HT Transplant Recommendations in Houston/Turkey

[ab102ttu]

Hello, Im 35 living in Houston, Texas. I have a receding hairline and thinning hair in which I have took Minoxidil spray and Ketoconazole as recommended by a derm. The only treatment I havent done is not take Fin as I was afraid of the side effects. I have heard topical fin may be a good alternative.  I am looking to do a HT in either Houston or Turkey so that I can have a full hairline. I have done research in this forum and have come up with a list of Bosley or Dr Arocha in Houston or Dr Bicer, Dr. Pekiner, Dr Yaman and Cosmetecium Dr Batu in Turkey. In the list here Bosley and Dr Batu is not on there. From reading reviews, I don't really trust Bosley as it seems its more marketing, but I just wanted to get an initial idea on what they are recommending. In Turkey, I am leaning on Dr. Bicer or Dr Batu.  Can someone please provide advice on what would be the best option based on the pictures attached and approximate cost if procedure is done with this doctor? I am thinking if Houston it would cost at least 6-10k and turkey 2-3.5k. My baldness seems to be a level 2 or 3 so it may be cheaper than what I think, and a HT may not even be necessary.  It would be great to get input from ppl in this forum before I start doing consultations. Feel free to recommend any doctors/clinics not on the list. Thanks.  Appreciate it!

Edited January 3, 2022 by ab102ttu
add donor photo

[Britanium]

Rule out Bosley, they are a just the amongst the worst of the chain clinics. Dr Batu/Cosmeticium is a typical low cost “Hair mill” and also should be ruled out. 
The other clinics/Drs on your list are much better but it’s a pretty eclectic list. 
I don’t think Dr Pekiner would be the right choice, he tends to work better when less grafts are needed (mostly smaller cases). 
Have you considered HLC if your looking either US or Turkey ? If your open to travelling outside of the US then you would have a lot more options to consider ! 
Your hair loss pattern shows you will most likely progress to a Norwood 6. Your current loss is more than you think, could you also post a pic of your donor area ? Thanks 🙏 

Edited January 3, 2022 by JC71

[AB2000]

You have not posted your donor area.

[JDEE0]

Hey,

Forget Bosley and Cosmeticum, the rest are all at least somewhat good choices, but I don't know if any are the best fit for your case exactly.

I'm sorry to say, but you're definitely not a NW2 or 3, more like a NW5 going into a 6 in reality. Yes, you still have a decent amount of hair up top on the mid-scalp, but it is heavily thinning in a diffuse pattern and will inevitably completely disappear as the coming years roll on by. It's moreso the false illusion that you're a NW3 right now, but it's clear the remaining hair is going to go, I have no doubt of that. Without finasteride or dutasteride, you're 100 percent destined to end up a NW5-6, and I'd probably say it'll happen in the next five years or so. Not what you wanted to hear, I know, but you need to face the reality of your hair-loss for your own good before you go getting a HT.

If you go down this path of getting a HT, and don't take 5ar blockers (i.e. fin), then you're going to need easily 6000+ grafts for decent coverage all over once all is said and done.

Do you have pictures of your donor area? Without them, it's impossible to say whether or not you're a candidate at all for a transplant. It's also a tricky case to have a HT right now as you are experiencing diffuse loss; the transplant may cause permanent shock loss to your existing hair up top, and you may end up worse off or back at square one a year post op. Really, meds would be necessary for your case imo, if they strengthened your existing hair then you would have a lot less to worry about and probably 2.5k grafts for the crown and maybe 2-2.5k grafts to create a nice yet somewhat conservative hairline would leave you looking pretty good. 

 

[Britanium]

Here is the forums recommended list:

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

We can also mention some other clinics which may be suitable for your needs, especially if your willing to travel. 

[Britanium]

Eugenix (India) will always be someone to consider with your type of loss. They really excel with the higher Norwood levels. But this is dependent on your donor area and it’s also possible they will recommend Fin to give you the best chance of success. You don’t want to be chasing the loss, you need a long term game plan here. 

[ab102ttu]

12 minutes ago, JC71 said:

Rule out Bosley, they are a just the amongst the worst of the chain clinics. Dr Batu/Cosmeticium is a typical low cost “Hair mill” and also should be ruled out. 
The other clinics/Drs on your list are much better but it’s a pretty eclectic list. 
I don’t think Dr Pekiner would be the right choice, he tends to work better when less grafts are needed (mostly smaller cases). 
Have you considered HLC if your looking either US or Turkey ? If your open to travelling outside of the US then you would have a lot more options to consider ! 
Your hair loss pattern shows you will most likely progress to a Norwood 6. Your current loss is more than you think, could you also post a pic of your donor area ? Thanks 🙏 

hard to take a picture of that on own but I tried . 

[JDEE0]

Hard to really see what's going on in the donor, but it doesn't look very strong I'm afraid.

You have retrograde, for sure, and I can see visible gaps throughout even in what would be considered the traditional safe zone. At this point you really need to send some clear pictures of your donor to some ethical clinics to get their take, but I have my doubts that many of them will take you on with what looks to be a fair amount of miniaturisation in the donor.

Meds have the potential to put you in a much better spot, but right now, my honest opinion is that I don't know if you're a viable candidate, sorry man.

[Britanium]

Sorry but yes it’s not looking too great, with retrograde Alopecia, a Norwood 6 pattern already evident i wouldn’t say your a ideal candidate. I think I can see dipping in your crown which shows you may progress to a 7. This does not leave you with a very good donor area. And I know this is not what you want to hear but it’s best to be aware before undertaking a procedure which could very easily leave you worse off. Definitely consult with some of the best who are proficient with these type of cases. For example you could consult with Eugenix, Fuegenix, Hattingen, Zarev, @DrTBarghouthi(Vertex), HDC @Doron Harati, @Dr. Felipe Pittella Dr Bisanga to name some ! They will give you some invaluable feedback. 

[digi23]

1 hour ago, ab102ttu said:

hard to take a picture of that on own but I tried . 

As others pointed out, it does not look like you should get a hair transplant considering you seem to be thinning in the donor area aswell. 

[StressedOut]

Just wondering why Eugenix or Mwamba could not be a option for this gentleman. They have great results with body hair transplants to doner area

[Z--]

1 hour ago, StressedOut said:

Just wondering why Eugenix or Mwamba could not be a option for this gentleman. They have great results with body hair transplants to doner area

I mean they are great doctors, but this looks like a possible Norwood 6/7 case with minimal donor. If he has a great beard, they might be able to pull from there and the donor, and get decent frontal coverage. Both (i) the options he's selected (Bosley...wtf?) and focusing primarily on cost (looking for places that are around 2k in total...wtf?) and (ii) the belief that he's a NW2, indicates that more research is likely needed.

[Britanium]

1 hour ago, StressedOut said:

Just wondering why Eugenix or Mwamba could not be a option for this gentleman. They have great results with body hair transplants to doner area

If accepted by any Dr then yes it’s going to take the skill of Eugenix, Mwamba, Bisanga etc to have any chance of success. But we have not seen the beard yet, and even still it’s going to take some donor scalp hair that can be relied upon without further thinning it out. So it’s not a easy or straightforward case. And it’s more than likely that these clinics would at least ask for OP to be on Fin to strengthen what is available and hopefully retain/improve the existing scalp hair. That would be for at least a year, and then they would review the situation again.

It’s going to take very careful planning and it would be a long journey, and a lot more expensive than the OP was originally looking at. It’s also possible they will say he’s just not a ideal candidate.

The danger is the clinics that will just agree to a ht with absolutely no care to what the result might be. 

[JDEE0]

2 hours ago, StressedOut said:

Just wondering why Eugenix or Mwamba could not be a option for this gentleman. They have great results with body hair transplants to doner area

Biggest problem I see is that he is 'only' 35 and his donor is thinning noticeably. I don't think any doctor worth his or her salt will really claim they're able to predict what will happen to the transplanted hair by the time he is 45 or 50 with this in mind, and as a result, may flat out refuse surgery for his own good. It's likely much of his newly placed hairs would also thin considerably over this time period without using meds.

Edited January 3, 2022 by JDEE0

[ab102ttu]

I don't know what happened. But this is a before and after treatment (minoxidil and ketoconazole) of my hair a year ago . I took nutrafol recently and I'm wondering if that caused so much shedding . I am going to do a buzz cut to see where the issue is and start taking minoxidil and rogaine again, hopefully it will get back to the pictures on the right . I am wondering if biotin in the nutrafol caused this . As you can see this was not that long ago . For it to fall out like this is crazy . 

Edited January 3, 2022 by ab102ttu

[Britanium]

Sorry but it’s not going to recover, once the hair falls it’s permanently. Fin can help recover but this more of a rarity. In a way it’s showing that it’s very probable your going to continue to lose at a aggressive rate. This is where you do need to stop and think about this very carefully. Absolutely don’t even consider a ht for now and find out more on what’s happening currently. 
If you haven’t done already then see a dermatologist and/or have a face to face with a decent clinic. So much to unpack here, it really needs professional input. 

[ab102ttu]

Another photo from before and after 3 month treatment of rogaine and ketoconazole. I'm wondering if not taking rogaine after consistently caused so much shedding 

[LaserCaps]

An in-person evaluation is in order.  

When visiting with a patient I will typically suggest "do the research." This not only includes viewing photos of cases similar to your own, doing consultations, etc, but also asking the doctors about their credentials.  There are only a handful of places allowing fellowships in hair restoration.  Dr. Arocha has a Fellowship in hair restoration, is Board certified, member of the Board and an examiner for the Board.  I would encourage you to visit with him if only to get his input.  Please call 713-526-4247 to schedule an appointment.

[Britanium]

Definitely worth a face to face/in person meeting, Dr Arocha being local to you would be a great idea ! 

[DrTBarghouthi]

It would certainly be great to assess the donor in person by someone local to you. You do seem to have loss in a NW6 pattern but the photos show some concerns in the donor area in terms of density and possible retrograde loss. Can you post some good donor photos please? You may need to be on finasteride to improve that too and protect yourself from ongoing loss. 

[ab102ttu]

Donor photos 

[DrTBarghouthi]

The donor in the last photo shows a better overall capacity. You do have some limitations in the lower central part and the crown seems to be dipping into the donor too. However, the sides seem good. Also it seems the density in the donor and the type of hair is good. You also seem to have a good beard. 

[ab102ttu]

On 1/2/2022 at 11:24 PM, JDEE0 said:

Hey,

Forget Bosley and Cosmeticum, the rest are all at least somewhat good choices, but I don't know if any are the best fit for your case exactly.

I'm sorry to say, but you're definitely not a NW2 or 3, more like a NW5 going into a 6 in reality. Yes, you still have a decent amount of hair up top on the mid-scalp, but it is heavily thinning in a diffuse pattern and will inevitably completely disappear as the coming years roll on by. It's moreso the false illusion that you're a NW3 right now, but it's clear the remaining hair is going to go, I have no doubt of that. Without finasteride or dutasteride, you're 100 percent destined to end up a NW5-6, and I'd probably say it'll happen in the next five years or so. Not what you wanted to hear, I know, but you need to face the reality of your hair-loss for your own good before you go getting a HT.

If you go down this path of getting a HT, and don't take 5ar blockers (i.e. fin), then you're going to need easily 6000+ grafts for decent coverage all over once all is said and done.

Do you have pictures of your donor area? Without them, it's impossible to say whether or not you're a candidate at all for a transplant. It's also a tricky case to have a HT right now as you are experiencing diffuse loss; the transplant may cause permanent shock loss to your existing hair up top, and you may end up worse off or back at square one a year post op. Really, meds would be necessary for your case imo, if they strengthened your existing hair then you would have a lot less to worry about and probably 2.5k grafts for the crown and maybe 2-2.5k grafts to create a nice yet somewhat conservative hairline would leave you looking pretty good. 

 

Here are some more pics. Appreciate the advice . I am thinking im going to see Dr arocha in Houston then see what the best doctors in Turkey would cost.  

[ab102ttu]

On 1/3/2022 at 10:12 AM, JC71 said:

Definitely worth a face to face/in person meeting, Dr Arocha being local to you would be a great idea ! 

Thanks appreciate the advice . I will definitely do that.  I am thinking I am going to see if a HT Is a option and compare in US such as Arocha and w top doctors in Turkey . The hair really bothers me and going bald isn't appealing to me. 

[ab102ttu]

On 1/3/2022 at 12:38 AM, digi23 said:

As others pointed out, it does not look like you should get a hair transplant considering you seem to be thinning in the donor area aswell. 

Here's a better pic of donor . Appreciate advice !