New & Overwhelmed, Guidance Needed...

[bsass]

Hello Guys,

I am considering a 2nd transplant and am overwhelmed by all the information, transplant types, doctors, etc. etc. 

A little background on myself, I am a 44 year old male with a decent front hairline and typical balding in the back. The first transplant helped some but at the time I did not save up and do as grafts as I should. At that time I had my transplant from Dr. Limmer  in San Antonio Texas when he was still alive. He has since sold his business to a female doctor. From the reviews it appears she is doing a good job maintaining clients. Before going back there I decided to consult this forum to see what else is out there and really, how they rank in the world of transplants. I was not aware of this site back then and just got recommendations from my doctor and did some research via Google.

What do you all suggest to someone coming into this? Set your budget first? Find your preferred doctor then work on budget? Determine how many grafts you need for desired look? 

 

Thanks in advance for your time! 

Edited September 24, 2021 by bsass

[Future Hair Doc]

Do you have pics you'd like to share? Are you on finasteride and minoxidil? Are you restricted to a certain location? Feel free to reach out anytime 

[gillenator]

Pics would help us give feedback.

[Britanium]

Please do show us some pics and check out the forums recommended list:

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/hair-transplant-surgeons.asp?sr=HRN-MOB

Please don’t go back to your previous clinic, you can choose much better. Google or any other online reviews are not to be trusted/relied upon. Forums such as these with actual full patient journeys is what you want ! 👌

 

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

It is good thing that you are now doing you due diligence. The more understanding the patients had of the potential outcomes the more realistic the expectations will be. Also never hurts to get more than one opinion. If your first procedure was an FUT and you are now considering FUE it would make sense to do consultations with clinics that offer both procedures. 

[bsass]

On 9/22/2021 at 7:50 PM, Dr. Suhail Khokhar said:

Do you have pics you'd like to share? Are you on finasteride and minoxidil? Are you restricted to a certain location? Feel free to reach out anytime 

Fair enough pics attached & post updated

[bsass]

3 hours ago, gillenator said:

Pics would help us give feedback.

Post updated with pics 

[bsass]

3 hours ago, Dr. Glenn Charles said:

It is good thing that you are now doing you due diligence. The more understanding the patients had of the potential outcomes the more realistic the expectations will be. Also never hurts to get more than one opinion. If your first procedure was an FUT and you are now considering FUE it would make sense to do consultations with clinics that offer both procedures. 

thank you Dr. Glenn. it was FUE, where the donor area is removed. 

Edited September 24, 2021 by bsass

[bsass]

3 hours ago, JohnAC71 said:

Please do show us some pics and check out the forums recommended list:

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/hair-transplant-surgeons.asp?sr=HRN-MOB

Please don’t go back to your previous clinic, you can choose much better. Google or any other online reviews are not to be trusted/relied upon. Forums such as these with actual full patient journeys is what you want ! 👌

 

Hey @JohnAC71 - Thanks for the feedback, I will review that link. Since you stated above to "not go back". Do you know something first hand about this clinic or its practices?

Note - post updated with pics 

[MachoVato]

From what I can see, your crown would need at least 2500 grafts, maybe 3500 if you need to blend into the mid-scalp. Maybe a pic of crown with wet hair will help. Any desire to work on hairline?

I always like to ask a couple basic questions... what's your budget and are you willing to travel abroad?

Edited September 24, 2021 by MachoVato

[bsass]

12 minutes ago, MachoVato said:

From what I can see, your crown would need at least 2500 grafts, maybe 3500 if you need to blend into the mid-scalp. Maybe a pic of crown with wet hair will help. Any desire to work on hairline?

I always like to ask a couple basic questions... what's your budget and are you willing to travel abroad?

Yeah I guessed it would be minimum 2k grafts. No, the hairline is not a concern of mine. I do not want to spend more than $8k - $10k. Yes, I would travel aboard. I heard good things about a doctor in Mexico named Dr. Nader. The YouTube videos I've seen are impressive. @MachoVatoDo you happen to know this doctor? 

Edited September 24, 2021 by bsass

[Britanium]

They are not doing the best work and you have so many other choices at your disposal. Look through the forum and search for real patient results. We can add in some European names if your able to travel.

[Britanium]

Just seen you mention Dr Nader. We do know this Dr and have started to see more results in recent times. Use the search function to look. 

[Britanium]

Some of the popular and proven European names… Dr Bisanga (BHR), Dr Freitas, Dr Feriduni, Dr Ferreira, Dr Pinto, Dr Lapunzula, Dr Mwamba, Dr Villa, Dr Couto and Dr Lorenzo.

Also HDC @Doron Harati& Vertex @DrTBarghouthi

Edited September 24, 2021 by JohnAC71

[Doron Harati]

We need better positions of your donor, but I think you'll be good candidate, crown + middle scalp will require around 2500-3500.

[Britanium]

@Doron Haratithanks for quick response 👍🏽

[MachoVato]

3 minutes ago, bsass said:

Yeah I guessed it would be minimum 2k grafts. No, the hairline is not a concern of mine. I do not want to spend more than $8k - $10k. Yes, I would travel aboard. I heard good things about a doctor in Mexico named Dr. Nader. The YouTube videos I've seen are impressive. @MachoVatoDo you happen to know this doctor? 

In Mexico, the only ones I would consider is Dr. Nader over by McAllen, TX (I'm in Texas) and HMR in Tijuana, the Cortez brothers. Both clinics seem to be doing pretty solid work. But these are what I would call "dollar friendly" clinics (as opposed to saying budget clinics). I think they are in the $1.00 - $1.50 per graft range, something like that. Doctor-led procedures and one patient per day, as I understand it. 

You have a very good budget and you'll need it since the crown is generally harder to do well and you've already had 1 procedure, so you need a doctor that has skill in donor management. 

For recommendations, the first name that pops up in Dr. Mwamba from Belgium, because he performs procedures in Atlanta a couple times a month. He has some cases here with impressive transplant repair work and FUT scar implantation. He charges $5/graft in Atlanta.

If you like Spain, there's Dr. De Freitas (a personal favorite), Dr. Vila, and BHR Malaga are around €3/graft.

If you like Portugal, Dr. Ferreira and Dr. Pinto are doing good work for around €3/graft.

If you like Turkey, Dr. Pekiner and HLC Ankara are my recommendations at around €2.5/graft.

 

There are other, more expensive options. But really, all these names are top shelf clinics..

[gillenator]

Best to have your donor microscopically examined and get a better estimate of how many harvestable grafts you have to work with.

[bsass]

On 9/24/2021 at 3:13 PM, JohnAC71 said:

They are not doing the best work and you have so many other choices at your disposal. Look through the forum and search for real patient results. We can add in some European names if your able to travel.

Thanks and noted

[bsass]

On 9/24/2021 at 3:29 PM, Doron Harati said:

We need better positions of your donor, but I think you'll be good candidate, crown + middle scalp will require around 2500-3500.

Thanks for the feedback 

[bsass]

Thanks to everyone for their feedback.  I have enough information to do research now. 

[Britanium]

1 minute ago, bsass said:

Thanks to everyone for their feedback.  I have enough information to do research now. 

Good to hear ! Come back and update us when you can 👍🏽