Big Rome

2 hours ago, mtb said:

Hopefully the resolution is okay on this. Looks good on iPhone but terrible on WhatsApp. Nearly 6 months from second procedure. Should get a bit more thickness in the next 3 months. 

this is wild 🤯🤯 zarev is a joke, worth EVERY single penny 

19 hours ago, WhiteyUK said:

I wouldn’t say I’ve had re growth, but I seem to be maintaining my hair. I’m 49 years old now so maintaining will do me for now.

fair play brother, well done 👏🏻

what the hell is sublingual minoxidil lol?? 

1 hour ago, WhiteyUK said:

It’s generally just trial and error. I tried 1mg/day and got minor sides, stopped for a few weeks and tried 0.5mg/day still the same, then 0.5mg/eod with sides again. I again stopped for a few weeks then tried 0.25mg/eod about 3 months ago with No sides, I have just increased it to 0.25mg 5 days a week and as long as I stay free from sides I will remain on this dose. Everybody’s different and it’s sometimes just finding the right dose for you, but some is better than none.

Has it stopped your hair loss and given you and re growth? 

14 hours ago, Hairrevival101 said:

Hello everyone 

It has been 18 days since I underwent a hair transplant procedure with Dr. Manish Mittal (Mani) in London. After contemplating a hair transplant for several years and stabilising my hair loss with medication, I finally decided to take action to address my receding hairline. Dr. Mani came highly recommended across various independent forums, including here and the IAHRS, and being based in London, it was convenient for me to choose him.

My journey with Dr. Mani began with an initial conversation with his coordinator, Russ, back in September 2023, followed by an in-person consultation with Dr. Mani himself in October of the same year. Russ was not only knowledgeable but also a fellow Liverpool fan, which instantly built rapport between us. During the in person consultation, Dr. Mani provided a realistic assessment of what could be achieved and suggested a conservative approach, utilising 2000 grafts to restore my hairline. He emphasised the importance of managing my donor area, considering my age (29) and the potential need for future procedures, despite being on finasteride. I appreciated his friendly demeanor and expertise, and there was absolutely no pressure to make a commitment. After some deliberation, I finally reached out in January 2024 and scheduled the procedure for March 26. It's worth noting that Dr. Mani honoured his quotation from 2023 despite the lapse in time, which was a thoughtful gesture given the slight increase in prices in 2024.

On the day of the procedure, I arrived at 8:30 am feeling incredibly nervous, but Dr. Mani and his team were remarkable in putting me at ease. Dr. Mani meticulously drew the hairline we had previously agreed upon, and I requested some additional single grafts slightly lower to create the illusion of a lower hairline, while ensuring grafts were reserved, as discussed by Dr. Mani in his podcast with Melvin, which he accommodated.

The procedure itself turned out to be relatively calming, and I even found myself drifting off to sleep a couple of times, although I must admit the local anaesthetic injections were somewhat painful but manageable. Dr. Mani handled the extractions and incisions at the front, and personally implanted the first 400 or so grafts, while his two technicians took over the rest. Ultimately, I ended up with approximately 2380 grafts implanted, with Dr. Mani honoring the original quotation. Though I don't have the exact breakdown of singles, doubles, and triples, I was delighted to learn that over 1300 of the grafts were triples.

After the procedure, Dr. Mani ran through the post-operative steps, and then I got a taxi home. The first few days post-op were relatively tough, especially meeting the sleeping requirements. The pain wasn't too bad, and by day 5, it had subsided to the extent it wasn't noticeable, although my recipient area remained itchy. I am now at day 18, and all the scabs have gone, and most of the implanted hairs have shed. Overall, I am super happy with the hairline design and hopeful for some growth over the next few months.

The photos are ordered from Day 1, Day 9 (part scabs), Day 10, Day 12, and Day 14.

one of the very few good doctors in the UK, good choice 👏🏻👏🏻 

happy growing 

lighting looks different so hard to tell 

1 hour ago, Shadman said:

Hi @Big Rome do you've any experience with 0.1% topical solution ? Actually this is the lowest dose of topical finasteride which is available here. There's is a finasteride gel which is 0.25% and another topical solution also at 0.25%

No never taken any topicals before, I’m going to try and start with 0.025% as soon as I can get hold of it somewhere lol 

I’ve seen 0.1% topical is equivalent to 1mg oral finasteride… I have been trying to find topical fin at much lower doses, 0.025% and 0.05% (0.25 mg and 0.5 mg) seems minoxidilmax do a solution at 0.05% fin & 5% minoxidil so might have to try that out but I’m not sure on the legitimacy of minoxodilmax, don’t think you even need a prescription 

1 hour ago, Mike888888 said:

My story (long):

7 months ago I had a transplant with Dr Rajan Bhojwani at Refine Surgical in Nottinghamshire, UK.

I decided that I wanted to fill in my hairline, so I Googled "hair transplant near me" and this clinic popped up. They had 5 star reviews on Google and Trustpilot, they had a "Good" CQC rating, they had photos on their Facebook page of Dr Bhojwani standing with Dr Basinga, Dr Farjo and Dr. Shahmalak and others at the 2023 BAHRS conference.

I paid for a consultation with the doctor. He said all the right things - about how he would avoid the "pluggy" look, place singles in the hairline, angle the hairs to create a natural look, manage the donor area for future requirements etc.. All the things I expected to hear. He even showed me some poor results from Turkish clinics to warn me what a bad transplant could look like. He explained about the shedding phase, the hair life cycle, recommended finasteride and minoxidil. Basically, he said all the right things and seemed very genuine. Based on this original consultation, I booked in for the operation with no worries at all, thinking I had got a great doctor.

I paid a fixed price for the day i.e. unlimited grafts for £2,500. He told me that 500 grafts would be enough to cover the area, but ended up putting in c.678. I didn't know at the time how inadequate this would be.

The operation was a lot longer than I expected. I had a "funny turn" in the morning after laying face down for approximately 3 hours for the extractions (the doctor suspected a reaction to the anaesthetic), so I took over an hour for lunch to recover. The implantation stage took approx 7 hours, from around 1.30 to 8.30. The anaesthetic kept wearing off towards the end so it was quite painful at times. The extractions were done by Dr Bhojwani, as were the incisions. Implantation was by the doctor and a technician. After surgery, my wife picked me up and drove me home where I fell straight asleep.

 

The next morning when I woke up I felt physically fine, but when I looked in the mirror there was heavy scabbing over the grafts and a big gap to my existing hairline that had literally nothing in it. The hairline was not neat, nor defined (I wouldn't even call it a hairline), nor did the rest of the work look dense. I emailed the surgery with my concerns and they told me:

"some grafts would have been feathered in and many grafts aren't always visible as blood does not represent where all the surgery have taken place".

I took him at his word. I didn't know any different.

On day 10, after taking the scabs off, I could see a clearer picture. There were gaps. Lots of gaps. I made a post on Reddit (link: https://www.reddit.com/r/HairTransplants/s/ aNeL1kYddP) and it was brutal. I was hoping for reassurance but got quite the opposite. Every single comment was shocked with the work. One comment asked if I'd had it done in an alleyway. Another asked if I'd done it myself at home. My favourite (worst?) comment was "My brudda in christ please and name and shame the spawn of satan who did this to you". After the first 10 or so comments I couldn't bring myself to read or reply to any more, I just deleted the account. I was really down and just didn't want to hear it.

I emailed the doctor the next day with my concerns. He told me:

"Please don't worry in this early period - if there is a gap it will be covered as it grows as the hair is styled, and as with all our patients - we want you to have the best results, so if you need any adjustments in the future to fill in areas that are deficient we will do this for you without charge."

 

This improved my mood. I decided to bury my head in the sand and wait it out - maybe it would turn out ok? Maybe this doctor knew something that I (and the Reddit community) didn't? Perhaps it would look ok when it grew in? Either way, there was nothing I could do about it now, other than wait for it to grow and see what it looked like. I convinced myself that even if it was not very dense, or the hairline was lacking, then at least a free top would correct it.

I saw the doctor again at 5 months. I had a little bit of growth coming through, but not much. He again said that it would grow through and that 5 months was still very early.

He said that as I still had redness in the scalp, this indicated that more hair was still to grow through. Again, I took him at his word, buried my head in the sand again and convinced myself it would thicken up. And if not, a free top up would sort me out, right?

I am now at 7 months and the pictures speak for themselves. I cannot bury my head any longer. The density (or rather, lack of) is no longer my biggest concern. I am more concerned about the non-existent hairline, the excessive use of multi grafts, and the poor angulation, all of which have only become apparent to me as it has started growing.

This is not a good result. Far from it. This is an awful result. Everything is wrong.

• There were simply nowhere near enough grafts put in for the area covered, so the density is non existent
• There is still a gap all around the edge to my old hairline. It is basically 2 triangles of hair stuck on my forehead
• I cannot see a new hairline - there are hardly any grafts, and the grafts that are in the hairline that have now grown in are mostly thick hair and multi grafts. (No hair was taken from the sides of my head)
• The transplanted areas are still red - I think I may have permanent damage

It is, quite simply, a disaster. The only good thing I can take from this is that he only took ~650 grafts. Everything else is just terrible.

I have now started to reach out to repair clinics.

Unsurprisingly, they all unanimously agree that this work is terrible (one surgeon told me that in 14 years he thought he had seen it all, but this changed his mind). I have to wait a few more months until anyone will take me on as a patient, so at this time I am just booking in for consultations. I have done my research and am hoping to be taken on by one of the following doctors:

Dr Reddy / Dr Mittal / Dr Bisanga / Dr Moussa / Dr Bicer / Dr Turan / Dr Bek / Dr Aygin

I have written to Dr Bhojwani to request my money back for his original surgery. I am awaiting his reply which is due within the next five days.

I am also considering taking legal action, but I am not sure how successful that would be, or if it is even worth the effort. I guess technically I have hair where I didn't before, so one could argue it was successful. It is undoubtedly a poor job, but there is some hair there, so it could technically be classed as a success (if you ignore the fact it grows in the wrong direction, is full of multi grafts and is more scalp than hair!).

I am hoping that a reputable surgeon can just fill in the gaps, but I have been advised by some of the clinics that I have contacted that to repair this will require at least 2 surgery sessions; one to punch out the grafts he has placed, and a second to basically start again. If this is the case with all doctors, then I will be considering trying to reclaim this cost through Dr Bohjwani. I am unsure how realistic this would be.

I am scheduled to meet him again at month 10, but I don't see the point. I suspect he will argue that final results take 12 months. I have not had a reply to my complaint and refund request as yet, but I really don't see any way in which he could claim this to be a good result. Nobody that I have spoken to so far sees anything other than a mess. I am hoping he does the right thing and offers a full refund.

One thing is for certain - there is no way I will be letting him perform another surgery on me.

So, in conclusion, to those who have read this far, my advice to you:

There is no substitute for real verified reviews.

Do not rely on Google / Trustpilot / Facebook.

Ask to see examples of previous work.

Don't make the mistakes I have made, or you will end up worse off a year down the line.

I will update again when I have a repair surgeon booked.

this is heartbreaking to see, guy should be hung tbh 

2 hours ago, hairman4321 said:

What are the options for hair removal when it comes to removing transplanted grafts in the hairline?

i've seen a couple of threads of 'repair / correction surgery' by Dr Bisanga where he's punched out grafts in the hairline (I assume the same technique used to take them out of the donor). This seems to require at least two surgeries as not all hairs are grown out in that hair cycle.

i've also heard others mention laser hair removal, is this an option also?

Any others?

Thanks

I had to have over 50 grafts punched out from my hairline as they were thick & pluggy… the DR will re-implant them further back as once removed and replanted the survival rate drops quite a bit 

21 hours ago, Exer said:

This is a small clinic in Slovenia that has only been operating for about a year and a half. The doctor is a friend of my relative and I got a very good price. Before I made my decision, I followed a patient operated by this doctor for 10 months and the results were good.

As soon as I saw the result of my  surgery, I was sorry.There is no way that there are 2900 grafts, because even my donor looked so good after 10 days ,as if nothing had been extracted.

It's entirely my fault, because I did quite a lot of research and already had offers from Dr. Gur and Dr. Touran, but naively in the end I decided for a doctor in my country.

I already know that I will need another surgery, but now I have no choice but to wait 12 months to see what will come of it.

luckily for you only a small amount has been used, a second surgery with a reputable clinic should be easy to get you back on track. Hang in there 

this is really sad to see man, density doesn’t look sufficient 😞 will more than likely need a second surgery 

10 hours ago, Melvin- Admin said:

I think Dr. Mani Mittal has a formula.

thank you Melvin 👊🏼

10 hours ago, Gatsby said:

@Big Rome would you be able to see a dermatologist and have him/her prescribe the dose you require? 

good shout brother, I’ll defo make enquiries thank you 

Hi All,

Where can I find topical finasteride in the UK at 0.025%, do any of the transplant clinics do this? All the online sellers, hims/sons ect.. do it at too high a percentage.

any help would be greatly appreciated 💙

6 hours ago, Otis james said:

I’m currently sat waiting at Clínica O’Porto, for Bruno to arrive! Bricking it!!! 

I know the feeling brother 🤣🤣 all will be well don’t stress 👊🏼

1000% yes 👏🏻

10 hours ago, Gatsby said:

Just don't let them touch your scalp.

are they no good Gatsby?
I have been watching their YouTube videos 🤣 might have to disregard everything I have heard from them now lol 

10 hours ago, A_4_Archan said:

Here are HQ pictures without the use of any hair products...its been almost 8 months post op

1st pic - Directly under harsh sunlight 

Last pic - wet hair

Rest of the pictures are in well lit room

really happy for you man, this is really good work 👏🏻👏🏻 how you feel about it 

1 hour ago, xabi86 said:

yes very easy. You will have to order via curemyhairloss.com and they will send the prescription to FP.

legend 💙💙 

when is it due to arrive for you? 

was it easy enough to order? I also want to start low dose topical finasteride 

On 12/13/2023 at 11:52 PM, cr1mson said:

Hey gang,

I am finally going to turkiye next Thursday for my HT with DR Bicer. I had an appointment in late 2021 and couldn't figure out a date to reschedule. Her coordinator Ozen reached out to me a few weeks ago and said there was a cancellation. I thought about it for a day and pulled the trigger. Pretty excited! Looking forward to not having put fibers in my hair and flood it with hairspray on a daily basis. 

Any tips or recommendations for my first time? So far, I got a pretty good neck pillow and entertainment/resources to focus in the days recovering in my hotel room. As someone who has gotten a HT in Turkiye or in general have any pointers you wished you knew prior to yours?

I have stopped oral minoxidil 15 days before as well as drinking. I stopped smoking weed today and will not smoke until two months after the surgery. I plan to stay on finasteride and I have been taking it for ~ ten years.

how has the oral minoxidil been for you? 

Merry Christmas all 💙💙

9 hours ago, Phillyman1996 said:

Question I had a transplant 11 months ago almost would it be a smart idea to go even lower?

absolutely not 

because if fin is really good for you & you regrow some hair and vastly improve your donor area and top of your head, you’ll need less grafts and any weak hairs that would have been permanently lost due to shock loss may not be lost after surgery with fin, there’s many reasons 😊