Senior Member Hairwolf Posted July 14, 2023 Senior Member Share Posted July 14, 2023 (edited) Greetings all firstly, let me echo the many thanks expressed by all first timers for the wealth of invaluable knowledge on the forum. It really gave me such a good grounding about HT technique and hallmarks/standards to look for, and so I felt really comfortable asking the Dr about density cm2, donor quality i.e doubles, triples etc, extraction area, and so on. I told him the hairline I want: on the conservative side and I envisaged 7.5 cm as according to pictures sent to other surgeries they all said my donor was on the weak side and a 4000 figure donor capacity was quoted. I therefore was not confident about much lower. To my relevant astonishment however, Dr Laorwong told me I had a decent donor with at least 6k grafts and lots of doubles and triples! As an aside, I first visited a hair surgeon in my country like over 17 years ago and he rejected with one of the reasons cited as a lack of good donor hair-but more about that later! I asked was there a possibility to lower it to 7cm and he said yes reassuring me I had enough grafts. was pretty thrilled at that! so 3500 was agreed for zones 1-4. I also asked for the hairline to be uneven with irregularities which seems to have been achieved. For context, I began (noticing) losing hair while still 24, and I was in denial, trying to come over the bald patch on my head where it began. As you can all relate, it really decimated by self-esteem causing depression that never really left me to this day. As an aside I also started going prematurely grey at like 22, however this was a more gradual process but it was noticable in my late 20s also! Perhaps I can put this one down to stress or trauma or just bad genes I dunno. This continued for a couple of years where it did not seem to get any worse. I remember looking online about something called 'propecia' but didn't really research more into it. went to a GP and he didnt know what it was either and suggested regaine. I struggled on for another year before buying regaine online. My hair started shedding really badly in like strips but apparently this was meant to be a good thing. Well in my case It wasn't, after about 5 months I chucked it in the bin and was even more depressed as my head looked actrocious with massive bald patches/ everywhere and only prickly peach puzz grew back. This sent me hurtling into another sphere of depression and dont know how I got through it, looking back. Then to top it all off my hairline started receding also. It was shortly after that I consulted a HT surgeon of great repute in my country, had been on TV etc, He quickly took pictures and very bluntly said this is extensive hair loss, showed me the pics where I was losing hair-which was basically all over the horseshoe! My crown had started dipping which I never noticed before. regarding the minoxidil, he recommended I get off it, prescribed finasteride and said I was ineligible for a HT cos of my age, expectation and lack of good donor hair. He told me to come back and see him in 9 months which I never did cos the hair lost from minox shedding never came back for about 2 years(ever heard of that before?)and I found him abrupt.This privledge cost me 200€ also in 2006! I basically stayed on fin for the better part of 10 years, in the meantime trying dut while not seeing any difference. I did notice a difference when I stopped as my hair got a lot thinner very quickly so it was helping to maintain it otherwise would be totally bald by now. For some reason my Dad's side of the famiy mostly had full heads of hair, and paternal grandfather had a bit of a bald patch, while my Mum's side were female siblings and my maternal grandfather had a full head of hair also. My dad btw is a diffuse thinner who didnt start losing hair till he was about 50. Nevertheless, My 2 bros lost all their hair in their 20s and would have gone the same way without meds. My wife and I were trying to concieve-which we did☺️-so I bought some topical fin online and tried for a while but again didn't seem to get any results. started researching clinics a couple of years ago as this obsession has never left my thoughts for too long, just to keep abreast of any new treatments or somehow still get a transplant as I had the means to do so now. Started watching YT vids and learned a lot but there still didnt seem to be any new treatments until I came across RU about 6 months ago. Yes its a grey area and there is a risk but needless to say I will try anything at this stage. I can say it definitely works: it thickened up all areas of the scalp, including the crown, the humps and the hairline. have not experienced side effects apart from some heart palpitations which have gone away. I reached out to some of the recommended surgeons here: Bisanga, Mwamba, Eugenix, Devroye and to cut a long story short, I did a video consultation as I was impressed with his natural hairline work posted here and his experience and I booked an apppointment for the surgery over 6 months in advance. However some allegations were made on this forum -Note: these are unsubstantiated-however it made me uneasy and also then realised I didnt research any independent reviews so I found a French forum which had quite a few independent reviews they were indeed mostly positive but there were a few dissatisfied with the density on the hairline. Laorwong was my number 2 choice so after a cost benefit analysis I couldnt justify the cost with Devroye so cancelled and went with Laorwong. I am also based in Asia, so there is that added benefit re distance. To sum up, at the time of writing in my hotel room, I feel remarkably calm and not as surreal as I thought the experience would be. Tried to make a pillow tower best I could last night, and with the help of some ye old valium had an ok sleep upright and with the help of a robust, whole-neck cushion I woke up in the same position! First wash and lazer treatment all went well. Well this has been cathartic so any feedback shoot away-Im here all week! Edited July 15, 2023 by streethawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member BaldReaper Posted July 14, 2023 Senior Member Share Posted July 14, 2023 implantation looks very dense, I am somewhat troubled by the looks of the donor but it could be just the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Hairwolf Posted July 14, 2023 Author Senior Member Share Posted July 14, 2023 yeah thats what other surgeries said also. Perhaps the grey makes it look like that when in harsh light-they dyed it pre-surgery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Hairwolf Posted July 14, 2023 Author Senior Member Share Posted July 14, 2023 (edited) duplicate pic pls delete Edited July 15, 2023 by streethawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Hairwolf Posted July 14, 2023 Author Senior Member Share Posted July 14, 2023 (edited) Surgery plan Edited July 14, 2023 by streethawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor A_4_Archan Posted July 14, 2023 Valued Contributor Share Posted July 14, 2023 @streethawk His work looks clean as always ...and density seems to be very good as well...can you please upload a pre op pic in which your hair is grown out so can get some idea about your actual scale of hairloss... 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...
Senior Member Hairwolf Posted July 15, 2023 Author Senior Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 4 hours ago, A_4_Archan said: @streethawk His work looks clean as always ...and density seems to be very good as well...can you please upload a pre op pic in which your hair is grown out so can get some idea about your actual scale of hairloss... hey Archan sure will do. upload later on today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Hairwolf Posted July 15, 2023 Author Senior Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 (edited) @A_4_Archan I am following your thread-think we are in a similar situation Edited July 15, 2023 by streethawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Hairwolf Posted July 15, 2023 Author Senior Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 (edited) Here’s a chronlogical compilation of the last 6 months, comprising of various lengths and lighting. I think you can see the RU kicking in. I also tried dermarolling and micro needling but didn’t do anything for me; also used nizoral shampoo and finished the pack I bought and won’t be continuing cos don’t believe it did anything for me either. Edited July 15, 2023 by streethawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor A_4_Archan Posted July 15, 2023 Valued Contributor Share Posted July 15, 2023 @streethawk we are in identical situation bro....and whats ur age? Sorry if i missed that in your earlier post 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 BackFromTheBrink Posted July 15, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 Both NW5, and similar to my level of loss too. I had 3100 grafts in the first pass and 2500 in the second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Hairwolf Posted July 15, 2023 Author Senior Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 @A_4_Archan Im 45 man. wish I had done this years ago but hindsight is a wonderful thing. only RU really gave me tangible results. Yeah I rated myself about a NW 5. Was assessed as a NW 6 by a few other clinics according to pics but never agreed with that cos NW 6 cases I've seen were basically completly bald. I have/had a lot of minaturized hair which RU thickened up so glad took the plunge on that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Hairwolf Posted July 15, 2023 Author Senior Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 (edited) @BackFromTheBrink yeah what meds, if any worked for you? How is it after the 2nd procedure? I believe I seen your thread also somewhere in the distant past Edited July 15, 2023 by streethawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member BackFromTheBrink Posted July 15, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 7 minutes ago, streethawk said: @A_4_Archan Im 45 man. wish I had done this years ago but hindsight is a wonderful thing. only RU really gave me tangible results. Yeah I rated myself about a NW 5. Was assessed as a NW 6 by a few other clinics according to pics but never agreed with that cos NW 6 cases I've seen were basically completly bald. I have/had a lot of minaturized hair which RU thickened up so glad took the plunge on that. We were probably headed for 6, but currently 5... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member BackFromTheBrink Posted July 15, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 (edited) 7 minutes ago, streethawk said: @BackFromTheBrink yeah what meds, if any worked for you? How is it after the 2nd procedure? I believe I seen your thread also somewhere in the distant pass I did recover some ground on finesteride. I also use minoxidyl topically. Second procedure was yesterday so very early days. I'm optimistic it'll achieve what we set out to - dense hairline and a 'good' crown. Hard to tell from here though! Edited July 15, 2023 by BackFromTheBrink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member BackFromTheBrink Posted July 15, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 Also meant to say your work looks really clean. Any swelling on your forehead yet? I'm sat in a hotel with an ice pack hoping it helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor A_4_Archan Posted July 15, 2023 Valued Contributor Share Posted July 15, 2023 44 minutes ago, streethawk said: @A_4_Archan Im 45 man. wish I had done this years ago but hindsight is a wonderful thing. only RU really gave me tangible results. Yeah I rated myself about a NW 5. Was assessed as a NW 6 by a few other clinics according to pics but never agreed with that cos NW 6 cases I've seen were basically completly bald. I have/had a lot of minaturized hair which RU thickened up so glad took the plunge on that. Actually sometimes later is better ...you got a clear idea about how you respond to meds and how the hairloss progression is and you can plan the surgery considering all the things...and now there is a high chance that your hairloss progression will get stable or will slow down substantially as you will cross 45 though hairloss is unpredictable thing but usually it gets stable around 45 so you worst days might have been done and dusted my friend... 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...
Senior Member Hairwolf Posted July 15, 2023 Author Senior Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 (edited) @BackFromTheBrink very little swelling must say. I've been wearing the compression bandage full-time and just got back from a walk around the area in my trusty crips/bloods blue bandanna that I got online lol! Truly a vibrant, international hub Bkk. I like the relative quiet of this area compared to Sukumvit. Still lots of western orientated cafes and restaurants in this part of town also. Who did your second proceedure? Edited July 15, 2023 by streethawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Hairwolf Posted July 15, 2023 Author Senior Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 @A_4_Archan Yes this is true, been through the ringer with that but it is important to realise most are not hyper responders to meds. And of course at first I was almost all set to go to Turkey-who knows how that could have turned out🙄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Hairwolf Posted July 15, 2023 Author Senior Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 @BackFromTheBrink as previously mentioned, minox was a nightmare for me so think I will avoid oral minox also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member BackFromTheBrink Posted July 15, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 (edited) 58 minutes ago, streethawk said: @BackFromTheBrink as previously mentioned, minox was a nightmare for me so think I will avoid oral minox also. Make sense. I have been hanging out in the hotel - it's 41 degrees here in Cyprus so don't want to dry those grafts out! No compression stuff either, but only have a little swelling to my forehead. My procedure was with Dr Michalis Georgiou - partial shave and manual punch. Great you're able to take the opportunity to explore Bangkok too! Edited July 15, 2023 by BackFromTheBrink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Hairwolf Posted July 15, 2023 Author Senior Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 @BackFromTheBrink 41 c? brutal! it was 36c here in Bkk today so quite the scorcher also. It was said by a surgeon I consulted with that the reaction was from the liquid and as oral minox is systemic then it would be different but not going for it; worried about shedding and other possible side effects. Not familiar with this surgeon and only know HDC in Cyprus. What was your rationale for choosing him if I may ask? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member HatMaster Posted July 15, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 It looks like really nice work. I've got my fingers crossed for you 🤞. It's great to see so many recent reports from Dr. Laorwong. I've got my procedure with him in three weeks and am beyond excited! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member BackFromTheBrink Posted July 15, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 23 minutes ago, streethawk said: @BackFromTheBrink Not familiar with this surgeon and only know HDC in Cyprus. What was your rationale for choosing him if I may ask? He was the clinical director at HDC previously. He's got a good body of work but mostly reported on in Spanish and Greek forums. He's super consistent and gets really good density in the hairline, which I was looking for. He ticked the boxes for me - 20 years experience, 1 patient per day, trained under Dr C*** and Bisanga, has 2 technicians who have been with him for several years. They all use magnification throughout. The use of manual punches which results in really refined work and he specialises in unshaven recipient area, which was a bonus. Heres my donor area 24 hours post procedure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Hairwolf Posted July 15, 2023 Author Senior Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 @BackFromTheBrink That is super clean work man! Almost wouldnt see it with a tight fade. Side profile of the first proceedure looks like it provided some good density also. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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