Thanks - only doing this cause this forum helped me with my decision.
1 Choosing the clinic
My hair transplant journey has been a quite long one, but I’ll jump right into the making the decision to have a surgery with Dr. Laorwong and Absolute Clinic in the summer of 2023. For anyone who wants to know more details, I’ve written a bit about my general HT history down below.
In the summer of 2023 for me it was between Eugenix and Dr. Laorwong.
Why did I decide for Dr. Laorwong ?
1. The perceived quality of his results:
This forum has played quite a big role in finding the right doctor for me, as a lot of its members posted their journey here. I was really struck with how good Dr. Laorwongs results looked, and with how satisfied people seemed to be. I also thought by what I could judge he did a fantastic job in handling density also in bigger surgeries. In most examples the front is quite dense and the top is just dense enough to have the appearance of full hair. This allows to cover a quite big area without over harvesting the donor area.
STILL: I was still aware that I can’t just assume that it will work the same for me, as it is difficult to gather from picture how thick the hair of patient is and if the aesthetics will translate the same way to my situation, as I have very thin hair (the diameter of the hair itself). Also I am aware how different the same hair can look on different pictures and with different lighting, so I don’t like to base my decision purely on pictures.
2. The way he and the clinic handled a failed transplant
As much as we are all afraid of being one of the rare cases, where it goes wrong and a big percentage of grafts will fall out, any clinic which acts like it doesn’t have these cases is lying. It’s rare but it happens. For me it was very important to hear of another case here on the forum, which one patient shared, where a big percentage of grafts were not successfully transplanted. In that case Dr. Laorwong decided to pay for the second correction procedure, which showed me that this clinic took care of their patients also after the procedure is done.
He also confirmed in a consultation that it is the clinic policy to take care of failed transplants on their own costs.
3. The consultation phase
When first contacting the clinic I was surprised to learn I was seemingly communicating with Dr. Laorwong directly via WhatsApp. It was a very unusual process, as I was used to the sells person machinery of other hair transplant clinics.
It has advantages and disadvantages: It will happen that he will not answer and when he answers it will be a very short and swift reply which might not answer all the questions I was throwing at him, but I really preferred this way over being in contact with a salesperson. I cannot 100% guarantee that the communication is happening directly with the doctor but to me it seems to be that case and it is what he says.
Video Call Consultation
When having a video call with the doctor, I felt it was a very honest consultation and he could answer all my questions to the point where I trusted his judgement, which for me definitely was a first.
Overall reason for choosing the clinic
I can wholeheartedly say, I contacted tons of hair clinics trying to throw as many critical questions at them to see how they deal with different situations and I was never at the point where I thought I actually trust the clinics processes. Dr. Laorwong and absolute hair clinic was the FIRST AND ONLY clinic where I felt well taken care of and I trusted the process without overthinking every step.
And I am not sure yet if I will be lucky enough, that it turns out as hoped for, but I know that Dr. Laorwong tried is very best for the best outcome.
2 Costs
The Hairtransplant + Aftercare Package
I payed 80 BAHT per graft.
80 x 2600 grafts = 208.000 BAHT
+ about 30.000 BAHT for stem cell and prp for a quicker healing process.
Overall it was about 6400€
3 Pre-Surgery
I stayed at a hotel within walking distance of the clinic. On the day prior to the surgery I visited the clinic in the afternoon. I met the doctor for the consultation and we discussed different topics. First of all he thought my situation looked better in real life then he judged over video and pictures and I said that I think that the improvement might be because of the 2.5 mg minoxidil tablets he suggested I should take instead of the foam. ( I started taking them 2 to 3 months prior to the surgery).
I was also taking finasteride 1 year prior to the surgery. Originally it was planned to do a surgery with up to 4500 grafts also addressing the crown and top. After consulting with Dr. Laorwong he advised against it and suggested just to do the frontal area for now, with about 2500 grafts (it ended up being 2600).
We crafted the hairline. On the first try he already drew a natural, non-aggressive hairline, but after my feedback we even went further back and even less aggressive, I wanted to preserve enough grafts for the future and rather have a conservative but dense hairline.
Overall I was very anxious and nervous about the surgery. I also asked some questions regarding dermatitis (a skin condition, which I used to have as a child) and wether he has any experience with particularly sensitive skin in regards to hair transplants. Here I was a bit disappointed to hear that Dr. Laorwong seemed to have not much expertise regarding dermatology, as he did not know about dermatitis. But I am aware that you do not need to be a dermatologist in order to be an excellent hair surgeon, so I wasn’t too worried about it, but still it didn’t calm my nerves.
Dr. Laorwong was quite reserved and not very talkative during the consultation process or in general for that matter. But overall I still felt I was in good hands.
4 The clinic and facilities
The clinic’s facilities and the medical equipment was in good shape, but it was not as modern and as luxurious as I expected. I can imagine for someone who is expecting a world class surgeon to also have a word class clinic, that this could make them doubt the process or maybe even panic. For me in that moment it was ok, and didn’t make me question the doctors expertise.
5 The Day of Surgery
I arrived at the clinic at 7:50 in the morning. I was in Bangkok two nights prior to the surgery so my body didn’t really adapt to the new time yet, so I was lacking quite a bit of sleep, but I think the adrenaline of the nervousness compensated enough for that lol.
Still I advise if possible to come to Thailand a few days before the surgery if you have the time and money and if you’re home local time is very different from the Bangkok one.
We started by taking pictures and redrawing the hairline. Then he gave me a package of medication to take. All the nurses entered the room as well so there were about 6 nurses and the doctor. After that we started to cut the hair to prepare for the extraction. I started feeling very anxious and I actually started having a panic attack: getting dizzy, close to fainting, the hearing got dull and the whole package. The doctor said it’s just related to my anxiousness and he started to massage my neck until I calmed down ( so I guess I’m not the only one to whom that happened).
From that point on it went really smooth, maybe it was because I was so nervous and exhausted from the panic attack, that I didn’t feel much, but it really felt like it was over fast and I was only half-awake through the most of it. (At least it felt much shorter than the process actually was).
The weirdest part was probably getting the local anesthesia, after that there wasn’t a lot of pain.
After the extraction, I was lead to a room to eat some lunch. And after that we proceeded with the insertion in the receiving area in the front. I don’t remember all the details, but it went much smoother than expected.
After the surgery I was feeling quite alright. I’m not sure whether we already started the laser therapy on the day of surgery or the day after either way mostly everything worked out fine:
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR:
You will wear a medical cap for at least 5 days which the nurses will put on for you. Be very careful to keep this cap as low as the nurses put it! Seemingly on the second day this cap somehow ended up a bit higher throughout wearing it for a day. This lead to the edge of slightly touching the front of my hairline which in worst case could’ve pulled out a few grafts. The nurses cut open the cap and were very careful when removing it so the grafts ended up not being damaged. But it is something to watch out for
6 After the surgery
The days after the surgery I felt much butter then expected, and I was quite fit. I did not need any of the strong pain killers I was subscribed. I received a collection of pills: pain killers, antibiotics and anti-swelling pills. I took all just as prescribed except for the sleeping and strong pain pills.
The hardest part was sleeping without unconsciously falling or turning to a side which was transplanted but as to my knowledge I managed to just sleep laying on the neck rather straight.
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR: Get a neck pillow! I did not get one. As I only had a surgery in the front that was ok but I still advise you to get one and sleep with it for at least two weeks. So that you do not accidentally touch the area in any way
The first few days, I was so fit that maybe I even got a little overconfident and walked around for too long through a shopping mall and other places. Remember that if you’re walking too long, it will increase your swelling and slow down the healing process. In my opinion Dr. Laorwong was a bit to easygoing in that regard. I think I was very careful and really attentive regarding the post-care do’s and don’ts which I received from the clinic, but I could have been ever more careful and the clinic should also be more assertive when it comes to that.
I received washing and laser-therapy by the clinic for 9 days after the surgery. Included in the package is only 5 days, so I payed a bit extra. But I really felt like the laser therapy and the nurses carefully attending to the area is worth the extra money!
After being back in germany 12 days after the surgery I tried to be very careful still. The biggest challenge again was sleeping without rolling to the side. I think I managed but I still wish I would’ve addressed that part with a neck pillow and other measures to make 100 % sure that nothing happens.
The grafts started to fall out rather quickly (from 2 weeks and forward). I stayed in contact with the doctor and he calmed down saying that this process is normal and can happen.
7 Patiently waiting for the result
Things get worse before they get better.. Im starting to get a bit worried, because the last few days (around 5th week), I started to lose quite a bit of hair from the top and crown where there was no direct transplant. I’m still waiting for a reply of the doctor wether that is within the normal reaction of the body. But I’m assuming it can be.
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8 Before the Decision:
◦ How did you research the procedure (research, consultations, forums)?
I have been considering a hair transplant for a very long time. Basically I am unhappy with my situation since 2016. I especially struggled with how my top hair got thinner to the point, where I just felt uncomfortable with it, no matter which length or styling.
So I’ve done a tons of research over the years. Sometimes actual research also reading some scientific papers, and sometimes just falling down the endless rabbit hole of looking at results from different clinics and scraping through the forums, trying to to somehow filter through the mass of information, littered with advertisement and personal opinions.
First Phase - Deciding against a transplant
In my first round of acquiring info as many probably do, I went through the phase of thinking hair transplant clinics only exist in turkey. Jokes aside in that phase I thought that because turkey is so famous for a reason and that doctors there have the most experience. For me the most important aspect was always the quality of the result but price played a role as well.
(Quick side note: some people love to jump on mentioning price, which I find a bit condescending to be honest. It shouldn’t be in the forefront of a decision but not everyone has the luxury to completely ignore that aspect of the decision.)
Anyways I’ve contacted all the classic clinics and providers in that first round:
1.Serkan Aygin
2.Elite Hair
3. BioHairClinic
4. Health Travels
And some others which I don’t remember.
Overall I was very unsatisfied with how these providers handled some of the questions that were critical to me. It was obvious very quickly that I was talking to salesmen who wanted to sell me the happiness I could have, who had no sense of the unethical way they were handling the situation. Either way I felt like wasn’t given an helpful consultation. With the exception of Health travels.
The following issues were critical to me:
1. Who is performing the surgery (I don’t generally have a problem with technicians doing a bigger part of the surgery with oversight of the doctor as I think it mostly a matter of experience and a constantly good result is a consistency good result) but I don’t like when quality of clinics changes and when there is no transparency whatsoever who performed the surgery and its more or less a question of luck who actually performs the surgery on you.
2. Long term success
- How is the risk of the me losing more hair being handled?
- Can the donor be managed, so that if things get worse in the future, and should a second or third surgery be needed, that there are still enough donor grafts
3. What about the risk of scars ?
- If the worst case happens and I should lose more hair than can be aesthetically be recovered via a hair transplant, can I completely shave my head without looking like an idiot ?
In that phase, in the beginning of 2020 I was in the end close to do a hair transplant with Health travels (and Dr. Demirsoy), but I was hesitant throughout and did not feel comofortable with that decision. Then covid happened and the flight to Istanbul got cancelled and I was kind of relieved.
Second Phase: Trying out a shaved head
I then tried living with a shaved head (2020 - 2023). Long story short, I didn’t feel great with it. It took some time coming to terms with not feeling attractive anymore, but I never got quite over it. I tried SMP as well, which was a rollercoaster by itself but it didn’t really work for me.
Third Phase: Growing Hair again
At the end of 2022 I was starting go grow my hair again and I was surprised, it did not look as bad as I remembered it. I wasn’t totally ecstatic about it, but I felt like it still makes me look better than the shaved head, so I just let it grow again and slowly started looking into hair transplant again.
I was also a bit furious with myself because I stopped taking finasteride since shaving my head (2020 - 2023). So I was mad that maybe I could’ve even preserved more hair. But back in 2020 I felt like I was losing a lot of masculinity (mood wise and looks wise) while taking finasteride (which could also just be attributed to me doing less sports)
My advice: look if finasteride works for you and try to rule out any other influences, if you feel like you’re having side effects. Also play around with the dosis, before stopping completely. If you find a doses that works then just take it even if you decide to not do a hair transplant for now or shave your head. If you decide otherwise later you’ll regret the time you didn’t take it.
Fourth Phase: Deciding for a transplant with Dr. Laorwong
While growing out my hair I had phases where I felt really confident with it and phases where it annoyed me. But it wasn’t as intense as in my mid twenties when the worries took over my life and I absolutely hated it.
I started looking into having a hair transplant again and did more research. I ended up looking through different international hair transplant associations to find doctors that way. Still I advise to be careful, some of these organizations are still more ore less marketing, as they are not all medical organizations organized by the doctors themselves, but with people who have a monetary interest.
Still I found the IAHRS to be helpful.
In the end I narrowed it down to:
Eugenix and Dr. Laorwong.What that impacted my decision to go with Dr. Laorwong you can read in the shorter section above:
