BackFromTheBrink

That appears to be his modus operandi - to analyse the head and transplant so that there is a consistent density across the head. It'll help reduce the halo effect where the strip of hair between donor and recipient is untouched and is therefore denser.

As has been said, DHT causes body hair growth. It's logical to assume that a reduction in DHT would also result in less body hair. I've only noticed a change in chest hair - armpits don't seem affected at all, nor my legs or arms. I don't think it's anything to worry about, just as thickening of body hair through minoxidyl isnt.

I had exactly the same (quickly - after 6 months). Much less chest hair. I suspect it'll all depend on the amount of DHT that is in your body. In our cases it seems to have tipped the balance so that hair follicles on the body are recieving enough to maintain growth.

I tend to agree, as impressive as it is. I had arguably more loss, and yet only had 3100 grafts. Even if I have another 2k for full crown coverage I'm at half this amount of grafts. That said, he had the donor and the surgeon gets good survival rates, so this will be very dense!

I interpreted trash hormone as having no practical use in adulthood. It's clear that it does have some influence on mental and sexual health, so in my opinion it's not an accurate assessment.

It's not about the surgeon, it's about a long term approach. Generally you need to blend beard and scalp hair to retain the illusion. What are you looking for - a surgeon that won't insist on medication? There are plenty, some of them are very reputable. However, I would say you really should give some consideration to waiting for a surgery that will change how you look permanently.

It's a bit of an odd request imho. It's surgery - the less people there, the better. It's not a day out / holiday that you photograph for posterity but rather an elective medical procedure. Im sure they'll look after your girlfriend and make her comfortable in the waiting room/reception. You will have the opportunity to update her periodically, have lunch together etc. I'm sure she can keep the rest of your family updated without blow by blow updates with photographs.

It's difficult. I'd say you need to at least start finesteride and take it for 2 or 3 months to show you can tolerate it. The odds are it will slow down your hair loss. The question is, if it doesn't could you tolerate a head of hair that looks unnatural as your hair continues to fall? The reason you've been advised 12 months is because you have limited donor capacity combined with relatively major hair loss so you cannot continue with multiple transplants to combat further hair loss. With 12 months medical therapy you'll know whether or not you can continue on the medication (for life) and whether it is effective for you specifically. It's all about how much risk you are personally prepared to take. The doctors are showing ethical behaviour - don't choose an unethical doctor because of that!

😁 If you have the time, Google 'zarev presentation' for videos - the first hit should be a YouTube video which has 14,000 grafts in the title. He covers 3 of his cases. It's truly bonkers.

Erm, ok. Doesn't that show fantastic donor management and precision in achieving homogeneity? You think it's not possible so the results are fake? I assume you saw the video where he presented at a conference hosted by Dr C*** and had one such patient come up to the stage so people could see the result?

Theres a lot the comes down to individual physiology. If you look at the transplants that look great after 6 months most are on younger patients, so age plays a part too. As others have said, the more elite surgeons generally cause less trauma (so quicker healing on average) as well as getting high yield. However, if a bad surgeon mistreats grafts or implants poorly you'll get a bad result at 6 months regardless. I was an easy grower, but people told me to cool my jets as it doesn't indicate whether the result will ultimately be good or not. I'd say that by 8-9 months 90% of people will know whether their transplant will be a success.

What gives you reason to doubt? Every result I've seen (posted by clinic or patient) has been a home run. Could you share one that wasn't?

Wouldn't 1mg every other day be the same dosage as you're currently on? Moving to 1mg/day would be an option. How holy trinity also includes ketoconazole shampoo. Others also take MSM and saw Palmetto.

Interesting. So they're proposing a relatively nature hairline and treating the hairline and midscalp. Presumably they'd assess the donor and consider a mega session (with 1500-2500 more grafts for the crown) or (preferably) do that in a second pass. Alternatively, with a 5 euro budget I'd be tempted to go for Zarev and get the procedure done in one shot (though there's a 2 year waiting list).

Welcome to the forum! Did they cover exactly which areas would be covered, the hairline design etc? It seems like the numbers mentioned would tackle crown or hairline, but not both.

I’d have to respectfully disagree. There are so many clinics in Turkey, and the majority are not ‘top tier’, in my opinion. Turkey does have a reputation for cheap cosmetic surgery, but there are few that could compete with the top clinics worldwide. In fact, there’s probably less than 5 in Turkey that I’d consider going to from hundreds of options. if money were no concern Zarev (Bulgaria) or H&W (US) would be better than any Turkish clinics. Let’s avoid politics and race and be objective about the best clinics worldwide.

That said, there are multiple options for storing grafts prior to implantation (i.e fluids to store them in). You'd think that there would be probably some difference to outcomes, but as you say, it's difficult to know exactly where the thresholds are.

I'd have to say, a transplant is likely not the best way forward. As others have said, if you're determined to get surgery, the only option is to find a good surgeon who has a proven record of using body hair. What outcome would you be happy with?

It really is phenomenal. The hair is short so there's no questioning the fantastic density he has on his hairline. Will be interested to see how it looks further back, but it's largely irrelevant - we know the hairline grows quickest and I'm sure the rest will follow in time.

That article seems to around the houses then conclude whey protein doesn't cause hair loss. For me, the link is that its consumed by gym goers and strength training is likely to marginally increase testosterone and therefore DHT?

Looks great. Would be interested to hear how many grafts they used. I'd imagine the crowd looks more sparse when under harsher lighting. Would you consider a second procedure with them, or are you happy with the (massive) improvement you've already had?

I don't understand the protein one at all. Should I change my diet so that I don't eat protein heavy foods too?

The challenge with an approach that involves taking medication after surgery is that you don't know if you will be able to tolerate it, so long term planning is difficult.

Minoxidyl can thicken hair but it won't stop you losing more. It may slow down the effects of DHT by supplying the follicles with more blood supply but ultimately those hairs will miniturise until you take medication to reduce the amount of DHT on your scalp. If you're really opposed to trying finesteride orally, you could consider topical application which is less likely to cause side effects, but it's less effective.

Given his age and current situation, I'd probably be more conservative; If I were to ask my father to pay for the surgery, I'd want a reasonable chance of it being effective for the long term. To do that,I believe medication fin or dut will be absolutely necessary. Put simple, in his position, I'd have to either resign myself to shaving my head in the next 10 years or commit to using medication (and taking the risk of side effects). Anecdotally, I'd say that finesteride recovers hair more often on younger patients. I'd use it for at least 12 months before considering surgery.