Regular Member Grouse Posted July 19, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted July 19, 2023 I'm a NW3 or 4 heading to NW6. My donor hair is thin in caliber, and may be thinning? Looks good when it is grown out (pic 1), but not so good when it is cut close and in harsher lighting (pic 2). I am unable to take finasteride due to bad side effects, so am interested in a medication free transplant. I'd like to use BHT, and am ok with a conservative hairline. I've narrowed my search down to 3 doctors - Dr Zarev, Dr Sethi, and Dr Pitella. Zarev has a 3 year long wait list just for a consultation (and probably 3 more for a surgery) so I'm down to Dr. Sethi or Dr. Pitella. Which doctor is better for high norwoods these days? Anyone else I should be considering? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor A_4_Archan Posted July 19, 2023 Valued Contributor Share Posted July 19, 2023 @Grouse zarev has 3 years waiting list for consultations ? 😯 Did you try to reach out to him or did someone said this to you? Dr pittela and Dr sethi both are excellent doctors and you will not go wrong with either of them ..now its all depends on your personal preference..look all the results by both of them and look at the finer details and than make your decision... From your photos your baldness level can't be judged so please post some photos of frontal area as well..From your 2nd pic your donor seems to be very sparse and thinned out(though pics are often deceptive) ..so you should consult some local doctor first and have in-person consultation and get yourself checked whether you are a fit candidate of a HT or not ....did you send this pic to dr pittela and dr Sethi ? If yes than wht did they say after seeing your donor? BHT can be used but still you need to have at least 50% of required grafts to be scalp grafts...moreover body hairs are usually used for crown or sometimes for mid scalp but they cant be used for frontal area as texture is quite different and visual appearance will not be good if someone use them... 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 asterix0 Posted July 19, 2023 Senior Member Share Posted July 19, 2023 Without finasteride or some DHT blocker your donor may continue to weaken, thus I am not sure you would be accepted as a candidate. Have you tried different dosage levels? Or gradually increasing the dosage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Grouse Posted July 19, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 19, 2023 @A_4_Archan that was directly from his office on WhatsApp. Crazy right? Earliest was late 2026. Eugenix is confident I can have a good result, but they haven't seen me in person. I don't know how to get a in-person consultation without flying halfway around the world to these doctors! @asterix0 I have tried lower dosages and they result in the same issue. I am considering trying topical dutasteride as I hear it has fewer side effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor A_4_Archan Posted July 19, 2023 Valued Contributor Share Posted July 19, 2023 @Grouse yeh super crazy...in person consultation with eugenix won't be possible but you can have in person consultation with a good doctor who is close to you and then see what they have to say and thn send that reports to eugenix... Yeh you can try topical dutasteride and see if you can tolerate it or not.. 1 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 Grouse Posted July 20, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 20, 2023 Good idea. I'll maybe try to book a consult with a good US doctor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Grouse Posted September 17, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 17, 2023 Update. Couldn't tolerate topical dutasteride after all. Trying dutasteride mesotherapy next, but meds aren't looking too good for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Turkhair Posted September 17, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted September 17, 2023 Try riding out fin sides? There’s so many reports where even the people who get sides from fin get better with time as their body adjusts. Also are you trying generic or Propecia? I had this ugly brain fog type of side from generics I used a very low 0.30mg dose every other day. It wasn’t that bad so I could use it but taking fin wasn’t fun time for the first few hours. Switched to Propecia and I don’t feel a thing except increased libido. If they’re not an option then use Minoxidil. It will slow down hair loss if not completely halt it. Your donor seems to have DUPA 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Grouse Posted September 17, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 17, 2023 2 hours ago, Turkhair said: Try riding out fin sides? There’s so many reports where even the people who get sides from fin get better with time as their body adjusts. Also are you trying generic or Propecia? I had this ugly brain fog type of side from generics I used a very low 0.30mg dose every other day. It wasn’t that bad so I could use it but taking fin wasn’t fun time for the first few hours. Switched to Propecia and I don’t feel a thing except increased libido. If they’re not an option then use Minoxidil. It will slow down hair loss if not completely halt it. Your donor seems to have DUPA I tried riding out fin at first, but sides were just too intense and involved early signs of peyronie's (confirmed by my urologist) so I had to stop. I then tried topical dut, but got some brain fog and insomnia... Hoping mesotherapy works, maybe RU or CB or something that doesn't impact DHT levels could work too. My donor does look really thin, but Dr. Sethi and a few others have said it is not DUPA but just thin caliber hair. Still need to find someone in person to go to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted September 17, 2023 Administrators Share Posted September 17, 2023 Have you had surgery? Your donor looks slightly depleted. Getting an HT at this stage without medication is a BAD idea. Seriously reconsider. 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 Grouse Posted September 17, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 17, 2023 (edited) Thanks all. I agree it looks thin, and I’m very hesitant to move forward, even with top docs. Maybe I’ll take a chill pill and just see how dut meso works. @Melvin- Moderator no prior surgery. Docs (Eugenix, Pittella, Fierra, etc) have said I’m a candidate so far based on pictures (no in person consult yet) but it just looks so thin I’m doubtful. Donor looks a lot better longer but short it’s no bueno. Edited September 17, 2023 by Grouse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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