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Consultation with dr Diep. Here’s my options n his prices


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  • Senior Member

So I had my in person consultation with doctor diep yesterday ..

I came in thinking I was a Norwood 2 looking for around 1400 grafts doing Fue..

 

There were two other patients ahead of me .. n he saw them for only 5 minutes each ..

When it was my time .. I asked him to do a full evaluation .. I wanted to know my hair caliber , the diameter of my hair shaft and my future Norwood . He doesn’t do those things ..

he’s pretty straightforwood n doesn’t do a master plan .. he sees the problem u have n how much grafts u need .. what he did do was use a densimeter ( a handheld microscope ) n check for thinning areas .. but he doesn’t do it for the whole head . Just a quick look ..

Says I have a minor thinning on the crown n recession in the hairline .. I really wanted him be more detailed oriented since I did drive two hours to visit Him..I wanted him to do a hair heck to see how much hair I’ve lost etc etc .. but oh well ..

He drew in the hairline for me , just a rough sketch , n said I was a Norwood 3 .

The hairline looks good enough .

Then gave me two options ..

1750 grafts or 2000 grafts .

Fue 1750 = $14,800. Or 2000 grafts = $16000

Fut. 1750 = $7500 or 2000 grafts = $8800

 

..... next available appointment for Fue is November and for FUT in July ..

 

So what would u guys choose ?

Right now I’m leaning towArds FUT since I can get the 2000 grafts at half the price n I can get it done in July ..wasn’t a fan of FUt but since I grow my hair long in the back n never buzz my hair , I can hide that scar easy ..

I don’t think I can afford $16000 .. it’s too much ..

—- I have a few days to decide , overall doctor diep I know he can get it done n the results will be there .. But they don’t offer money back.. since they say they believe in their work . N if things don’t grow right it’s cuz of other issues not the clinics ..

P.s I have

Pics if y’all want ..

- also I’m feeling happier today , was feeling depresssd for a whole year now as I watch my hair deteriorate .. now I have refreshed , like I have options n a solution to my hair loss.. I can look younger n good looking again :)

P.s he said after this surgery I might not need another one for 10 or 20 years since my hair isn’t too bad ..

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  • Senior Member

Oh yeah , if I do the FUT how many days will I have the staples in before they can be removed ? I have long hair n won’t need to shave so i can totally cover things n no one will know I just had surgery ..

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Hi Legend007. I had a FUT 18 years ago and wish I wouldn't have. I had minimal loss in my crown area, and although I do not remember the exact number of grafts, I believe it was around 750. After the procedure I began taking Propecia. This regimen helped me to maintain my hair and slow, if not completely halt, my hair loss. Then I began reading (on the internet) about men who had suffered from permanent sexual side effects from taking Propecia. This freaked me out and I stopped taking it approximately 13 years ago. As you can imagine, my hair loss accelerated.

I'm now at the point that I am either going to buzz my hair, which shows the linear scar, or get an FUE.

One thing I read on this website, and I think it is good advice, is to take your time, research surgeons and all treatment options. Hair transplantation will always be there, and may even improve.

I work in health care, and one of the red flags that went up when I read your experience is that the surgeon was only spending 5 minutes with the patients ahead of you, and it sounds like he didn't spend an appropriate amount of time with you either. IMO, I would keep looking.

One quick question, I see you are using Propecia. How is this working for you, and is there any updated literature out there? Were the stories I read just fear mongering?

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Legend007, also wanted to let you know that I added an album tonight showing my hair loss and scar. Hopefully seeing how much I've lost will make you feel better, lol!

To answer your question about staples... when I had FUT, they used sutures, not staples. I believe they were in there for 7-10 days.

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  • Senior Member

Hey 4given thanks for taking ur time to post n share ur thoughts .. I checked out ur pics n read ur story .. I’m sorry ur hair loss has bothered u so much .. mines is not as bad as urs n I feel ugly lately .. so I know it must be more difficult for u .. yeah that’s what I’m afraid of too , if later on in life I be stuck with a bug scar n not enough hair to hide it .. ur scar doesn’t look too bad even with the little amount of hair u have .. what u think about mines. Would I still be able to hide the scar in my 50’s?

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  • Senior Member

First pic is me at 34,

2nd pic at 36

3rd pic at 38

4th pic at 38 with hair wet..

Damn I lost a lot of hair .. thinned our a lot this year ..

That last pic is scary isn’t it ? Isn’t that a sign of diffused balding ?

 

N yea I didn’t like that the doc doesn’t spend that much time with the patients..

Those first two dudes are that went before me just came in for a checkup .

He spent more time with me around 15 minutes .. he’s a nice guy , professional n smart .. but I guess it is how it is man , theses doctors get paid thousands of dollars a day every surgery .. consultantion time is limited n precious .. but hey that’s why it’s a free s consultation n he’s backed up for months .. he does excellent hairline work that’s what he’s known for ..

n yes .. he said I shouldn’t worry too much about going bald I won’t get there since I don’t have a family history of bald ness n I’m passed the 35 year old mark .. if I had aggressive mpb I be bald by now .. n he said propecia will work well on me ..

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  • Senior Member

So do u guys think I’m really a Norwood 3?

First pic is the hairline he drew for me .. It’s my original hairline ..

2nd pic is where he will shave off the frontal existing hair n replace them with the 2000 grafts .. he said I will have good result n he can dense pack it .

3rd pic is my crown with some thinning spots

4th pic is my donor .. damn I luv my donor ..

with that donor hair I be able to hide that scar well don’t u think ?

33AC1F4D-F61B-4D05-8106-BE6CAE168AF4.thumb.jpg.76363e8722870b3df68dd170383f77ff.jpg

1E8471AB-CC2A-458F-9DE5-F5CDB47CDAAB.thumb.jpg.8d86e479381a313c87201fff0f2764b9.jpg

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0C2EC295-8205-404D-B769-5F0370698371.thumb.jpg.aeddc99e0b16836d684a60545e3dc509.jpg

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  • Senior Member

I think most people would be hard pressed to notice any hair loss on you at all.

That being said, Dr. Diep did my FUT 3 1/2 weeks ago. I'm in the shedding phase..not too much fun right now. Dr. Diep uses sutures, not staples. I had mine removed by my local Dr. at the 14 day mark. If you can get the clots off, I recommend doing it at 10 days. Some of mine were kinda stuck and he had to pull hard to get them out. If you're only two hours away Dr. Diep can remove them.

Also Dr. Diep will ask you if you want A Cell treatment, and if you do it costs another $500.

When he asked me if I wanted it, I told him I did several hours of research and couldn't find any scientific studies on it. So for me it was inconclusive whether it works or not. All he said is I would probably heal quicker with it, but I opted out and didn't get it. He didn't try to sell me, and didn't say anything else about it. When signing the papers I didn't sign the ok to shave my head. But he convinced me it would be easier for him to see where to place the grafts, so I said go ahead.

The donor incision is still tender to the touch, but it doesn't hurt at all. I slept sitting up for about 8 or 9 days. In my case there's been no pain. For a couple days the donor incision had a dull ache then it went away. The entire back of my head above the incision is numb. A little numbness in the recipient area. That's expected to return to normal in a few months. I also have some shock loss in the donor area. That's also expected to grow back.

Edited by SWdan
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  • Senior Member

Hey thanks dan .. I was hoping to hear from other doctor dieps patients... did u make a thread about ur surgery , it be nice so I can watch ur progress.. I know FUT isn’t so popular nowadays , but the results are good .. it’s just that damn scar ..

but I can’t justify spending another $7,000 to do Fue because of a scar that I can hide since my hair is long , n I will always keep it long in the back. It’s thick n grows fast .. move those hairs to my front n I know I will get good results .. doctors can only work with what u got .. so I’m happy I have a good donor to work with .. if I need to i do a second procedure in lifei be able to.. thankfully he said with propecia n good family history My hair loss won’t be too bad .. I’m going to be 39 next month .. so I just want to enter my 40’s with my confidence n ambition again.. how manh grafts did u get ? N how long was ur procedure ?

N thanks for sayin my hair isn’t too bad .. it’s not , but it’s not good looking either .. I have a young girlfiriend .. n I don’t even feel confident any longer to feel like I deserve her .. with no confidence it’s hard to keep it a pretty girl around ..

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  • Senior Member

Your hair looks good. Most ppl on here wish they had your hair. I agree propecia would help a lot. I’d give it a year to do its thing. In the meantime, save money for a possible procedure after a year.

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  • Senior Member

Yes, I created a thread about my procedure. http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/189083-my-feb-12-fut-dr-diep.html

 

I had about 5700 hairs in 2673 grafts. I was at his office at 5:30 am, They give you 7 or 8 pills, and they put you to sleep, so I slept through all the FUT part, and placing the holes for the grafts. He bought me lunch, they gave me some more pills and I fell asleep for a couple more hours. Things are little fuzzy, because I was sort of out of it. I think I was done around 5 or 5:30. He gave me a couple shots for swelling. No pain at all at any time. You lay in the reclining chair, and they have a big flat screen in front of you. Didn't get to watch too much though as I konked out pretty quick.

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  • Senior Member

Oh yeah dan , u should of gotten the acell.. i read it does help with healing .. that’s y clinics usually offer PRP+ACELL as a stand alone treatment for around $2000-2500 .. since we paying this much money on surgery $500 is worth it to have get better results.. but I feel u , surgery is already expensive and any extra cost is more of a burden to the wallet.

 

That’s why I asked them to give me their travelers discount, but they consider a two hour drive as local :( I told them well I’m just trying to save where I can so I can put it towards the Acell treatment. . So they gave me a $150 discount on the Acell, + $100 discount for paying cash ..

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  • Senior Member

Yeah I don’t look bad ,, i just look my age with thinning hair n a receding hairline .. but just two years ago I had good hair n looked young .. cuz I have a baby face .. always done well with the girls. Always looked younger than my age .. but now don’t feel good looking anymore , I’m just doing a combover to cover my receding hairline .. but if I can improve my hair a lot by just fixing the hairline , n I have the funds for it .. I might as well ..I’m going to be 39 next month , what am i waiting for ? I did wait too ,, I was going to do a hair transplant with two other doctors in December 2017 , but canceled n now back on it ..

 

... I’m kindly iffy now about the Fut , gosh the scar kinda sucks .. getting doubts bout it . I’m kinda scared about it actually ,, getting a piece of ur skin ripped out .. people with good or bad FUT surgery’s please enlighten me n let me know if it was worth it n not too bad not too bad , Cuz I’m nervous bout it , might chicken out n pay the money n the waiting time for the fue

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  • Senior Member
Yeah I don’t look bad ,, i just look my age with thinning hair n a receding hairline .. but just two years ago I had good hair n looked young .. cuz I have a baby face .. always done well with the girls. Always looked younger than my age .. but now don’t feel good looking anymore , I’m just doing a combover to cover my receding hairline .. but if I can improve my hair a lot by just fixing the hairline , n I have the funds for it .. I might as well ..I’m going to be 39 next month , what am i waiting for ? I did wait too ,, I was going to do a hair transplant with two other doctors in December 2017 , but canceled n now back on it ..

 

... I’m kindly iffy now about the Fut , gosh the scar kinda sucks .. getting doubts bout it . I’m kinda scared about it actually ,, getting a piece of ur skin ripped out .. people with good or bad FUT surgery’s please enlighten me n let me know if it was worth it n not too bad not too bad , Cuz I’m nervous bout it , might chicken out n pay the money n the waiting time for the fue

 

Watch some of Dr. Diep's YT video's on the FUT scar. After it's healed and the hair grows in, you can barely see it. In most cases it's actually hard to see, IMO. The pictures of mine are only right after surgery , when things still look bad.

Edited by SWdan
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  • Regular Member

Based on the pics it simply looks like the front of your hair is transitioning from your juvenile hairline into the normal mature adult hairline (and at a relatively late age in your case). I remember when this happened to me at age 22-23 and you do get freaked by it, but the reality is that you simply get used to your more mature look over time.

 

Based on the lines drawn on your head, it appears as though your doc is planning to bring your hairline back to the very low quite straight position where it was when you were a young man. Also take all all recession out of your temples to the point where your temple points angle forwards (as a boys does) instead of backwards (as a mature mans does).

 

In my opinion, it's a terrible idea. But I suspect your going to do it anyway.

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  • Senior Member

Yeah I totally agree , my hair is just receding a bit .. temple points are maturing .. that’s why I was surprised when doctor said I was a Norwood 3 .. but yeah that frontal hairline loss has made my hair look really flat .. n I can’t really comb it back cuz I have a big forehead .. so right now , I just look my age

.. but I prefer to look good again .. I was a Norwood one until 37 years old .. with thick dyed hair n lookin cute .. the girls I’ve always dated were around 25 .. they couldn’t tell my age . But yeah now , I look my age .. so Im trying to get back some hair .. hair restoration has improved a lot . With some money n a good surgeon I can retain that frontal hairline n look youthful till at least 5 more years .... yeah Imma do it.. I’ve been on prophecia

For 6 months now .. by the time I get surgery it be a year ..

i know doctor diep gonna get the density I want to the hairline back .. I found my surgeon ..

- so now it’s whether I should go Fue or Fut..

It’s difficult to shell out $16K for the fue .. I have the money saved for it . But that money could be going towards a down payment for a house or a buisiness..

$8800 for the Fut - for the same results , n I can spare that money .. but damn do I really want that scar? Is it that bad , I’m not sure .. I think I be able to hide that scar pretty well , n I won’t need to shave my head .. n it fits my schedule .. I’m still deciding .. all input is appreciated .

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  • Senior Member

4given , hair restoration has improved quite a bit since last time u did one .. n if ur hair is still bothering u in ur forties , it’s going to bother u in fifties .. haven’t u suffered enough ? I’ve seen people on here with same hair loss as u get full coverage ..

the pics of ur donor hAir long , doesn’t look to bad .. u owe it to urself to get a consultation n see what ur options are .. if u need to , then u can go overseas n get a good deal with a good surgeon , since u will need a lot of grafts .. but it can be life changing for u .. u never too old to feel comfortable in ur own skin. Look at dan , he’s in his 60’s Getting a transplant .

 

- n hey dan , yeah I kinda freaked out when I saw ur scar , but yeah that’s how it is fresh off surgery .. n I think doctor Diep did do a good job keeping the scar small ..

n yeah I can’t even tell the old scar u had from the 90’s .. so maybe FuT might not be too bad.

Doctor diep didn’t pressure me on either procedure , he doesn’t need to sell , he’s got plenty of buisiness n is backed up for months , he just gave me the options I qualify for.

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  • Regular Member

@Legend007

 

Seriously, you shouldn’t be getting a hair transplant. To be honest, it seems sketchy that Diep would even agree to do the work on you.

 

Anyway, good luck with your decision.

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  • Senior Member

I’m actually a perfect candidate for hair restoration ,

I’m a Norwood 3 , age 38 , with mild MPB : with a receding hairline .. with great donor hair n ,on propecia ..

Getting 2000 grafts to my hairline will do wonders for my hair. .

— doctors will have great results working on me . Even doctor diep said I will have great results ..

 

But yeah after some debating . Imma not going the FUT route.. I pay the extra $7000 to do FUE so I won’t have that scar for the rest of my life .. instead of buying a car. I treat myself to new hair :)

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  • Senior Member

I was a 1.5 a year ago .. I’m about a 2.5 . V right now .. doc said I was a 3V .. n I be heading further . If prophecia doesn’t stop the recession. .. my hair is thin , miniaturized all over .. not thick n strong like before .. I should of been more aware of thinning hair years ago n got on the meds sooner .. but now I lost 2 inches to my hairline .. even my forelock is disappearing ..but I think 6 months on prophecia right now it’s stablizkng it ... so hopefully the recession stops around mid scalp .. so it’s best if I do the hairline now .. n not wait till things gone too far n have to shave the whole head for a transplant ..right now I can still cover up the surgery with my native hair

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