Regular Member FluffyPanda Posted November 2, 2022 Regular Member Share Posted November 2, 2022 (edited) I've been lurking around this forum for awhile, and I feel like it's time I give back. Long story short, I'm 33 and from SoCal. Started finasteride back in early March. Ended up booking my HT in May for Nov 1. Did a lot of research and talked to a lot of people who had HTs done, and ultimately everyone I talked to about Dr. Camacho was super happy with their experience and results. I actually first looked into Turkey, but I kept having communication issues, and I figured if I'm going to travel to a foreign country, I should at least be comfortable in knowing if I have questions or concerns, I will be responded to. In addition, I'm in the medical field as well, so it helped that Bogota is only a small time-zone change from SoCal since I get very limited time off. To keep this concise, here are photos of my situation from back in March: https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/63385-how-long-after-beginning-finasteride-should-a-ht-be-considered/#comment-638613 So prior to flying to Bogota, Dr. Camacho recommended 2600-2800 to restore hairline density through the mid-scalp. Upon meeting me in person, felt it would be best to increase it to 3000, and then restore density in the front and in the crown. I thought my hairline should be lowered a little, but after seeing me in person, he felt my current hairline was age-appropriate for my face, and recommended to just increase the density of it. He said we could lower it if I really wanted, but he was confident that increasing the density would be a lot more beneficial as I age. Communication leading up to the procedure and throughout the day was excellent. I've attached a photo of me immediately post-op (I would go add more, but my head is currently wrapped up). Dr. Camacho felt very confident that I would be pleased with the result. His goal for me was to make the HT look as natural as possible. Overall, I have to say I was very pleased with the HT day and the entire process. They've sent me very detailed post-op instructions and told me to contact them any time I have questions about literally anything. I've never been to Colombia (or South America), and my Spanish is kinda trash tbh, but everyone was really great. Edited November 2, 2022 by FluffyPanda Submitted early 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Pbaird98 Posted November 2, 2022 Regular Member Share Posted November 2, 2022 Nicely done, will be following! 🙏🏿 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member FluffyPanda Posted November 6, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 6, 2022 Day 4 post-op, now having done my first wash at home and flew back home. Haven't noticed any bleeding so I'm assuming I haven't lost any grafts (though I will admit, I could probably be a little gentler with the implanted hair). Itching sucks. Saline spray they gave me helps temporarily but really just needs this to heal faster lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Gatsby Posted November 6, 2022 Valued Contributor Share Posted November 6, 2022 Looking good @FluffyPanda. I look forward to seeing your updates. Thanks for sharing! GATSBY 'UNPLUGGED!' 15,671 (3 surgeries) Grafts FUE+BHT Dr. Sethi Eugenix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted November 6, 2022 Administrators Share Posted November 6, 2022 Everything is looking excellent, Dr. Camacho is fantastic. I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Pbaird98 Posted November 6, 2022 Regular Member Share Posted November 6, 2022 Looks like you’re healing up well 🤜🏿 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member FluffyPanda Posted November 9, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 9, 2022 Thanks guys for following along! Have to say, I do feel like I'm healing well overall. Scalp is pretty flaky currently and itchy. I assume this is normal. Wish I could fast forward 4 months from now. Day 7 post-op. Camacho's team asked for some photos so they could make sure everything is looking good post-op. Figured I'd share them here as well. Pretty pleased with how the donor area is looking as well. Other than looking shaved down, looks practically untouched (imho) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member ray35 Posted November 16, 2022 Regular Member Share Posted November 16, 2022 Definitely looks good, and yeah that itchiness and flaky stuff is totally normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member FluffyPanda Posted November 16, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 16, 2022 Happy 2 weeks since transpla nt (to myself lol). Well technically 2 weeks + 1 day but I took these pics yesterday to mark progress. I can't really tell how the crown will end up being. Immediately post-op, looks like a lot was implanted. Most recent pic now looks like a lot less, but it could just be my imagination. Maybe once it's grown out it will look more full Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member GoliGoliGoli Posted November 17, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted November 17, 2022 Curious to know what your price per graft was? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member GoliGoliGoli Posted November 17, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted November 17, 2022 Also some pre-op pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member FluffyPanda Posted November 20, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 20, 2022 On 11/17/2022 at 11:13 AM, GoliGoliGoli said: Also some pre-op pics Certainly! I've attached a couple pics from the morning of surgery that were taken at the clinic. As for the price, I had booked it all the way back in May when it was $2/graft. I believe he increased the price a bit to $2.3/graft. Dr. Pareja is a bit less and is a fixed price (I think just under $5000) for up to 3000 grafts and then I think it's $1.5/graft for each one over 3000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted November 21, 2022 Administrators Share Posted November 21, 2022 Wow that’s very affordable for a surgeon that does all the work. Eager to see your results flourish. I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member ray35 Posted November 21, 2022 Regular Member Share Posted November 21, 2022 Looking forward to see the results here, keep updating. I'm also researching Dr. Camacho. I watched the youtube podcast with Melvin and have looked at his results, most impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member GoliGoliGoli Posted November 21, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted November 21, 2022 Really glad to see doctors doing quality work in Latin America. A flight from where I am in the US to Bogota is a bit over 5 hours, to Istanbul is 11.5 hours. Much cheaper and way less of a hassle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member FluffyPanda Posted December 2, 2022 Author Regular Member Share Posted December 2, 2022 Happy 1 month since transplant! I think we are now well into the shedding phase, and it sucks. It's very much testing my patience. Thankfully I work in a hospital so I can wear a scrub cap without issue. Here are some updated photos! Thankfully the donor area is looking great! I can also see some tiny hairs coming in along the hairline and the crown, so hopefully when in a few months, it will look substantially filled in On 11/21/2022 at 12:28 PM, GoliGoliGoli said: Really glad to see doctors doing quality work in Latin America. A flight from where I am in the US to Bogota is a bit over 5 hours, to Istanbul is 11.5 hours. Much cheaper and way less of a hassle. Agree completely! Getting to Bogota was way more convenient than getting to Turkey. Plus the communication was A+ whereas I had issues hearing back from some of the recommended people in Turkey. I'm sure the HT surgeons in Turkey would've done a fine job, but I figured if I was going to go abroad to get this done, I deserved to have good communication at least. So yea, the convenience (relatively lol) of getting to Bogota plus the good communication made this place a no-brainer for me over Turkey. It actually came down to Dr. Camacho and Dr. Nader for me, but the quality of communication plus my conversation with people who did HTs with Camacho pushed me to Colombia. On 11/21/2022 at 11:45 AM, Melvin- Moderator said: Wow that’s very affordable for a surgeon that does all the work. Eager to see your results flourish. Just to expand a bit on this, the package with Dr. Camacho is "Surgery Plan: Camacho, Hairline design: Dr Camacho, Extraction: Dr Camacho + Dr Pareja, Implantation: Dr. Camacho + Dr Pareja." For the package of Dr Pareja, Dr. Camacho does the "surgery plan" and Dr. Pareja does everything else. I have no idea what is the difference is between surgery plan and hairline design, but I figured it's my head so I'd be willing to shell out a little extra to ensure the expertise of Dr. Camacho (which is not to imply Dr. Pareja is in any way, shape, or form bad -- I felt she was very highly qualified and would have no issue having her do the entire procedure). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted December 2, 2022 Administrators Share Posted December 2, 2022 Looking good 👍🏼 happy growing. I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member ray35 Posted December 2, 2022 Regular Member Share Posted December 2, 2022 Nice update, looking like all is going according to plan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member FluffyPanda Posted January 3, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 3, 2023 Hope everyone had a good holiday time! We're now at approx. 2 months post-HT. Doesn't seem like a ton has changed since the 1 month mark. Just patiently waiting (which has been hard). Looks like the donor area is practically untouched. Now currently doing that thing we all do of "I hope I didn't mess up and dislodge grafts without realizing it and now I have anxiety about why it's not growing already." Feels good to be a part of that club with you all. Here are some updated photos: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member FluffyPanda Posted February 1, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 1, 2023 Well it's 3 months since the procedure. Posting photos for the 3 month mark. I know I'm not supposed to have much growth at this point, but man is it demotivating. Really hoping it picks up over the next month or two. The waiting game sucks, but hopefully we are progressing like we are supposed to. Can't help but think if I lost grafts from not being gentle enough, although I presume it's unlikely since there was never any bleeding. Well here's hoping more growth happens soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor A_4_Archan Posted February 2, 2023 Valued Contributor Share Posted February 2, 2023 Yeh generally growth will pick up aftr 4 months till 14 to 18 months....u r sure on a right track and seems to be doing well..r u on medication or nt?...keep updating.. Check Out My Hair Transplant Journey --> My Thread 3611 FUE Grafts With Dr Kongkiat Laorwong | Norwood 5 | 2nd May 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member FluffyPanda Posted February 2, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 2, 2023 6 hours ago, Archan said: Yeh generally growth will pick up aftr 4 months till 14 to 18 months....u r sure on a right track and seems to be doing well..r u on medication or nt?...keep updating.. Alright well here's hoping the hair growth picks up soon then! I am on medication yes. Taking finasteride 1mg daily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor A_4_Archan Posted February 2, 2023 Valued Contributor Share Posted February 2, 2023 2 minutes ago, FluffyPanda said: Alright well here's hoping the hair growth picks up soon then! I am on medication yes. Taking finasteride 1mg daily Yeh it will grow..Thts nice tht u r on medication ..even ask ur doctor abt oral minoxidil ..tht wud b better to improve ur growth... Check Out My Hair Transplant Journey --> My Thread 3611 FUE Grafts With Dr Kongkiat Laorwong | Norwood 5 | 2nd May 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member -TheHairUpThere- Posted February 3, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted February 3, 2023 Gonna be at bogota hairlines next week. Extremely nervous. Never been out of America and can’t speak any Spanish. Also gonna be staying 10 days until all the scabs are gone. Did you stay at the b3 virrey?…..how was your stay?….a lot of good food options in the area?…..and good luck on your journey. Should be getting great growth from here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member FluffyPanda Posted February 3, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 3, 2023 12 hours ago, -TheHairUpThere- said: Gonna be at bogota hairlines next week. Extremely nervous. Never been out of America and can’t speak any Spanish. Also gonna be staying 10 days until all the scabs are gone. Did you stay at the b3 virrey?…..how was your stay?….a lot of good food options in the area?…..and good luck on your journey. Should be getting great growth from here. Yep stayed at the B3 Virrey. Hotel was nice. Breakfast there was pretty solid. You have to walk a bit for some good food, but generally had a lot of good food within a 10-15 min walk of the hotel. When you leave the airport and start driving to the hotel, the area looks really sketch. The area where the hotel is was A LOT better. Rained a lot while I was there so bring an umbrella. My Spanish is fairly limited, but I was able to do ok. Would recommended downloading google translate on the phone and download the Spanish language pack on it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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