ThunderBoy

Hey guys, thought I'd put an update after 3 months. This is after my 4th session of PRP in the last 4 months. Been on a new protocol for 3 months where I am using topical minoxidil and finasteride solution with tretinoin once a day and 1.25mg oral minoxidil. I think I've made some decent progress compared to the photos I posed here last time. Might be a bit deceptive cause my hair is a lot longer now too though. Think I should be a better candidate for a hair transplant now as I just want to do the hairline for the appearance from the front which probably just requires 500-1000 grafts I think. What do you guys think of my donor area? I feel like there is some thinning going on there so not sure how good a candidate I would be for a HT.

2 hours ago, Hair Gossip said:

The best way to choose Dr is by seeing their results and talking to the patients directly. 

I'll try and do that. Been following a few cases on these forums which has been helpful. Unfortunately some of those members have stopped logging in after their results making it harder to get in touch with them.

17 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

I believe most choose the premium package where Dr. Arika does most of the surgery with assistance from other doctors, not technicians. It’s still very affordable if you’re coming from Europe or the states at less than $3 a graft. That said, if and when I go ill probably choose the one with Dr. Sethi. 

Ah that's good to know. I was thinking of going for the super premium package with Dr Sethi for the first transplant as the hairline is the most important for me. Might go with the premium one with Dr Bansal the second time around for mid scalp. Do you think both doctors have the same calibre or does one of the have a better edge in terms of results? The price indicates that people are willing to pay a premium for Dr Sethi

17 hours ago, JohnAC71 said:

For Couto & Lorenzo it’s the techs implanting (DHI) just for example. For Eugenix yes  it’s pre made slits and the techs implanting. 

Ah interesting. I've heard it's better to have the main doctor do all the work as there is a greater sense of accountability instead of nameless technicians but I think this is more of a concern with mid tier clinics hiring technicians with high staff turnovers. I have yet to find a transplant gone horribly wrong with Eugenix even with higher involvement from technicians so they must have the team dynamic figured out quite well 

1 hour ago, Hair Gossip said:

I think you should try the medication first to prevent your progressive AGA then maybe after two to three years you should try for 2/3 first then a crown. There would be a possibility that your donor will deplete fast and you won't have sufficient donors in your late 30's. 

Don't be hurry as you can still hide your hair loss by just growing them long.
 

Well I've been on 10% minoxidil and finasteride 1mg for about 3 year and it didn't really stop the process for me but could have slowed it down a little. Unfortunately because of the diffusion thinning it just looks bad all around when I grow it out. Those pictures were the most I grew it out in the last year and a half just to show the clinics. I've been keeping my hair buzzed between level 1 and 2 and it doesn't look bad cause I don't have bald spots so far but rather very miniaturized hair all across. I'm currently on dutasteride 0.5mg and a topical finasteride with minoxidil product to try and target dht locally on the scalp as a last attempt at treatment. Also started prp and laser therapy even though it's unlikely that it will do much at this point but still worth a shot I guess. I don't want to cross over into experimental stuff like RU58841 cause the risks probably aren't work it haha.

I was thinking of just doing the frontal third in the next year and wait for a year or 2 before doing midscalp. Probably not even going to bother with crown due to the lack of blood flow in that region and the amount of grafts required for coverage. Will just use SMP there to reduce contrast most likely and do a slicked back hairstyle to hide it haha.

1 hour ago, Berba11 said:

Maybe one of the Eugenix reps here can clarify, but I was sure that the Exclusive package included "Crucial extraction" by Dr. Arika?

Has this been changed very recently? @Abhinay Singh

I don't think so, based on my call with a Eugenix consultant the Exclusive package is lead by another doctor from Eugenix. I think she only leads the surgery in the Premium and Super Premium Package. But maybe a rep could clarify that if I am wrong.

11 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

@ThunderBoy

That is why I feel Eugenix is the best for the job, check out @harin and @BlackPanther two poor candidates with excellent outcomes.

Yes I agree. I had gone through both of their journey earlier and I was quite impressed which swayed me in Eugenix's direction. They have a knack for creating the best illusion of coverage with lower graft counts compared to other clinics.

The only thing making me a bit hesitant is the different packages at Eugenix with varying prices and services which I have attached below. I know that at Medispa, Dr Suneet Soni is solely responsible for slits, extraction and implantation. I don't want an unknown doctor to operate on me with lower end packages which is why I prefer the higher end packages with Dr Bansal and Sethi. But even in the highest package (Super Premium Package) I got to know that the Dr Bansal and Sethi would not be implanting all the hairs but rather its the technicians. Do you think its important to have the main surgeon do 100% of the implantations or is that not a big issue? I'd really appreciate it if @harin and @BlackPanther could way in on the issue and share your experience  

1 minute ago, JohnAC71 said:

Damn I’m so sorry that’s not what I was expecting to see. From the sides it looked ok. There isn’t much to grab from there either 😒 

Yea, it is what it is unfortunately. Will need to make do with SMP I guess

4 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

In my opinion, Eugenix is probably the best for your case.

Alright cool 

4 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

I agree with @JDEE0as you seem to have a great beard, and SMP will be a possible option. Maybe something is possible but it’s unlikely. 

I was hoping to use the under area of my beard for the mid scalp but not sure about the density. The texture is thicker and more curly which could help I guess

2 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

It will progress further without meds. All the hair we can see in your over head shot will eventually go. I say this as with such advanced loss at your age it’s unlikely to slow down anytime soon. I’m sorry your facing this at such a early stage of your life. But you sound like your positive and are more than likely going to be realistic in what can be achieved. 

Yea I'm not expecting a lot to be honest. I know it's quite aggressive in my situation but I'd be happy if I can get to look like a Norwood 3 with more coverage in the front and mid scalp area. Was planning on using SMP for the illusion of density especially in the crown area as I probably wont have enough donor area for that 

2 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

That’s a clear developing Norwood 6 - 7 pattern. 

Yea that's what I thought. I can't possibly lose much more hair that this point and I heard this norwood 6-7 is the ideal candiate for a transplant because I already know my pattern of hair loss. and I don't think I have got unpatterned diffusion thinning as my father and grandparents still have their donor hair

2 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

The issue here is that you will always find a clinic that will take you on but it will not be in your best interest.

Get a consultation with Eugenix who are one of the most ethical clinics I know. 

I sent them my pictures on whatsapp and the consultant told me Dr Arika Bansal of Eugenix took a look and said I can get it done. I live a bit far away from their clinics so can't really get an in person consultation because of that

@Melvin- Moderator Hey I found out about this forum through your videos on YouTube and they have been quite helpful in my research. I think I might have a similar case to you with diffusion thinning mixed with retrograde alopecia fml lol. I'd really appreciate your thoughts on my case? Do you think I should get a transplant in soon or should I wait? Thanks  

Here are some pictures of my scalp for guys to have a better idea

1 minute ago, Egy said:

@ThunderBoyChoosing a doctor on the basis of the fact that he is a member of the ISHRS is not a guarantee at all, nor is it a guarantee based on the videos posted on YouTube.  Having said that, the only clinic in India that for now has amazed me for results and post-transplant assistance is Eugenix.  In any case I advise you to spend as much time as possible on this forum and look at the transplants of patients with a starting situation like yours, as well as opening your own thread so that the veteran members of the forum and the doctors present here, can give you advice.  Don't be in a hurry to get your transplant because if you make a mistake in your choice, you may regret it for a lifetime.

ISHRS is different from IAHRS. From my understanding anyone can be a member of ISHRS as its an educational organization but IAHRS is an exclusive membership which only permits the best surgeons in the world to become members. I noticed some of the big named like Hasson, Wong and Bisanga on it. Yea for sure, I've spent the last few months looking into it and though I might get this done in the next year as I've been stuck in lockdown for a while now.

1 minute ago, JohnAC71 said:

Alarm bells are ringing here. Sorry but with such advanced loss at a very young age and no meds and diffuse thinning ? It’s highly unlikely your going to be a suitable candidate for a transplant. Can you show us some pics of your current position ?

Your research has actually found the best clinics in India.. Eugenix in particular. And yes I would most definitely rule out Darling Buds. However you need to consider your advanced loss and what can realistically be achieved. Ethical clinics would not take your case on at your age/loss and no meds. 

Hey sorry I accidentally posted the first time without finishing it. I edited it a bit so that my situation makes more sense. Yea its a bit unfortunate at my age, if it isn't for hair transplant I could consider SMP or a hair system I suppose.  Yes I did consider not being a good candidate but I shared my scalp picture with a lot of clinics and they said I can go through with it. I'll post pictures of my scalp for you guys to see 

Hey guys, I've new here and I've been going through this forum for a while now and doing research to find the best place for a hair transplant. I'm currently 23 years old and started thinning at 18. I tried finasteride and minoxidil for 3 years but I was unable to arrest my hair loss. I have diffuse thinning which caused my hairline to go from norwood 1 to norwood 5 in the span of 5 years. Based on my research the best clinics I could find are Eugenix (Dr Arika Bansal & Pradeep Sethi) and Medispa (Dr Suneet Soni) as they are members of the International Alliance of hair Restoration Surgeons (IAHRS). I Also considered AK Clinics (Dr Kapil Dua) and Darling Buds (Dr Tejinder Bhatti) but I read about a few nightmare stories of patients being abandoned with poor result which made me sceptical. Which clinic would you guys recommend?

I wanted to get it done in 2 session with the first one covering the front area and the second for mid scalp and crown area. I am currently on Dutasteride and Minoxidil and I don't know if I should stop taking them before surgery. I still have tiny miniaturised hair which might complicate the transplant due to lack of clear bald spots and grafts competing for blood supply. I don't think the medication is doing much to preserve my hair but I'm not sure if I should completely stop taking it for a few years either. What did you guys do before surgery?

Hello @Tameemjan

Your growth at 5 months look pretty good. Hopefully things have gotten even better since then. I've been in a similar situation being a nowood 4 transitioning to norwood 5 with diffuse thinning. I have been considering AK Clinics, Medispa, Eugenix. AK Clinics and Medispa offers FUT and FUE which makes it easier to plan for future transplants if I need to use both techniques to maximize grafts. I am considering FUE first and then an FUT in the future if things work out as I am afraid of having a failed transplant horror story and being left with a scar on top of that. 

I was wondering why you decided to choose FUE over FUT since you were close to a norwood 6. What made you choose AK clinics out of the rest and how would you rate your experience? I've sent you a message on whatsapp too if you aren't very active here. Thanks