First hair transplant; opinions?

[Thomo]

Morning all!

(if it’s morning for you! 😅)

I’m 27 and noticed my hairline receding for at least 4 years now, but more like 5… knocking my confidence for sure!

I’m not on any medication or vitamins etc at the moment.

I’ve been reading a lot on here the last few days and it’s all invaluable information, especially when peoples experiences are real and not just a quick 5* review on Google.

Ok, so… I’ve reached out to 3 Dr’s for quotations and opinions:

Dr Resul Yaman

3000 grafts

Incisions by Dr Yaman

Extraction by technicians

Implantation by technicians (overseen by Dr Yaman)

$3250 (£2600)

 

“Smile hair clinic” - they just said I can pick a Dr

2000/2500 grafts

Incisions by Dr

Extraction by chief surgical assistant

Implantation by chief surgical assistant

€2690 (£2300) 

 

Dr Saifi

1800 grafts

*unsure as I still need to ask*

21,600 PLN (£4000)

I’ve seen brilliant things from Dr Saifi; his earliest availability in Poland is from October as he’s in the USA at the moment - which isn’t a problem, I’m just getting excited at the prospect of “new hair” haha!

 

Few questions:-

 

1. How important is it to start taking any sort of medication now? Dr Saifi has sent me some recommendations from CR labs, which I’ve noticed he does a lot on here too with other patients.
2. I have a skin fade haircut; does anyone have this style after having FUE and is the donor area visible? Honestly it’s not a big deal but I’m curious!
3. … opinions on the above quotes etc? I’m fairly set on Dr Saifi I think, or he’s definitely my “favourite” from the above. The fact he wants to use less grafts is promising as it won’t have a huge impact on the donor area.

 

Appreciate it, thanks chaps. 🙏🏻

Edited May 17, 2022 by Thomo
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[Dillpickle123]

The others are way too high estimates 1800 grafts will give great result and your donor won’t look too bad after allowing you to still get skin fades get on finasteride though asap 

[Thomo]

I thought so too, from having looked at similar transplants on here.

Just been reading up more on Fin; what is a sensible dosage to start with? 1mg?

[Britanium]

Please don’t even consider “Smile” they are not doing good work, and it’s highly likely you won’t actually have a Dr involved at all. 
Dr Saifi does seem to do more with less ! A good choice, although I’m not convinced that it would be enough grafts.. it may change a little anyway.. 

[hairman22]

I went to Saifi. Skin fades for me are no problem. Some scars but very small.

Very good surgeon. He is the opposite of Turkey.Likes to use as little grafts as possible to prserve for future

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

Thomo,

Hair loss medication like finasteride is important especially if you are still losing hair.   Also, you are only 27 years of age and it looks like you have retained a lot of your hair at this point.   Thus, if you are not yet on finasteride, I would strongly consider it.

To answer your second question, it would be helpful if you posted some photos showing your skin fade haircut. Whether or not one would see any invisible signs of scarring will depend on several factors.  But if you are shaving down completely to the skin and its higher up before the fade, it’s possible that some scarring will be shown (though it will likely be minimal).  If You’re only should be down to the skin on the lower portion and it starts the gradual fade almost immediately, You could very well like to get away with not showing any signs of scarring.

Of course, my answer is assuming that you are undergoing FUE rather than FUT.  While many men can wear their hair cropped short after FUT, there is a greater likelihood that scarring will be seen even if minimal after undergoing FUT surgery.

My only thoughts about the quotes above is that 1800 graphs may not be enough depending on what your goals are and how youthful of the hairline you are expecting. Also, in my opinion hair should not just be placed in the bare areas of the scalp, but also in some of the thinner areas in the front with a gradual fade into the mid scalp.  

Obviously, the amount of transplanted hair placed in the areas of the scalp with natural hair would be far less than the bare areas however, the goal of a hair transplant is to stand-alone in the event more hair is lost.  Note that this does not mean you will not necessarily require ssubsequent procedures in the event of future hair loss however, you still want hair to look natural in the event you lose more natural hair.  In my opinion, 1800 grafts just may not be enough.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant

[Thomo]

Thank you all for the info/advice - it's brill. 

Just an open thought... I'm thinking of going onto Fin but also shaving all my hair off, just to see how I look! 

Good idea?!

[SeanT1]

7 hours ago, Thomo said:

Thank you all for the info/advice - it's brill. 

Just an open thought... I'm thinking of going onto Fin but also shaving all my hair off, just to see how I look! 

Good idea?!

You'll need to take fin after a transplant regardless.

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

Thomo,

There are many men suffering from hair loss who decide to simply shave their heads, grow a beard and forget about the fact that they’re losing hair. Many men look great with a bald head and are enhanced even more by sporting a beard.

That said, there are others who try shaving their heads and decide it’s just not a look that suits them. I’m one of the latter so I opted to undergo hair transplant surgery and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

But, to answer your question, I think it’s a great idea to first shave your head to see how you look because if you like it and it suits you well, you’ll end up saving yourself a lot of time and money.  If you decide you don’t like it, well then there’s always surgical hair restoration if you are a candidate along with non-surgical treatments such as finasteride and minoxidil to help prevent the progression of future hair loss.

Best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant 

[Britanium]

16 hours ago, Thomo said:

Thank you all for the info/advice - it's brill. 

Just an open thought... I'm thinking of going onto Fin but also shaving all my hair off, just to see how I look! 

Good idea?!

Definitely try shaving down ! Everyone should try this, it’s a look that’s not for everyone but definitely worth trying… shaved head + beard really suits some people 👍🏽