England

Hi Pavan, I want to give you a more detailed piece of advice, based on my experiences, but first, can I ask what exactly have you booked? Have you booked surgery, and if so, have you booked an FUE or FUT procedure? I notice in a previous comment of yours that you were going to seek 'Homeopathic and allopathic medicines' - is this true? Or did you change your mind and elect to go for surgery? In my understanding there isn't much of an overlap between the two? Can you give us more details about the procedure you plan to have on 22nd, what it involves, how many grafts will be extracted (if any) - or the technology involved? Please get back to me because I think it's important that you don't rush into any procedures without being fully informed. Best regards

Post Op I really wanted to maximise the effect of any surgery I had, so I elected to stay at the Radisson Blu for 16 nights, (15 nights after my surgery) - the theory being that I would be close to the clinic and could check in should there be any problems. The most uncomfortable part after the surgery itself was sleeping – you obviously have to sleep on the back of your head, but that’s where all the extractions came from. With strip you could find a comfortable position lying on your side, but since the FUE extractions I had included the sides of my head, I simply could not get comfortable at all. The provided neck pillow helped a bit, but not a lot. To my surprise, Dr Feriduni invited me back every single working day that I was there. Every morning I had a taxi, paid for by the clinic, pick me up and take me to the clinic, where the nurses cleaned my grafts, washed my hair, inspected the grafts and generally made sure that everything was fine. They also had a special towel system for removing scabs, which made the whole process of post-op care really comfortable for me. I also had personal inspections from Dr Feriduni, who helped by applying various creams which were on the post-op instructions, as well as checking on the grafts through the special microscopic glasses. He even bottled up some Aloe-Vera gel in a container for me, free of charge. A taxi, again paid for by the clinic, then took me back to the hotel. I have to say that this is simply outrageously good service, far in excess of any expectations, I was blown away. Day 7 I noticed that as the scabs were healing, there were some ‘lines’ in the scabs which concerned me. Of course, I was able to directly show these to the Doctor who informed me that they are very normal. He likened these to lines in the desert – the scabbing and healing dries out the skin, stretching it and leaving what appear to be ‘gap’ lines in between. This is absolutely normal. Day 15 The doctor attempted to pull out some of the implanted hairs using a special surgical tool (they are meant to fall out and re-grow anyway), and found that they wouldn’t come out – this could be a sign that I would see early growth and perhaps I wouldn’t shed! Being fair skinned, I still had some redness at this point, but Dr F tested that the redness subsided when it was pressed, it did, which is apparently a good sign. 1 month – 2 months Unfortunately, the early promise of non-shedding failed to materialise, and I found myself most definitely in the ‘doldrums’ – with my hair effectively going back to pre-op state. All of this was expected, though, and I knew that from here on in it would all be positive. All in all, I am reserving my final assessment of Dr Feriduni until I see my final result, which will be roughly in March 2013 (1 year after) – however, I have to say that the care and support I received was simply unbelievably good. I could not have asked for a nicer, more professional group of staff and I am absolutely delighted (so far) that I elected to go with Dr Feriduni. It backed up the feeling I got when I first consulted, and then some.

Hey Mogaine, I also can't comment on the scar - but looking at the photo you took of the hairs which came out, it looks to me like the hairs are just attached to the scabs/crusty skin which form after you have a hair transplant. It's very normal for most of the transplanted hairs to fall out, and often they take the scab with them. It doesn't look to me like the graft itself has come out. The very same thing happened to me and I confirmed with Dr Feriduni that everything was normal (I was able to go back to see him every day for 14 days after my procedure). After 3 weeks the grafts are so set in place that you couldn't remove them without seeing quite a bit of blood, I've seen surgeons state that they would have to be surgically removed after this much time. Don't worry!

Stephen is the BHR patient advisor. He's a former patient who later became an employee as he is a great example of Bisanga's work. He had a very high level of loss, and has had multiple FUE to allow himself to pull off the 'stubble' look all over (he can pull off the short hair). I met him and touched his scalp, it looks great on him and he's a great guy. I'm not sure how it would look if he grew it out, though.

Sorry to hear that mb30, but there are a number of positives here: 1 - It saves you a lot of money 2 - You will never have to go through an operation or scar your head, so if one day another cure for balding emerges you will have a virgin scalp. 3 - You don't have to worry about the results of your operation and keep up a continued assault on your hair loss, including future ops, pills, and general stress. 4 - You will find it liberating not having to worry about / style your hair - and everyone around you will get used to your new appearance quickly enough. 5 - Some girls like the tough-guy skinhead look. Provided having short hair suits you, it's actually the best approach for most guys, in my opinion. Best of luck

I told a couple of my closest friends, my girlfriend, and my mother. All of them saw it as a positive step, and it's made my life at lot easier that they know. Nobody else knows.

Hey all, So I’ve been on this site for over 7 years, I tend to read rather than comment but now I feel I should share my experience. I’ve broken it down into sections because it’s quite a long story, but I’ve tried to include everything to give you the full picture: Operation Summary Duration: 10 Hrs (approx) Technique: FUE Blade: 0.9mm Manual Punch Graft Total: 2,548 1's: 504 2's: 1,174 3's: 830 4's: 40 Area Covered (approx): 50 sq cm Avg Density (approx): 50 grafts / sq cm (plus native hair) Background I first noticed my hair loss after college, when I went to university. Probably just about the worst time to lose your hair and your confidence as a result. At the tender young age of 20, I was vulnerable enough to be taken in by Jeremy Isherwood and the Norton Clinic. Looking back with embarrassment I’m ashamed to say I did everything wrong – I had my consultation with a salesman, I didn’t even consider going anywhere else, I don’t know even know how many grafts I had or needed, I didn’t fully understand the long term implications and of course the end result was pretty poor. That being said, I’ve seen and heard of much worse horror stories with the Norton Clinic, my scar is mostly pencil thin and even the wider places do not show at all normally due to my hair colour being so close to my skin colour (extremely light). Despite them placing doubles and triples in my hairline, and some of the graft direction being somewhat suspect, the end result was undetectable and it’s lasted me a good 7 years. The plan from Norton was always that I would go back for a second operation to have the hairline thickened up, I never felt the need to but I always intended to. More recently, I’ve started to find it harder and harder to style my hair, with wind becoming more and more of a problem. My first reaction was that I just needed the hairline thickening up as per the original plan, perhaps 1,000 grafts would do – this turned out to be wildly inaccurate - so much for self diagnosis! There was one key moment in my life where I snapped at a family member after having my hair messed up by the wind, and that was the final straw - I made a new year’s resolution that this year I would sort out my issues with my hair as they had begun to affect how I was living my life, and even who I was as a person. From the very start, I knew that I wanted FUE for this second surgery. I have had a medium sized strip surgery, and I’ve felt the tightness from time to time even years and years after the original operation – I simply didn't want to go through that again. I also feel quite fortunate that I only have a relatively short, straight scar, rather than a smiley face, and I did not want to risk making this scar worse (it’s extremely easy to cover). I also wanted to leave myself the option of FUE into that scar at a later date to give myself the option of shorter hair, which I felt would be compromised if I had another strip making it both longer and potentially wider. Even though I’ve been on this site for so long, I actually first considered the convenience of an FUE surgeon local to me, and I arranged a consultation with them in January. This is despite them having no information on their surgeon on their website or upon request. I feel it is somewhat more embarrassing that even with my relative ‘experience’ within this industry, I still nearly made the same mistake twice. It just goes to show how easily people can be sucked in and end up in the hands of sub-par surgeons, underlining the importance of sites such as this. Thankfully, I cancelled, looked up the recommended European surgeons on this site, and began to see and hear very good things about Dr Bisanga and Dr Feriduni. After consulting with both these doctors and some other surgeons from the states and Canada online, I arranged a consultation with both in January of this year. The Consultation I consulted with both Dr Feriduni and Dr Bisanga. Interestingly, they both had different approaches, and took a different line in reaching the same conclusions: Dr Bisanga measured my donor density at 60/70/70, Dr Feriduni measured it at 80/96. Dr Bisanga suggested that light hair needs less density, Dr Feriduni suggested light hair needs more. I think both are true – if you have blonde hair it’s easier to get an illusion of coverage with fewer grafts due to the lower skin/hair contrast, but it’s harder to get a dense look because the hairs aren’t as visible. The end result, however, was that both recommended 2,400-2,500 grafts over 2 days, which was in line with their and the other online consultations. Both also recommended that I dye my hair dark prior to the operation, as the hair is naturally so light it can make extraction difficult. Both asked the question had I considered FUT given that I already have a scar and that the yield can be very slightly higher (2.1 hairs via FUT vs 1.8 to 2.2 via FUE) – but I was decided FUE would be the way forward for me and both felt I was a good candidate. I found the consultation with Dr Feriduni to be a very pleasant experience, he was able to show me my donor area magnified on the computer, live, and seemed to listen much more closely to what I wanted and approach the transplant with a great deal of artistry, he seemed more precise in his approach, using a mask to align the hairline perfectly, and he also had hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of excellent case studies on his computer. It must be such a low percentage of his cases which actually make their way onto the forums but the case studies he can show speak for themselves. There was never a feeling that he was pushing me into anything, or that he was in a rush to get rid of me – he gives you his full time and concentration. On top of all of the above, he’s one of those people you just know are genuinely good guys. I know you shouldn’t select a surgeon based on how nice they are, so I didn’t, but I had confidence that he would stand by me should anything go wrong and that means a lot. This level of care wasn’t just confined to Dr Feriduni either, the whole team of nurses and Daphne & Cristian were extremely friendly and professional. I was left in no doubt after the consultation that I wanted Dr Feriduni to be my surgeon, so I promptly made a booking for a 2-day surgery at the end of March (thanks to a cancellation). The total cost for 2,500 grafts was 10,750 EUR (?8,576), which works out at 4.3 EUR / graft. The deposit which had to be paid was 1,000 EUR per surgery day, so 2,000 EUR in my case. The remaining balance was due 21 days prior to the surgery, I elected to pay the upper amount for 2,500 grafts (as opposed to 2,400). One nice thing I noticed on the terms and conditions was that unlike some other surgeries, this deposit is refundable in the case of ‘unforeseen circumstances’ for example if you fall ill or if a relative dies. The Operation 28th 7:00 PM– Arrived at the Radisson Blu hotel, took my time dying my hair jet black to make sure it could be seen during the operation, since I was shaving it anyway I didn’t care. I had a bit of a last minute panic about dying my hair so soon before the operation, and I’m ashamed to say the evidence of this remains – I posted on this forum at the 11th hour asking when the best time to dye hair was! 29th 7:30 AM – Arrived at the clinic where I was greeted by the nurse and shown to my personal room for the day. I read through all the legal documents, signed them, and changed into op clothes which were surprisingly comfortable. 8:00 AM – Was shown to Dr Feriduni’s office for a second consultation, to mark out the proposed hairline and to finalise the details of the operation. I was absolutely delighted with the hairline, as per the original consultation it was not aggressive, pretty much keeping my existing hairline height but rounding off the temples and adding density throughout zones 1, 2 and 3. We also lowered the central peak by about 1mm across roughly a 1 inch width, which I preferred to a widows peak – I have a large forehead so the doctor advised doing one or the other to break it up. This is a good example of the attention to detail and artistry that I mentioned before. The doctor mentioned that zone 4 seems to be holding up well for now, which was great news, although I do anticipate requiring further grafts down the line. 8:15 AM – I headed into the OR where I met some of the nurses, who were all extremely friendly and professional throughout - and had my head shaved. I’ve never shaved my head before so I should probably be grateful that there were no mirrors around! 8:20 AM - Blood pressure and heart rate were measured, and I was given IV antibiotics. I had a relatively high bp and heartrate, which I’ve actually had since I was young. The nervousness didn’t help. 8:25 – Face down in the chair, a vibrating tool basically made the numbing injections painless – I couldn’t feel the first one and subsequent injections were close by so the area was already numbed. 8:30 – Extractions started. I had a LOT of bleeding (due to my high bp) which made the operation harder to perform. I found the situation very uncomfortable – breathing face down into the moulded face holder made me very hot, and some blood started running down over my face. I was very nervous because I could feel the stress in the team, and was worried something was going wrong. If I had one criticism of the whole experience it would be that I wasn't reassured or spoken to much during this time. The nurses performed the majority of the extractions, there were 2 at a time working in shifts for about an hour at a time. Dr Feriduni also did some of the extractions himself, but there was no discernible difference in technique. After a while I asked if everything was OK or not, and was told that I was fine but bleeding a lot. To add to the drama, my heart rate monitor kept beeping from time to time, indicating a high heart rate (mainly due to me panicking a little). Towards the end, the extraction zone had to be widened in order to obtain the required grafts. I was later informed that the team went through 3 pads of tissues when normally one would suffice for a day. My bleeding meant that numbing injections had to be re-made several times during the process. 12:30 – Extractions complete, I was offered lunch and drink/chocolate. I declined because I wanted to have the grafts out of my body for as little time as possible. Instead, I had a glass of Coke and a chocolate bar in the chair and then Dr Feriduni started to make the incisions. This stage was much more comfortable as I was sat up and could talk properly. Dr Feriduni took his time with the incisions, carefully avoiding all native hair. I continued to chat to him during this time and the worst part was most definitely over. 14:00 – Incisions complete, I was offered another break for food/toilet but declined for the same reasons as before. The nurses began placing the grafts, this process was quite comfortable too. Dr Feriduni came by to check everything was OK every now and then. 17:00 – By now the grafts has all been placed, but Dr Feriduni said we needed more. This required more numbing injections in either side, which REALLY hurt this time (I believe I even let out a loud ‘ouch’). An additional 190 or so grafts were extracted from the sides and placed into the remaining incisions. 18:15 – I was cleaned off and washed down, bandaged up and taken back to my room where my lunch was waiting. The operation has been completed in 1 day, which I was absolutely delighted about. I didn’t fancy my body going through the same trauma the next day, when in my own mind I felt it was best for the body and my grafts to be recovering. I don’t know the difference in terms of yield, but I know in my personal (and totally unsubstantiated opinion) – I much prefer this to splitting the operation up over 2 days. Immediately After the Operation I later had another check up and post-op review with the Dr. Everything was looking great. He informed me that the extraction had been very easy because my roots aren’t very deep, meaning extremely low transection and capping rates. He also informed me that the ‘excellent’ blood flow I was so worried about would actually greatly help the implanted grafts, which put my mind at rest. I asked the doctor whether or not he managed to avoid the native hair when making the incisions (my biggest fear was making my hair loss situation worse through surgery), so he demonstrated to me with a piece of paper, a pen, and a blade how easy it is. He drew some dots with the pen to signify the native hair, and illustrated how he could easily make hundreds of tiny incisions all around them, without transecting them. After a few more questions about the specifics, I was bandaged up, a taxi ordered, and I was taken directly back to the hotel. After a lively conversation with the taxi driver, he informed me that my scalp looked very clean and that he had seen everything before – he was completely unphased. He also suggested he dropped me at the side of the hotel, by the underground car park – that way I could sneak back to my room without meeting a soul. I was very grateful for this. Note - Some pictures below are quite graphic. Donor Area - Pre Op (dyed black) Recipient Area - Pre Op (dyed black) Donor Area - Magnified Donor Area - Magnified Further Donor Area - Showing strip scar Extracted Grafts Graft Placement - Nurses Immediately Post Op - New Hairline Immediately Post Op - Magnified ( 1 Day Post Op 12 Days Post Op Donor Recovery - 2 Weeks Recipient Recovery - 2 Weeks I will post more updates shortly. England

All this time I thought you were talking about some great philosopher or scientist.

Firstly, it's absolutely essential going into your op that you trust your doctor. If you don't trust him to give you accurate numbers - you shouldn't go into surgery with him That being said, Dr Feriduni showed me all of my grafts in petri dishes once they had been extracted. He also took photographs so he and his team could later go through the images and count the 1's, 2's and 3's.

Few comments: 1 - There are very few cases of repeat FUE or strip-after-FUE with which to evidence your 'scar tissue' claim. Scar tissue can affect the yield in the recipient area (for both FUE and strip) but I haven't seen any evidence that FUE affects the growth or transplant suitability of hairs surrounding the extraction sites. That there is scarring around extractions doesn't mean it affects the extraction of future grafts. 2 - The FUE comparison you suggest is flawed for several reasons: - Far more operations, globally, are strip, than FUE. Much more than 2x so. - Part of the reason for this is that FUE is significantly more expensive so not an option for lots of people. The additional expense of FUE also means that the majority of FUE's which do happen are smaller. - Another reason for this is that there are fewer surgeons practising FUE. - Surgeons in the US are not legally allowed to enlist the help of technicians while performing extractions. Since FUE takes a long time, this means that they physically cannot do operations above 2,500 without suffering exhaustion and over several days. This is the real reason why several 'well regarded' US surgeons do 'not recommend' large scale FUE - they simply can't perform them for legal reasons. Of course, this can be marketed as an advantage 'the surgeon performs all the extractions' but the reality is a team of fresh, specialized technicians rotating will achieve a better result than 1 single surgeon who has a whole host of tasks to complete working for several hours straight (and better than automated tools). - FUE is more difficult than FUT. It is much more significant with FUE that you go to one of the top top surgeons. This means that there are far fewer capable FUE surgeons (even of those which perform FUE) and this lessens the 'pool' for information. - Finally, this forum is known (rightly or wrongly) as pro-strip, the majority of users on this forum end up with strip so that will skew the results even further. FUE is, in the right, hands, about 95% as good as FUT in terms of yield, according to the numerous surgeons I spoke with, with the obvious advantage that you don't have a large strip scar. The problem is it's more expensive, highly specialised, requires a higher calibre of surgeon, takes longer, and is therefore practised much, much less. This is the reason for the lack of case studies, not that the methodology doesn't work. Having had both a strip and a large (>2,500 FUE) I feel I am in a relatively unique position to assess the pro's and con's of both. So far I am delighted with the yield from my FUE, as I was with my strip. The difference is I can't feel the constant tugging from the strip which stayed with me for years after my strip. I also didn't extend my scar into an ear-to-ear line, which I am very happy about.

I disagree. If you don't know what your future loss will hold, or are hoping that some kind of medical breakthrough happens before your loss gets too severe, trying FUE first may be a sensible approach - that way you leave yourself the option of not having a scar. It makes little difference IMO whether you do strip or FUE first - if you strip first your hair is thinned already by the strip so FUE yield and risk of gaps is larger, exactly the same as if you do FUE first.

I believe so - I was told that I could have a strip and another FUE in any order, by 2 separate surgeons. Cheers

I was actually curious about extraction patterns of FUE vs Strip so I whipped this up in paint: Top row (1-3) is FUE, bottom row (4-5) is strip. Left boxes on both rows (1 and 4) are a normal head of hair - I think it has roughly 2,500 hairs on it. Box 2 (FUE) is the result of extracting 1 out of every 2 hairs in each 'row' of hair, in an even way and trying not to leave gaps or patterns (believe it or not - try it if you don't believe me). Box 5 (Strip) is the result of removing half of the 'rows' of hairs (as per a strip) - and evenly distributing the rest. You can clearly see that strip appears more even and dense, despite the exact same number of grafts being removed. Thus, when FUE surgeons try to extract grafts evenly - it is almost impossible for them to achieve the density appearance of strip. Box 3 is an interesting one. Instead of removing 1 in every 2 grafts, I removed every other ROW (leaving the same number of grafts as Box 2). You can see that it looks far more dense, and the same as the strip. Perhaps this very unscientific experiment suggests that the best way to reduce the 'moth eaten' look with FUE is to extract in 'rows' rather than trying to pick and choose dots like I did in box 2... Food for thought anyway.

An interesting question. Some observations of mine which I believe to be true (I've had a large FUE and strip): 1 - People who strip out normally have some reserves left for FUE. 2 - People who FUE out normally have some reserves left for strip. 3 - Whether you do FUE or strip first, the former reduces the yield from the latter. You can do either after the other, in any order. 4 - FUE scarring is far less evident than strip scarring (I know you didn't ask about scarring but replies to your post did) 5 - In the right hands (the best FUE surgeons in the world), the yield can be as good as 95% of a strip yield. In lesser hands this can be lower because FUE requires great skill. 6 - Some surgeons in the US are unable to do larger FUE sessions because they aren't legally allowed to have specialised techs doing the extractions, thus they simply do not have enough time to perform larger FUE surgeries, and they would suffer from fatigue etc if they attempted to given the work involved. While they may therefore state that FUE cannot work in large numbers, numerous world class surgeons in Europe / Canada etc perform large FUE operations on a weekly basis which shows it does work. 7 - Mathematically, whether you remove grafts via strip or via FUE, you still have the same sized head, so whether you take 2,000 grafts via FUE or 2,000 grafts via strip, you still have the same overall area to cover with the same number of grafts. In theory, this would mean that you have just as many grafts for FUE as for strip. In practise, however, strip certainly seems to have a higher maximum yield, and honestly I've not seen a good answer why. Here are some of my 'theories': 1 - Strip stretches the skin, rather than removing the hairs. Thus, you automatically achieve a spreading out of the hair grafts (and the gaps inbetween) which is perfectly distributed, whereas with FUE this depends on the skill of the surgical team and can never be perfect. 2 - It's possible that strip lifts the nape slightly to reduce the overall area that hair has to cover.... Essentially, the limiting factor with FUE seems to be when the hair starts to approach the 'moth eaten' appearance - in other words too many grafts were extracted from a specific region. This could be caused by any one of 1 or 2 above - generally I think surgeons are getting better at taking increasing number of grafts out in even distributions to increase the possible yield with FUE. I do still believe that carried out perfectly, an FUE should mathematically have the same potential yield as strip. Of course it doesn't, and maybe it's not possible to carry out a perfect FUE - but I think surgeons continue to improve and will get closer to strip yields over time.

Gotta admit I would have absolutely loved this prior to my surgery. I of course have concerns that it can never be 100% accurate, as surgery itself (and the results thereof) can vary by a whole host of unknown factors, but it still would have been great to see the potential gain from a transplant. I have heard of some surgeons already offering these kind of 3D 'projections' - may have been Devroye in Brussels, think you could have yourself a nice little niche business here. While these kind of previews would need to come with heavy and clear disclaimers, I do think they would appeal to prospective clients.

This. You can't go and shatter the illusion after all this time Spanker. Seriously though, you're probably the most liked guy on here, you're polite, courteous, and you're THOROUGH.... so you'll get yourself a great result. If only everyone researched as much as you

Copying this from another thread, a structured idea of what you need to gain from the consultation: 1 - What is your long term strategy for my hair transplant journey? This is a broad question which will necessitate the doctor analysing your donor density, the loss you have seen already as well as looking at any miniaturisation elsewhere on the head, planning the best utilisation of the available donor and ensuring that if your hair loss progresses you will have sufficient donor to cover those areas too. They may mark the areas which need to be treated, in most cases this involves the drawing of a hairline. The doctor should tell you his vision for numbers of grafts required in areas (present and future) as well as the cosmetic improvement you should expect to see given said plan. 2 - Can I meet some of your patients and see some of your results? VERY very important that you actually meet with multiple people who were treated by this surgeon, as well as see results they present similar to yours, online or on their computer. Not only does this help you review the surgeon, it also gives you realistic expectations. If you can find someone independently (ie, not someone the surgery recommend you see) that is even better. 3 - What process will I have to follow before, during and after the surgery? The surgeon should tell you key information like whether you have to shave your head, costs, how long the surgery will take and who will perform which parts (it's very important that you understand what will happen before hand so you arent unnerved during the operation). This may include understanding the process of injections, the extraction, incisions, placement, and who on their team performs what. The surgeon should also inform you of the necessary after-care process, what you have to do and how long it'll be before you can go out in public, what to expect after surgery eg swelling, and growth timescales. Finally, the surgeon may recommend taking preventative hair loss medication such as Propecia to stabilise your hair loss. This will give you a much more precise feel for what you are committing to - how long it will take, how much it costs, what will happen, and what you will have to do for the rest of your life. ----------------------------------------------- For any of the above question to be relevant at all, you have to be absolutely sure that the surgeon you're meeting with is an ethical one (and that you're meeting with THE surgeon who will perform your procedure). You can't tell this from the surgeon, and that's where sites like this one come in - a poor surgeon could answer the questions above dishonestly and you would have no way of knowing - this is how many guys get sucked in. It's also important for the same reasons to consult with multiple top top surgeons and compare their recommendations. By 'top surgeons' I mean IAHRS registered surgeons who are recommended on this site and for whom you have found numerous patient posted stories online which you like the results of. I really want to emphasise the point to you that the difference between a transplant from a poor surgeon and a world class surgeon is LIFE changing.

First of all, fantastic result in the recipient area - congratulations. I can understand why you're a little disappointed with the scar being visible - your hair looks very dense and thick and a decent length too, yet the scar still shows. I can relate to this because I feel very insecure with my hair short due to my visible scar - even if it's only an indent, I feel like people will know what it is and that is the last thing I want. For me this is a major problem with your surgery - it would be good if we could get an explanation as to why it happened from the clinic / surgeon. I guess this is the main disadvantage of strip - even with a top surgeon you may be left with a visible scar. If you plan any future surgery you could potentially have the scar re-closed or you could have some FUE in the scar to try and hide it a bit better? As per the other request, do you have any pictures of the scar itself so we can get a better idea why it's visible? Cheers

It was Norton Clinic - very bad reputation (as I'm sure you know). However, it looks like I got lucky - during my recent consultations they said I didn't need any repair work, the yield and strip scar looked fine. The main problem with the surgery was the direction of some of the grafts in one small area of the hairline, but it's not noticeable when grown out. It lasted me well for 7 years so I think it's one of the better examples of their work. :-)

As far as I'm aware, there's no difference. Regaine is the name in the UK and Australian markets. Rogaine is the name in the US market. Cheers

Dr Charles, I've noticed on a few threads that I've looked through that you've added knowledgeable comments, it helped me a lot when preparing for my surgery and in dealing with any unexpected things post op. Just wanted to say thanks, it's very much appreciated to have surgeons such as yourself helping out the rest of us. Cheers

Yeah Sean, I met with Stephen too, saw and touched his hair first hand. He's very lucky to be able to pull off that buzz style - he's a good guy too. As you say there are no marks at all or any indication that he's had surgery. Fantastic show piece.

It's also true that if you hammer your donor area with large strips it makes for smaller FUE harvests. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. @Chris - I clearly said excellent progress so far, the fact he has many more months of improvement only strengthens my point. I also referred to hundreds of other case studies.

It's important to note that my top 3 FUE surgeons, worldwide, regularly perform large (~3,000) FUE sessions and have the portfolio of excellent results to back it up. They would certainly not agree that they don't recommend FUE surgeries of this size, at all. They are also, arguably, far more experienced when it comes to FUE surgery than other doctors who perform mostly (or more) FUT, and certainly they are more knowledgeable than any of the posters on this site. Sean has already posted his results from his 3,000 FUE which have been compared to strip favourably, and Ben had a similarly large session which is showing excellent progress too. After having had consultations with multiple top FUE surgeons I saw hundreds of cases showing the same or similar results. It is worth noting that ALL surgeons, strip or otherwise, will state that their technicians perform a critical role in the operations and are just as important as the surgeon - it's a team effort wherever you go and whichever surgery you opt for. I believe that for legal reasons in some countries, technicians are limited in what they can actually do so some clinics are simply incapable of performing surgeries over 1,000 grafts - it doesn't mean they don't work.

Hi Sanjay876 1 - Obviously I'm not a surgeon but as a layman's estimate it looks like you need around 2,000 grafts. This largely depends on the density the surgeon recommends. I would recommend you get at least 3 consultations done online and compare the recommendations. 2 - Many clinics can do this in one sitting. I recently had 2,550 FUE in one sitting. 3 - Punch size should ideally be 1mm or less to minimise scarring. The surgeon should be responsible for the overall operation but often it is far better for your graft survival and result if the technicians perform a lot of the work. For example, typically the technicians perform the extractions of the grafts (in teams), then the surgeon performs the incisions, and finally the technicians place the grafts into the incisions. This is beneficial for many reasons: a) The grafts are out of the head for less time, increasing survival rate. b) The technicians are very specialized in extractions and so can do it at least as well as many surgeons c) If the surgeon had to do every extraction himself he could suffer from fatigue and that could affect the result and d) the direction of the incisions by the surgeon, if done properly, can allow placement of the grafts in only one way so the technicians can't change the direction of the hairs. In terms of the technique used by the surgeon, rather than saying that one technique is better than another (manual vs motorized) etc, I would say just look at lots and lots of their final results and meet some of their patients, decide which results you prefer. What is very important is that you understand the process before you go into the operating room, as much to reduce your stress levels as anything.. Best of luck.