Antlor

That's good analysis, readings of blood pressure and heart beat, for consuming oral minoxidil.

Your most recent heart beat readings of over 100 bpm is concerning. Generally and for most people, over 100 bpm is not normal. Your heart should not have to work that hard for no apparent reasons other than to maintain some hair. You should consider seeing a cardiologist or a specialist to determine whether you should continue with your medication or should titrate.

I am considering taking oral minoxidil too and I will do what you did. Take readings.

Hair transplant is an illusion of density. You have a dense looking hairline based on the picture. I understand you want it lowered but I don't think you'll like it. After HT, it will be see through. I suppose you can go for another HT to densify the hairline but that is a long process. It may still be see though and you still won't like your sparse hairline.

If you really want to work on your hair, then perhaps consider constructing temporal points. That will be take about 300 to 500 grafts. Temporal points don't look dense to look natural. One HT and you're done. The temporal points will narrow your forehead a little bit and add some dimensions to your side profile.

You picked some good doctors. Lastly, you must stay on finasteride for life.

On 7/18/2022 at 5:16 PM, slimjerky said:

Magnification loupes are needed during extraction and microscopes to separate hairs into single grafts

I believe HLC uses 6-8x magnification during extraction but uses microscopes to separate the hairs.  Is this sufficient?

Probably it's fine. I am basing this assumption on the generally positive reviews for HLC. However, to know with certainty is to ask HLC.

Also, not all microscopes are created equal. I did some googling. For instance, a $100 point and shoot camera will not take better images than a $3000 full frame camera. Similarly a 10x microscope will not provide better imaging than a high cost 10x stereo microscope. A good stereo microscope will provide a sharp image and good 3D clarity.

There are trade offs to 1. dense packing at the first pass vs 2. sparse implantation and a second pass. 

1. pro: virgin scalp, con: competition for blood floor so some hair might not survive

2. pro: more hair survival and easier to implant at second pass, con: lower density and putting up with poor hair appearance from first HT and scarred tissue so poorer vascular activity from second HT.

Generally speaking, I think Dr Zarev employs second method.

16 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

What Dr. Sethi did with you, not many would do. There’s a difference between Norwood 7 and a case like yours, which requires extreme dedication and measures.

I concur. Dr Sethi spent 6 days operating on Gatsby for 1 operation. That is unheard of!

Some doctors don't use microscopes. Without at least 10x magnification, the follicle may seem to be only 1 hair but in fact there could be a miniaturized hair or hairs hiding in that follicle. Also, using loupes does not provide enough magnification. 

All the Coalition Doctors on the Forum's recommended list must use microscopes.

3 hours ago, didu911 said:

You guys should be careful, this is me after 2 weeks of 5mg oral Minoxidil.

I woke up today with a completely swollen face and also burning sensations around my hearth. 

Will eventually go to the ER, if it is still there in the evening.

 

As of yet, please take care of yourself. Try not to be alone. Hope you get better soon and thanks so much for the warning on oral minoxidil. There is some talk about this drug on reddit and social media. People always talk about the danger of finasteride but oral minoxidil seems to be dangerous too.

Perhaps in the future, talk to a doctor if you plan on taking oral minoxidil again and lowering the dosage to 2.5mg. 

Wish you well.

Great work by Dr Nadimi. Soft and natural hairline. It seems as though any doctors associated with Dr Konoir are good such as Dr Nadimi and Dr Gabel.

Floyd Mayweather has his hair and beard transplant at HOI. He claims to be a billionaire and he lives an extravagant lifestyle. For instance, he has a haircut about weekly and spends about $100k annually on haircuts. Finance is not a significant issue for him, so wondering why he chose HOI.

You can heat the foam up and it will melt to a liquid state. Then drop a portion of a finasteride pill in the liquid and it will dissolve and you can rub that solution to your scalp.

This works, but heating foam repeatedly can become tedious.

Since you are wearing a hat now, why not try different hair styles? If different hair styles don't work, it would be concealed with your hat. Try shaving your hair with a 3 guard, if the beard hair in the crown is still curly, then try a 2 guard. That might give you a homogenized look. See whether you like it. You mentioned that there are some abrupt gaps in the crown, that can be fixed with another hair transplant using your beard hair and some for your jawline too.

Try to think outside the box. When I had my first hair transplant in 2019, I couldn't style my hair the old way anymore and I tried something else and I came to accept and like it. 

Key for you is to cut your hair short and see whether it's uniform without that curly appearance in the crown. If it works and you accept it, then it's the new you. Hair transplant, just like anything else in life has pros and cons.

Buy a $30 clipper from Target or Walmart and give it a whirl.

Are the doctors looking for volunteers of topical dutasteride to test its efficacy?

I find it unusual that Asli Tarcan would implant islands of individual hair grafts at the front of the hairline. Why, what is the purpose?

Before your HT with Dr Mwamba, have you attempted to apply some Toppik in the depleted areas? I think that would have added some density. Of course, that is not a permanent fix and can be a hassle.

I watched some of your youtube videos. I thought they were informative.

You're in good hands with Dr Mwamba. He has lots of experience with repairs. Wishing you all the best!

Hello Melvin,

Would love to see Dr Zarev or Dr Couto. Both produce great results but not a lot of reviews on this forum. Would want to learn more about their techniques and philosophy.

@ZoobzPerhaps you should have a consultation with Dr. Felipe Pittella of Brazil. Melvin just did a podcast with him on Friday. Dr Pitella does not require his patients to be on finasteride because the drug requires lifetime committment and the doctor himself does not take finasteride. He does request his patients to be on minoxidil though.

I had my second HT about 2 months ago. Well I had my car windows tinted a few years ago. Yes, I do spray sunscreen on my scalp and then rub it for thorough coverage. Note that I use sunscreen frequently and application to my scalp is a new regimen for me now. 

Unfortunately, no. Typically, each business is individually owned. Demands fluctuate and there could be cancellations on waitlists. 

There could be a prospective patient that is actively researching hair transplant surgeons and is keeping tabs and posting on this forum and such though.

@hairyharryIf you are concerned about UV radiation, you can tint all your windows including front windshield of your car. That would block out a lot of the harmful UV rays. Additionally, you can spary on some scalp sunscreen.

@AlexMeister21Dr Diep is considered a good doctor. He is on the recommended list on this forum. Dr Diep also corrected Melvin's first hair transplant.

If the angles are not correct, ask Dr Diep to correct them. It's a small job. Even Dr Konoir have some complaints such as one saying the hairline was not symmetrical.

Wait it out, the density should increase.

To run a busy clinic such as H&W, 20 technicians is plausible. They probably don't work at the same time - day shift, night shift, weekend shift, full-time, part-time, etc. Also, a crew for each doctor.

On a side note, I was watching a video clip on the Internet and a person said he knows that there are some high paying technicians and he even knows one that makes $400k annually. If I were to guess, it would be someone that works for H&W for the following reasons, H&W is amongst the costliest clinics, H&W has a high volume of customers, H&W says their technicians do a better job at extracting than they do and Vancouver has a very high cost of living.

Alright, for Norwood 2 and money is no object, Konoir, H&W, Bisinga, Mwamba and Couto, in no particular order.

People say Dr. Rafael de Freitas does great natural hairlines. Can't wait to see your final result in 1 to 1.5 years.

What Dr. Mohebi does requires a lot of energy and coordinate with his team. Good for him. Some doctors such as him work so hard.

When I do a google search, New Delhi consistently ranks as one of the most polluted cities in the world. However, Gurgoan where Eugenix is located is about 45 minutes away. So air quality should be a bit cleaner. If you wear a face mask, that might offer some protection.

I was in India in April and I felt fine. I walked around New Delhi from morning to almost midnight.

Yeah, he had a HT back in 2016 but he was probably not on finasteride. He might have aggressive male pattern baldness. He wears a headband to cover up his sparse hairline.

The guy Nadal beat, Felix Auger-Aliassime, I saw him on the plane last year. He was sitting in first class. The lavoratory at the front was occupied so he walked to the back. Then I saw Felx again at baggage claim, he waited and the luggage didn't come. I think he might have become paranoid and he took off. His people must have retrieved his luggage though.