FUE Advice & Recommendations

[wolfowl]

Hi - I'm 35 years old. US west coast based. Been battling with hair loss since my mid twenties. I use Rogaine 5% almost daily. Don't use finasteride cuz my father had nasty side effects so better to be safe I guess.

I have saved some money for finally getting FUE (like short-hair so the FUT scar is a no). I would like to get better coverage on both crown and front hairline although I understand my crown might require a lot of grafts.

My main question:

What doctors do you recommend? I understand the US is very expensive so I'm willing to travel not that far away. Mexico or LATAM would be ideal (I speak some Spanish) or even Canada if not super expensive. Looking for a not super long flight away from LAX.

I have looked at Dr Jorge Cortez in Tijuana. Seems most people are satisfied but a few folks are not happy with their density. He quoted me 2,800 grafts for ~$6,500.

My budget is around ~$12k USD all in. Is there any other doctors I should look at?

Attaching photos of my head. Please let me know. Appreciate your help brothers.

[Gatsby]

If you are researching for surgery you will be making a regrettable mistake if you are basing it on geography and price. Also I know it’s a very personal decision but if your father had side effects their is literally no way of knowing if you will also get them without taking meds (which as I said is a personal choice). Look at surgeons who turn out excellent results on a regular basis on patients with the same hair loss as yourself. All the best. 

[wolfowl]

2 hours ago, Gatsby said:

If you are researching for surgery you will be making a regrettable mistake if you are basing it on geography and price. Also I know it’s a very personal decision but if your father had side effects their is literally no way of knowing if you will also get them without taking meds (which as I said is a personal choice). Look at surgeons who turn out excellent results on a regular basis on patients with the same hair loss as yourself. All the best. 

Thank you. I agree that basing this important decision on geo and price is not the best approach.

However, in a world with tradeoffs and obligations (employment, family, limited $$$) I'm trying to optimize for what I can i.e. getting the best what I can under my budget. Would love to spend $30k and go to the best surgeon in the world but I don't have that kind of dough for this (nor time off), unfortunately.

Agreed on the finasteride point as well - I'm probably worried in excess about the side effects.

[Fue3361]

Cortez is a solid option.  Personally I’d also look at Dr. Nader in Mexico, lots of good stories with him too on here.

[ITA]

yes, okay but hair transplant is not like buying a pair of shoes, which if you don't like them you throw them away and buy another pair, it is something that will change your life for the better if it goes well, but the itself, it will be ruined if it unfortunately goes wrong, so listen to the advice of @Gatsbyand don't base your choice on location or budget, if you don't have enough financial resources, it's best not to.

[GoliGoliGoli]

Nader is the best option for you probably. Pitella (In Brazil I think) is the only other I would consider in Latam. I believe their is actually a good place in Colombia too but I'm forgetting the name. Either way I would recommend Nader

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

Wolf,

I think it’s great that you’re doing your research and asking a lot of questions before proceeding with her transplant surgery. At the end of the day, there are a lot of surgeons and it’s important to research all your options before actually choosing a surgeon and jumping in surgery.

just be careful. Because while it’s tempting to select a doctor based on price and location, it’s far better to Select a surgeon based on a proven ability to produce outstanding results and ultimately save up your money until you can afford it. Now I’m not suggesting that all the best surgeons are the most expensive either.  And it’s not realistic to think that people aren’t on a budget.  that said, hair transplant surgery is an elective procedure and I strongly suggest those who are considering it to get it done right the first time.

It could be far more costly to select an unknown surgeon or one with less experience or reduced skill then it would too undergo hair transplant surgery with a doctor who has a stellar reputation amongst their patients and peers   I say this because I’ve seen too many patients have to undergo repair surgery and spend a lot more money to fix what’s been done wrong.   Not only that, but donor hair is limited and if some of it is misused there may not be enough to fix a precious surgeon’s mistake.

So I’m going to give you the advice that I give everybody else which includes steps to follow when researching and selecting a quality hair transplant surgeon.

1.  Start by looking at the surgeons recommended on this community, in particular the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.  Surgeons recommended on this community half met a demanding set of standards and are proved based on meeting those high standards rather than just the simple ability to pay a membership fee.  Furthermore, physician members of the coalition have met and even higher and more demanding set of standards and have proven to be amongst the best of the best in the profession.

2. Now even amongst the list of outstanding surgeons, not all surgeons are created equally. Therefore, while it’s tempting to select a surgeon based on price or location, try to avoid this as many individuals travel great distances to undergo surgery with an elite surgeon they are most impressed with.  Thus choose a surgeon based on their proven ability to produce outstanding results rather than cost or location

3. Narrow your selection down to 3 to 5 surgeons you are most impressed with.  You can do this by using this discussion forum to view examples of patient results posted by both the clinic and the patients.  Speak with and meet with real patients in person if possible. If not, video chat works pretty well.

4. come up with a list of consult questions to ask each surgeon/clinic you are considering. I created several different posts on this forum with good questions to ask doctors.  If you need help, let me know.

5. Consult with each doctor you are considering and ultimately, choose the surgeon you feel can best meet your goals.

I hope this helps  

Rahal Hair Transplant 

[GaryStruthers]

1 hour ago, GoliGoliGoli said:

Nader is the best option for you probably. Pitella (In Brazil I think) is the only other I would consider in Latam. I believe their is actually a good place in Colombia too but I'm forgetting the name. Either way I would recommend Nader

That would be Bogota Hairlines with Dr. Camacho I believe?

[GoliGoliGoli]

55 minutes ago, GaryStruthers said:

That would be Bogota Hairlines with Dr. Camacho I believe?

Yes that is the one I believe

[John1991]

Topical fin is worth trying.