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BurnieBurns

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Posts posted by BurnieBurns

  1. 1 hour ago, Melvin- Admin said:

    The idea that you can get maximum 6,000 grafts is antiquated. There are several men who’ve had 9k+ from FUE that look good. @Bandit90 @captaincalico @Gatsby @mtb@HugoX these are just a few. 

    FUT doesn’t leave you with more grafts. You’re removing the grafts, so those grafts are gone. It will leave you with a scar that you may need to add grafts to afterwards. Remember you need optimal density to conceal a strip scar. Getting subsequent FUEs reduces density, which Will w post the scar. 

    I will add hattingen to the mix. I love Nader, but high Norwoods isn’t something he does often. Hattingen certainly do more high Norwoods. 

    I have to disagree with FUT not leaving you with more grafts as a blanket statement.

    It depends on the patient, their hair characteristics, baldness pattern, and scalp laxity. Also what hairstyles they prefer.


    As someone with fine hair, average donor density, NW6 with slight retrograde loss on the lower back and sides, I was estimated by some top docs as having just over 3k scalp grafts available after already having one small initial procedure of 900 grafts. After then it would start looking too thin. 
     

    However, due to very good scalp laxity and no desire for short hairstyles, I’ve received nearly 9k grafts total from FUT between Dr Jerry Wong and Dr Ron Shapiro. 
    Scar is on average 3mm wide and can get good filling in from 250 grafts. I even still get around 2k more scalp FUE in future while still looking full.

    I researched extensively and consulted with many of the clinics listed here, including Eugenix.
    Ultimately by doing both methods, I upped my graft bank from 4K to 9k!

    I understand I’m a very specific case and many if not most candidates are be better candidates for FUE only. But I believe that for the right patient hoping to maximise yeild , even in 2024, strip is worth at least considering. 

     

     

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  2. 8 minutes ago, Hairlossingfast said:

    Very helpful, thank you very much.  Also have lots of allergies to molds, pollen, etc that I never addressed and saw a video by Dr Gary Linkov on YouTube saying a theory could be immune system attacking hair follicles b/c of allergies and need to retrain body to attack allergins by getting allergy shots so that maybe a solution if that is the cause.  Or maybe just wishful thinking and I'm delusional

    It's possible there could by an autoimmune component of what your experiencing. There are ways of testing for these things and I'd be confident one of those doctors could get to the bottom of it or at the very least refer you to someone who could. 

    Nothing is going to stop depression over night and battling hair loss is a marathon not a sprint. But if you set yourself up to see the best people, you can at least reassure yourself for the time being you've done the most proactive thing possible for your situation.

    Feel free to update the forum with how you get on. 

    Good luck!

    • Like 1
  3. 22 minutes ago, Hairlossingfast said:

    I bring up scalp biopsy b/c I thought it would give definitive cause for my hair loss and rule out DUPA or not.  I also have lots of scalp itching and painful red bumps that I never addressed and thought it was due to the topical minoxidil but since stopping that, I still get these symptoms.  So maybe autoimmune hair loss like diffuse alopecia areata?  I have scheduled an appointment with my dermatologist for later today and will be asking about the scalp itchiness and possible causes.  I am in USA midwest, I can start looking for someone to consult with about HT and see what they say.

    I see. For regular androgenic alopecia, even if it's DUPA, is identified by hair miniaturisation rather than biopsy. However if you're getting those symptoms as well that could suggest something else, in which case a doctor might refer for a biopsy. Sounds like you're taking the right steps.

    If helpful, recommended surgeons in or near the midwest would include:

    Drs Ron Shapiro & David Josephitis in Minnesota

    Drs Raymond Konior or Vladimir Panine in Chicago  

    Dr Robert Haber in Ohio (also specialises in dermatology)

    Dr Jerry Cooley in North Carolina

    • Like 1
  4. 10 hours ago, Hairlossingfast said:

    Thank you I will do , I am just very worried about not taking fisasteride and if I should take Xyon or not.  And now am worried maybe I have DUPA or not.  What would you do in my situation?  My hair definitely used to be much more curly everywhere.

    It's understandable to be worried, maybe wait until you're seen by a doctor you trust before trying medication again so you receive proper guidance. 

    Sometimes hair texture can change just with age but we can only speculate at the end of the day. It will first need to be seen by a doctor who knows what to look for with the right equipment, so he/she can give you a better idea of the circumstances.  

    • Like 1
  5. 2 hours ago, Hairlossingfast said:

    Thanks for the info and thanks for the support.  I went ahead and posted some pics, not sure if they are helpful because my phone camera is terrible.  I took the pics with flash and back facing camera.  I am seriously hoping that verteporfin will do something, anything, in terms of regrowing donor hair.  I have no idea what else to do.

    Thanks for uploading the pictures. I'm not a doctor but here is my advice. 

    It's too hard to tell unless magnified, and I know it's cut very short, but there may be signs of miniaturisation in the donor area. This should definitely be checked out by someone qualified to detect whether you have diffuse unpatterened alopecia.

    It could just be the lighting and the angle combined with below average density, but this needs to be confirmed one way or the other before thinking about surgery, 

    Given your age and degree of loss, you'd be strongly recommended in my opinion to try oral minoxidil 5mg. This has no affect on libido.

    From there, it's worth trialing topical dutasteride once or twice weekly, ideally a formulation designed to limit absorption like Xyon. 

    For consulting with clinics, I don't believe someone being depressed should rule them out, however you still need to be level headed, have a mature outlook, and not make any rash decisions. 

    If I were your case I would consult with clinic specialising in high norwoods and have experience with beard hair. I know you said yours is non existant, but I have seen cases which have been able to extract a surprising amount.

    Eugenix or Dr Felipe Pitella. They may be able to to extract more beard grafts than you would assume. It's worth noting that Dr Pitella does not use finasteride on his patients 

    If your scalp is very loose, FUT may be worth considering. Hattingen hair / Hasson & Wong come to mind. 

    Lastly, you will need to have your expectations managed. Most patients with a NW6 + pattern in their 20s will need to forgo filling up the crown in favour of addressing the front where the the grafts will have more visual impact. You would also likely need a higher conservative hairline to allow adequate density behind it. 

    This is my two cents. There will be well intentioned people who will believe the depression is caused by a deeper issue than hair loss, but if you are absolutely, 100% sure that this issue is the driver, then it may be worth sensibly investigating all the options with good information before throwing in the towel.

    • Like 1
  6. Don't hedge any bets on verteforfin just yet and I think holding out for it won't do you any good for your wellbeing. From the sounds of things you may well still have options. 

    Restoring hair loss isn't as simple as 'oral finasteride or bust'.

    Depression from hair loss is awful and crippling, but please know that so many of us have been there and understand. I second what Al said, how about you post some pictures and we can see if we can help you on a path forward?

    • Like 1
  7. On 2/8/2024 at 12:48 PM, gary123 said:

    Thanks you for your input. 


    @Melvin- Admin

    @gillenator

    @BurnieBurns @DerekWhite

    Do you guys have any experience with Dr. Marc Dauer in Los Angeles? He seems more reasonably priced (1800-2000 grafts for 17k). 

    I'm also open to  travel and go to Mexico or other places if needed if substantially cheaper and good quality - anyone in specific recommended? I see Dr. Espinosa Custudio from Mexico City listed on the site, but don't see any patient reviews on him. 

    I met with Dr. Mohebi and seems pricey ($12 a graft) and spoke with Dr. Carman's office, but they don't do FUE cases that require more than 500 grafts and are recommending FUT

    Marc Dauer I believe is regarded as one of the best in the world for eyebrow restoration but I haven't seen any of his head hair work. I'd presume he would be similar to Dr Mohebi in price.

    If cost is a barrier for you then I'd agree with the others, definitely look outside California. The names Melvin mentioned would be promising.

    Most here would also stress that if you're in any position to pay more, even after saving up for a while, the last thing you would want to skimp on is a hair transplant. It is a genuine surgery and will  affect you lifelong

    • Like 1
  8. On 2/5/2024 at 4:56 AM, arthurSam said:

    Yes certainly... but at least we are now certain that we must order gel fina 2.5% or duta 2% from parati... and not the standard 0.01 or 0.025 ... 🙂

    I’m afraid it isn’t that simple if the formula has had to change due to the patent. I can confirm having received farmacia para ti formula in the past year that the ingredient list on the bottle is completely different and has also resulted in some side effects. 
    For anyone with only this as an option who has a history of sensitivity to the drug, I’d recommend getting a lower concentration 

  9. I strongly recommend contacting your surgeon about it.  Cases of nerve damage very much can occur in the recipient area, more so with less experienced or lesser skilled surgeons.  Overall I think it's a lot more common than online will show, but many don't even notice or just aren't bothered by it.

    Sensation going back until the vertex area is all from 'trunks'  of nerves stemming from the 'eyebrow zone'. I.e. damaging the main nerve trunks will also damage all the nerves branching off it. 

    Whether it's permanent or not is another issue. It depends on whether the nerves have been damaged versus completely severed. 

    I went to an inexperienced surgeon who made very low incisions which created complete numbness going back for about 6-7 months.  Since then I've had very slow but sure recovery of sensation. I consulted with a dermatologist who was used to doing skin cancer removals, with his knowledge of the nervous system, since there has been a small degree of recovery he said to expect it to recover completely over the next few years. Sensory nerves are resilient and tenacious. 

    If it's 100% numb at say 7 months, that might point to severed nerves. 

    Take from that what you will, I'm not a doctor but I'd say this warrants medical supervision. 

  10. 3 hours ago, gs1207 said:

    Any reason for choosing the hybrid approach of Dr Shapiro doing the incisions for placement while Dr Joe performed the extractions? Curious if one is preferred? 
     

    I understand Dr Shapiro is more experienced, but was that a decision you made? I have a procedure scheduled with Dr Joe for next year but I don’t believe Dr Shapiro will be involved, so curious to hear your thoughts. Thanks, and good luck with your results! 

    Dr. Joe does all the FUE extractions at the clinic, regardless of whether it's his or Dr. Shapiro's case. 

    • Thanks 1
  11. Glad it's helpful. It's hard to give a definitive list of the 'best', it's worth taking your time to look at the cases presented here to get a decent idea. The forum recommended list is a reasonable bet however some are particularly 'renowned'.

    At the end of the day it comes to who's best for your specific case and goals and the only way to get answers is through a lot of research and multiple consultations. e.g. how aggressive you want your hairline, do you care about the crown? How dense?  How many procedures are you willing to go through? Will your donor be enough for future loss?

    To be more specific it would be good to know what your 'advanced balding' is. Where would you be on the Norwood scale? Also is it thinning or slick bald in the affected areas?

    6 hours ago, george_nz_1 said:

    Thank for your advice. 

    All very good points,

    What surgeons would you consider to be really good currently? Interested to hear your views

     

    Thanks,

    George

     

  12. On 11/22/2023 at 12:10 AM, mr_peanutbutter said:

    is hattingen using verteporfin?

     

    if no then id seriously consider waiting until more results from dr.bloxham are out…there is a big chance big nasty fut scars are a thing of the past soon

    Bloxham and Bargouthi are the only ones trying even trialing verteporfin.

    Pitella and Mohebi have agreed but jot started. 
    There’s a long time until it becomes a commercially available treatment.

  13. 12 minutes ago, TheDarkHour said:

     

    Would you guys recommend RU58441 instead? Side effect profile seems low anecdotally.

    Yeah, I'm planning to use 0.25% topical 3x a week and then move up  from there. May even consider oral 0.25mg once my hair grows out. Been using oral min for the past 9 months but haven't seen any regrowth.

    Also visited the doctor recently who said I don't have gyno, just a bit of chest fat. Hopefully the risk of me getting gyno is low.

    RU58841 have very mixed results from my view. some it works great, some it does nothing, some get no sides, others get sides. On top of that you have no idea when you're getting in the mail at the end of the day. Anyone can say '3rd party tested' and no government will enforce it.

    You're free to try whatever you want but I've never seen a case of someone whose used RU as a monotherapy with success over the long term. 

  14. Every surgeon in Australia is sub-standard at best. Worldwide there is no one best surgeon, only the best for your case. You'd be wise to consult with multiple clinics and going with who's most aligned with your goals, you connect with their approach and philosophy, and feel the most comfortable with. Drs Path  and Laorwong are great but frankly, I don't see traveling to thailand or any other country to be any different in terms of logistics. Location shouldn't be a deciding factor. 

    If it comes down to preferring one surgeon but it would be a longer wait, ask yourself this: 'In 10 years from now, would those extra 8 months really be still annoying me?

  15. Nerve damage is very much a legitimate risk in hair transplants and should be discussed more. It can exist as numbness and/or pain. I admit I haven't heard of a case of symptoms coming and going for a few weeks at a time.

    Try addressing it with your general physician if no luck best bet is a neurologist or a dermatologist with experience removing skincancers.

    Have some hope the sensory nerves can heal well beyond 6 months even years after the damage so it's unlikely to stay as it is now.

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