chris81

Yes all of his packages have him doing the incisions.

An update to my chart: Hair mills (e.g. Smile hair clinic). £1,500 - Not recommended as reduced chance of success, and possible overharvesting. RULED THIS OUT Dr. Resul Yaman £2,630 - Some recommend. Possible lower quality work, seems low graft count proposed at 4500 grafts. Eugenix - 3500-3700 grafts, at a cost of between £5,240 and £15,281. (Between £0.89 - £4.13 per graft) FueCapilar - Have been told to grow hair until 20th May and resent photos (2 weeks). Dr. Demirsoy - says I am too bald for a transplant. RULED THIS OUT Dr. Bicer - Said sent new photos with 20-25 days of growth (26th-31st May). Dr. Zarev - Waiting for reply. Dr. Pittella - 10,500 to 11,500 grafts, at a cost of between £18,500 and £37,000. (Between £1.69 and £3.37 per graft) Hassan & Wong - Really high end, expect to cost £40K+... sadly out of my price range. RULED THIS OUT SMP at scalpmates.co.uk £900+. This will not give actual hair, but it is quick, and easy. So I have a bit of varying feedback now. I never got around to growing my hair and messaging Dr. Bicer and FueCapilar, but I may do one day. I'm currently making no decisions, particularly as I am not sure what happens after the surgery. I get the impression that I'll be on Finasteride permanently afterwards. Can anyone else tell me if this is the case, and have they had any unwanted side effects?

So it has been absolutely ages since I updated here, mainly due to how busy I have been. But I have more news, and a proposal from the amazing Dr. Felipe Pittella. His approach is very professional, and I received a PDF file with a thorough letter about his services. He recommended 3 separate sessions (over three days) and a total of between 10500 and 11500 grafts. This certainly sounds more like what I would need. The process would be as follows: Session 1 - Priority to frontal area Session 2 - Priority to crown area Session 3 - refinement and density He states that some grafts will need to be from my beard and chest areas. Like some other Doctors, he has different packages at different prices as follows: 1) Extraction and implantation by Junior Doctor = 2 USD per graft (So would expect total cost around 22,000 USD or £18,500). 2) Main surgical steps by Dr. Pittella (but generally extraction/implantaion by Junior Dr.) = 3USD per graft (So would expect total cost around 33,000 USD or £27,860). 3) All day surgery by Dr. Pittella (Some implantation by Junior doctors) = 4 USD per graft (So would expect total cost around 44,000 USD or £37,000). So while now cheep, this is probably the most thorough looking plan, and the one which is most likely to give the best results as far as I can see.

Thanks for the feedback, it certainly sounds like I underestimated the cost from my initial look; I just did a google search and that was the first site that came up. I'll look through some online reviews and see what different ones are like, but I shall also look through the SMP section on here. I wanted to post a thread about my investigation, but perhaps now that it is about more than just hair transplants I have not picked the best home for it, in hindsight. I certainly greatly appreciate the extra information though, it is always best to know all the options available, and the costs too.

Scalp Micro Pigmentation (SMP) I received a very kind message from a forum member today, and the chap suggested that SMP might be something I consider. Until I read his message I had never even heard of it. I took a look at some websites, and though it would not give me an actual head of hair, it does appear to be a great solution to making the shaven head look a little better. So I am adding this as a possibility; something else for me to consider. It is also much, much cheaper than the other solutions. So I have updated my chart: Hair mills (e.g. Smile hair clinic). £1,500 - Not recommended as reduced chance of success, and possible overharvesting. RULED THIS OUT Dr. Resul Yaman £2,630 - Some recommend. Possible lower quality work, seems low graft count proposed at 4500 grafts. Eugenix - Have sent photos to them, and awaiting response from Doctor. FueCapilar - Have been told to grow hair until 20th May and resent photos (2 weeks). Dr. Demirsoy - says I am too bald for a transplant. RULED THIS OUT Dr. Bicer - Said sent new photos with 20-25 days of growth (26th-31st May). Dr. Zarev - Waiting for reply. Dr. Pittella - Waiting for reply. Hassan & Wong - Really high end, expect to cost £40K+... sadly out of my price range. RULED THIS OUT SMP at scalpmates.co.uk £900. This will not give actual hair, but it is quick, and easy.

Eugenix - costs In addition to the above, I now have costs from Eugenix too. I have not seen any costs for Eugenix anywhere on this forum, or anywhere else on the internet, and I find this strange as cost is a big part of making the decision - and when I say that I do not necessarily mean the "if", but also the "how". I think most people start off like I did; wanting to keep the costs down. However not knowing the costs make the whole thing seem all the more scary, and is actually what caused me to rule stuff like this out many years ago. I assumed this would cost tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, and was something reserved for the super rich. When one assumes something is expensive and does not know how much by, one can tend to avoid making enquiries, for fear of embarrassment, or wasting someone's time. But being armed with some facts and figures can breed confidence... I guess that's what makes this forum such a valuable resource! For this reason, I think example prices make it more likely people will come to a given surgery for work, and I hope knowing the costs helps some people to have the knowledge to be confident enough to make further enquiries. So anyway.... Eugenix quote in Indian Roupees, so the actual cost to other countries will vary as the exchange rate changes. They have four packages to offer, and they are priced accordingly: 1) Comprehensive package - 89 Roupees (approx. £0.89) per graft. - Planned by Doctors - Incisions by Doctors - Extraction by technicians - Implanted by technicians - Discounted hotel available 2) Exclusive package - 142 Roupees (approx £1.42) per graft. - Planned by senior doctor - Incisions by senior doctor - Extraction by senior technicians - Implanted by senior technicians - 2 nights accommodation, airport pickup, 7 days medication 3) Premium package - 248 Roupees (approx. £2.48) per graft. - Planned by Dr. Arika Bansal - Incisions by Dr. Arika Bansal - Extraction by Dr. Arika Bansal + senior technicians - Implanted by senior technicians - 2 nights accommodation, air port pickup, 7 days medication 4) Super premium package - 413 Roupees (approx. 4.13) per graft. - Planned by Dr. Arika Bansal - Incisions by Dr. Arika Bansal - Extraction by Dr. Arika Bansal - Implanted by Dr. Arika Bansal (400 grafts) then rest by senior technicians - 2 nights accommodation, air port pickup, 7 days medication 5) Dr. Pradeep - 413 Roupees (approx. 4.13) per graft. - Planned by Dr. Pradeep - Incisions by Dr. Pradeep - Extraction by senior technicians - Implanted by senior technicians - 2 nights accommodation, air port pickup, 7 days medication Other items... It is also noted that the blood test, COVID test, and taxes are not included. So this would need to be added. I believe India pays 12.36% tax, so I guess that needs to be added to the above. My thoughts I think option 1 could be a bit risky, so I would personally only consider options 2-5. In my case this results in costs between £5,240 and £15,281. However I am aware than if I ended up with the 7,000 grafts many in my situation have it could escalate to somewhere in the region of between £9,912 and £28,910. I combine this with the knowledge that I'll likely need a second procedure of course. In their second message they explained that they are leaving the crown for the time being, as something that would be attached on a second occasion.

Thanks guys, I think its a given I should have grown my hair for a few weeks before diving into this... but of course I did not know that at the time... 🤦‍♂️ I never realised medication was permanent after the transplant, that's a shame. Yes I do have to be mindful of budget, and as some of you alluded to it may be pointless for me to have a "cheap job" which will look terrible. I don't mind the end result looking a bit thin, and I am aware I can never have a full head of healthy hair. But I do want to get the most out of it if I have this done. I am mindful of some less serious cases than mine which have had more than 4,000 grafts and still look pretty sparse, so I am wondering if such a small number of grafts will make much difference to me. ...all stuff to consider!

Eugenix More news, this time from Eugenix in India. To my complete surprise, they have suggested just 3500-3700 grafts, to be harvested from both the scalp and beard. Then then propose Finasteride (1mg) to preserve my existing hair, and help with the new growth. But the strangest part is that they do not propose to transplant any hair at all to my crown, so as far as I can see I'd be left with a hole at the top; like Friar tuck! - 3200-3500 harvested from scalp - 200-300 harvested from beard - 2700 - 3000 implanted to frontal scalp - 500 - 1000 implanted to mid-scalp These chaps have an incredible reputation, but I have trouble believing this will be enough to make much of a difference. particularly if there is a giant hole in my hair at the top. Makes me wonder if Dr. Demirsoy was right in the first place with his diagnosis that I was unsuitable. Maybe Eugenix are just proposing what is possible with what little hair I have left. I was left a bit deflated by this, as this appears to me as a rather feeble improvement... I also do not like the idea of what I can assume is permanent medication for the rest of my life to keep things at this disappointing level (I though the medication was typically just to help the new hair for the 1st year). Is permanent medication normal after a hair transplant?

I had a reply from Demirsoy this afternoon. He says that he feels my hair loss is already too advanced, and that I am unsuitable for a hair transplant. So I have updated my table... Hair mills (e.g. Smile hair clinic). £1,500 - Not recommended as reduced chance of success, and possible overharvesting. RULED THIS OUT Dr. Resul Yaman £2,630 - Some recommend. Possible lower quality work, seems low graft count proposed at 4500 grafts. Eugenix - Have sent photos to them, and awaiting response from Doctor. FueCapilar - Have been told to grow hair until 20th May and resent photos (2 weeks). Dr. Demirsoy - says I am too bald for a transplant. RULED THIS OUT Dr. Bicer - Said sent new photos with 20-25 days of growth (26th-31st May). Dr. Zarev - Waiting for reply. Dr. Pittella - Waiting for reply. Hassan & Wong - Really high end, expect to cost £40K+... sadly out of my price range. RULED THIS OUT

You beat me to it JAC.

Found it!

I did not think he had a website, it's not on his contact page. I'll do a bit more hunting and see if I can find it!

I certainly will give it some time, not really any rush... my bald head is sticking around 😁 I'll look forward to hearing what Dr. Pittella says, his work is astonishing. But I have not managed to find an E-mail address for him, only been able to message him here on the forum. Does anyone on here have better contact details for him?

Thank you to all I was made up with the great feedback from all of you; which I am eternally grateful for! I also enjoyed reading about the other successful similar cases to mine, which gave me hope this could work for me too. Therefore, by the end of Friday last week, I had decided there was pretty much 99% chance of me doing this at some point in the future. It was really just the "where" and "when" to decide... as well as how much pain it was going to cause the wallet! It has been great for me to find this community, and having been a regular poster on a lot of other forums for the last 10 or more years, this really seems the best and most enjoyable way to do it for me. This way we all help each other, and gain confidence through our shared experience. I have a great wife On Saturday night I was chatting to my wife (after our two noisy little ankle biters had gone to bed), and I decided to ask her what she thought. It was no surprise that she was completely supportive; I truly have the most amazing wife. She said that anything that would make me feel better about myself was definitely worth while, and she said if I thought it was something I wanted then she was 110% behind me. It's important to me that I am doing this for the right reasons, and also that I am not doing this to fill some gap in my life; as I know that will end in tears. But I truly believe that is not the case. This was one of the things I asked my wife about. I made peace with being bald years ago, and I don't think I "need" this. I certainly don't have a confidence problem, and I'm already very happy in myself, and with what life has given me. But I still hate being bald, and I will never feel truly attractive being bald either. Is that healthy?... I'm not sure... but I know it will never change as I have tried my hardest to make myself a "me" I think is attractive my staying in shape, and taking pride in my appearance. My wife laughed and said I definitely did not have a confidence problem, and she did not think there was anything wrong with me wanting this. I am hoping we are both right. The odd thing is, had I not met a stranger 2 weeks ago who introduced me to the idea that hair transplants really worked, I may well have never even considered it. The "where" I am a little cautious about the doctors in Turkey. Some of them (like Fucapilar or Bicer) have great reviews and wonderful followings, but they don't seem to have any evidence of high Norwood cases, and seem to specialist in low graft numbers. I'm still not ruling them out, and in some ways they would be ideal as they are such a short flight for me. The Eugenix hair studio in India seems to stand out as the ideal place for me, but I have had no response from them yet; I should stay patient as I only messaged them on Thursday! Hopefully I will get some idea of what they can do, and what it will cost me soon. Then I can determine if it is affordable. There is almost something magical about the way those on here describe they way they treat their patients. Amount the others, Zarev stands out. I have sent an enquiry on his website but again have not quite yet had a response - I need to be patient! There are a lot of other good doctors too, particularly Pittella, I think it is going to be very difficult to choose in the long run. The "who" So thank you to all on here, the only last thing I want to do is post some pictures of myself without the hidden face. I originally say post everywhere with hidden faces and I just went along with it, but I can now see there are also many just posing unedited photos; and that's more "me" really. I actually think the unedited pictures are more useful, as they show a better impression of how having hair changes the appearance of the person. Hopefully when I eventually post what I have done, and the results, this will give a better picture of what I looked like before I had stuff done! So first of all, the first picture (with the car) is is the last known photo I have of me with hair. I was 21 years old, and the car in the photo was my pride and joy. Perhaps a bit of a working class lad clique for me to have always wanted a Jag - I became a real enthusiast and still have an old Jag now (though I drive an old Audi as my daily driver). Then the next photos are all of me today, as I look in everyday life. This is the line in the sand for improvement to take place from! I did not shave my head this week, and I will be leaving it for the next 20 days so I can get better photographs for the doctors. I'll be back as soon as I have more news to share...

From all your other messages, and this wonderful thread, it is so clear what a lovely man you clearly are; the bonus for all of us being the fantastic read you have given us in your thread. I don't think I have ever read anything and felt such a strong sense of wanting it to work out for the writer. I think it is a given you are going to have a wonderful result though. Your comments scattered around this forum make this a better place for everyone, and I really hope you end up with something that makes you truly happy at the end of it all. I wish you the very, very best for this, and as a fellow high Norwood, I will follow with great interest.