YodaHead

@FSLONAL - Very glad to hear that the video consultation went well. Dr. Pittella is an excellent doctor and is a very good person. I wish you the best! Do keep us posted. Thank you for your service!

This looks bad in every aspect. The placement is completely unnatural, the punch-size looks too big, too much gap between grafts, even the graft direction looks off. The donor appears to be botched. Sorry for the harsh words, but in the year 2024, this kind of a job is completely unacceptable. You should definitely avoid this clinic. Are you sure this was done or even supervised by a real HT surgeon? What is the name of this clinic? Please share the details so people can avoid this at all cost.

You are fine. Looking at that density you not gonna need this forum for at least next 200 yrs.

The donor does not look very good. Do you have diffuse thinning across your scalp? Is the front/mid scalp in similar state? Before you go for HT, you need to go see a dermatologist (especially one who has good knowledge/experience in dealing with patients with hairloss issues).

As long as both the patient and doctor are on same page in terms of expectations and risks…this is a win-win for both. Patient may end up with something he is happy with and doctor gets to push the boundary a little bit further and hopefully open door for many such cases! Either way…this one is going to be a very interesting case to follow!

You mentioned front hairline is not done well. Can you share the images?

Approximately 500 to 700. Definitely not 2900! Do you have in writing that these are 2900 grafts or did they tell you verbally?

Amazing! Congratulations.

Strong results!! Congratulations 👍🏼

No issues.

In my opinion, I think more than giving up, shaving it off is seen more as not being hesitant/tentative. It is more like addressing the elephant in the room and facing the fears.. For eg. You meet an old friend who had last seen you years ago when you had a full head of hair. You know he is going to notice your baldness…so instead of avoiding the topic, you just make a joke about your baldness and address the situation—putting yourself and your friend at ease. This is usually seen as being confident.

Looking great!!! Success!

How badly do you want hair? Some ppl are fine with shaving and rocking the look, while others would go to any extent to have hair. if it is affecting you every time you look in the mirror or is impacting your social life/menta health…then it is worth considering a HT. If you can share some photos of your current situation may be people can provide feedback accordingly. But in general, if you are progressing towards a high NW (based on your current pattern and family history) then 1500-2000 graft is just the beginning. Whether or not you will regret spending $$—well, it all depends on how well you understand your specific situation and how realistic are your expectations. Doing indept research (which you might already have) will help you set a realistic goal. And if the goal is realistic—you won’t regret it.

Incredible!!

Wish you the best! Happy growing. Keep us updated on the progress.

Looks like things have started to sprout. You should see upward graph from here on.

I suggest get on Minoxidil and Finasteride for next 12 months and then reassess the results of your HT and medical treatment. It will help better plan the next line of action.

@NY2024 Yes, in terms of payment i am sure they will be okay paying when you get there. Also, if you have a specific budget that you want to stay below, just let Dr. Pittella know when he shows you the estimate on his software, so he will make sure to plan accordingly. I paid the balance a day after surgery when I went for my first wash. They sent car every day (both surgery days and 3 days after that for wash). And of course, back to airport.

I paid for 8500 graft upon my arrival (one day before HT) and the rest after surgery. Although, the agreement said in-advance payment for 8500 grafts, I asked them if i can pay upon arrival. They said, sure. You can use credit card. Just ensure there are no limitations/restrictions at your credit card company. Some credit cards flag certain unexpected charges as potential fraud. In my case, I received an email and when I confirmed the charge, it went through at 2nd attempt. Also, I suggest using credit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees. Some companies charge certain % of the amount—which could be huge for a big amount like this.

So it was also not written in the package i received, however, one of the staff members informed me that 4 nights of stay and transportation is covered after the date was fixed and I asked them about nearby hotels. Best, if you ask them directly and i am sure they will confirm this.

I have read that some clinics do this, but I don’t really understand the rationale. Why can’t they do extracting and transplanting of 50% grafts on day 1 and rest on day 2? What’s the benefit of making all incisions on day one and all extracting/transplanting on day 2.

@Kacan This is normal and expected. You are going through what’s known as the “ugly duckling” phase of the hair transplant. The transplanted hair will go into resting phase and shed (however the root under the skin is still intact). At about month 4 they should slowly start to sprout again. I don’t mean to be rude, but did you not read about this process before surgery and did your doctor not inform you about this?

Thank you @Gatsby! I am counting on that! Always great to get your feedback! Cheers.

@JD34 - Oh Nice!!. Congrats and good luck to you. Looking forward to reading your journey!! Keep us posted. Cheers.

They booked/paid the hotel for 4 nights as a part of the package, and they separately booked 3 additional nights that I requested, which I paid for when i arrived at the hotel. They also paid for transport from airport to/from hotel and also for all my visits to the clinic during my stay. They did very good job with coordination so I didn’t really have to struggle to find a cab or anything. You will know in advance who will pick you up and when. I was provided with the hotel booking confirmation about 5 days prior to my arrival. It was Sheraton and only 5 min drive from clinic. I did not wear anything on my head during my journey. Because I stayed there for 3 additional days, my scalp had chance to heal and it wasn’t even obvious that i had a surgery. People are so busy at airports—nobody cared. I did have some swelling but most of it was towards the back of my head. This is because I slept in sitting position with head slightly tilted backwards for 3 nights after surgery. Definitely carry a travel neck pillow.