How do I know what Norwood level I am and how many donor grafts I have? What top surgeons pull from Beard and Chest?

[rkd4084]

As a newbie to the due diligence process, I have so many questions I am hoping somebody can help guide me with. 

1) What Norwood level do I appear to be?

2) To get an initial look I would be happy with (full coverage of scar and some hair up front), would 5000 grafts be enough?

3) Can I get this done for $10 K or less in USA/Canada with a top surgeon?  If so, who?  If not, where would I look?

4) If I don't have enough donor supply, I do have plenty of beard and body hair.  Who does surgeries using hair other than from the head?  Some of the top surgeons say they don't use hair outside of the head.

I don't believe I am able to send private messages, but would PAY for a consult from somebody experienced on here.  Thank you!

 

[Gatsby]

It's a little hard to tell from the photos of your hair shaved down. But at a guess I would say you are a Norwood 7. The crown dips very low and your nape area has retrograde alopecia. Have you had FUE as well as FUT? If so how did these procedures turn out? Do you have any pics with your hair grown out more to help give you the answers that will help? Eugenix uses beard hair as well as scalp hair and in some cases chest hair.

[mister_25]

1.  Norwood 7, crown dips low but your lateral humps aren't that low either.
2. I imagine if your goal is to fill your scar it should be rather achievable. I can't really say about restoring the front because you have your hair shaved down so I can't really tell about hair characteristics or anything
3. Top US and Canadian surgeons are very expensive, $10000 USD will not get you 5k Grafts. Probably around $20000-35000 USD is around the 5K range. My advice that I will give you is that "where to look" isn't a clean and simple answer. In my opinion, Spain has the most surgeons that I would be able to place my trust in, but in the same breath there are many hair mills in Spain that produce lower quality work. When researching, you don't want to fall into the early pitfall decision where you've made up your mind on "where" to get your surgery before you decide "who" is performing it. Many people fail on this step and exclusively search on Turkey where an overwhelming majority are hairmills where risk outweighs reward. Instead, research doctors individually and assess each doctors own ability, skillset and portfolio and try to find the doctor who's ability, skillset and portfolio closely align with your case and what you need.
4. Pitella and Sethi (Eugenix) are the ones that have impressed me with using body hair/beard hair. I do not know what they charge.

I'm going to put emphasis on this. I highly recommend that you do not pay anyone other than a surgeon for a consult. A surgeon will give you the most accurate answer both through online consultations and in-person. On top of this, a forum member that is not a surgeon or affiliated with this industry does not have personal stakes associated with giving a accurate/quality consultation. If they are wrong its not like they hurt their business because they are most likely not in a industry involving hair.

I would start writing down some names and go through results spanning back 3-5 years. Consult with each, and ask as many questions as you need. 

Edited October 26, 2023 by mister_25

[Hairwolf]

As it seems you have had at least one unsuccessful procedure (have you had FUE also?) and the FUT scar is quite thick, for your budget it seems that Eugenix would be the best choice for you here. They specialize in use of body hair and high NWs
 

If you could extend your budget, willing to travel and have patience, Pitella or Zagrev would be the ones I would go for here.