Hey guys, I’ve been lurking on this forum for a few months, doing my research to get a better idea of what to expect and what to look for in a doctor/clinic. I’m a Norwood 4/5, started off losing hair in the crown before getting decreased density in the frontal area. I’ve been on minoxidil for about four and a half years, started taking fin in February, as well as starting PRP treatments that month, and continuing with it bimonthly at the moment. It’s during this time I’ve reached out to these forum recommended doctors with my pictures while I was in my shedding phase. I’ve seen appreciably improvements in density personally and in the pics taken at the clinic I got for PRP treatments.
I’ve shot out a consultation form for about 15 - 20 doctors and I’m looking for some input from the feedback I’ve received for the course of action.
Dr. Bicer – Will need 4000 grafts, starting from the hairline and working back. Most likely will need a second procedure but will reevaluate a year after the first.
Dr. Camacho – Will need two procedures. Can do 3000 grafts for either the front area or the crown and wait a year to see how the donor recovers before deciding how much to do for the other area of focus
Dr. Turan – He recommended I be on medication for 9 – 12 months to see the full effect before evaluating my case. I will be in touch with his assistant in November to see what he says then.
Eugenix – Will need 2000 – 2200 for the front, 1700 for the crown
Dr. Devroye – Will need 1000 – 1500 for the front, 2000 for the crown
Dr. De Freitas – Will need 3000 for the front during the first procedure, a lesser amount though unspecified for the crown in a second procedure
Dr. Laorwong – Will need 2000 in the front, 2000 in the crown, can do in one procedure.
Dr. Pathomvanich – 2000 in the front, 2000 in the crown. Recommended a blend of FUE and FUT ( FUE 1500 – 2000 grafts, FUT 2000 – 2500 grafts)
Dr. Nader – He was unsure if I would be a good candidate for a transplant based on my pictures and recommended I go see a hair clinic in my city (Toronto) and report to him what they say. This led me to get an evaluation by Dr. Rahal’s team.
Dr. Rahal – His assistant is the only one on this list that saw me in person so I put more weight on his assessment. Keep in mind I saw him in April when I was just starting to turn the page on my shedding phase so take that as you will. His assistant did think I was a good candidate for a transplant. There were a few points he made to emphasize the point, though by now I’ve mostly forgotten the details for the bigger picture. He mentioned if I had a pronounced dip from the back of the crown then that would have been a sign this procedure may not produce the results I want long term. Either way, he said if I wasn’t a good candidate he would have rejected me as they wouldn’t want a poor result advertised from his clinic.
He noted my donor was on the thinner side in terms of individual hair thickness, with a sample from the back he took measuring at 49 microns. Now based on the follicular level pictures I’ve had taken at the PRP clinic I go to, I know my donor hairs have a wide array of thickness, so I want to believe he just sampled a thinner hair, but I’m likely average thickness at best. In his assessment he said I’d need to do two procedures. In the first we could do 3000 grafts for the front, and in the second a year later do 2000 – 2500 grafts for the crown.
There were a few other doctors who responded though I got a sketchy feeling or the responses were too far apart for me to feel like I could effectively organize a procedure with them. There were others who I have yet to hear back altogether.
My shortlist from who I’ve heard back from is Nader, Turan, Camacho and Laorwong. I chose these four because I like their work, consistency of results and they’re mid tier in terms of pricing. While price is not really an obstacle here and I’m willing to pay for a quality surgeon, a $20k+ transplant from the recommended list looks to be very similar quality as one I can find for half the price, so personally I think doctors who charge that much are excessive.
Nader would be my number 1 but ever since his response to my consultation form he hasn’t replied to any of my emails and I’ve sent several, one every week or so. I don’t want to make a final decision until I hear back from Turan, and I don’t mind waiting, especially as I want the medication to take full effect. I don’t plan on doing this until the first half of next year, though I’m open to waiting longer if it’s necessary.
Since my visit to Dr. Rahal’s clinic I’ve settled with the idea of needing two procedures to have the best results. However Dr. Laorwong’s proposal of doing it in one is very attractive to me, although I don’t mind splitting it in two procedures a year apart either if it’s what’s best for me.
Do you guys believe it’s possible, either in one session or spread on in two sessions in two consecutive days, and still get great results?
Let me know what you guys think may be the best course given my case, if you recommend a specific doctor or anything else you think may be important for me to know.
Thanks for taking the time read through this.
Cheers
