Procedure with dr. Freitas

[JulieMoreno]

On 6/6/2023 at 10:51 PM, Mat16 said:

Hello guys,

 

today I have received email assessment on my situation from doctor Freitas from Spain. He quoted me 2000 grafts to allocate to my frontal area. 

I would like to hear some experienced opinions on whether I should go ahead and do it. If yes, I would like to do it in January 2024 (I will reach my 25. year that month) since I’ll be living in Spain from January until June that year (exchange studies). 
 

The procedure is very costly (more than I expected with this dr) so I really need some good advices on what to do. I started using topical dutasteride from farmacia parati approximately 3 months ago and oral minoxidil 2.5mg five times a week more than a year ago. Regimen of dustasteride is 1ml of 0.5% once a week. When I finish my bottle I would like to go up to 1% once a week. So far cannot assess the efficacy. 
 

here you can see my photos. The ones with white/yellow wall behind me (first two) are from before I started using medicine. The ones with longer hair are also 1-2 years ago. The other ones with short hair are quite current.

 

the fact is that my hair is bothering me so much (not as much as before I started wearing it short) that it is affecting other areas of my life and I would like to solve it asap.

thanks to anyone who reads this

 

Thanks for sharing

Edited June 21, 2023 by JulieMoreno

[RobertoDeNiro]

You look fantastic

 

Do not go for HT at this time. Keep with those meds and your hair for sure will stick for years to come. 

And if in 5-10 years your keep losing hair, then you could consider the HT path. As @TheGreatPretender  pointed, there are many variables on a HT and you are not in need to go there yet. 

Anyways, best of luck.

Just wow, look how good your hair looks here

[Mat16]

On 6/18/2023 at 7:47 PM, TheGreatPretender said:

I would still urge you to reconsider going down the surgical path. Not trying to actively discourage you but you have to consider the risks/rewards implications that come with a surgery.

I am only a week before my proccedure with De Freitas and I can tell you de anxiety I have felt so far hasnt equaled anything I have been through in my entire life, there are a lot of factors that go into consideration when you go for a HT and you got to understand that not all implanted folicles will grow back after being implanted, there is a risk of transection and permanent loss of your native hair especially in diffuse thinning cases. But my baldness is way too advanced to not consider surgical means while yours is not. 

If I saw you down the street I wouldnt probably be able to tell you had hair loss which means that meds have been helping you maintain what you currently have and at least keep yourself presentable to the outer world. 

If you decided to grow it out it would be 99% impossible to tell any signs of thinning and I think you should try to at least wear it that way that makes you comfortable because you certainly have options where many dont. I completly understand the need to recover lost ground and the depression that comes with it, but in my view your hair already looks great and it wouldnt really make a top tier difference as someone with more advanced form of balding would.

Again not trying to discourage, only trying to give some advise. 

Unfortunately it’s not true. If I grow it out I still look like a skeleton under the sun or a brighter light. That’s why I would like to enforce and strengthen my hairline a temples. I don’t want to lower it necessarily. 

[Mat16]

On 6/21/2023 at 2:18 PM, RobertoDeNiro said:

You look fantastic

 

Do not go for HT at this time. Keep with those meds and your hair for sure will stick for years to come. 

And if in 5-10 years your keep losing hair, then you could consider the HT path. As @TheGreatPretender  pointed, there are many variables on a HT and you are not in need to go there yet. 

Anyways, best of luck.

Just wow, look how good your hair looks here

Yes I know that it looks fine in this picture but it is a fresh cut and it stays like this only for a few days. 

[Mat16]

On 6/21/2023 at 2:18 PM, RobertoDeNiro said:

You look fantastic

 

Do not go for HT at this time. Keep with those meds and your hair for sure will stick for years to come. 

And if in 5-10 years your keep losing hair, then you could consider the HT path. As @TheGreatPretender  pointed, there are many variables on a HT and you are not in need to go there yet. 

Anyways, best of luck.

Just wow, look how good your hair looks here

So this is how my hair look 2 weeks in a haircut. As you can see it’s really really bad and this is not even a strong lighting. I have the option to book the procedure with dr Freitas in November 2024 and when I see myself like this it is the only thing I want….

[Big Rome]

56 minutes ago, Mat16 said:

So this is how my hair look 2 weeks in a haircut. As you can see it’s really really bad and this is not even a strong lighting. I have the option to book the procedure with dr Freitas in November 2024 and when I see myself like this it is the only thing I want….

honestly don’t think this looks bad at all? 

[TheGreatPretender]

On 6/26/2023 at 10:17 AM, Mat16 said:

Unfortunately it’s not true. If I grow it out I still look like a skeleton under the sun or a brighter light. That’s why I would like to enforce and strengthen my hairline a temples. I don’t want to lower it necessarily. 

Sorry to break it to you but transplants may not fully solve this problem. 

They will give you a boost sure best case scenario but never guaranteed. 

I would still urge you to try and find ways to avoid surgery might those be via dutasteride and/or Oral Minoxidil. But first consult with a doctor always. 

I feel like you are really overanalyzing this, it looks perfectly fine, you got nothing to worry about so long as you keep taking meds.

[Spring15]

I was in your position 6 years ago, 25 years old when I got my first transplant, though I was a little worse than you around Nw2.5. If it's on your mind and you're constantly self conscious about your hair and longing for a better head of hair then absolutely get it done would be my advice, with a good surgeon - De Freitas is one of the best. I've never heard someone regret having a transplant when it's not botched

[Kraki77]

Obviously, you are very young and that's the only obstacle on your way  But, if current situation affects your confidence to a degree that you're not living your life to the fullest then go for it. My advice would be to strengthen what you already have to take care of donor management whilst you're young. Further down the line you can always lower your hairline if your MPB turns out to be milder. De Freitas is a great doctor, he will surely take cautious approach and tell you to eventually come back later for something more aggressive if circumstances allow.

I don't think that you will have any regrets if you end up choosing him as a surgeon, however there are always risks with any operation.

I can relate to your story in the way that many people are giving me advice to not proceed with the operation because I still have plenty of hair left. And you should accept that because there are always people that are having it much worse than you. However, if you're not fan of your image in the mirror and you have reasonable expectations than it's better to act and do something to feel better about yourself and this could certainly be a good step towards that goal.

If you have any more questions, let me know, I also have surgery scheduled for the end of this year with de Freitas.

[Mat16]

31 minutes ago, Kraki77 said:

Obviously, you are very young and that's the only obstacle on your way  But, if current situation affects your confidence to a degree that you're not living your life to the fullest then go for it. My advice would be to strengthen what you already have to take care of donor management whilst you're young. Further down the line you can always lower your hairline if your MPB turns out to be milder. De Freitas is a great doctor, he will surely take cautious approach and tell you to eventually come back later for something more aggressive if circumstances allow.

I don't think that you will have any regrets if you end up choosing him as a surgeon, however there are always risks with any operation.

I can relate to your story in the way that many people are giving me advice to not proceed with the operation because I still have plenty of hair left. And you should accept that because there are always people that are having it much worse than you. However, if you're not fan of your image in the mirror and you have reasonable expectations than it's better to act and do something to feel better about yourself and this could certainly be a good step towards that goal.

If you have any more questions, let me know, I also have surgery scheduled for the end of this year with de Freitas.

Thank you very much for your reactions it means a lot. I have been learning about this industry and everything that comes with it almost for 5 years now so I’d say my expectations are more than reasonable. I am very afraid of the operation but I am more afraid of myself in the mirror sometimes 😀

[Mat16]

1 hour ago, Spring15 said:

I was in your position 6 years ago, 25 years old when I got my first transplant, though I was a little worse than you around Nw2.5. If it's on your mind and you're constantly self conscious about your hair and longing for a better head of hair then absolutely get it done would be my advice, with a good surgeon - De Freitas is one of the best. I've never heard someone regret having a transplant when it's not botched

Thank you for your input. Could you please tell me more about your procedure and how it ended up? Maybe in a message if you feel better discreetly 

[Spring15]

25 minutes ago, Mat16 said:

Thank you for your input. Could you please tell me more about your procedure and how it ended up? Maybe in a message if you feel better discreetly 

I went with one of the better hair mills, the result was decent. Main thing it gave me a NW1 hairline and I had more confidence again. If I could do it again I would have paid extra for a better surgeon

I had my second transplant January this year, 6 years after my first - for added density and to fill in where I've slightly recessed. Dr Pekiner performed this

[Mat16]

3 minutes ago, Spring15 said:

I went with one of the better hair mills, the result was decent. Main thing it gave me a NW1 hairline and I had more confidence again. If I could do it again I would have paid extra for a better surgeon

I had my second transplant January this year, 6 years after my first - for added density and to fill in where I've slightly recessed. Dr Pekiner performed this

Wow that sounds great. And was it visible when you started receding behind the transplanted hair?

[Spring15]

5 hours ago, Mat16 said:

Wow that sounds great. And was it visible when you started receding behind the transplanted hair?

Yes it was. Not really I'd lost maybe half a norwood in those 6 years, though I never took Fin or Dut due to side effects. If you can tolerate either it might stabilize your loss

[formesenlair]

I think more important in your case is to strengthen the temple points somewhat. These go so far in helping frame the face. Yours are ok, but a little weak. You'll have a great result with Dr. Freitas I am sure.

[Mat16]

20 hours ago, Spring15 said:

Yes it was. Not really I'd lost maybe half a norwood in those 6 years, though I never took Fin or Dut due to side effects. If you can tolerate either it might stabilize your loss

So you never teach the point everyone is always warning about. Having transplanted hair in the front staying and non-transplanted hair behind falling out? That’s awesome since I am using 0.5% topical dut once a week

[Mat16]

13 hours ago, formesenlair said:

I think more important in your case is to strengthen the temple points somewhat. These go so far in helping frame the face. Yours are ok, but a little weak. You'll have a great result with Dr. Freitas I am sure.

Thank you for the encouragement. I think I will go ahead and book it. Need to sort out financials but it’ll be alright I hope. I know it’s a big step but I feel excited only thinking about it 

[Mat16]

So the doctor amended the assessment to 1800 grafts. Do you think that will be sufficient? And also do you think dr Freitas is the right choice? Or should I also consult someone else?

[TheGreatPretender]

2 hours ago, Mat16 said:

So the doctor amended the assessment to 1800 grafts. Do you think that will be sufficient? And also do you think dr Freitas is the right choice? Or should I also consult someone else?

He is a good doctor and will likely give you a good result. Good choice or not that is subjective. 

My advise to you is to consult with different surgeons and get a general idea on what they would want from you before taking any final decisions. 

I did my procedure with him but for you it may be different depending on your preferences such as styles, implantation methods, Tech involvement levels etc. 

If you have it done already and feel that de Freitas is still your top choice then by all means book it.