neverendingsearch

3 minutes ago, PizzaWolf said:

@neverendingsearch 

No, not susceptible to clinic marketing. I think you come across as susceptible to your own wishful thinking and what you would like to be true. 

You want a hair transplant to fix your hair loss and genetics--it simply can't do that. With the history you've described, even a great surgeon could leave you as a complete mess.

I don't like to recommend medications, but maybe consider moving to dutasteride or RU58841 if you're okay experimenting on yourself.

@Melvin- Moderator

It was patronizing. I should definately be more thoughtful of how I respond to fellow hairloss sufferers. We're all in the same boat. 

Apologies to @neverendingsearch

Thanks @PizzaWolf, I appreciate it.

Fun fact, Bernstein actually prescribed me 1.66mg of finasteride to "make up for the tolerance I've built", which I'm not sure is actually a thing. May go out and try to get a dutasteride Rx instead, and probably restart minoxidil. With that said, I'm scheduling for well into next year so I'll have time to plan interventions and figure out if my hair loss is accelerating any further.

8 hours ago, PizzaWolf said:

If you are determined to get a hair transplant, no one can stop you.

But the hard truth is that you are a lousy candidate for one. You have been losing hair since you were a teen, and have not been able to stabilize your hair loss even while using the most potent, established treatment available.

There will always be people willing to blow smoke up your ass and tell you what you want to hear, especially when there's money on the table. There's also many people in the transplant industry who love desperate, delusionally optimistic men. 

If my last, very tame, post offended you, I think you are going to be a prime target for the previously mentioned issues.

Good luck. 

Again, genuinely appreciate the input despite having to pick it out of a sprinkling of subtle underhanded insults. Not sure how you conclude that if I don't like being addressed disrespectfully then I'm naturally susceptible to hair clinic marketing, but I also don't actually care to learn!

17 minutes ago, PizzaWolf said:

@neverendingsearch I'm not trying to be your daddy. If you're determined to get a hair transplant--go for it. You seem to be well-researched and have arrived at some good surgeons. BUT if you're continuing to lose ground on finasteride, that's a very bad sign. From what you've described there has never been a point where your hair loss is actually stable.

As far as Bernstein, who cares. You'll always be able to find a HT surgeon that thinks you're a candidate.

Hi, I don't really appreciate being spoken to like that. You offered your advice based on a few posts of mine, and I responded giving more data and asking a question since you seem to know a thing or two yourself. I mean thanks for answering, and maybe you have a point, but "I'm not trying to be your daddy"? Dude, gross. Anyhoo... noted, and no need to engage any further if you don't feel like responding – no one is forcing you to, I promise 

42 minutes ago, MattJosh said:

Is the row implantation of De Freitas a big negative?

His results are excellent of the most part and come to think of it it seems that Couto also kind of implants in rows

What are the main problems with this?

I think there are quite a few instances where the row pattern is apparent, especially it seems with thinner hair (which we all inevitably grow to have). For example the case shows it on the left side of the hairline. I attached a pic with the area highlighted. Agree that he is a great doctor though and maybe people don't notice this.

20 hours ago, PizzaWolf said:

@neverendingsearch You said: "Given that my hair loss has progressed considerably despite finasteride, I wonder whether my vertex is the next to go."

I think you're putting the cart before the horse in looking at all these hair transplant surgeons. You aren't a surgical candidate until your hair loss is stable. Anyone who tells you different does not have your best interests at heart.

Well finasteride doesn't typically stop hair loss forever, and I started shedding at 16-17 since we have pretty strong balding genes in my family, so my progression/journey may not be typical. Comparing my photos from 2 years ago to now, there are minor differences in density but not significant (mind you, I was on minoxidil but no longer am), so I feel like now or soon is a good time to do this.

I've also consulted with Bernstein Medical in NY and they do think I am a candidate. How long does hair loss have to be stable before being considered a candidate for surgery in your view?

On 4/7/2023 at 6:57 AM, Berik said:

Dr. Das has had some really poor cases in the past year. Do some deep dives into a few of the cases from Eugenix and that should be all you need to stay away from them unless you get in writing that Sethi or Arika will be doing the extracting/implanting. 

Not sure why someone here is recommending Ahmad. His prices are absolutely asinine. Quoting for $15/graft these days. With those prices, you might as well just go to Konior. 

You should look into De Freitas implantation pattern a little more. He likes to plant in rows - some people don't mind it, but it is a strong consensus that this is a poor implantation technique. 

I would choose for Nader personally out of the above. But you should spend a bunch of time looking through all the results, and post op work. Then, you should be able to decide for yourself. 

Would you mind posting some of those Dr. Das cases?

Agree on De Freitas though, I just noticed this recently and it's making me reconsider. He does have some excellent results but a lot of them are given away by the way the hair stops exactly on the trace line and how some of the hairs a few rows in actually trace that line as well. I was almost settled on him which is such a bummer!

I like most of Nader's work but his post-op pics always look a lot less clean than Dr Freitas/Pekiner who both have mostly bloodiness-free results post-op photos with hairs pointing in the right direction right away. A lot of Pekiner's patients also seem to not shed as much and actually show results earlier. Really not sure if that's something I should take into consideration given that I'd have to wait a year for full results anyway...

17 hours ago, Archan said:

Yeh even pekiner is well experienced and doing surgery since so many years and would have had surgery done on people who has similar hair characteristics like yours...but i agree to your point that if your hairloss is not stable even with medication than you should go with a surgery which can age will so even with your hair loss progression it doesn't look unnatural ..so choose such a doctor ...you may do one thing ..you can take suggestions of people who had surgery 7/8 years ago and who are still active and approachable ..though its a tough ask..try it if you can..

Makes sense, will see what I can find!

11 hours ago, Archan said:

Both are great surgeons...you can do one thing ..try and see results of patient yourself over here and other forums and even talk to the patients and see whats their feedback is....imo its tough to single out one from those two...but still if i have to pick only one than i would lean a bit towards de freitas...and melvin made a pretty good point about your hair type ...its like thick spanish hair and de freitas is well experienced with such hair characteristics....

Definitely, already doing this but there is just so much to sort through so I appreciate the input. Have you not seen thicker type hair from Pekiner? I've found this one https://www.reddit.com/r/HairTransplants/comments/10gy9lg/month_9_update_2722_graft_fue_w_dr_kaan_pekiner/ on Reddit but found the hairline to be maybe a bit unnatural looking. I do wonder if the drop in recipient area density seen after a few years would make it more natural looking.

10 hours ago, Stilgar said:

Literally same boat as you (hair loss type, characteristics, etc..). I ve been on meds for two years and things also slowed down significantly and i also gained some ground in the vertex area (meds are working for you, literally you have a very solid vertex which will save you a ton of hairs). As mentioned above, it's either de freitas or pekiner as they have both experiences with our hair type. I myself got a similar quote (around 3000 grafts) and will be heading to Pekiner next year.
Please don't quite the meds, trust me after adding 3000 grafts to your frontal and mid-scalp, it will be very dense (more than 50g/cm). 

Given that my hair loss has progressed considerably despite finasteride, I wonder whether my vertex is the next to go. Not sure if doctors use vertex hair as donor and how they would manage to make my hair loss progression look natural post-graft, a few years down the line. This kind of thing is harder to research on the forums since people don't really post 10+ year followups for their cases with specific surgeons. @Melvin- Moderator I wonder if you have any insight into which doctors are known to produce results that age well.

11 hours ago, Gatsby said:

Even if you feel the meds are not working or you have lost ground I would stay on them regardless. You may find that you hit a point where you MPB stabalizes at one point. You are considering excellent doctors and I really like the work coming from Dr Das. I say that also in part because I have met her a couple of times and she is a very warm, open person. Dr Ahmad and Dr De Freitas is brilliant. Don't be in a rush to book. Take your time and keep looking at results posted by patients on the forum. All the best!

Ah yes, I don't plan on stopping finasteride anytime soon! I was just lamenting that my hair loss seems too strong for a treatment plan of finasteride alone. FWIW I tried minoxidil for a year and it did slow down shedding, but I didn't see much regrowth so I stopped it. I was thinking that it's really only indicated for crown thinning anyway so it probably won't have dramatic effects on my temples and hairline if I continue. I didn't notice much shedding after stopping at the time, but a year after, I took stock of my hair quality and it looked considerably thinned. 

Re: stabilization, I've been on finasteride for a bit more than 6 years at this point and am actually having trouble determining if my hair loss has stabilized. Some days in the shower I do notice significant shedding, and sometimes it coincides with a mild itchiness/tenderness/hot feeling in my temples and hairline area, which I use Nizoral for (almost daily). This makes me wonder whether the finasteride is still working or if I need to switch to something stronger like dutasteride. OR if I am overusing Nizoral and that's what's causing this? Most days however it's not an alarming number of hairs that I find on my hands while shampooing.

2 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Dr. De Freitas I feel would be the best choice given your hair characteristics. It’s very similar to thick Spanish hair.

Good to hear from you Melvin, noted!

2 hours ago, Archan said:

If there is no side effects from meds than dont stop it..it will gradually stabilise you baldness ....

If there is no budget issues than go for munib ahmad ...he is excellent ....and if on a budget than go for de freitas or pekiner....imo you don't need to look elsewhere 

Thanks for the recs! Definitely not stopping finasteride. Curious what your thoughts are on De Freitas vs Pekiner for my case. 

30 minutes ago, DeltaV said:

Please also consult Dr. Munib Ahmad Fuegenix. He is hitting the ball out of the park for your similar cases....the new Hairline king.

I actually have already sent him a consultation request and am waiting to hear back!

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here so please bear with me! First of all the community you guys have created on here is amazing. I've been lurking for a few months trying to decide on a surgeon and really admire the knowledge and support you all provide to each other. 

Basic intro

About me, I'm Middle Eastern, turning 28 in less than half a year but have been shedding since I was 17. I started finasteride at 20 and that seemed to slow things down and regrow some hair, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to prevent it from reaching a stage where the amount of hair lost feels dramatic. Everyone has their threshold for what qualifies as "needing work" and I just about hit mine. By most estimates (ones I've gotten from doctors listed here or otherwise), I need anywhere from 2800 to 3500 grafts. 

Clinics chosen

Now, I landed on the doctors I mentioned (for Eugenix, it would be Dr. Das) because they are all within my budget (max 3 EUR per graft) and they all have impressive results on here. However I cannot seem to make a decision and I'm starting to get research fatigue – all the while, spots are filling up fast and I feel the pressure to book. I have in fact already booked with Nader because I was excited after I saw some great results on here and he got back to me pretty quick. He is also in Mexico which is probably easiest for me since I live in New York (but also visit the Middle East yearly for the holidays so really I can make anywhere work).

Main concerns are (if not obvious from pics) to reconstruct hairline, temples, and mid-scalp. The doctors each seems to have their strengths in those areas:

• Pekiner: he was my first choice due to hype on Reddit. Sure enough his results live up to the hype but I haven't seen many/any cases that deal with more wavy hair – most of his wow-worthy results are with European-type straight hair. I also find his hairlines a bit aggressive, having fewer macro-irregularities than other results I've seen. However I wonder if this is something I can have input into. Not sure if any of his patients can chime in here. He quoted me 3000-3500 grafts.
• Nader: I like the zig-zag pattern he does in his hairline designs – seems to lend itself nicely to creating natural-looking hairlines. I like his work but there are quite a few posts on here without any updates after a while and it worries me that they might be bad results. He also (like anyone else) has had just okay results. Quoted me around 3000 grafts.
• De Freitas: a combination of amazing reputation and also actually super good-looking hairlines has me impressed, but does anyone find his temple point work too angular? I wonder if this is something I can have input into as well. Also I have not seen very many wavy/wiry hair results from him, and he is the most expensive of all. Quoted me 2800 grafts, but considering others have quoted more, I think this has the potential to jump when an in-person consultation is held.
• Eugenix: I would be choosing Dr. Priya Das because I want a veteran's (in the making?) involvement in the case and Dr. Bansal's package is out of range for me. I was initially a little underwhelmed (I forget which case I saw) but have since found some impressive results from her on here. Quoted me around 2700 grafts.  

Below are some pics of myself – I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts on my case and if you've seen any lookalikes on here who went to specific doctors and had great results. Thank you for reading and excited to hear from y'all!