How many grafts? Enough donor hair? Any clinic recommendations please?

[ForMyHusband]

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Edited October 14, 2021 by ForMyHusband

[ForMyHusband]

Here are some more, better photos of the potential donor area.

 

 

 

Edited October 14, 2021 by ForMyHusband

[Britanium]

I’m sorry but from what I can see it’s going to be a real struggle to get a decent amount from the donor area. This shows a dipping crown, so a future Norwood 7 is most likely. Especially without meds. And the donor itself doesn’t look too strong. By all means if your in the Uk try and get a face to face appt with either Dr Arshad, Dr Reddy, Dr Farjo or Dr Ball but I’m think they will most likely say your husband is not a ideal candidate. 

[ForMyHusband]

Just now, JohnAC71 said:

I’m sorry but from what I can see it’s going to be a real struggle to get a decent amount from the donor area. This shows a dipping crown, so a future Norwood 7 is most likely. Especially without meds. And the donor itself doesn’t look too strong. By all means if your in the Uk try and get a face to face appt with either Dr Arshad, Dr Reddy, Dr Farjo or Dr Ball but I’m think they will most likely say your husband is not a ideal candidate. 

Damn. I was hoping this wouldn’t be the replies, but it’s what I expected. I’ve been doing some research after stumbling across the fact that the place we had almost booked was a Turkish hair mill. They’d agreed to do it with no issues based on only a few photo. Definitely dodged a bullet there! 
 

Thank you. We currently live in Scotland, but are moving to the south of England in 2 months, so will go and visit one of those reputable doctors once we move. I’m also going to look further into the two medications and see if there’s anyway he can do it safely. 
 

thanks again. 

[Britanium]

3 minutes ago, ForMyHusband said:

Damn. I was hoping this wouldn’t be the replies, but it’s what I expected. I’ve been doing some research after stumbling across the fact that the place we had almost booked was a Turkish hair mill. They’d agreed to do it with no issues based on only a few photo. Definitely dodged a bullet there! 
 

Thank you. We currently live in Scotland, but are moving to the south of England in 2 months, so will go and visit one of those reputable doctors once we move. I’m also going to look further into the two medications and see if there’s anyway he can do it safely. 
 

thanks again. 

Hi 👋 I’m also in the south of England ! He had a lucky escape as the hairmill would have left him worse off, over harvesting the donor area is the most common. They will accept any patient unfortunately. It’s a cash grab with them, they won’t be having the best interests of the person in mind whatsoever.

You could also do a virtual consultation with the best clinic i know (Eugenix) of your husband had any chance of a result then they are the best choice. 
check this:

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/surgeon-list/IND/India

Dr Bansal + Dr Sethi both from Eugenix 

 

[Britanium]

Also I would recommend both your own Gp and a dermatologist who can thoroughly examine his hair and go e advice on the use of meds. Apart from MPB i can see signs he could have Alopecia. Thinning in the areas we can see and maybe even retrograde on the neck. 

Edited October 9, 2021 by JohnAC71

[ITA]

There was no doubt that you would find some hair mill, in Turkey willing to perform the procedure, if you continue your search there, you will find at least a dozen who will tell you that they can do it and that you will have a very good result, run away from those clinics.  Yes, your husband's donor area is scarce and the area to be covered is large, ethical surgeons will tell you that he is not a good candidate or in any case they will want to do an accurate and live inspection.

[ForMyHusband]

13 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

Hi 👋 I’m also in the south of England ! He had a lucky escape as the hairmill would have left him worse off, over harvesting the donor area is the most common. They will accept any patient unfortunately. It’s a cash grab with them, they won’t be having the best interests of the person in mind whatsoever.

You could also do a virtual consultation with the best clinic i know (Eugenix) of your husband had any chance of a result then they are the best choice. 
check this:

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/surgeon-list/IND/India

Dr Bansal + Dr Sethi both from Eugenix 

 

Oh cool! Of course. I’ve learnt that now. My husband knows one guy personally who had a hair transplant with the doctor he had planned to see (Dr Ziya Yavuz at Arcibadem) and his result was amazing. I fully appreciate now though that that one perfect result doesn’t stand for much and they doesn’t mean they’re good for everyone. 
 

That’s a good idea. I will have a look at those doctors! Thanks so so much again! 

[ForMyHusband]

13 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

Also I would recommend both your own Gp and a dermatologist who can thoroughly examine his hair and go e advice on the use of meds. Apart from MPB i can see signs he could have Alopecia. Thinning in the areas we can see and maybe even retrograde on the neck. 

Oh that’s interesting. What makes you think possible alopecia? That hadn’t crossed my mind at all. His hair loss did progress from mild to severe very quickly though (maybe 1 year) I feel, so maybe you’re on to something. 

[ForMyHusband]

13 minutes ago, Egy said:

There was no doubt that you would find some hair mill, in Turkey willing to perform the procedure, if you continue your search there, you will find at least a dozen who will tell you that they can do it and that you will have a very good result, run away from those clinics.  Yes, your husband's donor area is scarce and the area to be covered is large, ethical surgeons will tell you that he is not a good candidate or in any case they will want to do an accurate and live inspection.

Hey. Thanks for your reply! 
 

I recognise your name from when I searched the doctor he planned to see on this website: Dr Yavuz. I am so sorry you had such an awful experience. You sharing your experience was what prompted me to do more digging and find out about hair mills, so thank you. 
 

Thanks for your opinion and I agree. He’s going to book in for a virtual consultation soon and then will book an in-person one elsewhere when we move in a couple of months to just confirm this. 
 

Thanks again. 

[Britanium]

2 minutes ago, ForMyHusband said:

Oh cool! Of course. I’ve learnt that now. My husband knows one guy personally who had a hair transplant with the doctor he had planned to see (Dr Ziya Yavuz at Arcibadem) and his result was amazing. I fully appreciate now though that that one perfect result doesn’t stand for much and they doesn’t mean they’re good for everyone. 
 

That’s a good idea. I will have a look at those doctors! Thanks so so much again! 

No it’s doesn’t it’s such a massive risk and it’s not worth taking, especially with such a limited donor area. Eugenix, Dr Bisanga (BHR) and @DrTBarghouthiare some of the most ethical Drs I know ! 

[Britanium]

4 minutes ago, ForMyHusband said:

Oh that’s interesting. What makes you think possible alopecia? That hadn’t crossed my mind at all. His hair loss did progress from mild to severe very quickly though (maybe 1 year) I feel, so maybe you’re on to something. 

He will continue to bald to a Norwood 7 at this rate unfortunately. Without meds and only 29 it’s very aggressive hair loss. 
I mention some kind of Alopecia as from the pics even the donor area and the bottom of the neck seems like something else is occurring. But it is difficult to tell exactly what, it needs a professional opinion. We are just hair nerds here 😂

[ITA]

13 minutes ago, ForMyHusband said:

Hey. Thanks for your reply! 
 

I recognise your name from when I searched the doctor he planned to see on this website: Dr Yavuz. I am so sorry you had such an awful experience. You sharing your experience was what prompted me to do more digging and find out about hair mills, so thank you. 
 

Thanks for your opinion and I agree. He’s going to book in for a virtual consultation soon and then will book an in-person one elsewhere when we move in a couple of months to just confirm this. 
 

Thanks again. 

Oh my god, Ziya Yavuz no, run away from that guy.  He was a business partner with another guy (Amid Aydin) when I met him, they had Estetistanbul, one of the many pseudo-clinics in Turkey.  Then, he started his business on his behalf, but the substance doesn't change.  Your friend probably went well, he was lucky, but your husband might as well go wrong, please don't risk it.

[1978matt]

I would suggest seeing one of the Farjo doctors in person.  Costs about £95 the last time I looked but is worth it for the expertise.

I'm not sure but with finasteride it may be possible to get enough FUE on top to help frame the face and maintain a similar buzzed look.

[Gatsby]

At 29 if your husband is looking at recieving total coverage then to be quite frank he is not a hair transplant candidate. I would consider contacting Eugenix and others like Dr Bisanga for at least an online consultation. Personally I would not even consider undergoing surgery for someone with a weak donor and a high Norwood hair loss without finding out first if finasteride was effective in at least strengthening the donor (which I would give at least a year). Is shaving his head or SMP out of the question for your husband? All the best!

[asterix0]

A top doctor could extract probably a maximum of 3000 grafts from that donor from what I can see, and give your husband sparse coverage in the front.

He could combine it with some light smp, that would at least give him a hairline to frame his face.

If he has a thick beard, they can probably get another 2000 grafts out of there for the crown/midscalp.

I would consult with Eugenix in India, or some of the doctors in Spain (i.e. Lorenzo) to see what can be done.

 

[ForMyHusband]

6 hours ago, Gatsby said:

At 29 if your husband is looking at recieving total coverage then to be quite frank he is not a hair transplant candidate. I would consider contacting Eugenix and others like Dr Bisanga for at least an online consultation. Personally I would not even consider undergoing surgery for someone with a weak donor and a high Norwood hair loss without finding out first if finasteride was effective in at least strengthening the donor (which I would give at least a year). Is shaving his head or SMP out of the question for your husband? All the best!

Thanks so much for sharing this. I’m going to share all of these responses with him and I think probably speak to w couple of the doctors you and the other commenters have mentioned to get a full evaluation. I’m sure he and I would be happy to try finasteride (in a safe way) if we had professional confirmation that it could help. 
 

So yes, if he determines that HT isn’t viable or if it’ll just simply be too expensive, he will probably continue to just shave his head. He shaves it with a razor once per week. He says he doesn’t mind how that looks (I think he really suits it), but hates how silly it looks when it starts to grow back in after a week and you can see how bald he is. It’s also a huge pain having to shave your whole head before work once per week, plus he has to shave his face every day for work too (he was on leave when he had his facial hair in the photo). I believe he’d be happy to have something that makes him not look like he’s balding, even if it means he still needs to keep his hair very short.

 

I’ve only just heard of SMP today from you and another commenter! That sounds interesting. It may be an option alongside a HT if he couldn’t get a perfect result alone, or just SMP on its own if a HT isn’t an option at all. SMP plus a HT sounds incredibly pricey though! Not an issue for me, but he’s very money conscious. Haha. 
 

I feel like there are a lot of options he can potentially explore by speaking with a doctor. I understand sometimes they can take facial hair, so any options like that would be interesting to explore with a doctor. 
 

Thanks again so much for your reply!

[Curious25]

A combo of maxing out his donor to its full potential, utilising beard grafts, and some SMP - he could potentially get quite a nice result giving an illusion of full enough coverage, and he could keep a shortly cropped hair cut.

Scalp/Hair contrast is good, beard looks pretty good, and hair calibre looks ok as well - just there unfortunately isn't a whole lot of it. 

Eugenix. 

[Portugal25]

@ForMyHusband you should really start your husband on Finasteride to stop his hairloss and strengthen his donor area.
Dr. Bruno Ferreira informed my friend @PT#31 that Finasteride has no effect on patients trying to conceive. 

Like @JohnAC71 informed you the best option for your husband is Dr. Arika at Eugenix mainly because they are the Kings of FUE+BHT mega sessions and your husband will indeed also require beard grafts to compensate for his week donor area. 
Eugenix could probably get a combo 5000 scalp + beard grafts and if your husband is on Finasteride for 6 months before surgery he will most likely have pretty good result without any need to do SMP.

Don’t see much point in talking with UK Doctors as they aren’t known for their skills with cases like your husband and are much more expensive than Dr. Arika. 

If you can afford Dr. Bruno Ferreira I would advise you to consult with him because he does some of the best donor management I have seen, worked  on several patients that have DUPA (much worse than your husband’s donor) getting good results and is very through on analyzing a patient. He will most likely insist on your husband being on Finasteride 6 months prior to surgery to accept him as patient. 

Check my list below with more information on prices and techniques of each Doctor:

 

 

Wish you both all the best. 

Edited October 9, 2021 by Portugal25

[Britanium]

Yes to clarify when I mentioned the Uk Drs it was for a face to face meeting so they can examine your husbands hair. It’s important its seen in person, maybe at the very least by a dermatologist. Absolutely no way are any Drs here particularly skilled with this level of loss. Eugenix or Bisnaga, but looking at your budget your not going be able afford Bisanga. Eugenix is the only possibility I can see. A virtual consult from Eugenix would be ideal. It’s going to be interesting to hear what they say ! Please do keep us all updated 👍🏽

Edited October 10, 2021 by JohnAC71

[Gatsby]

John is spot on. I wouldn't even contemplate surgery unless your husband can tolerate and is a good responder to finasteride. This can take up to a year or more (but generally less).

[aaron1234]

Tell your hubby that you love him and to keep shaving his head.  😉  With a donor that spotty at a young age it won't be worth the $$$ and inevitable disappointment in the surgical outcome.  

[Z--]

I’m surprised everyone is against a transplant here. Zoomsters and Melvin had fairly high Norwood’s (each a 6 bordering on 7) and had stellar results — it’s difficult to even tell they had a transplant. Your husband isn’t far off from their starting point. I think the key is that you have a talented doctor check the donor. I’d check with Hassan/Wong or the Eugenix folks who specialize in higher Norwoods to assess . If your husband can grow a beard, he may have enough grafts for solid coverage. I think there are very few cases of high Norwood’s when a transplant isn’t viable (e.g. DUPA or high loss and no alternate source). 
 

Trust ethical doctors and have reasonable expectations!

Edited October 10, 2021 by Z--

[aaron1234]

8 hours ago, Z-- said:

I’m surprised everyone is against a transplant here. Zoomsters and Melvin had fairly high Norwood’s (each a 6 bordering on 7) and had stellar results

Advanced NW's can still have a stable donor supply.  Unfortunately it appears this case does not.

[TEXAN35]

Donor is not that great but as earlier said if expectation is not complete coverage it can be improved. If 3000 grafts can be extracted then a 1.5 inch  hairline can be created with 2500 graft and then maybe with BHT +500 graft over the behind the hairline just enough for concealers to work or for short hair cut it will not look bad either. Giving it a natural look without complete coverage is dependent upon skills of the doctor. Hair line gives the face a profile and even if the top density is not great it may be a significant improvement. Again good clincs can give you more definite answer but this idea seems feasible