I've been contemplating a hair transplant on and off for a few years and I've read a lot of reviews on this forum and on Reddit and I've decided I finally want to get it done. The big question is which doctor?
I'm currently based in Beijing so Thailand, Turkey and India seem like the most convenient options out of the usual HT countries but I'm happy to consider anywhere else if anyone has any suggestions.
By way of background, I'm currently 31 and I first noticed my hair loss when I was about 20. My current/previous hair loss treatments are:
minoxidil since I was 20 (initially just 2-4mL per day of 5% topical; 6 months ago I started 1mg oral + continued to use 2-4mL of topical; for the past 3 months I have just used 2.5mg oral)
I've previously tried the strongest formulations from Minoxidil Max but didn't notice much difference
I think my hair might be slightly thicker since starting oral and my scalp seems less irritated
finasteride since I was 21 and I switched to dutasteride for the past 18 months (both with mild side effects)
320mg saw palmetto extract daily for the past 4 years
272-diode LLLT cap for 30 mins every 1-2 days for the past 2 years
I've tried derma-rolling with and without minoxidil and didn't notice any particular benefit
My hair loss seems to be reasonably stable but I might have some gradual loss, which I understand would mean I may need further transplants in the future.
I like to keep my hair short. I don't style my hair and I don't want to have to use any products to make my hair look thicker. I mainly just want a stronger hairline. I don't feel the need to bring my hairline too far forward.
My biggest concerns are:
minimising scars
not wasting my donor (e.g. if a clinic has a poor survival rate)
having a particularly unnatural-looking hairline
I've previously had two in-person evaluations in Melbourne, Australia. Those clinics' proposals were:
Gro Clinic (June 2022):
graded my hair loss as a Norwood III progressing to a IVa
proposed a transplant of 4000 "hairs" (not grafts) in the frontal and hairline (I.e. no crown) for $17,700 AUD
Dr Hair (Dr Baj - February 2023):
graded my hair loss as a Norwood III
proposed a transplant of up to 3500 "hairs" (not grafts) for $14,750 AUD
Since I'm not currently in Australia and there seem to be better and more cost-effective doctors elsewhere, I'm not really considering those options at the moment
I have recently sought proposals from FUE Capilar (Turkey), Hairtran Clinic and Absolute Hair Clinic (both in Thailand) using the following photos. I've briefly set out their proposals below.
Dr Gur (FUE Capilar):
graded my hair loss as a Norwood V
proposed a transplant of 3000-3500 FUs:
2500-2700 FUs for the hairline reconstruction and density increase in the frontal and the fronto-temporal area
500-800 FUs for the mid-scalp area
No crown (not sure why - they proposed to do it in a previous proposal)
Temples will be assessed during the consultation
Cost:
Surgery (2 options):
'VIP package' (Dr Gur performs graft extraction): 5400-6300 EUR
'Standard package (presumably technicians perform the extractions): 3500 EUR
3 nights' accommodation + ground transfers: 300 EUR
Dr Turan (FUE Capilar)
graded my hair loss as a Norwood 5
3500 - 4000 FUs:
2500-2750 FUs for the hairline reconstruction and density increase in the frontal and the fronto-temporal area
1000-1250 FUs for the mid-scalp area
No crown
Temples will be assessed during the consultation
Cost: 5300 Euros:
2-day operation: 5000 EUR
3 nights' accommodation + ground transfers: 300 EUR
Dr Ratchathorn Panchaprateep (Absolute Hair Clinic):
3000 grafts for the front (depending on the desired hairline and density)
500 grafts to the crown
Division of labour
doctor:
makes all excisions
pulls some grafts
makes all incisions
places 10-40% of the grafts
assistants:
pull some grafts
place 60-90% of the grafts
Treatment includes PRP
surgery cost:
shaven: 80 THB per graft (i.e. about 280,000 THB)
non-shaven 90 THB per graft (i.e. about 315,000 THB)
Note: I only considered this clinic because of reviews regarding Dr Laorwong. I haven't looked into Ratchathorn Panchaprateep - this was just the doctor who responded to my messages.
Dr Pukinya Jangjetriew (Dr Patty) (Haitran clinic):
Proposes about 3000 grafts (rough estimate - to be determined on the day) to fill the frontal area, not bringing the hairline down (she did not provide a hairline photo but proposes to have a video consultation, which I'll try to have in the next few weeks)
Price:
Surgery: 116,500 THB for 3000 grafts + 35 THB per additional graft i.e. 134,000 THB for 3500 grafts
PRP: 12,000 THB
Other thoughts/concerns
I'm careful about money but I am willing to pay more if a particular doctor is likely to have a better survival rate or if a cheap doctor is likely to produce a bad result. It seems like the doctors/clinics I'm considering all have a reasonable reputation but please let me know of any bad reviews. Dr Patty is obviously the cheapest but has the least reviews on this forum.
I get the sense that once a doctor gets hyped online, his/her prices tend to shoot up so price might not be a great indicator of quality. I had a proposal from Dr Gur in September 2022 and his prices have gone up about 38% for the standard package and about 52% for the VIP package in less than 18 months. I think this might be because his name has been getting mentioned more on forums lately and a guy did a series of review videos on Youtube about his Dr Gur transplant.
I would be grateful for:
any comments on the above doctors
any recommendations of other doctors and reasons for the recommendations
any comments about the above proposals