Xanadu

39 minutes ago, Berba11 said:

Great write up!

 

The work looks brilliant, and the donor area looks absolutely fine in that last picture. Sounds like Eugenix have really improved the design process as well as I felt that was a weak area when I went last year.

Design of the hairline you mean?

What was the problem?

3 hours ago, HappyMan2021 said:

@general-etwan for some reason I thought you were older than 26 haha. 

Being a NW 6 at your young age is quite dicey. Are you worried that even on Fin you may eventually become a NW7?

Does Dr. Das believe this is a "one and done" procedure for you, or does he see more down the road for you?

Do you feel if you did hop on Fin at 21 you would presently be a lesser Norwood? It's frustrating how so many guys buy into the Propecia fear mongering and spend a few years progressing 1 to 4 grades higher on the Norwood scale before at least trying it out. 

That all being said, happy growing!

What's more than frustrating is that we even have people in here (a place that is supposed to support people with MPB but has people (like Goligoli) that constantly try to scare people away from using the only FDA approved medicine that actually combats the root cause. They do so under the guise of providing information, when everyone is already bombarded with information about the potential sides and no sane person has not been down a deep rabbit hole of reading and getting information about fin none-stop. Noone needs more fear mongering, because that is what it is. 

2 minutes ago, shiba1985 said:

it may. and he may lose some hair. so what he lives his entire life not liking the baldness instead of going for it. If it does thin, he will get top ups and touchups to improve it. 

I agree. And I'm not sure that is even the donor area but just the scalp/crown thining as it does in someone who would undoubtedly be NW7 without fin. I think Eugenix made the right decision and decided that this was certainly doable (and they do excel at high NWs), and the results so far look good. Looking forward to see the updates.

4 hours ago, general-etwan said:

Hello everyone,

First I want to thank everyone here who may have played a role in helping me find a clinic I was confident in and helped me achieve this. This will document the journey for me.

Pre-HT Situation
MPB runs very aggressively on my father's side of the family. My grandfather, two uncles, and father have all lost significant amounts of hair by their 20s-30s. In my early teens, I already had thin hair, but didn't recognize it at the time. The aggressive hair loss probably began around age 15. I wasn't into the science of hair loss back then and so I didn't really know what was happening/didn't think about it much. But by the time I was 18-20, I knew I had lost a significant amount, suffered from the mental and social effects of knowing I disliked the look so much, etc. Below is a progression of the situation at different ages.

I remember trying minoxidil very briefly in my early 20s, but quickly "gave up" after it (obviously) didn't regrow all of my hair. I also saw a dermatologist around age 22 who presented the option of finasteride to me, but I chose not to begin taking it at that time for a few reasons: 1) He (correctly) informed me that it would not regrow all of my hair, and 2) I was in a period of being irrationally scared of taking it based on claims I had read online. So I essentially continued to do nothing while still dreaming of the possibility of having a HT somewhere, somehow. At age 24 I had a transplant consultation at a world-renowned doctor in NYC, and was politely turned down for the possibility of a transplant. My hair loss was too aggressive, they said, and a transplant at the time would not yield satisfactory results. They also said they would require finasteride for 1 year first before even considering a procedure.

So, at that point I was discouraged and essentially gave up again, though mentally I never gave up on trying to figure out how to change the situation. When you're still very young and suffer from this amount of hair loss, it makes you feel like you don't belong in many ways. Even though I've always had a fantastic family, great friends, and good people in my life, went to a great school, played sports, attended a great university and had several great involvements, I never felt confident in the look of having such aggressive hair loss and so I wore hats everywhere. The only time I would not wear a hat was when I was alone. I would read about hair cloning all the time, knowing it will probably be available someday, but that day surely won't come for decades yet.

So in early 2021, at age 25, I tried something that I learned my father has done since his 20s: wear hair systems. I actually didn't even know that he wore them until I was in my early 20s; that is how authentic and natural they looked. One of my uncles was also starting to get into the process of wearing them, so they taught me all about them and I decided to try it out. I purchased systems online and took them to HairClub to apply and maintain. I did that for about 8 months in 2021 and sported a bit of a medium-length messy look on top. There are pros and cons to hair systems. The pros were that they looked pretty good and allowed me to go outside without hat wearing which was a whole new feeling of freedom that I appreciated. The cons are that they become very expensive recurring costs, the adhesives break down constantly and require regular maintenance (appointments, scheduling), the daily time commitment of styling and making sure the edges were not coming up, the careful washing in the shower, the occasional irritation. Ultimately, I decided that continuing to wear systems forever was simply not satisfactory enough for me. I am a very active person and while you absolutely can learn to make systems work with an active lifestyle, it certainly is not without irritation and annoyance, and it just wasn't what I wanted to do going forward.

In January 2022 at age 26, after reading a lot of the science behind it, I decided I was going to try finasteride, as I was no longer irrationally afraid of any side effect claims. I did not experience any noticeable negative side effects and within a few months already started to see some improvement around the edge of the pattern of hair loss. I also added minoxidil and microneedling to that strategy; simply a "final stand" attempt at a natural hair recovery.

By spring, I had found Eugenix and had read a lot of the cases posted here. I was highly impressed with what they've done for higher Norwoods, and finding a clinic that was also within my financial means for the number of grafts I would need also felt like a miracle. At first they quoted me for around 5,500 grafts; upon more communication I requested they plan to be as aggressive as possible because I care far less about the back and sides of my head than I do the top. They re-assessed a plan for 6,500 grafts using 4,500 scalp donor + 2,000 beard donor, but I did understand that was a high projection and it would likely end up being around the original estimation. 

First, some pre-HT pictures from the last year or so (age 24-26):

  

  

 

Eugenix Pre-HT Plans
I chose the Exclusive Package at Eugenix, which is 120 INR/graft + 18% tax (so about $1.45 USD/graft right now). The Exclusive Package has the procedure led by a senior doctor; senior doctor performs 100% of slits and then all extraction and implantation is performed by senior technicians. I was informed that Dr. Priyadarshini Das would be doing my HT, and I've seen great work from her in some other cases. I also received complimentary 4 nights in a 5-star hotel, all transportation from New Delhi airport to the hotel and to the clinic, and food included in that package. They scheduled me for September 15-16 and I began my travel planning.

I only told a few people about my plans early on because I wanted to focus on all of the travel planning required without worrying people in addition. Only a few people in my family have traveled very far; certainly never to the other side of the Earth. I was never even on an airplane myself until age 24, but I'm very independently driven and I had no concerns about my ability to travel to India to do this. It was worth it for me. I just didn't want to worry too many people too early, because not everyone understands everything involved, and attempting to explain everything to people who aren't into this topic can be very exhausting.

I am from the eastern USA so I chose a flight from JFK to DEL for around $1,000 round trip. Direct flight from JFK to DEL, but then on the way home, a stop in Doha, Qatar to save money. It would have been $600 more for a direct flight home. I had miles racked up from a credit card, so I actually ended up only paying about $200 out of pocket for my flights. My procedure was scheduled for September 15-16, Thursday and Friday, so I had to leave home on Tuesday evening to arrive in New Delhi Wednesday evening. 

I had to have blood work done a few weeks prior and forward the results to Eugenix for standard inspection: red/white blood cells, Hep, HIV, prothrombin time, etc.

The communication from Eugenix leading up to my travel was excellent. I had members of the Eugenix Concierge team reach out to me consistently every few days to ensure I was prepared, understood the way things would go, etc.

Evening Before HT
After about a 15-hour flight from NYC to DEL, which honestly wasn't too bad because I slept for most of it, I arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport a little after 9 pm Wednesday night and proceeded through customs and immigration. As for travel documents needed for this journey: passport, India e-visa printout, negative covid test result (if not providing vaccine card), and Air Suvidha declaration form required for all international passengers arriving to India.

I was contacted by the concierge team in the airport and was informed of how to locate my driver who was waiting to take me to the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel. Upon walking outside to the taxi area, I was immediately bombarded with multiple "taxi drivers" asking me where I was going, offering rides, etc. I was prepared for these "scams" ahead of time as I had heard about them. It was a bit chaotic and I was trying to find the gate where my Hilton driver was, but it took me about 5-10 minutes and in that time I was approached by 5-10 taxi drivers offering rides and demanding info on where I was going. You have to just politely say "I already have travel arranged, thank you" and keep walking away. Eventually I found the Hilton representative and my driver, who had his car parked in the parking lot. He went and got his car, pulled up to the curb, took my bags, and we proceeded to the hotel. 

I stayed in the DoubleTree by Hilton in Gurugram (Baani Square) which is only a couple minutes down the street from the Eugenix clinic. All of the attendants at the hotel were fantastic in getting me checked in and settled in my room. By that time it was after midnight and I had been informed of my reporting time at 9 am to Eugenix the next morning.

Day 1
I woke up around 8 am and stuck to my breakfast snacks I had brought with me because I didn't have a lot of time. At 9 am Eugenix called me and said the driver was outside; he picked me up in a very nice luxury SUV and we proceeded to the clinic. I brought my backpack with me with just a few belongings needed and a buttoned shirt which you need to wear after the procedure starts so you're not messing up your head. The roads in Gurgaon/Gurugram are very chaotic. The constant honking, aggressive maneuvers of drivers, but I found it amusing.

There, I checked in with some attendants and they showed me around. Then I was met by some doctors who informed me of how things would go, gave me some medication, etc. Then Dr. Das greeted me. Then I was met by a leading technician (who would take the primary care for me for all 3 days) and he led me into the photo area to take pre-HT photos. Below are some of those.

  

 

Dr. Das was initially stressed at the examination of the situation; I could tell. Her goal was to get 4,000 grafts from scalp donor area but she told me honestly that she was not sure if she could get 4,000. I did seem to experience some thinning in the 2 months leading up to the procedure, which I'm not sure why occurred...I do not know whether finasteride's effects hit a plateau and reversed, or if it was temporary caused by stress or something, or just an illusion. Anyway, Dr. Das then consulted with me for 15-30 minutes on the design of the HT on big screens with these pictures. We agreed on no temple work because it would require too many grafts, and when I grow my hair out, my temples are still acceptable to me anyway. She suggested a pretty conservative hairline, which of course I understood because of the advanced hair loss. She also explained that the plan would be to cover to the upper part of the crown, but not all the way down to the lower donor area, for 2 reasons: 1) Not enough grafts available and 2) that lower crown region is area that can improve with finasteride + minoxidil and be addressed in other ways. So, the plan was to cover approximately the below area (though I drew the hairline inaccurately), utilizing 1,000-2,000 beard grafts as well since I have good facial hair:

Once we agreed to the plan, an assistant sat down with me and went over the pricing and payment, and we took care of that. Then the lead caregiving technician got me ready with a change of clothes and settled me into the room, made sure I was comfortable, and began the preparation.

First I was given the local anesthesia all over the top of the scalp and the donor area. Dr. Das made all of the slits across the entire scalp, which I could feel the sensation of but of course not feel the pain from. That took a while. Then the leading techs began the extractions and implantations; the first day consisted of using scalp donor hair from the sides of the head on the hairline and the middle half of the scalp. I believe 2,400 grafts were implanted the first day according to the whiteboard the next day. Lunch was around 2-3 pm and they order anything you want; I'm a big pizza and fast food guy (bad I know) so they ordered some pepperoni pizzas for me which were very good. They also ask you what kind of music you like and they'll put on a playlist on a big TV in the room. They played some rap/hip-hop, pop, and some relaxing meditation music which was all uniquely enjoyable. After all the slits were made, Dr. Das left but would check in every 30 minutes or so during the extraction and implantation. We finished up around 6-7 pm. I was given full instructions on how to care for my head overnight along with a kit of items; mainly a bottle of saline spray that I was told to spray on the recipient area every hour. Also an absorption cloth to put on the pillow at night to absorb the donor area.

  

 

 

Day 2
The second day again began at 9 am. I was able to wake up earlier and order room service breakfast at the hotel. Chocolate chip pancakes, one of my favorites.

The plan for the second day was to cover the mid-scalp all the way back to the crown. The hair in the middle of the scalp donor area was used for this. I believe around 1,600 were implanted, bringing the 2-day total to 4,000 grafts.

   

  

Note that in the donor area on the back, I have a scar where no hair grows...that is just a scar from a cut in childhood; leaving it alone was absolutely fine with me.

Day 3
The entire area had been covered in the first two days but rather than rush to extract and implant beard grafts for more density Friday night, after an already long day, Dr. Das wanted to take Saturday to finish everything up. 1,300 beard grafts were used I believe in the mid-scalp to crown region. This part of the local anesthesia was the most painful as the jaw area can be very sensitive, but I just had to push through and get it done. A lot of this work was done in a position that allowed me to sit upright leaning over the reclined chair and I was able to use my phone a bit.

  

My head was very sore after these 3 days and I also started experiencing a lot pain in the implantation phase; the anesthesia kept wearing off so the technician had to keep giving me more, which blew my head up like a balloon (not seen here; the worst of it happened later that night and the next day). It was exhausting to say the least, but I felt extremely cared for by the team and they did whatever they had to do to make me as comfortable as possible. 

So the total was 5,300 grafts (4,000 scalp + 1,300 beard). When we finished up, Dr. Das inspected everything and expressed that she was super happy with the density achieved given the situation, and also that she was able to get 4,000 grafts from scalp donor. I was able to go sit in the "chill" room for a while, eat lunch, and relax. Then we took post-HT pictures.

  

  

I had seen Dr. Sethi while walking through the clinic, so after a few minutes I asked an assistant about him and they said "Oh yeah, of course, he's going to be so happy to see you" or something like that. Then I met Dr. Sethi; he has an absolutely elated personality. He examined the work done and then grabbed my hand and said "Come on, let's go!" It was a busy Saturday at the clinic and there were multiple people there for consultations/planning. Dr. Sethi took my hand and led me all around the building, showing my results to people and having me say hello to other technicians and team members I had not met yet. He asked me where I was from, about my family and schooling, etc. It was a SUPER fun time and his care made me feel fantastic after an exhausting procedure. Dr. Arika Bansal also arrived sometime after and I briefly got to say hello to her on the stairs, and she smiled a bunch at me and told me to send her pictures of the results as time went on. I wish I had taken some selfies with them but everything was chaotic and I was just focused on enjoying the moments. 

Then I spent at least a half hour with one of the leading doctors who gave me a kit full of items and explained the post-care to me. This included: saline spray for the recipient area every hour for 7 days, betadine solution and healing ointment for the donor area daily for 7 days, recovery medication to take for 7 days, months supply of hair growth vitamins, a year's worth of finasteride tablets at no cost, more absorption cloths for pillow, many surgical caps to wear gently over the head if desired while out/traveling, a neck pillow to help with sleeping for the first few nights, a letter to TSA instructing permission for me to travel with oversized items if stopped at the airport (I was not), a book by a Yogi, and an absolutely beautiful letter thanking me for entrusting this clinic and promising a lifetime of friendship.

  

Weekend & Travel Home
I extended my hotel reservation by one night, so I stayed 5 nights stay total. Saturday evening and Sunday I simply relaxed and caught up some movies I wanted to watch in my hotel room. My head was blown up from all the fluid in it; I had to keep pressing it to the sides of my forehead and downward to help the body get rid of it more quickly. Sleeping was not too bad at all. I left Monday morning; my driver took me to the airport and I was on my way back home. Well, first to Doha, which was a fun few hours in Hamad Airport, and then the long flight back home to JFK.

I chose to wear my surgical cap and a loose high-crown hat over top of it, just 2 days after the procedure was finished. If you are careful, this is absolutely safe to do, as the top of the hat lays above the head and does not put pressure on the recipient area.

 

I especially want to thank the leading caregiver technician who worked with me for all three days. He led me around, told me what was next, took all of my pictures, took care of my Gatorade and water drinks, phone, made sure my positions in the chair were comfortable, etc. I did not get to learn his name and wish I had, but he treated me like royalty, as did everyone on the team, and I would never expect or ask for so much love. It made my anxiety in a completely unknown place go away and he made me feel great about every step of the procedure.

I will be posting some updates here since it has already been a few weeks, though I don't plan to spend as much time on this forum as maybe some users going forward. But I know there is a lot of interest in Eugenix and cases like mine, so I will be sure to check in. If you desire, you can also follow me on Instagram @ethanlculver (http://instagram.com/ethanlculver) as I enjoy responding to DMs on there, and I may upload some pictures in the future of the results, if you should be interested. Thank you to all here who contributed to me embarking on this journey. See you around!

This is super interesting as I am considering Eugenix too, and only has slightly more hair than you. 

Which package did you choose and who was the doctor?

I now saw that you included both pieces of info. Great writeup.

31 minutes ago, LookMaxx said:

They do seem to have grown but not dense.

I am consulting with Dr Turan as well and concerned about the poor growth on left side. But it’s also a bad angle as Melvin suggested. Comb the hair up not down so the complete hairline can be seen clearly, you’re doing the opposite.

Yes. It looks like the hairline looks similar to before, just moved forward. But hard to see if that is really the case from those pics.

22 minutes ago, Vann said:

It’s basically like folding the hose and having a blockage, except the rock is the fold. 

Yes, as I understand it, that's it. I guess he used the rock analogy because there is not a full blockage in most people. And the rock just takes up space increasing the pressure, but doesn't stop flow completely.

I wanted to hear if this resonates with you guys.

So he said that DHT affects several areas of the body like an allergy. It is a natural thing, but still unwanted and unhealthy. DHT irritates the hair follicles and over time they miniturize and eventually die. DHT irritates the prostate, which over time results in it enlarging. 

In regards to why some men experience erectile issues after finateride he argued that it was like a waterbed being tied to a water hose in one end, and a number of tiny holdes at the other end. In the middle of the water bed is a big rock. The water bed will be hard because the water pressure from the hose is higher than the speed with which the water can escape throug the small holes. However, if one were to take the big rock away, then the pressure inside the water bed would be much less - for a while. There would be lower pressure in the bed until the water hose could fill up the space that the rock left behind. 

Similarly if we imagine a rock with the hose and the tiny holes, and just the right water pressure inside the water bed, then if someone places a big rock in the bed, the pressure will increase until the added pressure on the holes evens out the pressure and it stabilizes the way it was before.

He argued that this is part of why a less irritated ejaculatory system and a smaller prostate is like taking away the rock leaving behind less pressure in the system. It will usually take about 1-12 weeks for things to even out. It is also the reason why people who stop using finasteride will often experience an increase in erectile quality - but still again this will only last 1-12 weeks. 

1 hour ago, LookMaxx said:

It is a horrible take and just misinformation.

First, if you go bald at 20, how does that give you more dating chances lol. You’re not the only one hitting the gym bro and NW0 hitting the gym will steal the girl. The whole Andrew tate mascular bald guy appeals to other guys but not women definitely not young girls. Andrew tate without money and fame is just a loudmouth ugly bald guy lol. It’s devastating to be a bald guy at such a young age, I guess it will work for gay guys because guys are into the gym naked mole rat look more but not for straight guys. 
 

Second, have you ever used finasteride? It doesn’t hurt your virility, what BS. 
 

I agree with Melvins opinion if he did say it. At such an old age if you stay NW6, yeah you’re not going NW7 or going NW7 very slowly. What’s the point of adding medication when you probably are using other medication to stay alive at that age 

Your opinion appears to be of someone who has zero experience of baldness at young age or with finasteride. Young bald guys get bullied in school/college/university, if you save your confidence somehow after all the bullying, there won’t be much left when the girl rejects you. No amount of gym time will give you confidence then. I mean mate, there’s a guy on this forum who dumped by his fiancé at 24, tell him to hit the gym and be andrew Tate, that will make him the ladies man 😂

 

As someone who lost hairs at 30 because I was afraid of finasteride, I wish I had started fin earlier. I feel the devastating effects of baldness in my 30s, I can’t imagine how horrible my life would’ve been if it had happened in my 20s. 

I think it all comes down to whether finasteride is dangerous and can make a guy impotent. 

Melvin seems to think that it definitely can and there is a real and present danger of it. Hence, why he said it would be crazy to use if 50 years old and NW5 or 6. 

Well, if finasteride really is that dangerous, then it seems to me that it would be even worse to use as a young 20 something NW2 or 3. Because that guy can still get plenty of girls, but whats the purpose if he is impotent? 

I'm not saying (and I probably don't even believe so) that fin definitely will hurt virility (or make breasts etc), but that was Melvin's reason why someone older with higher NW 'would be crazy to use fin'. So we cannot have it both ways, either its dangeorous or its not, and if it is then it seems that losing erectile function etc is even worse for a 20 year old - and if that happens do you think he (or his girlsfriend) will be happy that at least he has hair? No, it will be a tragedy. 

21 minutes ago, Fox243 said:

I think it’s about risk-reward. If you’re a NW2 without fin, you’re not even eligible for a surgery imho. I’d say that a surgery could get someone who is planned to be a NW7 to a NW3 through several procedures. So if you’re fine accepting that, then there’s no need for fin. But if you want a NW1.5 level hairline, only meds can help you get there. 
 

If you’re NW6, there’s not much hair left to save so it’s just probably not worth the same risk of side effects as everyone else with minimum benefit. You need to get a transplant anyways – might as well stick another thousands grafts to cover a NW7. Some may argue that you would be a candidate at NW6 but not NW7, so you need to take meds. But I don’t buy that because in my opinion, you should never rely on meds to maintain a transplant. That’s just poor planning. And sure transplanted hair may thin, but even most NW7 I’ve seen still have good donor that’s just barely thinned.  

Sure. For me, if I'm NW1, 2 or 3 wouldn't really impact me. All good still, so messing with fin at a young age would be crazy. 

On the other hand completely nw6 or 7 at around 50 that would not be great. Plus the downside to sides at that age is not nearly as big a loss.

So yes, definitely tisk reward. I guess my point is that nothing could get me t o  take any chance in my 20ties in terms of virility etc. And certainly nothing to do with hair. There is no hair upside the t would make up for the t. Then I'd rather go to the gym and buzz or shave while not risking virility. So in terms of value there is not enough upside at thst age for the potential downside.

With age th t changes. At a point those things become less important. Hair also become less important but compared to virility it always was less important, and at least at 50+ trying to have a ht and being I n fin would be far less scary than earlier on. Sure, there is not as much hair left to save but there is also much less to lose in the other department. So on the balance it seems like an okay risk reward later in life, and a much more risky idea earlier in life. If one believe that fin is dangerous to take.

Finally, I agree that a ht preferably should not depend on taking me 's because Noone knows if that will be possible. This is another reason why ht and fin are better and less risky to consider later in life. Because at that stage more hair has been lost and the ht might have to cover all and the dependence on medicine is low while st rating young with a low nw will always make the ht dependent on medicine (or multiple hts).

I just saw this from one of our excellent moderators, but I'm not sure that's how I would feel.

If I'm 20 years old not hurting my virility has max priority. Even if I go bald, I'll just go to the gym and still have plenty of 'fun'. When would I risk sides from fin? Maybe when I'm 50 or 60 because then I'm might be a grand dad and that side of life is far less important for most than for a young guy. 

So if someone truly thinks fin is risky, then going on it as young seems much more crazy than going on it late in life.

10 hours ago, DickSmith said:

I was hoping I could get some opinion before naming them especially if I might be wrong here. But it is scary to be missing 2000 grafts. 

Maybe people know that the clinic is known for this in other cases, or that this clinic does something that makes it seem like this but the hairs will come later, and so on. Knowing which clinic it is will just make it easier to answer you.

On 8/4/2022 at 7:39 PM, GoliGoliGoli said:

Eh, SMP can often be a mistake 

I don't understand what you are doing in a forum like this?

In the short time I have been here I have seen you be negative about hair transplants, and trying to scare people from using finasteride, and now you are also saying that SMP is a mistake. 

What is your motivation - and is any hair treatment a good idea in your mind, or are you just trolling?

9 minutes ago, Xanadu said:

"The reason we stopped hosting discussions for him are for the reasons I’ve already provided ad nauseam. "

Could I ask what this reason is, or which post to see it in?

 

I found the answer and therefore wanted to delete this post, but see not delete option.

On 9/29/2022 at 11:44 PM, Melvin- Moderator said:

I do not treat his patients like crap, there are several threads up, they’re not censored in anyway so that is a lie! 

What are you talking about I have said Dr. Bicer is a great surgeon on multiple occasions. I never said Dr. Pekiner was a bad surgeon. The reason we stopped hosting discussions for him are for the reasons I’ve already provided ad nauseam. 

I have not stopped one single patient from posting their review, that is again a LIE. You can disagree with our reasons, you can critique my style of moderating, but I will not tolerate you spreading lies. 

"The reason we stopped hosting discussions for him are for the reasons I’ve already provided ad nauseam. "

Could I ask what this reason is, or which post to see it in?

5 hours ago, R Des said:

Oh my! Thank guys I was about to make a huge mistake , I’m gonna go to a derm here in USA to start some meds and like you guys said wait a couple months or almost a year anyway I want a top doctor and probably the waiting list it’s over a year so anyway I have to wait so my first options right now is Freitas , I don’t even know how to contact Cuoto I read in another post he don’t even take new patients it’s that true? And I was thinking Pekiner but I have mix feelings a lot people say it’s good and another few say I shouldn’t considered him I’m a little confused 

So my first option Freitas then Cuoto but I can’t even contact him , then Bisanga? I really dont wanna fly just for a consult but if he’s really good I’m willing to do it what do you think guys , it is worthy ?

Regarding Pekiner, I would be worried why he seems to be trying to be anonymous on the Internet, and can only be contacted indirectly through some assistant. While all the other clinics and Drs have big Internet presence, Pekiner seems to be wanting to be anonymous. I wonder what the reason might be?

Thanks for the info guys.

I seem to not see people in here recommending them, but there are some good outcomes on youtube.

Very difficult to find the clinic online, and when I did (through his facebook) it is no longer operational.

Is he no longer working - or does anyone know the website?

On 12/20/2021 at 6:28 PM, bloodhound said:

It was split between 2, Umut and Cenginz 

All the botched posts about HLC seem to mention the same doctors.

On 9/17/2022 at 6:22 AM, jk606 said:

Pekiner is former HLC.  He does excellent hairlines and procedure himself.

It's neohead clinic right? Still haven't been able to find the website.

On 7/23/2022 at 8:27 PM, Z-- said:

Holy damn. That's a brutal result. Absolutely disgraceful behaviour and treatment -- I'm so sorry, OP. It's 6 months, so hopefully some of the sides will recover (but tbh, looks like a classic case of overharvesting) and the result grows in a bit more in a few months, but your concerns are 100% warranted. Can you post pre-op photos, like from before your surgery with them and maybe a frontal hairline shot?

So the first operation got you 4,200 (2.2k head, and 2k chest) grafts and the second operation was 2,500 grafts (all head), right? So did they not use your beard? I don't understand why they started with chest before beard? That's super bizarre. 6,700 grafts should look way more than what you have (even 4,200 alone should, esp for the front which is most critical). I'm sorry to say, but I think this doesn't look good. 

This won't be an easy fix, but you will need to reach out to an elite repair doctor. Email one of the following: Bisanga, Konior, Mwamba, Zarev, and Sethi specifically (Eugenix) ASAP. Don't go back to the clinic. I'm sorry bro - I won't be mentioning these guys in the same breadth as the rare few decent Turkish clinics.

Which are those rare ones?

On 7/2/2022 at 4:30 PM, THE TRUTH said:

Waw ! Over 4000 grafts for someone who is relatively young and only a Norwood 2.5 hairline with minimal loss ? 

Well I mean okay it's not like you're 20 without being on medication.

You are 29 and your miniaturization seems to be stabilized thanks to the use of finasteride so you are an okay candidate  but still the fact they did 4000 grafts only for a Norwood 2.5 hairline to me seems way exagerated....

Reminds me of this similar case from the same clinic and the result was really subpar...

Did you ask specifically to get 4000 grafts ? Or was it the clinic's suggestion ? 

Did they elaborate a long term strategy and how about your total donor capacity ? 

Anyways I wish you a happy recovery ! All the best

 

YEs, 4000 for that limited need seems very exaggerated.

When searching for HLC two completely different web sites come up. It seems one of the doctors is in both websites, but the other people seem different. Also the phone numbers are different. They both seem to be in Ankara.
 

Very Confusing.
 

Does anyone know which one is the "real" HLC.