NARMAK

Yeah, for sure. That's why the hair mill comment was made and wrecking donor supply. It's also why i was considering Eugenix as a place but i think the issue of shock loss you mentioned. You stopped Propecia? How long for, why and did you notice hair loss for the places that had been relying on that medication in that time?

Apologies if this topic appears posted. I wasn't quite able to find information in the way i was looking for. So at the moment i'm giving serious consideration to a Hair Transplant and got a little excited and was about to put down a deposit and felt everything was hunky dory but after speaking with a few people, i felt i maybe had left some questions unanswered. Important questions. Watching certain YouTube videos of negative experiences just made me think i need to step back and evaluate a few things. It's always nice thinking you're going with a reputable clinic etc. but the individual also went to a respected clinic and it made me think i need to ask more and who better to ask and collect information from than this community. So firstly is my concern about FUE and how many grafts typical survive as a percentage and grow when transplanted. How many are usually subject to transection. The ability of the clinic to manage this risk when dealing with more wavy hair. Things like shock loss being caused and if all this happened, how would you guys expect a clinic to respond and what reassurances would you seek? I'm currently looking at Eugenix and tbh, the price is a little more than i would have thought, but i figure they have experience on the areas i am looking for. The worst feeling would be to spend more money and get subpar results. With the taxes, it actually is probably double what i would spend, and don't get me wrong, i'm not saying i want to end up in a Turkish hair mill for half the price and get my donor destroyed. I just still think it's important to remember there's a cost involved there and it's sometimes not just about money but emotional if things did go awry and you spent more to end up in a bad spot. I also noticed buried in the back years ago uploads from Eugenix, there's something called "Anagen Desynchronisation" which talks about how you typically have a 20% reduction in hair volume because of the change in Anagen and Telogen phases. Does this concern others at all in regards to density? There's probably a bunch of other things i can add in following points but just wanted to get some advice not just for me but others into maybe one specific place about what specific questions you might want to have answered before jumping into the pool.

Oral Minoxidil is used "off label" for hair loss as is Dutasteride here in the UK. I personally am using it off label at the moment. Its really difficult to get FDA approval and that's why they didn't bother because of the issues also surrounding propecia. It is however (Dutasteride) approved for hair loss in South Korea, so there is that.

Currently looking at what the cost of flights would be and it is pretty annoying how much different these regulations hit you in the face. I would say even moreso than annoying, sad that you somehow might turn up and be missing a single paper and have your entire flight cancelled or not be allowed to travel. I truly do think things are ridiculous right now.

I haven't been here long but cannot wait for you guys to shout people out and have you put them together @Melvin- Moderator I think @MazAB will definitely be vying for 2022 even if technically you guys got yours this tail end at 2021

I think it's completely fair game tbh to use hair fibres to help regardless of whether to accentuate your natural hair or after a transplant. I still thoroughly believe in firstly trying non-surgical methods but once you are at that place where you are where you've done those methods and a HT is the only method to achieve your results. Do your research much like you did and head to the best place possible. I truly believe you have to see it as an investment and its for life most of the time and a bad or good outcome will be staying with you. I'm just really happy for you to have the results you got. I can only imagine how amazing it must feel coming back from where you started and being where you are now to your confidence even if you're a man who's older and "expected" to just live with it right. I salute all you gents fighting the good fight and sharing your results here for us all to benefit from.

That list with Eugenix needs a little update. The Exclusive package now is 120 Indian RS per graft and only has senior doctors and senior technicians involved. It doesn't have Dr Arika now involved. The 210 Indian RS package has her involved to make all slits, designing etc. but it no longer lists how many grafts she'll implant. Used to say 600 grafts maximum. Now the 350 Indian RS package is probably fully replaced. Personally i think this site gives a lot of good advice though on who to choose regardless of budget

Dr Bisanga definitely seems to have some absolutely amazing results out there. It's kinda funny. Money being no object, so many choices to pick from and yet we still have to decide based on our own individual case who might *just* eek past that millimetre better for your case. Personally going to check out Dr Bisanga's YouTube. Seems very comprehensive for patient education

Tbf, that's still good results compared to say starting with zero. Imagine if 50% or so of Minoxidil head hair stuck around lol

Big Foot checking in here. LOADS of body hair but as people have pointed out, usually it's the worst out of the areas for potential growth and even if i had like 100k hairs on my body, i don't think they'll be sufficient caliber etc. and although i have lost my temple points, i've lived long enough to know my chest, back hair and legs will only grow to a certain length. The only areas which tend to grow more dense but are also unsuitable imo are armpit and pubic hair as they're usually more coarse and wiry. Our best hope is a combination of the scalp donor being viable and beard handled by a skilled doctor who knows their craft of combining the two hair types. Zoomster is a great example tbh.

This is where i was personally trying to come from in terms if "targeting" the scalp etc. with the topical version and side stepping most of the side affects oral Minoxidil is linked with. Surprised your beard lost some, i heard these non-DHT areas are usually more permanent. You look into Microneedling on the beard alongside Minoxidil? Seems popular and effective.

I'm sorry but i just find your post is a little bit condescending and dismissive. I tried to respectfully clarify myself and a forum like this is also for healthy debate, idea exchange etc. That doesn't mean i have to be in those specific roles to be able to offer some insight and understanding. A Dr X, Y, or Z who does hair transplants and has seen results isn't the same as a clinical study. You can respect their opinion for sure but that's also not how science works. That's why it's even been mentioned on the previous page about needing more clinical studies on this topic I don't think we need to go much further down this route. You clearly hold your opinion on the matter as do I.

Personally there's no "best age" imo people can recommend as sometimes even on medication things can be stable and then deteriorate further. I would say generally the "rule" most go by is that the hair loss in 20els and 30s is faster and then slows down. Personally i would look at your hair loss and if you're on medication whether it is stable or you need to adjust doses. By that i mean if you are for example on Finasteride 1mg but 3x a week rather than once a day. So maybe you can increase the dose and it would potentially help block more DHT. At 1mg a day, i believe Scalp DHT is reduced but it varies between Finasteride and Dutasteride. In fact, here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6388756/#:~:text=A related clinical study stated,DHT levels by ~41%. It stated "A related clinical study stated that 0.5 mg/day of dutasteride could lower scalp DHT levels by more than 51%, and 5 mg/day of finasteride could lower scalp DHT levels by ~41%." Usually the dosage of Finasteride is 1mg a day for hair loss. So, if 5mg/day is giving you 41% reduction and you take 1mg a day, it could mean you are blocking less scalp DHT, but it's not going to be significantly lower but there's about a 10% or so greater benefit according to the study for Dutasteride but people can get more side affects from tanking their DHT that much. As a mature adult, it's not always possible to know how it will affect you until you try of course but if you tolerated Finasteride, it could be a good indication albeit not a guarantee. The primary issue with DHT affecting our hair is nobody at present to my knowledge can say "Your hair follicles at X location are sensitive to DHT at this level and reducing it by X amount will ensure reduced hair loss rate or complete stability" Over time, some people apparently have greater sensitivity in their follicles to DHT appear so its difficult to predict. You can only be proactive about prevention and then, if you have done that well, i think when usually somebody gets to 30, it's usually slowing down. I'm 31 and going to be 32 shortly for reference and i only started Dutasteride just over 7 months ago. Feel extremely fortunate that i didn't appear to be as negatively affected in that time period as i could have been. In the 7 plus months, i've noticed positives to medication indicating its helped stop and actually help in some areas. Full results are usually 12 months and beyond even with medication but i know for a fact, i can't regrow hair even if i take Dutasteride, Minoxidil and Microneedle on areas like my temporal points. I need a transplant and to lower the hairline a little i need to do that too. I would say save up, put a bit of money aside and adjust to Minoxidil and Microneedling since you have already been on medication for over 12 months and maximised your results with that if you are taking it everyday at 1mg or so. Then really consider your long term goal, who you want to select and the plan if things receded behind the frontal area.

You don't have to be a prescribing physician to be able to see the clinical study data on it and compare the two. Even Melvin and another respected member have pointed out side affects and needing more studies. Topical Minoxidil has a proven track record of both clinical studies and results shown by users over time to be recommended imo in conjunction with Microneedling. Personally if somebody is worried about side affects and keeping them low as possible, Oral Finasteride and Minoxidil being combined are more likely on paper to exhibit sides than an Oral Finasteride and Topical Minoxidil. Even if i was also a physician and prescribing etc. it's not as if somebody won't find a reason to take issue with my stance on recommending topical over oral. I'm not saying oral Minoxidil doesn't work here, i'm simply stating what i feel i would say to a friend or somebody else about the topic of hairloss advice as a laymen with an interest in preserving his own hair.

Looking at the pictures in the first post, i can understand the desire to lower the hairline and that will definitely take a lot of grafts to do and having the right density to stand up for the long term. A lot of individuals also forget the importance of the Frontalis muscles in deciding where to place the frontal hairline. So when you basically wrinkle your forehead, you can see a natural point where going below that is probably going to cause you issues from an aesthetic PoV too imo. Eugenix have a great video on their YouTube channel about hairline positioning and how it's best chosen. Everybody is an individual and whilst some are born with high hairlines, if the Frontalis allows, you could get away with it and there's others who must keep it higher. That's just natural and generally there's other factors in play to ensure something frames your face well.

Personally i'm not comfortable recommending oral Minoxidil to others. I think topical Minoxidil can be more targeted on the scalp and there's less chance of the side affects Oral Minoxidil usually has associated with it. Also you avoid some Trichosis potentially rearing its head. I'd say Norwood 3/4 and those with diffuse thinning would benefit from. It the most. As some of you here have said, you're coming from a full NW5+ transplant on the top and it's much harder to evaluate the efficacy.

I wouldn't personally recommend using both topical and oral Minoxidil. In fact, i would advise sticking to topical Minoxidil due to less chance of side affects and it being more concentrated on your scalp. The other benefit is that you won't likely suffer from Trichosis and grow loads of unwanted body hair etc. which has happened in some people. You also have proven boost in clinical studies where people use Microneedling and Minoxidil together for even better results. So on the day you Microneedle, you don't need to use Minoxidil either but maybe you could apply in the morning if you do 2x a day. I think it is probably best to go with a Derma pen rather than a Microneedle roller. It is probably a bit more consistent with depth, angles and not dragging around the skin as much. Personally i probably could benefit from that but I have decided no Minoxidil or Microneedling will ever restore my temple points. In your case, you could try switch to Dutasteride and see if it can help. It according to studies blocks around 10% more scalp DHT but it almost tanks your entire body DHT. I personally use it and have done for 7 months plus. I didn't start with Finasteride which is what most people say you should use. It took me maybe a couple months to to adjust. So i had minor side affects and then my body got used to it and i think there's still been a change i noticed but nothing in terms of what i can't live with for the potential hair saving benefits.

I just wanted to bump this thread and just ask a few questions i had. I have been watching a lot of videos and trying to get as much information as i possibly can and prepare myself. Eugenix seem to almost exclusively do FUE now. Feller Medical almost always seem to go for FUT. I was watching a video on YouTube dated around 2017 from Feller Medical and in it, they mentioned how for the frontal hairline, they found that FUT appeared to get a 98% growth rate and for FUE it was circa 80%. I'm looking to have my frontal hairline, temporal areas and temporal points done. I'm still heavily leaning towards Eugenix for this. I just wanted to post the question of whether since that 2017 video, that 80% growth rate for frontal hairline zones has been disproven with clinics that use more modern techniques and methods for FUE. 20% of grafts not growing amounts to a fair amount of lost grafts if that was true.

I saw your video and i don't know if you use any extra fibres or anything, but from where you were before your first procedure to now it's really impressive. I can definitely say your case and some of the others are a great example of what can be achieved even at a higher Norwood starting point with a smart use of grafts from different areas. Melvin also as said has disguised his crown really well but i think we're all looking forwards to seeing his 12 month results as well as all the updates along the way.

Yeah, i completely understand the budget aspect. I just wanted to clarify. At present, Eugenix offer the top tier package but it isn't involving the doctor to the level you were personally afforded which is why i was just trying to point out to others, this isn't a typical experience somebody else should expect at present or in fact, others choosing the top package have experienced even sharing their stories on here. I also am only selecting a package that's the Exclusive tier that has the senior doctors and technicians involved from Eugenix and not Dr Arika or Dr Sethi but the rep has reassured the results are planned for the same outcome and i believe or would like to that their senior doctors do adopt and apply the sane principles of temporal point reconstruction etc. as the founding doctors.

Firstly, great job on keeping that much hair OP at 40. You also have done a good job committing to Finasteride for 7 years so it just goes to show how amazingly well it's helped you hang on compared to if you probably never did Regarding the images with grafts. 2000 grafts is definitely on the higher side but i have a feeling its because the clinic wants to establish a solid frontal hairline and the crown is a black hole so they probably want to be a bit more conservative and try to establish enough coverage to not make it look thinning when dry. Overall, as said above, Turkey has some good places but by the time you factor in price, there's options all over the world. Personally i would say Eugenix etc. also show up on the radar on a budget option.

This is what i've pointed out as well. They rolled out the Red Carpet for Melvin and i don't for a second begrudge him the experience and he's a great guy, but this treatment is a marketing opportunity by Eugenix and they're taking full advantage. Personally i'm not expecting this treatment and i've already seen the Joe Public treatment even on the Super Premium package where some said they probably were better going on the Exclusive package to save money. There's also a concern about future patient care, results etc. but they seem to be balancing it all out a bit atm. I think i will be going for a HT with them due to budget, experience on temporal points reconstruction and hopefully if anything was to go awry, i can document it all here. That's what also i noticed, if you Google Eugenix Hair Sciences reviews, there's a site that has a imo sightly poor review score and disgruntled customers in the reviews but on here i know people generally are a good bunch, know their stuff and can show pictures of the whole process. So it's a little more objective and that's why i've signed up and still confident they could be the right choice and Melvin felt that too, even if he had a red carpet roll out, it would be bad for them to offer users of the same site sub par results when Melvin will also be able to comment on them publicly. That said, Eugenix at least so far indicate their willingness to correct things for people if necessary and i'm sure a bit of assistance from this forums community can help inspire a response too.

Although i'm not Melvin, and i haven't seen your pictures. I'm pretty surprised because their YouTube even has a video of somebody with like FUT scars that looked quite bad that they were apparently going to help with. So i'd have thought it might have been on the table. That said, i don't know what your budget it or anything, but i would probably urge you to go look at Feller Medical. DR Blake Bloxham has YouTube videos showing how they do regular FUT procedures and they deal with scar revision. They could give you an idea.

I am sure those doctors have probably had a long enough time to evaluate what they feel gives a natural looking enough hairline. Most examples i come across always advocate that a hairline should consist of rows of singles at the very front and then multi grafts can be placed behind to help minimise a see through effect. A little bit of light apparently going through the singles helps further the illusion of naturalness. I think in some cases, even using singles if they do look too straight then it will look unnatural and i'm sure the doctors must account a little into that. There are however people out there who don't listen and want it literally that way. Gregory Gage is a guy on YouTube who basically had an entirely flat looking straight line requested. When transplanted without the irregularities it did look weird, but once hair kicks in, due to the singles, it doesn't stand out as much it seems.

Thanks for the rough guess. I'm really eager to see how you get on. I've been told 250 per temple point and fingers crossed that will do the density justice to match the hairline zone they have drawn out in the consultation if i go ahead soon. Honestly, i would say that all the positive results shown here and the YouTube stuff is inspiring confidence that for my limited budget, Eugenix is probably the best place for my first hair transplant. Most in the UK seem to end up at a hair mill in Turkey, and whilst i'm smart enough to not fall for that, i didn't see many with enough results shown off reconstructing temple points and that's what really intrigued me when a person as knowledgeable as you felt Eugenix were the #1 place to choose for that purpose too.