Approach

2 hours ago, KartikV said:

 

 

I have seen many bad reviews and results of Eugenix. 

Additionally, I have grade 7 baldness and I did not see any great result in NW 7 given by Eugenix. I already consulted Eugenix, they have given me different packages with different doctors, I don't know whether they are qualified and experienced enough to give me a good result. So Eugenix is not my choice.

Kartik -- it's great that you are thinking through things and doing research!  No offense whatsoever that you feel differently about my suggestion.  Your question asked about doctors in India, specifically.  Truly, there are great HT surgeons in all parts of the world though.  Gatsby and Melvin are great resources.  You may hear different opinions from members on the forum and that's ok!  Nothing personal.  Listen to each members opinions.  This will give you constructive way to compare and contrast.  

16 hours ago, KartikV said:

Hi Guys,

I am newbie here, want to know some best clinic in India for my hair transplant. I have a NW 7.

please suggest me best doctor with best price.

Thanks in advance

Welcome to HRN.  As with anything, I definitely wouldn't shop on price alone - especially for something as important as HT.  Take your time, talk to the guys on this site and meet doctors (in person when possible) for consultations.  There are great doctors all over the world, but to answer your question:   I've heard Dr. Sethi in India is a great doctor for NW 7 if you're a candidate.

2 minutes ago, LeonBlack said:

That is a concern with pushing the limits…. as stated above time will tell. 

I realize time will tell.  I just wanted to be sure I understood clearly, ie, potential to fall out someday.  Thank you for clarifying.  

On 3/3/2024 at 12:33 PM, LeonBlack said:

incredibly impressive indeed…. but are you concerned about the longevity of the hairs from the outskirts of the dht-resistant safe zone? Is it fair to say we don’t yet know how this approach will go long-term?

Can you say more?  Is your point ---  Some of the newly transplanted hairs could eventually miniaturize and fall out?

5 hours ago, Melvin- Admin said:

These cases are super risky for the surgeon. I feel like maybe he should’ve been turned away. I’ve seen cases like this with Dr. Sethi and despite the best efforts, it’s impossible to achieve a super meaningful result. 

The key is realistic expectations. I would imagine most, if not all of the grafts are BHT. So even if he gets 10k grafts, thats more or less 10,000 hairs on an area that had 50,000.

It will be an improvement and a base to use fibers. But it won’t be a usual Pittella case, at least that’s my speculation. Given the quality of his donor. 

Interesting, Dr. Pittella and Dr. Zarev are the only docs I’ve ever heard talk about contraction. But perhaps this is the key to achieving these high numbers.

You are the voice of reason.  Well said!

4 hours ago, Berba11 said:

Fair enough. 
 

It’s borderline impossible to find hairs from anywhere else on the scalp that are as fine and soft as native temple point hairs. This means there will always be some kind of contrast between transplanted hairs and native hair in that area, especially at buzzcut length. When things are grown out everything blends very naturally however, which is true for HT’s in general - a bit of length helps everything!

Obviously the hairs selected need to be soft singles, and the angle and direction has to be nice and flush to the scalp to help the blending process. 
 

Lots of surgeons do temple points, though many only do subtle enhancements rather than full reconstruction of the temple points. 

Thank you for the thorough explanation.  I found it especially helpful you mentioned:  Subtle Enhancements (than full reconstruction).  I get it now.  Thanks again.

9 hours ago, Silent123 said:

Hey man. Where are you based? Temple point reconstruction is tough to get right. Do you have any photos? 

Hey Silent....I'm in Baltimore.  I'm not necessarily looking to have my temple points reconstructed.  I was just curious about the topic.  That's all.  It's interesting.

6 hours ago, laverita said:

It is not only the skill of cutting the site angles correctly and density and direction, they are usually under 15% and very flush. But, also choosing the right hairs, if you fill them with coarse occipital hair then don't expect a natural outcome. 

Thank you.  Good point about the angles.

8 hours ago, Calihome1 said:

Very tough.  Only a few doctors get it consistently right, and even they sometimes have

Thank you.  Good point

6 hours ago, Berba11 said:

I'm curious why you're asking to be honest. I've been following your other threads and it's highly debatable whether you yourself are a candidate for surgery. If you do proceed with a modest surgery, you certainly won't have the luxury of addressing your temple points. So if that's why you're asking, I think you're barking up the wrong tree to be frank with you.

I'm asking because:  I spoke to several guys (around 5 years ago) that were disappointed in the results of their temple point reconstruction. They said the hairs in this area were noticeable.  I asked my question today because:  I wanted to see if the science has improved?  Ie, Are doctors' techniques in this area improving?  (*Not all my questions I ask pertain to me specifically.*  I am simply interested in learning / curious.  That's all.)

Hi guys.  For men whom their doctor recommends recrunstructing the temple points. Generally speaking:  "These days," are expert surgeons doing a great job?  (I'm asking because I have spoken to several guys (years ago) that were disappointed b/c the hairs in this area were quite detectable.  Thank you.

I now see your point--  esp about having 1 thread to reference back to.  Makes sense.  Thank you for telling me.

2 hours ago, Melvin- Admin said:

You keep creating multiple threads. But you have yet tell anyone what your goals are or what you would be satisfied with. Surgeons cannot multiply hair.

For example, if you have a maximum of 3,000 grafts in your donor, no doctor can change that. Also, your donor appears to be suffering from miniaturization. 

There’s no surgeon that could guarantee that hair won’t eventually thin and fall. These are risks you have to assume if you decide on surgery. 
 

There’s a difference between a regular Norwood 6/7 with healthy donors, and a Norwood 6/7 with thinning donors. The ladder are not good candidates. 
 

Here’s an example:

 

Candidate on the left has a very sparse donor that is visibly thinning with retrograde alopecia. Candidate on the right has a healthy donor with no retrograde alopecia. Although they’re both Norwood 7s, the difference in the outcome and future outcome is vastly different. 

Melvin-- sorry for posting so many similar questions. I had mentioned earlier (perhaps it was another member) that I tend to do that because it helps me narrow things down.  I personally find this method very useful b/c I can get answers to specific questions I ask.  Then, I analyze all the members' responses.  (I run the risk of being anniying though; I apologize).  I will cool it for a bit.  And, per your request, I will outline my goals instead of just freestyling questions after question --sincerely if the network prefers that method.  Thank you for all you do for this great network.

29 minutes ago, HappyMan2021 said:

It is possible to go fron NW7 to a full head of hair, but all of these cases were multi procedure and multi year.

And not only were they multiple procedure/multiple year journeys, but add on top of that that the results of these cases were moonshot outlier, exceptional cases

You are unlikely to have the same surgical success as the very famous NW7 transformations celebrated on here

So your full NW7 transformation is possible, but the odds are really against you

And as of now I am just speaking very broadly/generally

Do you know how many grafts you have left in your donor? Alot of NW7s simply dont have the donor availability for a total transformation

 

Thank you!  Your candid advice was perfect.  I like when people are straight-up.

10 minutes ago, HappyMan2021 said:

100% unequivocally no. 

I would be very dubious of any doctor who says they could significantly improve your scalp enough for it to be worth your time and money. Even with a homerun scalp HT, I think at most you could only be transformed into a Nw 5. So you will very much clearly look like you are still significantly balding, even with a great HT result. 

At most, I think it might make sense if you can get your past FUT donor scars filled in. 

But spending your time and money on your scalp is going to be a pretty bad investment. The only person who wins in this case is the doctor cashing in your hard earned money

Ask Dr. Cooley is SMP is a viable option for you instead of a HT. 

Respectfully, how do you explain the seemingly great results of the member "Gatsby" a former NW 7?  Are you saying that the Gatsby's transformation surgery only brought him from NW 7 to NW 4 for example?  Do you acknowledge that some NW 7 have come somewhat close to a full head of hair?  Or, in your opinion, are doctors like Dr.Pittella, Dr. Setti not worth it-- b/c the results aren't as great as they seem?  

I understand that NO doctor should take those donor hairs that are most likely to fall out someday.  However, are there unscrupulous doctors that do it anyway?  Ie, the results look great for the first 5 years, then eventually the transplanted hair falls out.  I assume NW 6/7 type patients are the most at risk for such a practice?  This being the case, should NW 7 patients be extra cautious with doctors like Petilla, Zarin, and Zethi?  Are these 3 doctors known to do that?  Or, are they truly upright doctors (specifically on this topic)?   

Is the following a common approach??   That is:   Have "repair" work only- done to my scalp:  For example fill in my FUT scars with transplants.  And, sort of smooth out other imperfections in my scalp (from previous HT surgeries).  Then, have long term goal of a Buzz haircut? (not shaved).  Are most guys who do this pleased long term?

Sorry for repeating questions; your answers are helpful!  Dr. Cooley proposed the following to me:  Let's aim for modest-improvement only.  The goal would be:  #1) Re-create the frontal hairline (age appropriate), and do some tricks to give the illusion of a fuller frontal-area of head.  And, implant some hair into old FUT scars.  Above all, have a goal to make things appear so natural--  that one can't detect my previous HT surgeries from 25 yrs ago.  2) Then, do a second surgery to add just a modest amount of beard hair into the crown (no body hair).  In summary, he said he has used this approach with other NW 7 guys and they were pleased with results.  QUESTION:  My expectations are low.  However, modest improvement is appealing to me, instead of shaving heard.  Generally speaking, if you were in my shoes, do you support his approach?  Do most NW 7 guys like me do have a goal to get a FULL head of head (for ex, via a Dr. Pittella type surgeon- using body hair, etc).  My question is NOT which doctor, it's more like:  Should I (a NW 7) even want a full head, or not??

I am NW 7.  I've done lots of research, etc.  My decision has boiled down to 2 options.  Dr. Pitella, or Dr. Cooley.  When you answer this question, pls don't factor distance, money, etc.  I'm looking for purely an objective answer.  ****  Question:  Dr. Pittella would go all out and use body hair, etc.  The goal is to create a full head of hair (2 surgeries).  Whereas, Dr. Cooley explained his goal is NOT to give me a full head of hair.  He will use scalp and beard to re-create frontal area primarily and implant a little bit of beard hair in crown (also 2 surgeries).   Two different doctors.  Two different approaches.  Which would you choose?  I'm leaning toward Dr.Cooley because I'd rather have more baldness-- if it looks natural, than a full head of hair --  in which body hair and scalp hair are detectable.  Any thoughts?  Which scenario would you recommend?  I am 52 y/o fyi and had 2 HT surgeries 20 yrs ago.

Assume you have a mild amount of donor scalp hair, great beard hair, and great body hair.  And, assume you have a very respected surgeon like Dr. Pittella (known for his experience restoring NW 7 patients).  The hair on my crown is all transplanted hair from yrs ago.   Question:   **"Generally speaking," are most NW 7 patients "truly" pleased with the results of their HT surgery?  (For ex, 3 yrs after surgery) Or, are many embarrassed with an unnatural outcome?  For ex, do the body hair and scalp hair mixed together in the crown look weird?  Etc.   **If you interviewed 100 such patients, I wonder what percentage of them would say:  I'm so glad I restored my hair. 

On 2/8/2024 at 4:53 PM, jjalay said:

Yes otherwise this would not be possible. Unless you want to intentionally remove a big amount of hairs and overharvest the donor area, but then you will have to shave the hair on the donor area to cover this up. When this is a possibility for you you might want to have a consultation with someone like pitella.

Forgive me for being ignorant on this, sincerely.   Are you being sarcastic or serious?  

2 hours ago, jjalay said:

Patients selection is important for cases like yours where doctors like pitella or zarev are willing to operate. That means in the most cases they have a good donor area of the scalp and body hair too. You have to mix these two to have a natural result. Your donor area seem really sparse, if you only use beard or chest hair with a hairtransplant the result wont look natural. Its not something you want.

Thank you.  Are you saying that all the NW 7 patients Dr. Pittella does surgery on have a good amount of good donor hair on back of scalp?

How are doctors like Dr. Pittella able to offer gigga sessions to people like me, NW 7?  Whereas, several doctors basically told me--  Do nothing (you're too far gone).  Is he doing mostly body hair transplants?  Why are there so few doctors like him that are willing to work on Norwood 7 ?  Maybe I'm missing something?  Do most HT doctors believe NW 7 risk/reward is just not worth it???   If so, then how is it that Dr. Pittella is so respected?   If he's using mostly body hair, do his results look natural? (Sorry I asked a similar question recently.)

1 hour ago, Dr. Glenn Charles said:

I think that adding as many beard hairs as possible to the frontal area already transplanted could make an improvement but do not think it would be dramatic. Would recommend you not even consider having any of the grafts placed in the mid scalp or crown areas. 

Thank you so much.  I agree with you.  I am perplexed though:  How are doctors like Dr. Pittella able to offer gigga sessions to people like me?  Whereas, several doctors gave the same advice as yours?  (Dr. Pittella appears to be respected among HT Communities.)  Is he doing mostly body hair transplants?  Why are there so few doctors that are willing to work on Norwood 7 like him?  Maybe I'm missing something?  Do most HT doctors believe NW 7 risk/reward just not worth it?  If so, then how is it that Dr. Pittella is so respected?  

Norwood 7.  The hair on top of head  is all transplanted (from 1996). I have basically no donor hair left, fyi.   I have a lot of good beard hair.  In your opinion, if a surgeon sprinkled in as much of my beard hair as possible -- would my head look noticeably fuller or just slightly fuller? (Make the assumption that I will have a Buzz haircut.)  Ie, conmetically, is such a procedure worthwhile?   (PS- I realize I could add other body hair.)