Grouse

@mustang I recall you saying your donor was below average, but still managed to get > 10k grafts out. I also see a lot of docs and posts saying 6 - 7k is about the max you can get from even an average donor. Not sure which is true - but can't deny your amazing results. Is fit farming the key to making this possible? As someone who also has poor donor, I'm trying to understand what to do to get the maximum number of grafts from my donor long term. Should I specifically tell docs I want homogeneous depletion, I plan to fit farm + keep a tight skin fade on the donor?

This is insane! @mustang I seriously hope you write your whole journey up and share it with the world (meds, surgeries, SMP, etc). Would love to hear what you'd do differently if you were starting over, which docs were best, meds that worked, etc.You could make a pretty legit side hustle selling consultations similar to JT if you're interested. Something tells me you're already pretty successful tho, given the attention to detail here 😂

There's pretty big diminishing returns it seems. The results you get from $1M wouldn't be any different than $100k. Extra money could get you to the top of the waiting list with a Cuoto or Pittella or Zarev, but wouldn't make your results 10x better necessarily.

No proof, just planning for a worst case scenario. Here's a few examples I found. Meds would significantly reduce this likelihood I'm sure, but I've had sides from both topical fin (normal sides) and topical min (bad facial aging). I'd ideally want to do a procedure with dut mesotherapy, which I'm trying soon. Example 1: https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/70060-4986-grafts-fut-with-dr-wong-aug-16th-2023-30m/#comment-735728 Example 2: https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/63725-and-then-this-happened-part-2-with-new-photos-hts-12-years-later/#comment-643898

Truly insane. Thanks so much @HugoX! Absolutely stunning results. Now to decide if I wanna go bald while I wait for Zarev's off schedule surgery, try a hair piece, etc...

@mtb I'm starting to realize transplants may not be permanent for 20+ years, and with my poor donor I may need to shave slick bald in the future (maybe with SMP). Less visible scars is a huge plus if that's the case. If I can get 5 - 10 years of decent coverage, then shave later without looking disfigured, that's a home run success in my books.

Do you have any pics you can share of your hair? That's helpful feedback. Congrats on getting in to see him so early. I should have tried in 2022, but thought it would be impossible to reach him so never reached out. Expensive mistake. Pittella has availability in in July 2024 so I'm struggling as to whether or not it makes sense to wait. If it's 2+ years even with off schedule appointments, it'll be a hard decision. No response from Zarev's WhatsApp recently, but will keep on trying 1x a week or so. Look forward to seeing your results!

Yeah, I'm aware. I'm looking into off schedule consults and surgery at 10 euro a graft, but not making much progress hearing back. Would also maybe consider either going fully bald or wearing a hair piece until I can see him, TBD

@mtb this result is just straight up insane!! If you ever get a bald fade on the sides, or otherwise shave, I'd appreciate a picture of the scars. If Zarev's scars are significantly less visible than other top surgeons, I may be down to wait the 3 - 4 years to see him.

Hey @HugoX obviously this is a top 5 transformation of all time. Amazing! If you ever get a bald fade on the sides, or otherwise, shave, I'd appreciate if you could upload a pic. Interested to see how the scars look. I'm trying to decide between going to Pittella mid 2024, or waiting until 2025 or later for Zarev. Size of the scars may influence my decision to wait, not sure. Thanks man!

Damn @Stewie you look great! This is a home run, congrats on your transformation!

Sure, wasn't necessarily referring to OP. Was speaking more generally - have seen and heard of cases where people continue to lose hair even on finasteride over time. OP seems like he'll be just fine, but I'm not a doctor

This is already great, gonna be a knockout result man. Mind if I ask a few questions @Digs49? 1. Given you had beard hair transplanted, why are you also on fin? Seen differing opinions on using 5AR's with beard hair, interested in your take 2. Would you say your hair is fine, thick, or medium? Any idea how many grafts are left? 3. Did Pittella take any grafts from your facial beard (i.e. not under your neck)? Excited to see the final results over the next few months!

I've seen a lot of people continue to go bald with medication over time. Also, what happens if you get hit with side effects later?

Do you have a pic of how your scalp looks razor shaved? Always been curious, hard to find pictures.

Awesome results!! Couple questions @De Freitas Clinic 1. How many grafts were taken from the botched, low cost surgery? 2. Which medications is the patient on? 3. How many grafts does the patient have left? Thanks so much

I'd also suggest you consult with Dr. Sethi at Eugenix and Dr. Pittella. @Gatsby's case may be worth looking at - recall he used a lot of body hair and had former surgeries too.

Does anyone know providers that offer Dutasteride Mesotherapy in the US? I know it’s popular in Europe but haven’t had much luck finding it in the US. If not - is this something I could ask any mesotherapy / PRP provider to do if I provide the DUT?

Following. Also got side effects and wondering how long they will last. Helpful to know 6 weeks is maybe a fast resolution.

@mister_25 for what it's worth, I think your hair looks great and it looks like you're still growing nicely. Suspect this will end with a very strong result. If you're open to it, it may help to trim the sides shorter and bring the beard in while you continue to grow on top. I've found less hair around the head makes the hair on top look thicker. Have you looked into Toppik or Derma Match at all? Those would also help with harsh lighting and "less than ideal" appearances you mentioned while you wait for next steps. Best of luck man!

Fair! But minoxidil alone doesn't really stop hairloss like Fin or other AA's, right? I wasn't aware Bandit was on fin. Tough life out here for those of us that get sides from AA's.

@Bandit90 just wanted to say you look great here, this is a phenomenal outcome! Literally wouldn't appear to have hairloss to anyone you come across day to day. Incredible given your donor and starting point too. Please keep us updated as your crown thickens. This is making me consider putting a deposit down for Dr. Sethi

Again, I'm confused how we can definitively say that people destined to be NW6 / NW7 cannot do a transplant without meds. Here's several examples of NW6 / 7 patients with strong results that were fully bald on top. Several, including Bandi90 and Pitella's cases, that appear to have poor donor even. Why would these people be able to have a result, but other NW6 / 7 cannot? Perhaps their donor will thin out over time, but no hair transplant is permanent forever. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Thanks Mustang! Do you prefer topical fin now over dut? Haven't heard of Alfa-Estradiol, will look into it.

I may have asked this before, but have you found a reliable way to counteract this? I imagine RU and CB would maybe do the trick, curious if anything else has been successful from your experiences