Adrenaline7

I always thought transplants on diffuse hair were done all the time with predominantly successful results?

Also name the clinic who did this for the sake of the rest of us considering transplants.

How are you guys getting such impressive results from 3000ish grafts? I’ve been regularly quoted 3500 grafts and my hair is nowhere near as gone as either of yours was. Doesn’t it take 2000-2500 grafts just for some slight NW 2-3 receding/thinning at the front?

Looks slightly under to me. Which clinic was this at?

You need to do more research. It’s not a matter of Finasteride OR a hair transplant. If you get a transplant and aren’t on medication to block DHT and prevent future hair loss of your native hairs then you’ll continue to bald around where your transplanted hairs have been placed.

This seems pretty low for a NW5. I got assessed as a NW3V by both doctors and quoted around 3000-3500 grafts by Dr. Turan and 2500-3000 grafts by Dr. Gur. As far as DHI is concerned, I wouldn’t worry to much about the method. DHI is actually a part of the FUE method. It just refers to how the grafts are implemented, using a CHOI implanter pen. It’s all about the skill of the doctor (in this case, both seem skilled) and which of their plans sound the best to you.

I may go a bit more conservative with the hairline than I originally planned due to the advice in this thread, although I do want to reconstruct it and straighten it up a bit, otherwise what’s the point of even getting a transplant? I’d never be happy with it. It’s really confusing how I’m being told by some clinics/forum members that I have minimal hair loss and am a great candidate with a good doner area, then told by others that I don’t need a transplant at all, then told by others that I’m in a dangerous position with diffused thinning and shouldn’t risk grafts. A lot of mixed signals coming from all directions haha. Another question I have: I’ve been quoted 1500-2000 for front and 1000 for crown by a forum recommended doctor who believes this will fix hairline, mid section and crown. Does this seem on the low side to anyone else? They charge per graft so I’m concerned this will become a lot higher on surgery day. 2000 for the hairline is believable (if they’re planning a conservative hairline), but with this amount of diffused thinning all over is 1000 grafts really enough to cover it with decent density? Or do you believe two surgeries and more grafts is a better assessment of my situation? Thanks to everyone so far! I feel like I’m becoming more and more educated by the day, and glad I ran a mile from going to Turkey after my initial research.

Hopefully that lagging side fills in nicely for you in the next couple of months. I’m considering HairTran myself. Have you seen many non-Asian results? I’ve seen a few on Reddit, but outside of that there seems to be limited information on Dr. Patty and HairTran Clinic anywhere.

You hair loss actually looks similar to mine, maybe just a little more advanced. Any updates with what you ended up doing?

Most Google reviews for these Turkish clinics are fake. If you can’t find anything anywhere else (like on a trusted forum such as this one), stay clear.

Wouldn’t this end up looking worse with a receding hairline because you’d no longer have the length on top to cover bald spots, give illusion of density etc?

So has it been proven not to cause heart problems now? I wouldn’t trust oral minoxidil personally.

Alright, I will keep the Finasteride/Dutasteride combination going and see what happens in another couple of months but I can’t take Minoxidil after the sides I got and risk of heart problems. Not worth it for a drug that doesn’t even stop the core problem of hair loss (DHT production). My understanding is that Finasteride usually still works in stabilising the hairline area, but will be very unlikely to bring any hair back in that area. Like NARMAK said, the original studies were just on the crown so officially this is the area it’s categorically proven to work in high percentages on. Anyone want to have a guess as to my hair loss pattern and which NW I’ll end up at without medication or surgical intervention? Also, how are my temporal points looking? I’ve heard this is a really difficult part of surgery but have no idea how to judge if I need any work done there.

Thanks for that suggestion Civic. I think I am taking the generic brand. I’ve been on Finasteride for over 7 months, not 2 months. I just started taking Dut once a week as well.

Yeah, I understand that not everyone makes gains on Finasteride. I guess what I’m asking is does it look like I’ve lost further hair? to me, it definitely looks like I have especially around the hairline from the front on photos. This is 7 months on Finasteride so if I’m still losing hair, it doesn’t give me much confidence that I’ve stabilised it enough for a transplant.

Ah, I see. Hard to tell then. I tried topical minoxidil and it made my body heat up and heart race so I stopped instantly. Have just added Dutasteride once a week on top of Finasteride 6 times a week to my routine to see if it makes a difference. I also just posted a thread on my progress (or lack of) on finasteride if you wanna check it out.

The first front on photo is from 2 months ago. The second is from today. Same with the from the top photos. I’ve consistently been on Finasteride 1.25mg/day for over 7 months now and my hair still seems to be thinning and looking worse. What do you guys think? And next course of action? Can anyone tell what my Norwood pattern is? Am I heading towards a 6/7?

Very good results! Good on you for taking the advice and resorting to meds first. Wish I had similar results but been on Finasteride for over 7 months now and still nothing. Did you notice switching over to Dutasteride made all the difference?

Wow, your crown looks great. Definitely don’t need another hair transplant. Can I ask how long it took you on meds to see results? What did it look like after 6 months? I’m almost 7 months on finasteride and my density hasn’t improved at all.

Thanks for your input. I’m 31 and been on Finasteride for 6.5 months. It may have stabilised the hair loss but hasn’t regrown any hair as of yet. As far as family history is concerned, my father is bald but my grandfather on my mother’s side still had good hair in his 60s when he passed away. I would say the hair in my doner area is thick enough. How many grafts do you think is around the mark to restore my hairline and add good density all over? Do you recommend one surgery for the front then one for the crown, or just one surgery to correct both? Thank you.

So I'm deciding on two different propositions from two different doctors and was wondering what you guys think. The first involves doing hairline/front and crown in one surgery using 3000 grafts. The second involves doing one surgery focusing on the hairline/front using around 3000-3500 grafts, and then doing a second surgery a year later on the crown after giving medication longer to try and fill it in. I much prefer the idea of getting it done with one procedure, but is 3000 grafts really enough to cover my hairline, my low density front section and the crown? The second doctor doesn't seem to think so. Which proposition seems the better option for my hair loss from the photos I posted?

Just to let you know, I have taken the advice here and the flights to Istanbul have been cancelled. In the end after unrecoverable costs and cancellation fees I lost about 1k. Money well spent if it saves my hair from being butchered I guess. A reputable doctor in Bangkok in January is the next move I’m looking at (much shorter flight too). I can’t live with hair like this for much longer.

Second hair transplant for the crown? If I only need 2000-2500 grafts for hairline and front area then I should have plenty of grafts left over. I’ve been on Finasteride for just over 6 months now. Yeah, topical Minoxidil gave me a pretty unpleasant burning feeling and racing heart so I might try to add Dutasteride a couple of times a week instead. Apparently studies show that works well. I can hide my balding fairly well with my wavy/curly hair and the right hair thickening product, so I think that still looks better than bald would, but thanks for the feedback!

31 and on Finasteride