Help deciding: 27 yo, hairline work needed, few clinics in mind (namely: Nader, De Freitas, Pekiner, Eugenix)

[neverendingsearch]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here so please bear with me! First of all the community you guys have created on here is amazing. I've been lurking for a few months trying to decide on a surgeon and really admire the knowledge and support you all provide to each other. 

Basic intro

About me, I'm Middle Eastern, turning 28 in less than half a year but have been shedding since I was 17. I started finasteride at 20 and that seemed to slow things down and regrow some hair, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to prevent it from reaching a stage where the amount of hair lost feels dramatic. Everyone has their threshold for what qualifies as "needing work" and I just about hit mine. By most estimates (ones I've gotten from doctors listed here or otherwise), I need anywhere from 2800 to 3500 grafts. 

Clinics chosen

Now, I landed on the doctors I mentioned (for Eugenix, it would be Dr. Das) because they are all within my budget (max 3 EUR per graft) and they all have impressive results on here. However I cannot seem to make a decision and I'm starting to get research fatigue – all the while, spots are filling up fast and I feel the pressure to book. I have in fact already booked with Nader because I was excited after I saw some great results on here and he got back to me pretty quick. He is also in Mexico which is probably easiest for me since I live in New York (but also visit the Middle East yearly for the holidays so really I can make anywhere work).

Main concerns are (if not obvious from pics) to reconstruct hairline, temples, and mid-scalp. The doctors each seems to have their strengths in those areas:

• Pekiner: he was my first choice due to hype on Reddit. Sure enough his results live up to the hype but I haven't seen many/any cases that deal with more wavy hair – most of his wow-worthy results are with European-type straight hair. I also find his hairlines a bit aggressive, having fewer macro-irregularities than other results I've seen. However I wonder if this is something I can have input into. Not sure if any of his patients can chime in here. He quoted me 3000-3500 grafts.
• Nader: I like the zig-zag pattern he does in his hairline designs – seems to lend itself nicely to creating natural-looking hairlines. I like his work but there are quite a few posts on here without any updates after a while and it worries me that they might be bad results. He also (like anyone else) has had just okay results. Quoted me around 3000 grafts.
• De Freitas: a combination of amazing reputation and also actually super good-looking hairlines has me impressed, but does anyone find his temple point work too angular? I wonder if this is something I can have input into as well. Also I have not seen very many wavy/wiry hair results from him, and he is the most expensive of all. Quoted me 2800 grafts, but considering others have quoted more, I think this has the potential to jump when an in-person consultation is held.
• Eugenix: I would be choosing Dr. Priya Das because I want a veteran's (in the making?) involvement in the case and Dr. Bansal's package is out of range for me. I was initially a little underwhelmed (I forget which case I saw) but have since found some impressive results from her on here. Quoted me around 2700 grafts.  

Below are some pics of myself – I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts on my case and if you've seen any lookalikes on here who went to specific doctors and had great results. Thank you for reading and excited to hear from y'all!

[DeltaV]

Please also consult Dr. Munib Ahmad Fuegenix. He is hitting the ball out of the park for your similar cases....the new Hairline king.

[neverendingsearch]

30 minutes ago, DeltaV said:

Please also consult Dr. Munib Ahmad Fuegenix. He is hitting the ball out of the park for your similar cases....the new Hairline king.

I actually have already sent him a consultation request and am waiting to hear back!

[Gatsby]

Even if you feel the meds are not working or you have lost ground I would stay on them regardless. You may find that you hit a point where you MPB stabalizes at one point. You are considering excellent doctors and I really like the work coming from Dr Das. I say that also in part because I have met her a couple of times and she is a very warm, open person. Dr Ahmad and Dr De Freitas is brilliant. Don't be in a rush to book. Take your time and keep looking at results posted by patients on the forum. All the best!

[Melvin- Admin]

Dr. De Freitas I feel would be the best choice given your hair characteristics. It’s very similar to thick Spanish hair.

[A_4_Archan]

If there is no side effects from meds than dont stop it..it will gradually stabilise you baldness ....

If there is no budget issues than go for munib ahmad ...he is excellent ....and if on a budget than go for de freitas or pekiner....imo you don't need to look elsewhere 

Edited April 1, 2023 by Archan

[BaldReaper]

1 hour ago, Archan said:

If there is no side effects from meds than dont stop it..it will gradually stabilise you baldness ....

If there is no budget issues than go for munib ahmad ...he is excellent ....and if on a budget than go for de freitas or pekiner....imo you don't need to look elsewhere 

how do you suggest dr Ahmad? Did you have an ht with him? Or have you seen many independent cases from him?

[neverendingsearch]

11 hours ago, Gatsby said:

Even if you feel the meds are not working or you have lost ground I would stay on them regardless. You may find that you hit a point where you MPB stabalizes at one point. You are considering excellent doctors and I really like the work coming from Dr Das. I say that also in part because I have met her a couple of times and she is a very warm, open person. Dr Ahmad and Dr De Freitas is brilliant. Don't be in a rush to book. Take your time and keep looking at results posted by patients on the forum. All the best!

Ah yes, I don't plan on stopping finasteride anytime soon! I was just lamenting that my hair loss seems too strong for a treatment plan of finasteride alone. FWIW I tried minoxidil for a year and it did slow down shedding, but I didn't see much regrowth so I stopped it. I was thinking that it's really only indicated for crown thinning anyway so it probably won't have dramatic effects on my temples and hairline if I continue. I didn't notice much shedding after stopping at the time, but a year after, I took stock of my hair quality and it looked considerably thinned. 

Re: stabilization, I've been on finasteride for a bit more than 6 years at this point and am actually having trouble determining if my hair loss has stabilized. Some days in the shower I do notice significant shedding, and sometimes it coincides with a mild itchiness/tenderness/hot feeling in my temples and hairline area, which I use Nizoral for (almost daily). This makes me wonder whether the finasteride is still working or if I need to switch to something stronger like dutasteride. OR if I am overusing Nizoral and that's what's causing this? Most days however it's not an alarming number of hairs that I find on my hands while shampooing.

2 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Dr. De Freitas I feel would be the best choice given your hair characteristics. It’s very similar to thick Spanish hair.

Good to hear from you Melvin, noted!

2 hours ago, Archan said:

If there is no side effects from meds than dont stop it..it will gradually stabilise you baldness ....

If there is no budget issues than go for munib ahmad ...he is excellent ....and if on a budget than go for de freitas or pekiner....imo you don't need to look elsewhere 

Thanks for the recs! Definitely not stopping finasteride. Curious what your thoughts are on De Freitas vs Pekiner for my case. 

[A_4_Archan]

58 minutes ago, neverendingsearch said:

Ah yes, I don't plan on stopping finasteride anytime soon! I was just lamenting that my hair loss seems too strong for a treatment plan of finasteride alone. FWIW I tried minoxidil for a year and it did slow down shedding, but I didn't see much regrowth so I stopped it. I was thinking that it's really only indicated for crown thinning anyway so it probably won't have dramatic effects on my temples and hairline if I continue. I didn't notice much shedding after stopping at the time, but a year after, I took stock of my hair quality and it looked considerably thinned. 

Re: stabilization, I've been on finasteride for a bit more than 6 years at this point and am actually having trouble determining if my hair loss has stabilized. Some days in the shower I do notice significant shedding, and sometimes it coincides with a mild itchiness/tenderness/hot feeling in my temples and hairline area, which I use Nizoral for (almost daily). This makes me wonder whether the finasteride is still working or if I need to switch to something stronger like dutasteride. OR if I am overusing Nizoral and that's what's causing this? Most days however it's not an alarming number of hairs that I find on my hands while shampooing.

Good to hear from you Melvin, noted!

Thanks for the recs! Definitely not stopping finasteride. Curious what your thoughts are on De Freitas vs Pekiner for my case. 

Both are great surgeons...you can do one thing ..try and see results of patient yourself over here and other forums and even talk to the patients and see whats their feedback is....imo its tough to single out one from those two...but still if i have to pick only one than i would lean a bit towards de freitas...and melvin made a pretty good point about your hair type ...its like thick spanish hair and de freitas is well experienced with such hair characteristics....

[A_4_Archan]

2 hours ago, BaldV said:

how do you suggest dr Ahmad? Did you have an ht with him? Or have you seen many independent cases from him?

Have seen some cases plus he himself posted many results and i believe him..he is not some cheap doctor who would post fake or photoshopped pics....the way he shows his results is just brilliant ...there will be very few doctors who would show results like he does...its not always that his patients will be on this forum and post their results ...he provides personalised approach ..he does extraction,incisions and even implantation with his hands.. .he is very well regarded surgeon ...plus his charges are very high so only few people can afford him and those who can won't bother to put their results on forums...

Didn't had ht with him but i wish i  could...bt unfortunately my budget restrict me..if ths wasn't the case than i would have only gone with him without a doubt ....but still its my opinion and yours can be different ...

Plus i didn't suggested only him..i suggested two more doctors..

Edited April 1, 2023 by Archan

[Stilgar]

Literally same boat as you (hair loss type, characteristics, etc..). I ve been on meds for two years and things also slowed down significantly and i also gained some ground in the vertex area (meds are working for you, literally you have a very solid vertex which will save you a ton of hairs). As mentioned above, it's either de freitas or pekiner as they have both experiences with our hair type. I myself got a similar quote (around 3000 grafts) and will be heading to Pekiner next year.
Please don't quite the meds, trust me after adding 3000 grafts to your frontal and mid-scalp, it will be very dense (more than 50g/cm). 

[neverendingsearch]

11 hours ago, Archan said:

Both are great surgeons...you can do one thing ..try and see results of patient yourself over here and other forums and even talk to the patients and see whats their feedback is....imo its tough to single out one from those two...but still if i have to pick only one than i would lean a bit towards de freitas...and melvin made a pretty good point about your hair type ...its like thick spanish hair and de freitas is well experienced with such hair characteristics....

Definitely, already doing this but there is just so much to sort through so I appreciate the input. Have you not seen thicker type hair from Pekiner? I've found this one https://www.reddit.com/r/HairTransplants/comments/10gy9lg/month_9_update_2722_graft_fue_w_dr_kaan_pekiner/ on Reddit but found the hairline to be maybe a bit unnatural looking. I do wonder if the drop in recipient area density seen after a few years would make it more natural looking.

10 hours ago, Stilgar said:

Literally same boat as you (hair loss type, characteristics, etc..). I ve been on meds for two years and things also slowed down significantly and i also gained some ground in the vertex area (meds are working for you, literally you have a very solid vertex which will save you a ton of hairs). As mentioned above, it's either de freitas or pekiner as they have both experiences with our hair type. I myself got a similar quote (around 3000 grafts) and will be heading to Pekiner next year.
Please don't quite the meds, trust me after adding 3000 grafts to your frontal and mid-scalp, it will be very dense (more than 50g/cm). 

Given that my hair loss has progressed considerably despite finasteride, I wonder whether my vertex is the next to go. Not sure if doctors use vertex hair as donor and how they would manage to make my hair loss progression look natural post-graft, a few years down the line. This kind of thing is harder to research on the forums since people don't really post 10+ year followups for their cases with specific surgeons. @Melvin- Moderator I wonder if you have any insight into which doctors are known to produce results that age well.

[A_4_Archan]

Yeh even pekiner is well experienced and doing surgery since so many years and would have had surgery done on people who has similar hair characteristics like yours...but i agree to your point that if your hairloss is not stable even with medication than you should go with a surgery which can age will so even with your hair loss progression it doesn't look unnatural ..so choose such a doctor ...you may do one thing ..you can take suggestions of people who had surgery 7/8 years ago and who are still active and approachable ..though its a tough ask..try it if you can..

[neverendingsearch]

17 hours ago, Archan said:

Yeh even pekiner is well experienced and doing surgery since so many years and would have had surgery done on people who has similar hair characteristics like yours...but i agree to your point that if your hairloss is not stable even with medication than you should go with a surgery which can age will so even with your hair loss progression it doesn't look unnatural ..so choose such a doctor ...you may do one thing ..you can take suggestions of people who had surgery 7/8 years ago and who are still active and approachable ..though its a tough ask..try it if you can..

Makes sense, will see what I can find!

[mrmane85]

I would look at Dr Pinto. Consistent home run results, he does all aspects of the surgery and price is only 3.45 Euros/graft. 

[A_4_Archan]

14 hours ago, mrmane85 said:

I would look at Dr Pinto. Consistent home run results, he does all aspects of the surgery and price is only 3.45 Euros/graft. 

Are you sure about the prices ? Just 3.45 euros per graft is way cheaper considering his skills and involvement in the surgery 

[mrmane85]

9 hours ago, Archan said:

Are you sure about the prices ? Just 3.45 euros per graft is way cheaper considering his skills and involvement in the surgery 

Yes I am sure as I have been provided with this price very recently and it's the same price per graft for all patients. 

I agree, it's incredible value. 

[Hairy Henderson]

2 hours ago, mrmane85 said:

Yes I am sure as I have been provided with this price very recently and it's the same price per graft for all patients. 

I agree, it's incredible value. 

I’m seriously considering Pinto too

[duckling]

@neverendingsearch i would suggest pekiner. I have seen him do cases similar to yours (norwood). Definitely your hair is different than one i have seen him do. You can search 2704 grafts fue dr pekiner /neohead clinic. That guy also had temples similar to yours ( but his were little bit better so thats why you are getting qouted 3000-3500 grafts).  Your and his crown area and midscalp is also very similar. 

The reason I suggested pekiner is because your crown is good with less signs of thinning due to meds maybe and you just need hairline and temples to frame your face. Pekiner does give aggresive hairline but i think, just like that guy, aggresive hairline will suit your face at this age. But ask him about your donor , if he says it has enough for future surgeries then go with his design else don't bring it that lower.

note: If you want very high irregularity then don't pick him. I agree with your point of minimal irregularity completely.

Others are excellent too . I have seen eugenix work on people with cowlick in their hairline. The design though was done by dr arika. I also saw a guy with slightly curly hair get a transplant from them (which is your exact hair type) . His case was 3566 grafts if you search it online but the norwood was different so i didn't hype it much like i did for video i saw from pekiner. Here the grafts were more spread out 

[mr_peanutbutter]

On 4/1/2023 at 8:16 AM, neverendingsearch said:

I actually have already sent him a consultation request and am waiting to hear back!

i wonder how high his prices are though

 

good thing seem to be that he can do wonders with low haircounts so in case you lose more hair you still have plenty of donor hair

[Berik]

Dr. Das has had some really poor cases in the past year. Do some deep dives into a few of the cases from Eugenix and that should be all you need to stay away from them unless you get in writing that Sethi or Arika will be doing the extracting/implanting. 

Not sure why someone here is recommending Ahmad. His prices are absolutely asinine. Quoting for $15/graft these days. With those prices, you might as well just go to Konior. 

You should look into De Freitas implantation pattern a little more. He likes to plant in rows - some people don't mind it, but it is a strong consensus that this is a poor implantation technique. 

I would choose for Nader personally out of the above. But you should spend a bunch of time looking through all the results, and post op work. Then, you should be able to decide for yourself. 

[mrmane85]

11 hours ago, mr_peanutbutter said:

i wonder how high his prices are though

 

good thing seem to be that he can do wonders with low haircounts so in case you lose more hair you still have plenty of donor hair

I was quoted $30k for 2500 grafts recently. 

Edited April 7, 2023 by mrmane85

[Z--]

Pekiner and Freitas are qualitatively better than the rest on your list imo. 

Sethi is the only one I’d consider from Eugenix, but at his raised price point there are safer and better options like Couto and Zarev, who you should very much consider. 

[neverendingsearch]

On 4/7/2023 at 6:57 AM, Berik said:

Dr. Das has had some really poor cases in the past year. Do some deep dives into a few of the cases from Eugenix and that should be all you need to stay away from them unless you get in writing that Sethi or Arika will be doing the extracting/implanting. 

Not sure why someone here is recommending Ahmad. His prices are absolutely asinine. Quoting for $15/graft these days. With those prices, you might as well just go to Konior. 

You should look into De Freitas implantation pattern a little more. He likes to plant in rows - some people don't mind it, but it is a strong consensus that this is a poor implantation technique. 

I would choose for Nader personally out of the above. But you should spend a bunch of time looking through all the results, and post op work. Then, you should be able to decide for yourself. 

Would you mind posting some of those Dr. Das cases?

Agree on De Freitas though, I just noticed this recently and it's making me reconsider. He does have some excellent results but a lot of them are given away by the way the hair stops exactly on the trace line and how some of the hairs a few rows in actually trace that line as well. I was almost settled on him which is such a bummer!

I like most of Nader's work but his post-op pics always look a lot less clean than Dr Freitas/Pekiner who both have mostly bloodiness-free results post-op photos with hairs pointing in the right direction right away. A lot of Pekiner's patients also seem to not shed as much and actually show results earlier. Really not sure if that's something I should take into consideration given that I'd have to wait a year for full results anyway...

[PizzaWolf]

@neverendingsearch You said: "Given that my hair loss has progressed considerably despite finasteride, I wonder whether my vertex is the next to go."

I think you're putting the cart before the horse in looking at all these hair transplant surgeons. You aren't a surgical candidate until your hair loss is stable. Anyone who tells you different does not have your best interests at heart.