TheGreatPretender

Looks really good, I like how the angles and the graft placement have been made. 

4 hours ago, Mike10 said:

but you do not take the para everyday. comparison seems off

You know that you will likely take a higher dose of Paracetamol or Aspirin throughout the years then the total amount that you would for Finasteride right?

It is never as "off" as you try to make it seem. 

52 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

If people want to demonize a legal drug (that doesn't require a doctor's script) then look at alcohol if that's the agenda?. It's forum's that post anti 'FDA approved' meds for MPB that leave a lot of people feeling hopeless, depressed and ruining there lives only to regret not trying these same drugs years later. For what it's worth there was nothing when I first started receding and I was so depressed that I saw a shrink to save my life. Literally! If the hope of a drug like finasteride was around then (oral, topical, whatever) then those early years may have stopped me from being butchered and my quality of life would have been on a different level altogether.

You raise a great point. 

People do all kinds of things that may also exacerbate a lot of Finasteride's side effects such as smoking, abusing alcohol, practicing sedentary lives and not having a healthy diet. 

Taking Finasteride in comparison is a piece of cake to all those. 

9 minutes ago, Mike10 said:

They go away a lot of times but not all the times. It is an odd comparision by the way, I guess you do not take aspirin and ibuprofen every day. 

You were asking about FDA warnings within the drugs panflets, I merely presented you these as such examples alongside the fact that these are also present in any Finasteride purchased box. 

Also, permanent side effects only started being "reported" several years after Finasteride being approved for hair loss which I find extremely suspecious.  People have been using Finasteride for ages way before being approved for hair loss and no one reported these problems often cited in PropeciaHelp. 

I could go further in comparison but that's another tale. 

22 minutes ago, Mike10 said:

Well you have the right to believe whatever you want of course but you should know that causal effects like these are dammed near impossible to prove. There are enough credible reports for the FDA to require changes in the label. Many Drs believe PFS real. So does Spencer Kobren to my knowledge. More generally, there is a different vibe on other Forum like the German Hair Loss Forum on this drug. The lengths some are going through to defend this drug here almost makes me a little suspicious.   

My understanding Is brief and simple. 

When/if side effects happen they do go away with time after discontinuation or alot of times with reduced dosage. 

The label itself warns about a small incidence of side effects such as in every drug, even aspirine or Ibuprofen have such warnings. This is because during the trials they found X people having side effects, so i am not sure what changes you mean when it's actually there in all panflets. 

10 minutes ago, Mike10 said:

At the end I agree that taking Finansteride is a personal decision as there is a risk/benefit analysis. Some here try to ignore it but PFS should not be denied:https://www.pfsfoundation.org/. Messing with your hormones produces strange reactions in some individuals. Just because you tolerate the drug well does not mean everybody does.

You "mess" with hormones everyday without even realising it. 

Anything that you ingest orally will always have an impact in your hormonal profile either good or bad that's up to the individual. 

There is very little scientific evidence pointing towards the permanent side effects and until there is actual proof taking anecdotals out I will remain a skeptical in that department. 

Also, a lot of people within those forums semm to have other problems besides hair loss or Finasteride side effects and of course it's easier to blame something on a drug then on yourself when things don't go as you wish. 

3 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Here’s some cases of a men who committed suicide because they were balding. It seems more prevalent in India where shaving isn’t socially acceptable, and balding severely impedes the chances of marriage.
 

https://m.timesofindia.com/city/madurai/techie-commits-suicide-in-madurai-due-to-hair-fall-problem/amp_articleshow/62325039.cms

https://keralakaumudi.com/en/news/mobile/news.php?id=940394&u=depressed-over-going-bald-youth-ends-life-in-kozhikode-suicide-note-recovered

https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2020/jan/08/upset-over-premature-balding-civil-servants-son-commits-suicide-in-hyderabad-2086671.amp

I have zero doubts that a lot of suicides linked to the drug are in fact individuals with a low self-esteem directly caused by hairloss. 

It sucks that people really don't understand the fact that hair loss is depressive and for people who value their identity they aren't able to live with this curse. 

Think about why soldiers shave their heads when they go to the army. They do it because it symbolises their loss of identity from that day forward. 

I can speak for myself as I have exiled myself out of my country and friends just to earn money so I could finally have a chance of standing the good fight against this disease. If it wasn't for Finasteride you can bet all your horses that my depression would be a lot worse than it already is. 

6 minutes ago, drawdownfx said:

Thanks man. I know you are eagerly waiting for yours and I hope we both have home runs!

I actually asked them about patients from UK and they said UK is a bit rare. They mainly get patients from Spain, Italy, America and Canada (not 100% sure if she mentioned Canada).

I used an app called "Free Now", that is their version of uber. However on the way to your hotel from the airport I highly recommend getting Valencia travel card. Depending on how long you are going for you can get up to 72H and can use unlimited amount of buses and metros. Once you get your scalp touched though I would only use taxi for transport which is what I did as you want to minimise getting your recipient area bumping into anything.

Likewise brother my hopes the very same and from the looks of things you will be in for a treat fingers crossed!

Is the clinic walkable at least from the hotel? I have seen close to place itself. 

Also for the previous question how did you manage your blood tests since they usually ask you before surgery?

They seem to be quite strict about viral deseases and such so I am not sure where to get them. Perhaps I should be able to get the results from the NHS and forward them to the clinic. 

Great review man, i remember speaking to you a few months back about you going in for De Freitas so congrats for getting it done early.

Now its time for managing the "growth pains" and letting time work its magic out.

By the way, I am also from the UK so it seems like I am not the first one to go there from around these parts. How did you manage the cab transfer proccess to the hotel if I may ask? 

Also, about the blood test, did you do yours at NHS or privately?

41 minutes ago, ITA said:

All you need is knowing how to manage the work, if you do a session of 4000/5000 grafts alone in one day (which is humanly impossible) it is obvious that you could go wrong, but if a surgery of 1500/3000 grafts spreads it over 2/3 days, you can do it himself, and Pekiner does it.

This is a valid point, howeaver what I meant is that you can find good doctors that use competent tech teams in the proccess the same way you can find not so good ones which do the complete proccess. 

In the end, it is the results that count and each one follows their own methodology.

51 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

I think we're losing sight of what matters the most, which are the results. Modern hair restoration is a team effort, especially as mega sessions gain more popularity. If you have a surgeon with an excellent team that is dedicated to  doing one part of the procedure i.e., implanting, extracting, and they master it. I don't see any problems with it, as long as the results are consistent. I would much rather go to a clinic where the team churns out consistently high quality results, rather than surgeons doing everything themselves, churning out mediocre results. The end result is what matters, we mustn't lose sight of that. 

 

Exactly, this has been told over time by people with experience on it (Rolandas, Kevin Mann etc) the whats and how's are less important then the actual work.

Not to forget that a surgeon doing everything by himself can also lead to human errors and transections if not done appropriatelly. 

37 minutes ago, JoDimaggio22 said:

Most of not all of the Spanish clinics have techs do extractions now correct? I think for Portugal Pinto still does all the work but not certain about spain

De Freitas has Techs performing extractions but does the implantation proccess by himself. But that's not just him, Bicer has the same thing going and both are known to be reliable doctors.

Sorry for your bad experience as It's always a pain when something goes wrong in surgeries like this. 

I feel like this will be an easy fix in case your surgeon is up for it since he already seem to have nailed one of the sides. 

As someone said before there are worser cases much harder for recovery so in your place I would keep in touch with the clinic as you have been for a possible touch up in the worst case scenario. 

All the best. 

Bicer was right to reject you, hell I would reject myself if I had hair like that as lots of us would "kill" to be were you are. 

Dont waste your hair and time as it looks great.

Looks great! 
Its been a while since we last talked but seeing results such as yourself makes me really feel encouraged for my surgery next year though with a different clinic.

Keep it up.

Sorry about your experience. 

Just goes to show that Google reviews or even TrustPilot are not often the best sources of reesearch as forums such as this one are. I feel terribly bad by the amount of people that get tricked by incompetent clinics/doctors to have a surgery they barely know the basics about. 

As the user above said, hopefully a better clinic is able to repair it for you, all the best.

Such an awsome result! 
I really hope I can get something similar next year once I fly out to Valencia. Tremendous delivery by De Freitas once again.

I am an advocate to Finasteride but I do agree that its not ALWAYS psychological, howeaver I feel like MOST of it actually is. 

There are several variables in play when it comes to Side Effects that sometimes its really hard to attribute them 100% to the drug, what you can do is stop for X amount of time to determine if that fixes watheaver issue you have or not. The drug should only work while you take it, once you stop its effects will slowly wear off.🙂

Looks absolutely wonder

3 hours ago, N1CK said:

4 months post OP:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

"And everything was lovely once again, wonderfull."

Keep it up and trust the proccess, very happy to see this.

Terribly sorry about your experience.

Might be naive on my part to think this but I do feel that you may still have hope in case the implanted folicles grow healthy and well (even despite looking weird without the other crown part covered) so you will be able to get the other half sorted with the same doctor in the following year.

Best of luck.

5 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Should be called "5 Reasons to Help You Cope with Hair Loss."

Spot on. 

Hair is a vital part of one's identity whether you like it or not. 

Always good to see portuguese brothers around here, not many of us these days I think.

Ferreira was my first option for a while but Pinto and De Freitas are just as good.

I am booked in with De Freitas for June next year.

I got 8500k for 3000 grafts so I think it was 2.5 for me since it was above the number of grafts already.

On 9/16/2022 at 2:03 PM, Gatsby said:

The aim of medication for Norwood 6/7 etc is to keep the donor solid. We are not trying to save hair on the top that has previously disappeared. But we are definitely trying to prevent miniaturization period. All the best. 

On top of that may I add that not all Diffuse thinners in that pattern may have yet lost all their hair. 

This means that there is a good amount of density to preserve and help the Transplant succeed. 

On 9/15/2022 at 8:13 PM, 5BetaReductase said:

Def stay away from turkey. Biggest minefield in terms of hair transplants.

 

stay away from any doctor that does multiple surgeries at the same time.

If you mean having more than a person in a day there are guys like Lorenzo, De Freitas or even Couto that do that. This doesnt make them less good, its the end result that matters the most.