JoeMan

As others have stated I'd get back on Finasteride and not have surgery but I understand if you want a better hairline. If you proceed with surgery, I think you need to do more research. Dr's close to your budget are Dr. Biçer in Turkey and Dr. Pinto in Portugal. I believe they are both just outside of your budget though. The good news is that they both have rather long waiting lists so you'll have time to save more. I wouldn't recommend going cheaper than them since you might end up in a worse situation. I think you will need about 2k grafts. Dr. Biçer is 2€ per graft so this is about $4,400. Then you'll need plane tickets and hotel. Maybe Dr. Nader in Mexico is an option but I don't know his price.

Sorry this happened to you, I agree it looks repairable but you need a top Dr. I'd look hard at Dr. Bisanga for this repair. He seems really experienced with your hair type. Good Luck!

For what it's worth, I spoke with Dr. Ferreira about summer HT. He told me that plenty of his patients go off to the Algarve after surgery and vacation in the summer heat. He basically said that if you protect your head and stay out of the water you're fine. You're going to have to check with your Dr about pool time 2 weeks afterwards though. I'm not sure if that's a good idea.

You will still need Dr's orders. I can't imagine he'd say no. Yeah, mine was free since I had actually just hit my deductible for the year. But if I paid it still would been cheaper than in Portugal.

Sorry but I'm not familiar with laser caps. Maybe @LaserCaps can chime in and suggest one? I've read on here someone saying $700 for one but honestly I don't know much about them at all. PRP is expensive and results are questionable. If you have money to burn, I don't think it can hurt though. The medication is likely your best hope. I'd start the medication, laser cap and possibly add derma rolling for at least 6 months before you get a hair transplant. You can consult with Dr. Biçer but I think stabilizing your hair loss will be key before moving forward. I honestly think Eugenix might be a better option for your case though.

When is your surgery? Honestly it was super easy for me. I just happened to have an appointment with mine and told him what I was doing. I also felt like he should know just in case something went wrong, such as an infection or something. He was more than willing to write the orders for me and I received my results through the patient portal.

Sounds outrageous for PRP to me. I think you can buy a laser cheaper than 2k. This seems very expensive and likely a waste of money for the PRP.

I'm not sure but I'd imagine some US Dr's check bloodwork. My guess is it's to ensure that you are healthy enough for the procedure and disease free since they're working with a bloody procedure.

I didn't go to Eugenix but I did go to a Dr in Portugal. They required similar blood test. I just took the list of orders to my general practitioner and he wrote the orders. I went to lab Corp I believe which is a national chain. I have insurance so it wasn't too much money though. For me it was cheaper to do it in the US. Do you not have health insurance?

@Melvin- Moderator is this allowed?

Yes please do a write up. It will also help you track your progress as well as helping others in their decision. I'm sure she did a great job!

Can you ask the Dr for a breakdown of grafts like you wanted? I think listening to him on the hairline design was a good idea. You can always go lower but if it's too low it's hard to go back. Age appropriate is what you want. Think about when you're 45, you don't want a hairline too low. Looks like very refined work. The price is a little high but on par with US prices. Looks like you did research and chose well.

This feeling is likely due to the nerves being disrupted. It will subside and eventually go away. Everyone is different when it comes to hairs shedding but I'd say it's more common than not for most hairs to shed. What clinic did you go to? Can you post pictures?

Unfortunately you're very young for such aggressive hair loss. Medication should be tried 1st to at least stabilize your hair. After about a year on medication, I'd reach out to Eugenix as they seem to be the best for difficult cases. All of that being said, obviously you need to balance the risk/reward though. Shaving is always a cheap and easy option. If you go the surgery route, shaving may not be an option anymore so you really need to stabilize your hair loss before looking for surgery.

I'd also add that if you are comfortable shaving then this is certainly the best solution.

Well the only 2 in Portugal that I ever hear talked about is the ones listed above. How did you hear about this clinic you listed? What makes Portugal your set destination? I recently went to Portugal for my surgery with Dr. Ferreira and I love Portugal but maybe look around as Spain and Belgium has great Drs as well.

Your Dr will determine 90% of your success. Choose a good Dr. As far as sleeping upright, it all depends on your Dr's orders. My Dr allowed me to lay flat but I still propped 2 pillows under my head with a neck pillow so I was just slightly elevated. I believe most of it is to reduce swelling and allow the anesthesia to drain downward.

Are you from Portugal?

In Portugal look for Dr's Pinto or Ferreira.

Don't limit yourself to a single destination. In Mexico I believe Dr. Nader is decent but they have other options in Europe that are better in my opinion. Take your time and do some research on here. A layover should not be a deal breaker for such an important surgery.

By the way, I'm from the US and went to Dr. Ferreira in Portugal. The US is overpriced in my opinion. Europe is a better option for the best value with great Dr's. If you also share your budget and pictures, I think people can point you in a better direction. Definitely avoid Turkey other than Dr. Biçer or possibly HLC but both are getting really close in price to some great Dr's.

Might also be wise to share a picture so people can maybe chime in a give better advice.

Maybe put socks or mittens on your hands.

Look to Portugal Dr's Pinto or Ferreira, Brussels Dr. Bisanga or Spain Dr. De Freitas. Only Dr in Turkey I think I'd go to is Dr. Biçer but she recently raised her price putting her closer to some of the top Dr's listed. Several other Dr's throughout Europe but the ones I've listed are a good place to start.

Looks hard to tell to me. I know this isn't what you want to hear but I think that you might have to wait for the hair to grow some before you have a real answer. Shedding took place for me between weeks 3-5. Mostly between 4-5 though.