Finalizing my search, need input

[novakia7]

Hi All,

 

I've been doing my research and wanted to get some input from the community on the recommendations I received from doctors recommended on this forum.

 

I am 36 and have been losing hair for the past 10 years, but has stabilized over the past 4 years or so. I want to lower hairline slightly and fill in the temple points. I would also like to work on the mid scalp and crown, as you will notice thinning in both of those on my pictures.

 

This will be my first procedure and I am trying to finalize my decision so that I can schedule for the summer. I would like to do one procedure now and not have to think about doing another one for 10+ years, but don't want to deplete all my donors now.

 

 

I've done a lot of research on surgeons and have a good idea of my top 2 - 3, but as you will see below, there is a wide range of recommendations on the number of grafts.

 

 

Bhatti: 3500 (1500 for hairline and temples, 2000 crown), FUE

Cinik: 3000-3500, FUE

Erdogan: 5000, FUE

Lindsey: 2500 - 3000, FUT

Nader: 4000-4500 (2000 front and 2000-2500 crown), FUE

Soni: 3500, FUT

Vories: 4000, FUE

Yaman: 3500-4000, FUE

 

 

My preference is FUE because I like to wear my hair short in the back, but two of the doctors insisted FUT would be better for me.

 

 

Your input is appreciated!

[gillenator]

Thanks for supplying the pics...that always helps.

 

The bottom line is that if you want the type of work that you described for your frontal zone "and" your crown/mid-scalp, then even 5,000 grafts may not be enough.

 

Did any of the doctors mention the proposed level of grafted density?...because if you were to lower the degree of density for the mid-scalp and crown, you can work with the 5,000 graft number. Your frontal zone could take 3,000 - 3,500 grafts easily based on your pics.

 

The reason I believe the doctors who recommended FUT in your first procedure is due to the amount of work needed.

[novakia7]

Thanks for supplying the pics...that always helps.

 

The bottom line is that if you want the type of work that you described for your frontal zone "and" your crown/mid-scalp, then even 5,000 grafts may not be enough.

 

Did any of the doctors mention the proposed level of grafted density?...because if you were to lower the degree of density for the mid-scalp and crown, you can work with the 5,000 graft number. Your frontal zone could take 3,000 - 3,500 grafts easily based on your pics.

 

The reason I believe the doctors who recommended FUT in your first procedure is due to the amount of work needed.

 

Thank you, Gillenator. No, none of them mentioned any specific density. I am definitely surprised to hear that 5,000 may not be enough! If I do get the 5,000 does it look to you like I will have enough donor left for follow up FUEs?

[mattj]

I agree that FUT might be best for a procedure of this size. Doing 5000 FUE all in one procedure is something that is done, but is a lot to extract in one go.

 

I do think that with the hair you have remaining and with your hair texture, 5000 grafts would probably do it. Typically the midscalp area would be done at a lower density than the front, but the crown does require a higher number of grafts to not look thin.

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

At 36 You might want to consider only doing the frontal/ hairline and mid scalp to start with. You don't want to over commit from the get go and end up having a lot of additional hair loss in the future and not have enough donor hair to really properly finish any areas started.

[gillenator]

Thank you, Gillenator. No, none of them mentioned any specific density. I am definitely surprised to hear that 5,000 may not be enough! If I do get the 5,000 does it look to you like I will have enough donor left for follow up FUEs?

 

Well, just based on the photos, your donor zone looks strong. Once you get physically examined, your surgeon can give you an idea on how many harvestable grafts you have.

 

You want to manage your donor prudently, not only for this proposed procedure, but also for your needs in the coming years my friend. MPB is progressive over a lifetime.

[Shampoo]

Personally I think you'd be very pleased with 5000 grafts FUT or FUE....but the question is "for how long"? The importance of not depleting donor supply in your thirties and early forties can not be underestimated. You'll only be 46 in ten years and over the next ten years you will probably experience some additional hair loss. At that point you will probably want more density. With that said I can't see you happy with 3000 or less grafts, and I suspect you'll be back in the surgery chair in two years if you do 3000 or less grafts.

[jjsrader]

Dr. Soni could do a large session with you - I think you'd have very good results w/your hair quality.

 

His closure w/fut is very good as well (if you need another FUT in the future).

 

Good luck!

[r5000]

Im going on 36 myself and have been very slow losing hair for the last 10 years. I have had tons of online consultations and in person consultations as well. Doctors from Canada, USA, Turkey. I made up my mind and decided to go with Turkey because I can not afford to pay $18,000 dollars for a fue hair transplant in the USA. I have been doing research on this for a few years already, I recently made a trip to Turkey in January and met with several doctors. All of them except 2 told me I need around 2500 grafts. The other doctors gave me a way higher amount of grafts and price since their excuse was that they extract the grafts manual. They are good clinics and the work looks good but im not going all the way to Turkey to spend $6000-8000 when all the other clinics over there charge way less. I get the idea of you get what you pay for but I have seen online plenty of good results from the less expensive clinics. I just came back again from Turkey and had my transplant done with Cinik, everything went well and the pain was very minimal. He took 2500 grafts, did the front part of my head, and a very little around the mid scalp and crown area. I chose Cinik because he take part in the operation vs the other doctors around the $2500 price range who don't. Dr Cinik draws the line for you and opens up the channels. Other doctors such as Acar who happens to be Cinik's old business partner will open up your channels but charge way more for that. I was about to go with Acar but he doesn't take place in the surgery unless you pay more and he told me he didn't want to place grafts towards my mid scalp and crown area. He told me because it might damage the other hairs in the area that are still good, I get his point and understand what he is saying but if the clinic/doctor is good at what they do, they would be able to master that technique of places grafts in an area of other good hairs, it's done all the time by other clinics.

 

I ended up paying $2500 usd and $1000 for the flight from LA to Istanbul. So far I have some tenderness around my donor but it's not too bad. Everyone online states that you will feel pain around your whole head up to maybe a whole month but it does go away. The trip to Istanbul was not too bad, everything went well over there and the people are not bad at all. I felt safe the second time, the first time I was alone and did not know what to expect, especially since it was around the time Turkey had just started to invade Syria. Everything is fine out there no, worries. They have lots of cops out there and believe me, they know what they are looking for when it comes to the bad guys. Example-I took a tour in Istanbul and the tour guide happen to be from Iraq and he does look different from the Turkish people, nice guy by the way but anyways it was a walking tour since the traffic is nuts out there and walking and public transportation is faster but when we were going towards the metro, the cops jammed up our tour guide right away, took his ID and ran his info. Everything came back good and he was released right away. Im from the USA but of Mexican heritage so I don't look like your average American. But the cops didn't jam me up or anything, even though I totally looked like a tourist, they focused on the guide. Getting back to the doctors, please do your homework, look on youtube, facebook, instagram, google, realself, all those sites because there will be info everywhere on all the doctors you are looking for. It was a tough decision and it took me a long time to pick a doctor. Now im just going to play the waiting game and hope for the best results. I am not going to take Finasteride due to the side effects but did buy some natural hair vitamins out there so I will take that in hopes of helping my hair grow a little better.

[aWidowsPeek]

You need 4000+ that is a huge area to cover.

[Shera]

Hi Novakia,

 

3500 grafts should make a huge difference and also help preserve some of your precious grafts for future procedures. It makes sense.

 

I had roughly the same amount 3.5 years ago so feel free to check out my thread or get in touch to see how its still rocking!

[novakia7]

Thanks for all the input, everyone. Lots to consider! Any further input is appreciated.

[gillenator]

It's always a good idea to take some time and think things through...continue to do your research and eventually you will come to the right decision, and how to approach it.

[Sydney1]

so have you had the surgery with Dr cinik?

[r5000]

Yes on March 08, 2018. So far it’s going good, well at least in my opinion. I’m happy with the progress so far. I’ll attach some pics that I have. The most recent one was at the 5 month mark. 

[jonfromozz]

Looks quite nice. How many grafts did you end up with?

[r5000]

2500, and Thank You. I went to Turkey twice, once to consult with a handful of doctors & on the second time to do the surgery. Out of 6 doctors only 2 said they would add grafts to the mid scalp area & crown. Dr Cinik opened up my channels, that’s one of the main reasons I chose him, plus the surgery was only 1900 euros so that also got my attention.

Edited September 13, 2018 by r5000