Getting Ready for Transplant - Research, Thoughts, Opinions?

[Melvin- Admin]

23 minutes ago, BLE123 said:

95% of transplants on here have somewhere between NW1-1.5 hairlines, I rarely see a NW2 and when I do it's typically only if the patient started as a NW6.

What forum have you been looking at? It’s definitely the opposite, most guys here get Norwood 2 hairlines. It is very very rare to see someone go from a II to a I. 

[BLE123]

19 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

What forum have you been looking at? It’s definitely the opposite, most guys here get Norwood 2 hairlines. It is very very rare to see someone go from a II to a I. 

Maybe we have different definitions for what a NW2 is then.

Your hairline for example I would class as 1.5 but I'm guessing you think it's NW2. 

[Gasthoerer]

On 3/9/2021 at 5:24 PM, g4designs said:

... to consider Turkey as a viable option, how do I approach this safely? I know nothing about the country and culture besides the fact that there aren't a ton of regulations and it is a leading health-tourism spot. What precautions and safety-nets are in place? How do I make sure I don't get screwed over? Is it a safe place to be? Are there any reputable services in the area that will help guide dumb foreigners through the process? The idea of being drugged-up on pain meds on the other side of the world sets off some red flags.

In general the question is simple to answer. Just like you research any clinic in any (!) country in the world like the US, UK, Germany, .... By reports posted by real patients in this forums like this one. You will quickly learn which are real reports and which one are fake.

The most important lesson: There are bad clinics in any country, and no lawsuit can bring your wasted grafts back. 

Anyway, I do not want to steer you to any country as it is the clinic (or the surgeon) which you should research. Considering prices, around 2.5 €/Graft is kind of bottom for premium quality IMO. If you go to countries like Turkey, Portugal or India. Below that price, the sacrifices start. There are some (very few IMO) clinics which are good and come down 1.25 €/graft but it I feel these clinics are a tier below. 

Edited March 11, 2021 by Gasthoerer

[Britanium]

@g4designs how is your research going ? Looked back at your original questions and there was a lot to digest 😳

[Gasthoerer]

23 hours ago, rj. said:

I never quite understand this 'age appropriate' hair line, and entirely disagree with it in this scenario. If it's solely from a donor retention/management perspective, of course it's best to be more conservative, but putting this to one side and focusing on the aesthetic, which is usually the basis of these comments, there are men in there 70s without hair loss, who have NW 0 or 1 hairlines, and this does not look inappropriate in the slightest. 

I think you (any many others) missing the point in that regard.

Of course, a juvenile hairline can look great, but the risk to benefit ratio is very poor. The step from NW 2 to 1 gives you only a small benefit in looks. And this benefit shrinks to almost 0 if you are above a certain age. But the risk is high:

- You need more grafts and risk running out of grafts

- You need high density, as low and thin can look more unnatural than "high" and thin --> Riskfor a touch-up increases. 

- You may loose hairs behind the low hairline and have to catch-up with your loss

[Melvin- Admin]

7 minutes ago, Gasthoerer said:

In general the question is simple to answer. Just like you research any clinic in any (!) country in the world like the US, UK, Germany, .... By reports posted by real patients in this forums like this one. You will quickly learn which are real reports and which one are fake.

Anyway, I do not want to steer you to any country as it is the clinic (or the surgeon) which you should research. Considering prices, around 2.5 €/Graft is kind of bottom for premium quality IMO. If you go to countries like Turkey, Portugal or India. Below that price, the sacrifices start. There are some (very few IMO) clinics which are good and come down 1.25 €/graft but it I feel these clinics are a tier below. 

Great post, let’s stick on topic. We got a little off topic on the hairline. But I agree 💯 percent. Lower than 2.5 per graft and the quality is lowered. There are few and I mean few clinics that charge less that are still good.

[g4designs]

On 3/11/2021 at 6:18 PM, JohnAC71 said:

@g4designs how is your research going ? Looked back at your original questions and there was a lot to digest 😳

I heard back from all three of the clinics I reached out to! 

Dr. Konior responded to me personally, which surprised me. After reviewing my photos, he said I do have a moderately advanced frontal hairline recession and that I'll need at least 3,000 grafts. He really liked the photo I had photoshopped as a goal (though I understand I should lower my expectations). He said my donor area looks healthy and that strip harvesting is my best bet. He said his fee for a restoration like this would be about $25,000, which came as a shock. That's definitely higher than I had planned to pay (almost double), but it seems to be half of what @BLE123 figured it'd cost. I know he is genuinely one of the best in the world, so I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on how reasonable that is. 

His soonest availability is more than a year away, so I explained I still want to take a little more time and contact the other two doctors (Cooley and Shapiro). I asked Dr. Konior if he was familiar with them and he said they are both "exceptional surgeons and two of only a handful (he would) recommend". 

I just need to say, in the few emails I exchanged, Dr. Konior was an absolute pleasure to talk to. I cant even fathom how busy he must be, so it was incredible he took the time to respond.

As for Shapiro and Cooley, I originally thought they hadn't responded (part of the reason this update took so long), but just a warning -- their website form replies went directly to my spam folder. The auto-response I got from Shapiro included a PDF with pricing information. If I were to go with FUT (as Dr. Konior suggested), it is $5.50 per graft for first 2,000 grafts; $3 per graft over 2,000 grafts. That puts me at about $17,000 if I get 4,000 grafts. If I instead go with FUE, they ask $7 per graft. That puts me at $24,500 if I get 3,500 grafts. Avoiding the strip-scar isn't really worth $7500, honestly. My consultation is scheduled for May. These prices are a little higher than what @hybonix had mentioned, so hopefully there will be a little room for leniency.

I am still waiting for a confirmation from Ms. Russo at Dr. Cooley's office (as I responded 5 days late to her consultation arrangement), but hopefully I'll be scheduled for this June (the earliest time available).

I'm really looking forward to these appointments. Thank you guys again for all of the help so far. This community is incredible. 

Edited March 16, 2021 by g4designs