Looking for honest advice

[bori]

Hi guys. I am new to this forum. I’ve been reading great comments/suggestions here, so I decided to give a try and ask for your feedback on my “situation.” Do you think it is worth going for a HT at this point? 

I never had a high hairline, so what I am really looking for is to cover my crown area, increase the density in my midscalp, and lower my temples.

 

Age: 35. 

Medication: I have been using minoxidil for the last 6 years (with three-four 1-month breaks) and it did slow down my hair loss, but I’ve noticed that in the last 1.5 years my crown has lost a ton of hair (might have been stress – had a pretty tough year psychologically). Started fin last week.

 

I have been in contact with a couple of clinics in Turkey (it is quite close and visa-free for me). None told me what type of Norwood I am, but they are all eager to see me as a patient promising to restore my hair anywhere between 60% and 100%. 

 

What do you think?

 

[bori]

Please ignore my terrible haircut in the back. I asked my girlfriend to help me buzz my hair and this is what I ended up with. Going to a barber shop to fix this tomorrow.

[JDEE0]

Yeah, you can definitely have a HT if you want to. As far as will it be worth it, well that depends on your goals, you're not going to be able to restore your hair '100%' like it was when you were 18 as promised by these Turkish clinics, but you can have a good result if you go to the right doctor. And that's the key point; the right doctor. 

Which clinics have you consulted? At this point, I'm going to assume you have a lot to learn and need to take a good 6 months to a year to learn about HT's and what makes a good hair transplant, which clinics are good, which clinics are bad, and why.

If you stay on the fin in the long run to protect from further loss, then I think 2 surgeries a year or so apart at a total of 5-6000 grafts will give you a really good head of hair for a long time. Maybe 3500 in the frontal third/half for round one, and 2-2500 in the crown for round two. Like I say, you're not going to have the head of hair of an 18 year old and your hairline height will need to be somewhat, but not extremely, conservatively placed.

Edited November 21, 2021 by JDEE0

[bori]

1 hour ago, JDEE0 said:

Yeah, you can definitely have a HT if you want to. As far as will it be worth it, well that depends on your goals, you're not going to be able to restore your hair '100%' like it was when you were 18 as promised by these Turkish clinics, but you can have a good result if you go to the right doctor. And that's the key point; the right doctor. 

Which clinics have you consulted? At this point, I'm going to assume you have a lot to learn and need to take a good 6 months to a year to learn about HT's and what makes a good hair transplant, which clinics are good, which clinics are bad, and why.

If you stay on the fin in the long run to protect from further loss, then I think 2 surgeries a year or so apart at a total of 5-6000 grafts will give you a really good head of hair for a long time. Maybe 3500 in the frontal third/half for round one, and 2-2500 in the crown for round two. Like I say, you're not going to have the head of hair of an 18 year old and your hairline height will need to be somewhat, but not extremely, conservatively placed.

Thanks for your feedback. Yes, I understand that I shouldn't expect the hair I had half of my life ago, so I am willing to have something much more conservative. 

I have been doing lots of reading about HT in the last couple of months: started with clinic websites and google reviews then transitioned to Reddit and now reading HRN posts. Now realize that I should stay away from hair mills and give priority to the surgeons who have reviews from real patients. 

I have previously consulted:

- Esthetic Hair Turkey (my colleague went there 1.5 years ago and he had a decent result): promised they will be able to cover 100% of bald areas in one sitting with 4 000 - 4 500 grafts;

- Cosmedica: said they can cover about 60% of bald areas with 4 000 grafts (they can also transplant more on the second day for an extra fee);

- Fuecapilar: recommended starting fin and contacting again in 9 months;

- HOI: recommended two surgeries and promised to cover all bald areas (no percentage was given)

I have also contacted a couple of other clinics that were def hair mills.

[Britanium]

Who are you consulting with now ? Maybe you have seen the Drs/Clinics we mention for Turkey. Dr Bicer, HLC, Keser, Pekiner, Yaman and Demirsoy. 
Would you also consider Europe ? The more options open to you the better. 

[Britanium]

Yup your previous list includes very poor choices, apart from Fuecapilar who to be fair seem to be doing some good work. 

[bori]

15 minutes ago, JC71 said:

Yup your previous list includes very poor choices, apart from Fuecapilar who to be fair seem to be doing some good work. 

I was under the impression that HOI was a decent clinic. I will be definitely considering the options you've mentioned. Thanks a lot!

[Britanium]

Just now, bori said:

I was under the impression that HOI was a decent clinic. I will be definitely considering the options you've mentioned. Thanks a lot!

No it’s most definitely not, it’s good you didn’t choose any of these and have carried on researching. Dodged a few bullets 🤩

[JDEE0]

33 minutes ago, bori said:

Thanks for your feedback. Yes, I understand that I shouldn't expect the hair I had half of my life ago, so I am willing to have something much more conservative. 

I have been doing lots of reading about HT in the last couple of months: started with clinic websites and google reviews then transitioned to Reddit and now reading HRN posts. Now realize that I should stay away from hair mills and give priority to the surgeons who have reviews from real patients. 

I have previously consulted:

- Esthetic Hair Turkey (my colleague went there 1.5 years ago and he had a decent result): promised they will be able to cover 100% of bald areas in one sitting with 4 000 - 4 500 grafts;

- Cosmedica: said they can cover about 60% of bald areas with 4 000 grafts (they can also transplant more on the second day for an extra fee);

- Fuecapilar: recommended starting fin and contacting again in 9 months;

- HOI: recommended two surgeries and promised to cover all bald areas (no percentage was given)

I have also contacted a couple of other clinics that were def hair mills.

No probs.

To be honest, reddit/Tressless is extremely poor for hair loss and especially hair transplant related advice most of the time, they don't know about good clinics and Turkey is often touted as the solution to your problems there.

As John says, all of the clinics you've named are in also definitely fact hair mills apart from Drs Turan and Gur, and even then Fuecapilar is the lowest choice you should ever pick whilst still maintaining quality. Aim a bit higher in my opinion. 

HOI are the  textbook hair mill clinic. You need to take your time and find out more before even thinking about locking anything in.

What's your budget per graft?

Edited November 21, 2021 by JDEE0

[bori]

4 minutes ago, JDEE0 said:

No probs.

To be honest, reddit/Tressless is extremely poor for hair loss and especially hair transplants advice most of the time, they don't know about good clinics and Turkey is often touted as the solution to your problems there.

As John says, all of the clinics you've named are in also definitely fact hair mills apart from Drs Turan and Gur, and even then Fuecapilar is the lowest choice you should ever pick whilst still maintaining quality. Aim a bit higher in my opinion. 

What's your budget per graft?

I was thinking about $5-8k (max.) for the whole procedure or the first surgery if my case requires two

Edited November 21, 2021 by bori

[JDEE0]

2 minutes ago, bori said:

I was thinking about $5-8k (max.) for the whole procedure or the first surgery if my case requires two

Well, if you can't budge on price at all, then I would recommend someone like Bicer who will generally fit your current limits.

However, I really would recommend doctors like Ximena Vila, Bruno Pinto and Bruno Ferreira (2.5, 2.6 and 3 EUR per graft, respectively) instead as they are a league above to be honest. They're some of the best surgeons around, period, even in comparison to the greats like Bisanga.

Eugenix could also be a good choice for you.

[Britanium]

Definitely consider some Euro options. Dr Bisanga, Dr Mwamba, Dr Freitas, Dr Feriduni, Dr Ferreira, Dr Pinto to name some ! HDC could be another @Doron Harati

Edited November 21, 2021 by JC71

[devop911]

And another user was saved from a butchered hair transplant.

 

You don't have a second shot if your first transplant will be messed up and your donor might be destroyed.

 

Better go for a first shot for the hairline and then save a bit money and get crown work done.

 

I like all the mentioned clinics, although Dr.Bicer's and Demisroy's didn't convinced me that much in the nearer past.

[SeanT1]

I love your sunglasses!

 

You definitely need to stick to finasteride, after a year you'll notice a difference in your crown area.
Given your recession, you'll be needing a BIG transplant, likely two.

You'll likely need a solid 3500-4000 in the front, then 2000-ish in the back depending on how well finasteride works for you.
I'm concerned about the donor area, you should go to a clinic near you for a free consultation and they will tell you how many hairs you have per graft.
Regardless, you'll definitely will need some m.s.p to cover up any scaring at the back after transplanting so many grafts.

 

Your hair looks a lot like this users;
 

He is in need of two transplants and this is his result of his first transplant on the front.  Very promising results, again similar situation to yours.

 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Melvin- Moderator
Removed link DO NOT READD OR YOU WILL BE BANNED!

[bori]

7 hours ago, SeanToman said:

I love your sunglasses!

 

You definitely need to stick to finasteride, after a year you'll notice a difference in your crown area.
Given your recession, you'll be needing a BIG transplant, likely two.

You'll likely need a solid 3500-4000 in the front, then 2000-ish in the back depending on how well finasteride works for you.
I'm concerned about the donor area, you should go to a clinic near you for a free consultation and they will tell you how many hairs you have per graft.
Regardless, you'll definitely will need some m.s.p to cover up any scaring at the back after transplanting so many grafts.

 

Your hair looks a lot like this users;
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt-QrLokzPu4z2MdXgJ27-w/videos

He is in need of two transplants and this is his result of his first transplant on the front.  Very promising results, again similar situation to yours.

 

Thank you, I made those sunglasses myself

 

I just made an online appoitnment with Dr. Balwi's clinic. My understanding you also went with Dr. Balwi and you are generally satisfied with your experience? Would you recommend this clinic? 

[bori]

11 hours ago, JC71 said:

Who are you consulting with now ? Maybe you have seen the Drs/Clinics we mention for Turkey. Dr Bicer, HLC, Keser, Pekiner, Yaman and Demirsoy. 
Would you also consider Europe ? The more options open to you the better. 

John, thanks for sharing your suggestions. Will you rank Dr. Demirsoy higher than Dr. Turan?

[Britanium]

9 minutes ago, bori said:

John, thanks for sharing your suggestions. Will you rank Dr. Demirsoy higher than Dr. Turan?

Only because I have seen more Demirsoy results of the years. Gur/Turan seem fine though. Check out as many results as you can for each. You might have a different preference than me. 

[Britanium]

@boricheck your inbox 🙏

[Gatsby]

14 hours ago, bori said:

- Fuecapilar: recommended starting fin and contacting again in 9 months;

Now this is the best advice you have received thus far. I would recommend (though I am not a doctor) to trial finasteride for a good 6 months at a very minimum and preferably 1 year. Use this time to really dig deep in your research and looking at patient results from this forum that match not only your hair loss but also your expected surgical outcomes. All the best!

[devop911]

3 hours ago, bori said:

Thank you, I made those sunglasses myself

 

I just made an online appoitnment with Dr. Balwi's clinic. My understanding you also went with Dr. Balwi and you are generally satisfied with your experience? Would you recommend this clinic? 

Balwi is also no good choice!

You need a doctor with a team!!!!

 

[SeanT1]

12 hours ago, bori said:

Thank you, I made those sunglasses myself

 

I just made an online appoitnment with Dr. Balwi's clinic. My understanding you also went with Dr. Balwi and you are generally satisfied with your experience? Would you recommend this clinic? 

Thank you sir, I did indeed go with Dr. Balwi.
However, it is considered a "hairmill" which this forum is very much hesitant against (understandably). 

I chose Dr. Balwi based on many hair transplant vlogs found on YouTube for Elithair.  I was quite content with elithair's potential.

I can't say much in regards to the results as of now as I'm only 10 weeks P.O. 
But the hairline shape is brilliant and they took the care to ensure single grafts are at the front as well as some DHI implantation in addition to FUE.
I have a review thread in which I post regular updates if you're interested to check that out.

In regards to the experience in Istanbul itself, 
It was a typical package; collection from the airport, hotel paid for, transport to the clinic and back to the airport.
They're a very friendly bunch of people and I was well looked after.  Stayed for a few days more to enjoy the hotel.. they invited me back to the clinic each day for regular cleaning for free.

In regards to the online appointment,
You'll be much better off finding a local transplant clinic that you can get a free appointment from as they use microscopes to see how many hairs per graft is in your donor area.  Once you have this information, you forward it to a better clinic/doctor online.

[devop911]

The problem with Balwi is:

You don't know who is operating (So how do you know, if the result will be good or not?), they have sometimes just travlers who attend the operation. And for sure, Dr.Balwi is NOT attending the Operation.

All my alarms go on !!!

 

[devop911]

Not to mention: you don't have a second shot OP, if your donor is messed up, you are messed up as well. 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Melvin- Moderator
Removed profanity

[DrTBarghouthi]

Hi,

I do have some concerns about your donor based on the photos. I might be mistaken, but I would definitely consider finasteride first for few months and then if this shows good response, then one procedure to restore the frontal 2/3 for now. 

[bori]

35 minutes ago, DrTBarghouthi said:

Hi,

I do have some concerns about your donor based on the photos. I might be mistaken, but I would definitely consider finasteride first for few months and then if this shows good response, then one procedure to restore the frontal 2/3 for now. 

that is basically my plan now! shukran jazilan!