motegam

@hairlossPAEverything going ok, man? Really interested in your case and hope you're doing well. 

2 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Guys,

can you please take this conversation to your thread, this isn’t the thread to be having this conversation.

 

Sorry, won't happen again!

2 hours ago, PluggedIn said:

Diep definitely gets good yield. My issue is with the rows. Hair doesn't grow like that. Hair transplants need to replicate nature. In addition to the unnatural appearance, the rows don't provide as much coverage. Imagine yourself in front of a corn field. You're able to see straight through the gaps. Now imagine the corn was planted more randomly, like our native hair, this would reduce the see through effect.

Until he changes this technique I don't see how you can justify going to him at this price point coupled with the fact there are plenty great surgeons in the area.

By area, do you mean Diep's SF Bay Area location? What other surgeons are operating there at his level (or greater)?

4 hours ago, JDEE0 said:

I do understand what you're saying, but I don't think it's DUPA. Now, there's really no way to know without getting evaluated in person, and I've seen cases of people being classified as having DUPA even though their donors look very thick and strong to the naked eye, just that under a microscope they had over 25 percent miniaturisation and so on.

I think you just have a fairly low donor density (which makes sense and is usual as you're Asian), looks like the flash is on and your hair seems to be somewhat clumped together?

You should go for a consult in person if possible, just make sure it's somewhere that will do it properly as I know even some 'top' and recommended doctors don't always go through the effort of examining the donor diligently under magnification. 

Thanks for your response, it was comforting to read. I'm already scheduling an in-person consult with Dr. Bloxham. I think he'll give me an honest assessment. Fingers crossed. 

Recently read up about DUPA and am starting to fear that I have it. My donor area is the thickest part of my hair but you can definitely see thinning. 

Can anyone provide their input? Pics taken after waking up in the morning:

4 hours ago, JDEE0 said:

In response to number 1, it's really as simple as this: the hair that is taken from the 'donor' zone (aka the back and sides of your head) and transplanted to the top should last for as long as it would have naturally lasted had it never been removed and re-located in the first place. This area of the head, the donor, where the grafts are harvested from is generally genetically resistant to the process of male pattern baldness. In other words, the hairs here are largely unaffected by male pattern hair loss - it can and does happen in more rare events such as DUPA - but for the most part most people keep the vast majority of their hair in the so-called 'safe zone'.

You can see this by looking up bald celebrities or observing bald people in public (might be harder if they shave down all the way, but you should still be able to see an outline) and looking at their heads. You'll generally find that even very bald people still have a good amount and quality of hair on the back and sides. So, the only way this hair (that has been transplanted to your top now) should really ever then disappear is as a result of a few things:

1) Grafts were taken from outside of your 'safe-zone'. Look up hair loss according to the Norwood scale - you'll see that someone who is a NW3 or NW4 has all of their hair on the back of their heads and crown area still, whereas a NW7 person does not. If you were destined to be a NW7, had surgery before you actually got there and they took grafts/hair from this area that you would eventually bald within, then I'm sure you can imagine what happens down the line....

2) You have an undiagnosed or yet unnoticed case of DUPA. You can look the condition up, but either way it's fairly rare and would be picked up by a good Dr most likely. 

3) Age related thinning - as we get older our hair shafts generally get thinner (even in people without MPB) and it might not look as thick and full as it once did. But this is just your hair in general, it's nothing to do with the transplant, just that when you're 70+ years old for example the results may not be as good as they once were...

4) You develop/have some underlying scalp condition such as a type of scarring alopecia. Again, nothing to do with a transplant really at all though, is quite rare, and should be picked up by a dr. unless it's an extremely subtle case.

So, no, your hair transplant won't last only 5 years. Look at someone like Elon Musk who's transplant (well at least the first) is at least 15+ years old at this point. Finasteride will help to retain what you have for a long time. 

In response to number 2, is it possible to be killed/have people died in the OR whilst having a HT? Yes, it happens, there's only really a handful of cases, so it's very very rare and is always the result of a shady black market clinic injecting too much epinephrine, anaesthesia, or something similar and inducing a heart attack etc. As you suggest, this is virtually impossible if you go to even a half-way decent clinic, so really no need to worry about it.

There's a much more likely chance of having your head somewhat disfigured by going to a cheap clinic and having a poor result that could in turn ruin your life in a different way than ending it, this is what you actually need to be careful about. But, you sound like you're on the right track with the names you've mentioned, just keep researching. 

Funnily enough, I'm pretty sure my parents are going to say the exact same thing! I haven't even mentioned it as I don't want to hear uninformed opinions on a subject that they know nothing about and I know what their responses will be. Thing is though, I know that I know what I'm doing here, so who cares what anyone else says or thinks, parents included. 

Thanks for this really great response and bringing my attention to DUPA. 

Unfortunately, I'm a diffuse thinner. I have thin sides. My back/donor is "ok", but I'd hardly call it thick (it is at least the thickest part of my hair). I posted pics in another post. I'm taking finasteride right now and am hoping I'm a good responder. 

I'll most likely try to schedule an in-person consultation with Bloxham before any surgery so I can get his opinion. He seems like an honest surgeon and would give me good feedback.  

At this point, I'm very eager to get a hair transplant (currently monitoring my response to finasteride and seeing if I've stopped the loss progression). 

I'm still curious about a few things:

1) What is the long term efficacy of a hair transplant? My parents dismissed it and said HTs only last 5 years. Is this true? I believe the transplanted hairs remain while the rest of the natural hair falls away, but can finasteride effectively plug the leak? 

2) To this date, how many HTs have gone bad and patients have actually been killed, maimed, seriously injured? Is there a serious chance of injury here? Can it be mitigated by going to a top surgeon (ex. Diep, Bloxham, Hasson)

@jimcraig152, how's your crown area? Did Diep improve coverage on the crown in any way? Or was your surgery mainly focused on the frontal area? 

As a fellow potential Diep patient, I'm watching this thread like a hawk. Thanks for everyone who is pitching in and providing input...

On 9/17/2021 at 1:04 AM, Gatsby said:

Have you looked at Hasson and Wong?

@Gatsby So far, I have consulted with Dr. Bloxham (and Diep). Bloxham quoted me 3k FUT grafts, and said I'd likely need 2 operations total to cover my entire scalp. He honestly seems like a standup guy. 

H&W have not gotten back to me since filling out their online form. 

4 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

Either are very good options. Just that Diep is the much more experienced! And you will find much more results for him. Choose which is right for you. 

@JohnAC71 Yeah, Diep's experience and long history does not go unnoticed. Bloxham's partner is Feller, who seems to have been in the business for a long time as well. 

As of now, it seems the most critical information for my research is Diep's performance with FUT and his FUT scars. If Diep's FUT scars are within range of Bloxham's, then I'd be comfortable going forward with Diep. If not, then this is still a toss-up and I'll continue spending my work day considering the two of them haha. 

11 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

@motegamanyhow.. Getting back on topic, how is your research going ? 

@JohnAC71, it seems FUT is my best option. I lean towards Diep since he has a long history of good results (albeit with some controversy) and he lives right in my area. Healing from surgery while being on home turf eases a lot of the anxiety.

That being said, Bloxham is also another great option and I'm considering him greatly. His FUT scars are nearly invisible and his transparent honesty in his videos is extremely appealing. I just can't seem to figure out why Diep's results are more spectacular than Bloxham's, who seems to go for a more conservative approach to hair restoration. 

Ironically, Diep quoted me 2500 FUT while Bloxham quoted me 3000 FUT. So if anything, Diep is the conservative one in this situation. Not sure what to make of that. Perhaps Diep just has more experience eyeballing Asian hair from pictures (Bloxham's YT channel seems to only feature 1 Asian guy on it). 

Edit: Further thoughts seem to be I'd be rolling the dice with Diep, or I could go for the more conservative, consistent Bloxham.

Jim, I'm a prospective hair transplant patient (considering FUT between Diep and Bloxham currently) and wanted to say a few things:

• Your well documented post has been great. Really appreciated from someone anxious about the process like myself.
• I appreciate your candor and your openness to critique Diep, who on other social forums typically enjoys unanimous praise 
• This whole post reminds me to be diligent with my research and of course, Caveat Emptor

All that being said, your result looks fantastic. You have better hair than I did as a 15 year old. I agree that the hairline  looks a little artificial (with its straightness) and you wanted a more natural/imperfect hairline. However, I just feel 99% of people would not notice it and again, your hair looks damn great. If I got that result, I'd be a happy customer.

If you have any posts or anecdotes you want to share about Diep's FUT scars and results, I would love to read through it. As of this time, while I was initially very excited about Diep, I am now more cautious with my optimism. 

1 hour ago, JohnAC71 said:

I think that Dr Diep, Dr Path, Dr Laorwong and @DrTBarghouthiare all good choices for Asian hair. Hasson & Wong are obviously a favourite choice with just about any hair types 😀

Diep is my number 1 choice since I live in his area and I suspect he's good with Asians (since he has videos of Asian patients). However, I've read a few concerning threads lately that his work is sub-par and losing quality. So unfortunately, I'm still doing more research to ease my anxiety. Bloxham seems great and ethical, but admittedly, his results are more conservative than Diep's 

This could be a bit of a specific target, but I was wondering if anyone on this forum could recommend HT surgeons who have a demonstrated history of success working with:

• Asian hair
• Asian hairlines
• FUT, density

I'm currently looking at Dr. Diep as my favorite, but there have been some concerning threads lately and I am now exploring alternatives. Thank you for your help! 

On 9/14/2021 at 7:53 AM, Melvin- Moderator said:

In my opinion, FUT is the way to go, check out @Cahustler thread he looked almost identical. 

Just to get me started on research, do you know any FUT specialist transplant surgeons? I've been reading of Bloxham and will do research on him. Diep is still my first choice, but there have been a few concerning threads about him as of late...not what you want to read when you're about to drop 13k and risk your head haha

Wanted to get a sense of FUT scars and the variability in how minimal or noticeable it can get. Would love to hear your guys' experiences and reflections on your FUT scar and whether or not hiding it has impacted your quality of life compared to MPB. 

1 hour ago, Dr. Suhail Khokhar said:

First, welcome to the community.

I suggest you use both finasteride and minoxidil consistently for at least 1 year to gauge your progress and hopefully at least stabilize your hair loss. I would then consider surgery and I suggest 3000 FUT grafts. You can get more grafts via doing a few sessions of FUT and then going for FUE.

Regarding scars...it depends on the patient characteristics with respect to wound healing, scalp laxity, and the skills of the surgeon. Some surgeons, such as @Dr Blake Bloxham have FUT scars that are basically invisible.

As always, feel free to reach out anytime 

This is good advice, thanks. So I suppose there's no point doing a hair transplant if fin/min doesn't stabilize my hair loss?

Some background:

• 28, Male
• Hair loss noticeable since 21 
• Hair loss seems to be heavy diffuse thinning, combined with hairline/temple regression  
• Started finasteride and am currently on it for about 2 months 
• Asian hair, fine, thin

Got on a call with Dr. Diep and he quoted two options: 2250 FUE ($17,000) or 2500 FUT ($13,000). 

What would this forum recommend? 

Some thoughts and questions:

1. As a diffuse thinner, I'm weary of my donor area being overharvested during FUE. I'm open to multiple surgeries over time. Thus, FUT seems better. 
2. I'm seeing a lot of people being quoted ~3000-3500 grafts for FUT. I was only quoted 2500 FUT. Any theories why?
3. After seeing Diep's YT videos and being located near his office, I am excited to choose Diep. However, there are a few negative reviews about him on this forum. Should I exercise caution and look into another doctor? Diep seems to specialize in hairline and I definitely need one. 
4. How bad is Diep's FUT scar? After surgery, is it particularly gnarly and eventually heals into something more acceptable over time? I live with family and don't want to come home sporting a bloody, mangled scar. 
5. Any Asians who did FUT or FUE with Diep and would recommend? I am desperate to look for success stories for people similar to me and my loss pattern. 

I could write an essay on how miserable this HL process has been, but I'm happy to have this forum and look forward to everyone's input and help. Thanks!