Regular Member bkenn Posted October 29, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted October 29, 2019 Hi Guys, I have been struggling with hair loss for about 4 years now and I have decided to make a change. I want to get a hair transplant, with two conditions. I only want it done once, and I cant spend a ridiculous amount on it. Im thinking more in the $5k range. I live in New York, and am undecided on two options. I am considering Dr. Scott Boden, who I met and liked but is a little pricey, or going to Madrid with a gentleman named Dr. Juan Andrade. I would ideally like to go somewhere in the US, but it needs to be affordable. Is it worth it to go to Europe, or are there affordable great doctors in the US? Any affordable great ones in NY? I also don't want to go to Turkey as I am worried it's a little too dangerous.. Please, I need some help. I have my wedding in Nov 2020 and I cant look bald then. Thanks everyone, I have never openly spoke about this to anyone but my fiancé. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abi28 Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 Judging by your hair loss you are going to need between 2500-3000 grafts, 5k won't get you anything in the US, you need at least 15k. Who told you turkey is dangerous? lol that's funny, go to turkey and save your money, I would suggest Dr Pekiner or if you are looking for cheaper alternative Dr Demirsoy. Contact both of them for a consultation, good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bkenn Posted October 29, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 29, 2019 3 minutes ago, Abi28 said: Judging by your hair loss you are going to need between 2500-3000 grafts, 5k won't get you anything in the US, you need at least 15k. Who told you turkey is dangerous? lol that's funny, go to turkey and save your money, I would suggest Dr Pekiner or if you are looking for cheaper alternative Dr Demirsoy. Contact both of them for a consultation, good luck. Do both of those doctors perform the surgeries themselves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abi28 Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 Just now, bkenn said: Do both of those doctors perform the surgeries themselves? Yup, Demirsoy does about 70% of the procedure, Dr Pekiner does everything, I would suggest Pekiner from personal experience, they have a lot of experience and some of the best in the world, don't be afraid of going to turkey man, it's cheap and it won't cost you much, I have been there multiple times, it's a beautiful country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bkenn Posted October 29, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 29, 2019 Just now, Abi28 said: Yup, Demirsoy does about 70% of the procedure, Dr Pekiner does everything, I would suggest Pekiner from personal experience, they have a lot of experience and some of the best in the world, don't be afraid of going to turkey man, it's cheap and it won't cost you much, I have been there multiple times, it's a beautiful country. I appreciate the help. How much does Dr. Pekiner charge per graft for an FUE? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abi28 Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 5 minutes ago, bkenn said: I appreciate the help. How much does Dr. Pekiner charge per graft for an FUE? No porb, I sent you a message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member champybaby Posted October 29, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted October 29, 2019 Dude. Just listen to me on this: Don't cheap out on your doc. Either save or figure out a way to cover procedure with one of the best docs re: on this forum. You're going to need about $15K to do this right. 1 FUT procedure w/ Dr. K (2012) Second FUT, Dr. K, Nov. 2020 (mini update) Third procedure, FUE, Dr. K, 03/21, 400 beard to scar (latest update) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Gasthoerer Posted October 29, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted October 29, 2019 8 hours ago, bkenn said: Please, I need some help. I have my wedding in Nov 2020 and I cant look bald then. Sorry, to be that honest: But this sounds like a bad plan and a bad reason. You do not have a HT just beacause there is one event upcoming. This is a process, which takes long and can mess up your entire life. The right plan is: - Read, read read and look into cases in this forum for several month - In the meantime visit 2-3 clinics which are recommended for a consultation - Get some adivice in the forum. But we need more info about you, like your age, medication, familiy history...Check out other threads for examples. This plan means you are too late for your wedding, but you will be stressed anyway. Not a good idea to squeeze a HT in between. You can have concealers or a wig on you wedding day. If you think this will make you feel uncomfortable, guess how you feel on your wedding with a botched transplant. An I agree with the user above, maybe you are not even a candidate at all as you Donor looks thin. There are thousands of clinics who will take your money anyway, but this is the only head you have. 2 400+ grafts in 2018 and 2900 grafts in 2020 via FUE with Feriduni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member ITA Posted October 29, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted October 29, 2019 hi @bkenn I also advise you doctor Pekiner, unfortunately it was not within my economic reach otherwise I would certainly have chosen him, on other forums I saw all his reports, "he does not miss a beat", then he uses a manual punch (which is not little), he does the whole procedure personally and also does mega shaving sessions, so if you have a donor area not so thick I would say that it can go very well for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bkenn Posted October 29, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 29, 2019 9 hours ago, transplantedphil said: If youre in NY i wouldnt hesitate to get a consult with Bloxham who I find both incredibly engaged and honest. Judging by your pics though there seems to be quite serious thinning in your donor; the region above the ears suggests retrograde alopecia but you might even have DUPA which needs to be assessed properly before you could even be considered a candidate for surgery. Sadly not everyone is a candidate for a hair transplant; https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/55074-dr-charles-answers-whether-you-can-have-a-hair-transplant-with-dupa/?tab=comments#comment-519671 Also please don't let price or geography dictate your decision .... its a serious surgery and rushing into things may only leave you with a (permanent) bad result Good luck sir I definitely don’t think I have DUPA, as you can see with my next two pictures that wouldn’t upload last night. I also had just gotten my haircut and I usually go 1 mm on the sides, not sure if that makes a difference. How much does a transplant typically Cost per graft with dr. Bloxham? Appreciate the help on this. I was considering Dr. Scott Boden. There was some poor reviews on him just being unknown back in 2012 but he seemed great when I met him and is listed on the IAHRS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member ITA Posted October 29, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted October 29, 2019 33 minutes ago, transplantedphil said: Below ive attached a link of a patient that travelled to Turkey to get a HT and was rejected for surgery by his doctor (which was an incredibly ethical thing to do and saved the poor guy a lifetime of issues) who I would argue has a better looking donor than yours; https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/55281-thank-you-kaan-pekiner-doctor/?tab=comments#comment-522260 I wrote my thoughts, advising the user @bkenn Doctor Pekiner, before reading the post I quoted ... I have no doubt at this point, doctor Kaan Pekiner is number 1for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member 1978matt Posted October 29, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted October 29, 2019 Donor looks below average density as noted by phil. Get butchered in Turkey and it's game over... 4,312 FUT grafts (7,676 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2013 1,145 FUE grafts (3,152 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2018 763 FUE grafts (2,094 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - January 2020 Proscar 1.25mg every 3rd day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bkenn Posted October 30, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 30, 2019 Guys, remember I have gotten my haircut right before taking these photos and the barber gave me a 1 on the side. Besides, isn't the back of the my head where the donor area is? Also, is it worth saving a couple thousand on going abroad to Europe or staying in the US? Can anybody help me on the pros and cons of both? Also, any thoughts on how to best research doctors? Seems like a simple google search doesnt always work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bkenn Posted October 31, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 31, 2019 Have you guys heard of Dr. Andrade from Madrid? Or EstePera from Turkey? Two places abroad I've put research into and have found great reviews but don't fully trust.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted October 31, 2019 Administrators Share Posted October 31, 2019 On 10/29/2019 at 8:32 PM, transplantedphil said: Cutting your hair that low actually tends to reveal the weaknesses of your donor, as an ideal donor should appear uniform and robust. Google "haircuts cut to number 1" or something similar and you'll see what I mean about your donor. You do have clear signs of retrograde alopecia (thinning at the nape and above the ears) with a weaker than normal donor which doesnt necessarily preclude you as a candidate, but might substantially limit your goals of surgery. As I said i think its best to get assessed by a doc. The donor area consists of both the back of the head and the sides. Check out a fully bald guy and it's that rim of hair left around the sides and back which is resistant to DHT ... well thats his donor. IF you transplant hair from a donor area that is weak or destined to fall out to the top of your scalp, you are only left with those transplanted hairs doomed to fall out once your balding continues, plus the scarring from the surgery where the grafts were taken, and a massive hole in your wallet. Anyone considering a hair transplant should consider where they ultimatly might end up on the Norwood scale. You look like you might be a diffuse NW 5 (hard to tell), and so would probably need a good 5k grafts at least to get a decent result. You might also need multiple surgery, but again this comes down to your goals. In terms of staying in the US or travelling, it really comes down to your choice of doctor. If you were to stay in the US i suppose you have the comfort of speaking the same language, using the same currency and proximity. Overseas it can be a lot cheaper but that doesnt necessarily guarantee a good result. In the end its all about results and choosing a surgeon. In terms of researching doctors this site (and others) is a good start. Look at patient results as a true indication of what you can expect from surgery. Clinic results are best case scenario and if you dont like anything you see then its a solid pass from you. ^This I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Al - Moderator Posted November 2, 2019 Moderators Share Posted November 2, 2019 You mention that you live in NY. There are several Drs. recommended on this site who are in NY, so you should at least have an in person consultation with one or two of them to see what they say. Don't worry so much about the price for now. First you need to see if you are a good candidate and how many grafts it will take to get you what you are looking for and/or to get an idea of what is possible for you. Use the link below to see this sites' recommended Drs. in NY. https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/surgeon-list/NY/New-York Al Forum Moderator (formerly BeHappy) I am a forum moderator for hairrestorationnetwork.com. I am not a Dr. and I do not work for any particular Dr. My opinions are my own and may not reflect the opinions of other moderators or the owner of this site. I am also a hair transplant patient and repair patient. You can view some of my repair journey here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bkenn Posted November 2, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 2, 2019 So I went to Dr. Scott Boden for a consultation back in March and he said I would need between 1700-1800 grafts. Said I had a good donor area. I think I might go to Dr. Pekiner. He seems really awesome and is budget friendly for me. I am definitely worried about flying to Turkey and am worried about if something health wise goes wrong that I won't have the type of care that I would in the US. If anyone can assure me there is nothing to worry about on all of my concerns I will definitely move forward with Dr. Pekiner. Thank you all for the help so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member ITA Posted November 2, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted November 2, 2019 @bkenn I also follow an Italian forum and I can assure you that Doctor Pekiner does not mistake a transplant, the fact that he performs all the phases of the intervention is a guarantee. I had a low budget, but if I had the chance I would have gone to him with my eyes closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted November 2, 2019 Administrators Share Posted November 2, 2019 Too many people put their budget above results. You guys need to start focusing on the results, and if you find a surgeon who is producing amazing results. Save your money. Money comes and goes, but your donor supply is finite. 3 I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abi28 Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 1 hour ago, bkenn said: So I went to Dr. Scott Boden for a consultation back in March and he said I would need between 1700-1800 grafts. Said I had a good donor area. I think I might go to Dr. Pekiner. He seems really awesome and is budget friendly for me. I am definitely worried about flying to Turkey and am worried about if something health wise goes wrong that I won't have the type of care that I would in the US. If anyone can assure me there is nothing to worry about on all of my concerns I will definitely move forward with Dr. Pekiner. Thank you all for the help so far! I have been to Ankara it's safe and one of the nicest cities I have ever visited, there is nothing to worry about man, go there you won't be disappointed, best of luck in your journey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member ITA Posted November 2, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted November 2, 2019 These are the prices that doctor Pekiner practices, it is not a low cost and considering the fact that he personally operates throughout the operation (which almost no surgeon does), who uses manual punch and divides the operation into two days, I would say that they are not even that tall. 2.25 Euro per graft for ordinary FUE with full shaving 2.5 Euro per graft for BHT (Body Hair Transplant) (FUE with shaving, chest, limb, back, abdomen etc.) 2.5 Euro per graft for FUE with partial shaving - a professional barber will take care of shaving donor and receiving areas, leaving the other hair long, so that they can cover the transplanted areas after about 1 week - 2.75 Euro per graft for FUE long hair - a professional barber will take care of mowing only the donor, so that he can be aesthetically presentable as soon as it is healed, usually within a few days. The grafts will therefore be performed in the midst of long hair that, from the very first days, will mask the transplanted areas - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bkenn Posted November 3, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 3, 2019 Thank you all for the help and advice. Since my hair loss began 4 years ago, I have really felt super alone in this whole process. I wouldn't speak about it to literally anyone besides my fiance and occasionally my mother. I would never bring it up to my best friends, and whenever hair loss was discussed amongst my friends, family, or coworkers I would stay quiet and wait for the conversation to end. I want you guys to know that I have been thinking about doing this for a while, not just because I'm getting married in a year. I went for a consultation and heard nothing about my donor area being too thin, so hopefully Dr. Pekiner in Turkey will feel the same. I understand that one should not think about budget, but you have to when it's this amount of money. Obviously I would never want to go cheaper and achieve poor results, but there has to be doctors out there who are just as good and are significantly cheaper than ones in the US. I think Dr. Pekiner may be just that so I will see what he has to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Sean Posted November 3, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted November 3, 2019 You can get screwed by a known doc in North America or a doc in Turkey. It doesnt matter if you pay more or less. What matters is a doctors ethics on how he will approach your case, or what they suggest, what is there surgical protocol etc. If you do decide to get this done by a doc from here or Turkey, let any doctor you go to know the following: I am using my full rights to post everything about this procedure with you on forums as you are working on virgin scalp and it will be good documentation for everyone, then see how many are confident in their procedure and how many turn you away. You will realize a lot of truth. This industry isnt really strongly built upon strong ethics, very few docs possess patient safety or safely working on a patient. Very few docs will refund if there is a screw up, very few will try to do a repair. Everything sounds good when they try to get you in the chair and then talk showcase result with you but when shit hits the fan, they try to distance or get assistance from folks online or previous patients to try to discredit you and etc. you have to be around many years to see this and read hundreds of thousands of posts and responses and behavior patterns. Id try to see if meds can stabilize and you do not want to implant between weaker native hair, you can end up with permanent shockloss. My donor developed patches due to compressed extractions etc., Recipient zone was heavily scarred limiting blood flow and causing myriad of issues. I am still struggling and some folks are trying to shortchange me while some including officials realize there is a genuine issue with the entire ordeal. as an ongoing harmed repair patient, i urge you to tread this path very carefully. I had more native hairs then you before i started My journey but now i am in 10 times worse shape. The last thing id want is a person to go in and end up with scarring and harm. You should get in person consults in NY to see what docs say. This is not want you want to end up with— that front thin looking zone is a supposed high density recipient zone via fue- look at this fake looking hairline and wack ass angulation- skim scarring and slight discoloration due to ridging and pitting- it killed native hairs and you can see the natural non transplant hairs behind the frontal recipient zone Best of luck to you 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bkenn Posted November 14, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 14, 2019 Hey guys! Quick update..I reached out to Dr. Pekiner and being the great doctor that he is, told me that I did not have a suitable donor area based on the photos that I provided. However, Dr. Scott Boden who I had a consultation with in person stated I was an excellent candidate back in March. Now I need help in making a decision. I am thinking of going for another consultation with Dr. Dorin in NY to see if he also believes I am an excellent candidate or not, or just going off of Dr. Scott Boden's recommendation. IF I go to a consultation with Dr. Dorin and he says that my donor area is good, I was thinking of potentially relaying this message to Dr. Pekiner and still getting it done in Turkey. If that is not a good idea, then I will have to decide between Dr. Dr. Dorin and Dr. Boden. Dr. Boden I met in person, seems really nice and even did the hair of some guy who was on the bachelorette. He is also featured on IAHRS.org, but it doesn't seem like many people know him on this website. Dr. Dorin is way more well known on this website, but I have obviously not met him before. What do you guys think based on the information I'm giving you? Really appreciate the help and like I said I have felt so lonely in this process, it really helps to have people looking out for me and willing to talk to me about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bkenn Posted November 14, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 14, 2019 On 11/3/2019 at 1:06 AM, Sean said: You can get screwed by a known doc in North America or a doc in Turkey. It doesnt matter if you pay more or less. What matters is a doctors ethics on how he will approach your case, or what they suggest, what is there surgical protocol etc. If you do decide to get this done by a doc from here or Turkey, let any doctor you go to know the following: I am using my full rights to post everything about this procedure with you on forums as you are working on virgin scalp and it will be good documentation for everyone, then see how many are confident in their procedure and how many turn you away. You will realize a lot of truth. This industry isnt really strongly built upon strong ethics, very few docs possess patient safety or safely working on a patient. Very few docs will refund if there is a screw up, very few will try to do a repair. Everything sounds good when they try to get you in the chair and then talk showcase result with you but when shit hits the fan, they try to distance or get assistance from folks online or previous patients to try to discredit you and etc. you have to be around many years to see this and read hundreds of thousands of posts and responses and behavior patterns. Id try to see if meds can stabilize and you do not want to implant between weaker native hair, you can end up with permanent shockloss. My donor developed patches due to compressed extractions etc., Recipient zone was heavily scarred limiting blood flow and causing myriad of issues. I am still struggling and some folks are trying to shortchange me while some including officials realize there is a genuine issue with the entire ordeal. as an ongoing harmed repair patient, i urge you to tread this path very carefully. I had more native hairs then you before i started My journey but now i am in 10 times worse shape. The last thing id want is a person to go in and end up with scarring and harm. You should get in person consults in NY to see what docs say. This is not want you want to end up with— that front thin looking zone is a supposed high density recipient zone via fue- look at this fake looking hairline and wack ass angulation- skim scarring and slight discoloration due to ridging and pitting- it killed native hairs and you can see the natural non transplant hairs behind the frontal recipient zone Best of luck to you Who did you go with? I will learn from your direction and make sure to spread the word about whatever doctor screwed you over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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