew. I don't understand how Saifi could think that 2000 grafts plus 'maybe' 800 or so would provide any sort of coverage unless he explicitly told you that you only have the donor to fill the frontal third or something. You are indeed NW6 and you need at least 6000 total grafts for reasonable coverage, and even more than that for a decent density across the whole top.
  9. JDEE0
    Don't go to HOI - they're a hair mill. It's a gamble, one that can and often does leave people far worse off than before. Can we see some pics of your hair - before and now after your HT? I don't know much about Saifi other than that he's a decently respected Dr. from what I can tell - have't seen too many of his results though. I don't understand why he implanted 2000 grafts and said you'll need around about 800 more but you'll have to come back for a second separate procedure for that - makes no sense to me as 2800 is a completely reasonable number to do in one session. If it was something like 4000 plus grafts then it would start to make sense, but 2800? seems off to me. Whatever shampoo he's tried to sell you, absolute rip off. Does nothing to prevent hair loss, you'd be far better off using a basic ketoconazole shampoo, although it still makes little difference either way. Are you on fin? Laser comb, similar story, some say it helps, but there's really little data to show either way. I have less of a problem with this though as it can't hurt anything and it's a one off purchase you can use forever. Well, as long as people are aware that it's not going to be doing all that much in reality and that they still need to be on proper medication regardless to really prevent loss.
  10. JDEE0
    Well, your hair that already existed is of course going to exist after. So, 2 months in, that will have grown out an inch or two since being shaved and will be the same as before, just shorter now obviously (unless you experience shock loss in the recipient, but this usually only happens when the hair there was quite miniaturised/weak to begin with). But, the new transplanted hair will be in the shedding phase between months 1-3 generally speaking and begins to grow only after this time - look up other peoples Ht threads and you'll see how it often plays out.
  11. JDEE0
    I understand the wanting it to just be done and over with - I have waited for nearly 2 years now. It's not ideal, but once it's all said and done, it won't really matter 10 years down the line if you waited a year longer will it, your hair woes will quickly seem like a distant memory once your results come in I'm sure. Ultimately, it's up to you (as long as a clinic accepts you having not been on fin for too long - some won't) but if nothing else you should wait to see if it thickens your crown as you won't need any grafts there if so. I think what the clinic in your first post said was mostly fair, but only in regards to the crown really. It's not that you can't have any grafts into there, its just a bit more tricky in terms of potential shock loss etc. But as far as the hairline goes, it's a standard receding hairline from what I can see and so I see no reason you can't have that rebuilt. HLC are good, but it seems that you're only looking at Turkish surgeons for some reason - get in touch with the others I mentioned too - they're mostly better in my opinion.
  12. JDEE0
    No worries, no need to explain yourself or be apologetic - I wasn't trying to have a dig at you or anything, just give you some advice as I can see you're new to all of this and you need some guidance to make sure you put your best foot forwards from here on out and don't end up regretting things. Yeah, GP's are notoriously bad when it comes to anything hair loss (or indeed anything endocrine/hormone) related. Most have no idea what they're talking about, which is fair enough as it's just not something they learn much of, but I'm not surprised that one told you that minoxidil is the end solution to your problems. Min can help, but as I've said, it does nothing to address the cause of the problem, so you most certainly still have a lot to worry about if that's all that's being used as loss will continue to progress. Hey, there's absolutely nothing wrong with accepting your baldness and going down the shave and move on route - I actually have a lot of respect for those who are able to just do that and not look back and it's without doubt the easier option if its something you can come to terms with and be happy. So, if that's something that you think you could do without much issue, then I would certainly recommend doing so. A HT is for someone who is completely sure that they want hair, and they want it for as long as they live. The problem is that it inevitably leaves scarring on the head, either in the forms of thousands of tiny white dots or a big long smile shaped scar. As a result, it's obviously not ideal to shave your head and be bald ever at any point after this really, so you should only do it if you're committed to meds and further procedures over the course of your life in my opinion. I think your approach is good - try the fin, stay on it for a while, and once you get to a point you know its preventing further loss (which is pretty much guaranteed) and you're happy to stay on it long term, then by all means go ahead with the HT. I myself have been on it for two years and am now booked in for my HT at the end of the year as I'm completely happy at this point to stay on it indefinitely.
  13. JDEE0
    I'm afraid so! Some people don't shed their transplanted hairs, or at least they only shed a tiny amount, but the vast majority of people will shed most of their grafts around the time you have mentioned, so it will be mostly bald. However, looking at your pics on a different thread, you had a lot of hair - if you shave all your hair down, I don't think it will be too noticeable due to your native hair as long as you don't have too much redness etc
  14. JDEE0
    1 month in to recovery you will most likely be in full on shedding mode and entering the ugly duckling stage - lots of the implanted hair will have fallen out, so yes there will most likely be gaps and your recipient area will likely be at least a little red, maybe a lot.
  15. JDEE0
    Ah ok, I get you man. I can empathise as I am a year younger than you and facing a similar problem! You're well within your rights to get a HT done then in my opinion - if its bothering you a lot then its bothering you a lot, and you're at the age where you're not too young anymore. The only thing I would say to you is hold off for a while until you've been on fin for a good amount of time, it's good you've taken the step to start it, but you need to take this indefinitely for things to work out well. I can see you're aware of this as you said forever in your post, and you are correct, either forever or until something else comes out. I'm just all too aware that lots of people take it for a while, get a HT and then stop for whatever reason. In my opinion, you really need it. Your hair is quite good still at the moment, but your crown is opening up, so I do see you probably being destined to get to a higher NW level if you do nothing, and it probably won't take that long if that's the result of you only balding for the past 2 years. So, what I'm saying is, as long as you're committed to meds and aren't going to think its all sweet once you've had your HT and stop taking them, you'll be ok and I think you can go ahead. As for your clinics, if you're somewhat stretched on price, look more towards Europe, but forget Turkey for the most part. The best clinics there are HLC, Pekiner and Kesser. Honorable mentions would be Bicer and Demisroy, they're cheaper options but still do decent work and are the lowest I would go, anything else and you're risking things big time. I'm booked in with Dr. Bruno Pinto of Portugal myself for a few months time, him, Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Rafael De Freitas, Dr. Bruno Ferreira, Dr. Ximena Vila, Dr Lupanzula and Dr. Feriduni are my personal favourites in Europe. All great Dr's.
  16. JDEE0
    Do you usually wear your hair down with that sort of wavy fringe as seen in your pic? If so, your loss is minimal right now, and with a tiny bit of toppik you could cover the crown completely, would be super easy to do. I can understand getting a HT if you want to wear your hair back with your hairline exposed, but if you have no plans to do so, I really don't think it's worth it at this stage - you'll be gaining very little and fin should keep you where you are at for a long long time.
  17. JDEE0
    You should be able to gain some thickness back, yes, and in fact at least be at or above baseline in 10 years time (i.e. either better than now, or without any worsening) if we go by the most recent and longest study of over 500 men spanning a 10 year period. Generally, the less miniaturised the hair, it seems the more likely you are to have a significant recovery - yours don't seem too far gone at all for this to maybe happen. You could also try micro needling along with your minoxidil/perhaps use oral minoxidil - I've seen numerous people re-grow a full head of hair doing this with similar staring points as yourself. Also, c'mon man, you know that's not true. This statement is almost cliche amongst these forums at this point, and it's a telltale sign that you need to take a step back and re-evaluate things. You're only thinking about the immediate, which is stupid and unrealistic to be blunt. people who are losing their hair at 18, 19 or 20 and desperately want a transplant say the same thing about the age you're at now, believe me I've seen them say 'I won't care when I'm 30+ so it doesn't matter if I'm going to keep balding' and then proceed to ignore all advice. We're the same age, and I know for a fact I'm gonna care about the way I look in my late 30's (which is less than a decade away for both of us, its not a long time at all) and beyond. I could understand to some degree if you said when you were in your 60's or 70's (I still think you will even then, by the way), but 30's and 40's isn't even old. What if you find yourself to be single at 37 or 38, say your gf/wife disappears, are you suddenly going to feel happy and confident being bald and looking 'old' as you said? Not saying dating/women is the main motivation behind a HT, just proposing a scenario in which you might think oh yeah, I will still care. Besides, go look up the age of most of the people you grew up listening to, or watching in certain shows/movies, who are still relevant today and popular - I bet most are at least getting to or in their late 30's and don't seem anything near old to you.
  18. JDEE0
    Yeah, your donor and hair characteristics are really good from what I can see. Crown is on its way out though. To be completely honest, I don't think it will have much if any hair left in it by the time you reach your mid 30's. Unless you take meds that is, then you will potentially be able to re-grow it back to a normal thickness and keep it that way for decades. You really should consider it. Read the actual studies, sides are rare, but do exist and go away upon discontinuation according to every placebo controlled study ever carried out on the drug, and according to all medical literature published on the subject. There's really no reason to be scared to at least give it a go in reality. Dr. Lorenzo's website has some good concise information on scientific data relating to finasteride side effects, good place to start and then broaden your understanding by studying other credible sources of info and reading the actual studies in depth - just find the finasteride section here: https://injertocapilar.com/faqs/?lang=en Good attitude budget wise. I'll put it this way, Europe and North America are the two hubs of quality hair transplantation. Both have a small number of doctors who are all very good and offer similar levels of skill and quality, but in general European Dr's are going to be around half the price for the same level of skill. So, whilst it's perfectly reasonable to stay in the U.S., you can get the same level of results for half the cost in Europe. My favourite European Dr's: Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Feriduni, Dr. Lupanzula, Dr. Bruno Pinto, Dr. Rafael De Freitas, Dr. Ximena Vila, Dr. Juan Couto and Dr. Bruno Ferreira. U.S./Canada: Dr. Konior, Hasson and Wong, Dr. Cooley, Dr. Shapiro, Dr. Rahal, True and Dorin (there are more but I'm in the UK so I don't keep too much track of them, others will be of more help for additional options). Do some research and take a look into them.
  19. JDEE0
    And as far as surgeons go, what's your budget, how far are you willing to travel?
  20. JDEE0
    You have what looks to be a fairly decent donor area in terms of density (hard to really say as your hair is somewhat long, but looks dense) with a fairly coarse and wavy texture (it seems to me at least) which is all good news for a HT. The clear problem with your case is that you seem to be a diffuse thinner, well, at least in the crown and rear to mid scalp, but I think probably all over the top some degree. Minoxidil isn't doing anything to address the root cause of MPB (which is a genetic androgen sensitivity) and using it on it's own will, at best, buy you a few years in the vast majority of cases. Maybe if someone had a really really slight pre disposition to MPB they could use it alone and have it work for longer, but in your case, its certainly not enough. You need to think about using Finasteride to be honest. Without it that crown will open up, no question, and it looks like a fairly wide pattern of baldness beginning to emerge there. I think left unchecked you're destined to become a NW5 at least, and you're only 28 now, so I think medication is a must in your case to progress forwards for the time being. The good news is that the hair looks like its not too far down the line of the miniaturisation process, fair chance it could be thickened up and provide good coverage again and stay that way for a long time.
  21. JDEE0
    Also, I assume you're quite young going by your user name, it would be wise to seek out some sort of medical regimen before undergoing a HT, not only because it may very well solve your problem entirely without needing a HT in the first place, but if your problem is being caused directly by androgen sensitivity, then it will only continue to worsen left unchecked and you'll be in a similar position somewhere down the line. Women do have some decent options to fight hair loss, I know that low dose oral minoxidil is commonly prescribed along with topical spironolactone which seems to work pretty well. Also, it's officially warned against, but there's no reason you can't use finasteride just as men do, as long as you've no plans to have a child and are actively using an effective contraceptive to ensure this doesn't happen. I don't know your personal situation, obviously, but if you have no plans to have a child any time soon then there's really no reason you can't take it just because you're a woman, you would just have to ensure you do not get pregnant as it would have very bad outcomes for the baby.
  22. JDEE0
    To be honest, price probably is a problem if 5k is your max budget, depends entirely on how many grafts you need really, but quality clinics in Europe charge anywhere from 2.5-5 EUR per graft (with most being somewhere in the middle at around 3-4) and in the U.S. you can expect roughly double the price for the same quality generally speaking. So, as you can see, if we're talking of an average price of around 3.5 EUR per graft, 5000 dollars will be enough for just over 1000 grafts which is quite a low number, we would need to see pictures to say roughly how many you're looking at needing. However, there are some more budget clinics that still do decent work as mentioned who are a bit cheaper, such as Bicer, where you may be able to stretch your 5000 budget to make things work, but there are only a couple options here, so be careful. The rest are a gamble. There is no best method, DHI is just a method used to carry out an FUE procedure, it's still FUE. It doesn't matter what method is used, whether it's DHI, whether manual or automated extraction is used and so on. What matters is the skill of the surgeon/team carrying out the procedure, if they're experienced and highly skilled, then that's all that matters. All of these terms are just marketing gimmicks for the most part to entice people in with the claim that they offer the best most advanced technique that is the key to a successful HT
  23. JDEE0
    Yeah, I think you should open a thread regardless just to get the opinions of others here who can maybe advise with a fresh pair of eyes on what the likely cause is - an obvious thinning of the transplanted hair, further loss of native hair, a combination of both etc. Doing so will also give you some perspective on how bad things are, maybe it isn't as bad as it seems to you, maybe it is, I don't know. But either way, I don't think doing so will be you doing a disservice to HDC in any way as long as you post it from a neutral standpoint with the intention of feedback and thoughts of users here; I don't see anything wrong with it.
  24. JDEE0
    Sorry to say man, but as others have said, it really looks like you have DUPA - to the point that it instantly came to my mind as soon as I saw your first picture. It could be the lighting, but I really do think you have DUPA (or maybe BUPA as Lorenzo also has classified). You will of course need to have this confirmed via an examination, but it seems likely I'm afraid. If this is the case, to be honest you would likely be better off doing nothing by a country mile as any donor hair transplanted would continue thinning, it's just not worth the scarring. You've got a great beard and by your own admission you're used to having little hair and have even been shaving for a while - it seems like you've already gotten over the biggest challenges of hair loss. I would advise you to expect to not really be able to do much HT wise in any case, but get in touch with Lorenzo in Spain as he has vast experience with cases such as yours and has done lots of research in the area of DUPA. I have seen reversals in patients of his in a similar position via the use of medication who have then gone on to have successful procedures, so nothing is impossible. But honestly, I don't think it's worth it overall for you. You seem at peace with things and I think the prospect of a successful hair transplant is a gamble in your case
  25. JDEE0
    You're the perfect candidate, almost too good actually as it seems you don't really have any hair loss from your pics, but I can sort of see the very slight temple recession so I do understand. Go ahead, just make sure you pick a great surgeon as you really don't want to trade a minimally receding look for a botched head that will make you look 100x worse than you did before. You have little to gain, but a lot to lose if you approach this incorrectly is what I'm saying.
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