Points to consider before HT. thinking about going with Dr Madhu

[bald007]

Hi,

I joined this community today only but was following the posts and other updates from last few months. Basically, I am suffering from Hair Loss and was looking for HT which costs less and gives me natural look. Earlier after doing some research, I was thinking about Dr Armani, but he was very pricey and then I found this forum (thank god) and all the history about him, so ruled out that as an option.

Further continuing my research, I heard a lot about Dr Pathuri Madhu and his work on this forum and was impressed by looking at patient results. His pricing is also affordable and more over, I also have a planned trip to India this December. So, I reached out to him with my pictures, and he suggested that with around 2700 grafts my front area can be developed, (60-70 sq.cm)

Since this is a life changing decision, I would like to get it run by seniors that

 

 

• What are the things that I should keep in mind before going for HT?
  
• Is it safe to go for the surgery? and most importantly
  
• Is Dr Madhu good surgeon?
  

 

Few additional points/concerns,

 

 

1. I am planning to attend a marriage so shaving transplant is not an option for me, it appears that doctor charges extra for non shaving transplant. This is fine because their work increases drastically when doing non shaving transplant. But my concern here is that, would it make any difference to me w.r.t growth of the transplanted grafts?
   
2. And I am also living far from the doctor’s clinic, so I have to go for absorbable sutures and guess what, doctor charges extra for this too. Anyways, I am not worried about the price because if result of the procedure is going to be good then this is worth the shot.
   
3. Actually, I am worried about vertex area but doctor says that we can treat that with medicines, but I don’t want to take lifelong medication. Also, because of minoxidil I was getting lots of itching, and that was the reason I stopped using it but doctor says that I can use Minoxidil foam and that should be good for scalp. Any ideas on this?
   
4. What about the scar and other complications?
   
5. Also, all the patient blogs on this forum seems to have pictures either before surgery and/or day after surgery and few months, I couldn’t find any patient pictures that were having grown transplanted hairs. Did I miss any case here?
   

 

 

Thanks in advance for your help

[TakingThePlunge]

bald007,

 

Welcome to the community! It's hard to get a good view of your hairline in these photos but from looking at your photos I'd be inclined to say that you may want to consider holding off on the hair transplant and see how you respond to medication. In my opinion you should definitely begin Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil). Many patients that experienced itching with liquid Rogaine report fewer side effects with the foam.

 

Hair restoration surgery, like any surgery, carries with it the risk of infection or other complications. However, these risks are greatly diminished in the hands of a skill and experienced surgeon.

 

Dr. Madhu, as you already know, is recommended and highly regarded by this community. To view the highlights of his review, visit, “Potential Recommendation of Dr. Pathuri Madhu of India”.

 

Some surgeons prefer shaving the head and some don't. This is one of those nuances that can lead to a great deal of debate. Logically, shaving the head probably provides for fewer obstacles for the surgeon and makes it easier and quicker to place the grafts. However, there are lots of guys here who have had great results without having to shave.

 

No one wants to take medicine for the rest of their lives. I was also very reluctant to do so. However, knowing that I was investing thousands in my hair transplant, I decided I needed some insurance. No one can force you to take finasteride but, for most men, hair loss is progressive and you will probably continue losing your native hair. Medication can help slow this process and perhaps bring back some lost density. I try not to look at it as taking drugs for the rest of my life. I think of it as taking drugs until a better solution comes along and hopefully preserving more hair in the meantime.

 

There are many discussions on the forum regarding scars. I would use the search feature. For the most part, if you are not planning to buzz your hair to a military length, your scar should be reasonably well hidden. After my first HT I could buzz to a #3. I'm not sure if I'll get away with that after my second but I don't care.

 

Lastly, there are tons of results in our Hair Restoration Websites of guys who have posted results after one year and beyond.

 

Best of luck!

[bald007]

Hi David,

Thanks for the quick reply and my apology for taking very long in responding. Got busy with few other things and out of state travel, few it’s not easy!!

 

Appreciate your advice about holding off from HT, first even I was little hesitant about the surgery but after debating with myself over long time, I felt that it would be better to just take this risk once, rather than looking myself in mirror everyday and feel devastated about my hair. So, right now I have almost made my decision that I’ll be going for HT.

 

Re: HT with Dr Madhu. Yes, I have seen a lot of pictures on his website but on this forum I found only one such example and that’s why I was concerned. Also, one of the picture on this forum, shows the scar and that is holding me off from going with Dr Madhu.

 

Thanks,