Need some advice on a potential hair transplant

[FredMitch]

Hi everyone, long time lurker but first time poster and I need some advice on a hair transplant. 

I began losing my hair quite aggressively at age 15, and I began taking finasteride 1mg and topical minox 5% at age 19. Ive recently switched over to Dut in the last few months. At age 24 now im seriously considering taking the next step of getting a HT after shaving my head and realizing how much I hate the look on myself. I have been in touch with loads of different places, largely in Turkey and the UK and I'm currently leaning toward Dr. Miln in London at the minute. Has anyone got any real testimonials from him and his clinic as I've been unable to find anything on these forums or similar ones which worries me a little bit, however he seemed great in my consult with him. Also does anyone have any general thoughts on my situation from the images? 

 

Thank you. 

[jjalay]

YOur donor looks average and you have thin hair. Avoid turkey, most of the clinics there are hairmills. In the uk you can look at doctors like manni mittal, dr raghu reddy and dr ball. But if i was in your shoes i wlould try to maximize the donor area i have and proceed with a strip surgery and not fue. Hattingen hair in switzerland are a great option for fut and i think you should consult with them also.

[Doron Harati]

For 24 years old your progress is more aggressive than the average candidate, seems you'll be NW5-6 in the future, I don't see any signs of NW7 which is good, need to check if you have history of family with NW7.

Right now your donor looks good and healthy, however you have thin fine blonde hair, which means you'll need more grafts per sq cm for good density, I think you can do 4000+ grafts for your frontal area and top area, but you must keep using the meds.

Edited March 7 by Doron Harati

[SuperHans]

Hi FredMitch, how long have you been on medication? If you've not been using fin/min for 12 months, I'd say hold fire to see what, if anything happens with those miniature hairs in the front third.

I've followed Dr Ted, Dr Mani and Dr Ball for a while. All seem very decent UK options.

As for a longer term Dr Ted patients, check out bowenick_44 on instagram. Dr Ted seems to have done a good bit of work for HQ Hair Transplants in Cardiff as well as the London surgery. You might be able to find some on their page, he's also opened his own surgery recently and is very active on his own Instagram recently. 

Seriously though, if I was your age with that aggressive loss, I might have considered shaving it and being done, it would be a very long journey ahead if you choose the HT route, I'd recommend checking out @Baldcafe on YouTube for an alternative take. (will probably get shot down for saying this :)) 

Edited March 8 by Al - formerly BeHappy
Removed instagram link

[FredMitch]

51 minutes ago, jjalay said:

YOur donor looks average and you have thin hair. Avoid turkey, most of the clinics there are hairmills. In the uk you can look at doctors like manni mittal, dr raghu reddy and dr ball. But if i was in your shoes i wlould try to maximize the donor area i have and proceed with a strip surgery and not fue. Hattingen hair in switzerland are a great option for fut and i think you should consult with them also.

Thank you for the suggestion, I will give them a message 

[FredMitch]

51 minutes ago, Doron Harati said:

For 24 years old your progress is more aggressive than the average candidate, seems you'll be NW5-6 in the future, I don't see any signs of NW7 which is good, need to check if you have history of family with NW7.

Right now your donor looks good and healthy, however you have thin fine blonde hair, which means you'll need more grafts per sq cm for good density, I think you can do 4000+ grafts for your frontal area and top area, but you must keep using the meds.

Thank you, my father was basically a NW6 at the time of his death, even with the chemo etc whereas my grandfather on my mothers side was a full head of hair even in his 80s. Other than that I have no other male family members by blood. I agree that the type of hair I have means I have a bit of an uphill battle, is there anything you have seen that could be causing such an aggressive loss in your experience that I might be missing? Thank you for the reply 

[FredMitch]

On 3/7/2024 at 4:12 PM, SuperHans said:

Hi FredMitch, how long have you been on medication? If you've not been using fin/min for 12 months, I'd say hold fire to see what, if anything happens with those miniature hairs in the front third.

I've followed Dr Ted, Dr Mani and Dr Ball for a while. All seem very decent UK options.

As for a longer term Dr Ted patients, check out bowenick_44 on instagram. Dr Ted seems to have done a good bit of work for HQ Hair Transplants in Cardiff as well as the London surgery. You might be able to find some on their page, he's also opened his own surgery recently and is very active on his own Instagram recently. 

Seriously though, if I was your age with that aggressive loss, I might have considered shaving it and being done, it would be a very long journey ahead if you choose the HT route, I'd recommend checking out @Baldcafe on YouTube for an alternative take. (will probably get shot down for saying this :)) 

Thank you I will check those out. Ive been on the meds from age 19, I had shaved it just prior to these photos being taken which is why its so short however I really hated the look on myself, as I have such a large forehead and large head in generally combined with a fairly youngish face. I've also wondered about those miniature hairs, but I guess time will tell with them. Thanks mate

[SuperHans]

9 minutes ago, FredMitch said:

Thank you I will check those out. Ive been on the meds from age 19, I had shaved it just prior to these photos being taken which is why its so short however I really hated the look on myself, as I have such a large forehead and large head in generally combined with a fairly youngish face. I've also wondered about those miniature hairs, but I guess time will tell with them. Thanks mate

I wonder if you had much loss after starting medication or did you have really aggressive early loss that the medication paused? Have you considered moving over to dut and oral min? I think that seems to be the most potent combination available right now. If you're not seeing any sides from meds so far, maybe speak with your Dr about switching across (also think you can get on Oxford Pharmacy in the UK) and seeing if there's any chance of kickstarting those miniature hairs before looking at a HT. 

Good luck with whatever you choose though mate, you're doing the right things taking the meds and doing the research, not just jumping in. All the best 🙌

[FredMitch]

17 minutes ago, SuperHans said:

I wonder if you had much loss after starting medication or did you have really aggressive early loss that the medication paused? Have you considered moving over to dut and oral min? I think that seems to be the most potent combination available right now. If you're not seeing any sides from meds so far, maybe speak with your Dr about switching across (also think you can get on Oxford Pharmacy in the UK) and seeing if there's any chance of kickstarting those miniature hairs before looking at a HT. 

Good luck with whatever you choose though mate, you're doing the right things taking the meds and doing the research, not just jumping in. All the best 🙌

I've had some movement afterwards but its been remarkably stable really, some photos of me around 20 odd show it at a similar stage to the photos above so I assume the meds have helped but obviously no way of knowing. It's very possible that it was very aggressive and would have stopped at a similar point regardless of them, I've been thinking of oral min and that is what Dr. Miln suggested in my consultation so I will get on that in the next week or so. Thanks mate, appreciate the response a lot 

[Silent123]

I keep seeing everyone mentioning Dr Miln from the UK and that they’re going ahead with him. Is it really a case that everyone wants to see testimonials yet no one wants to write them? 😂 Or are the younger crowd all Instagram these day? 😂

[FredMitch]

14 minutes ago, Silent123 said:

I keep seeing everyone mentioning Dr Miln from the UK and that they’re going ahead with him. Is it really a case that everyone wants to see testimonials yet no one wants to write them? 😂 Or are the younger crowd all Instagram these day? 😂

Mate I've been going mad trying to find someone on this forum or someone online that has some experience that isn't a promo or work provided by the Dr himself but no joy, this was my attempt to try and flush someone out about it but no joy yet 

[Berba11]

16 minutes ago, FredMitch said:

Mate I've been going mad trying to find someone on this forum or someone online that has some experience that isn't a promo or work provided by the Dr himself but no joy, this was my attempt to try and flush someone out about it but no joy yet 

He’s doing a very nice job documenting his cases himself in quite a transparent way. I think we’ll start to see more independent journeys pop up now he has his own clinic. 
 

As for the questions in the OP… 24 is going to get a HT. Personally I’d echo some of the other sentiments in so far as trying 2.5mg of oral minoxidil in combination with either finasteride or dutasteride and give that a proper 18 months minimum to really assess things. 
 

At the end of the day, it’s just hair. Better to wait a few more years for surgery and really make sure you’ve got a proper handle on your existing hair loss than to potentially get yourself into trouble. You never know when you might suddenly have to stop the meds…!
 

We sometimes see younger guys pass through who are desperate for a HT right now, as though life ends at 30 or something. You seem more level headed than that which is good. Take your time, don’t rush and keep trying to improve your situation through adjustments to the medical intervention you’re already doing. You can use that time to save more money for a top surgeon and to research more and more. Most top surgeons won’t take you as a patient at 24 anyway, so you’ll be limited in your options. 

[Otis james]

24 minutes ago, FredMitch said:

Mate I've been going mad trying to find someone on this forum or someone online that has some experience that isn't a promo or work provided by the Dr himself but no joy, this was my attempt to try and flush someone out about it but no joy yet 

I had an online consult with Ted Miln. He’s a lovely bloke. He’s a warm and honest person. I also had an in person consult with Mani Mital, who I also really liked. a different character to Ted. More relaxed. I think they are both good, in my opinion. It’s very difficult mate. The recommend Surgeons list is useful but it’s worth remembering that they pay to be recommended. One of the reasons I went where I did, ironically, is because my doc is highly regarded here but doesn’t pay to be “recommended”. I was actually put off by the list!!! 

You’re a completely different case to me. This forum is great, but the research shouldn’t stop here. 

 

[Berba11]

7 minutes ago, Otis james said:

I had an online consult with Ted Miln. He’s a lovely bloke. He’s a warm and honest person. I also had an in person consult with Mani Mital, who I also really liked. a different character to Ted. More relaxed. I think they are both good, in my opinion. It’s very difficult mate. The recommend Surgeons list is useful but it’s worth remembering that they pay to be recommended. One of the reasons I went where I did, ironically, is because my doc is highly regarded here but doesn’t pay to be “recommended”. I was actually put off by the list!!! 

You’re a completely different case to me. This forum is great, but the research shouldn’t stop here. 

 

Doctors don’t simply stump up money and get on the list. They previously had to be voted for by the posters on this forum in order to be accepted. That’s changed now that there’s a consul of experienced posters who oversee the recommendations, but just to clear that up.
 

But you are right: the recommended list is a tool to use, and shouldn’t be taken as gospel. No list will ever be perfect of course - there will be surgeons on the list that are not in favour of some posters, and there will be excellent surgeons out there who are not on the list at all. 

[Otis james]

1 minute ago, Berba11 said:

Doctors don’t simply stump up money and get on the list. They previously had to be voted for by the posters on this forum in order to be accepted. That’s changed now that there’s a consul of experienced posters who oversee the recommendations, but just to clear that up.
 

But you are right: the recommended list is a tool to use, and shouldn’t be taken as gospel. No list will ever be perfect of course - there will be surgeons on the list that are not in favour of some posters, and there will be excellent surgeons out there who are not on the list at all. 

I’m relatively new here, so forgive me…. The point I made was, if money isn’t on the table, surgeons won’t get recommended (i think!). Dr Reddy was an interesting one. When I approached him I thought he was recommended, but he wasn’t. Well, he was, then he wasn’t! Now he is again! Thats how it is. I get it. It’s a bit clicky! 

[Gatsby]

@FredMitch I actually like Dr Mani Mital who is very patient focused. I would be recommending that you shave your head but you have already tried that and don't like it. What are your goals with surgery? What are your expectations from a hair transplant/s? At 24 surgery will not be a one and done and you need a surgeon who is planning for the future. All the best.

[HairFunk]

1 hour ago, FredMitch said:

Mate I've been going mad trying to find someone on this forum or someone online that has some experience that isn't a promo or work provided by the Dr himself but no joy, this was my attempt to try and flush someone out about it but no joy yet 

To be honest I wouldn’t limit yourself to forums these days. 15 - 20 years ago this was all we had! Social media has taken over massively in the last 6 - 8 years. I’ve seen a decline in forum use globally with some forums closing completely. Times have changed…. I’m 46 and my son aged 22 has never used a message board 😂

Edited March 8 by HairFunk

[Britanium]

32 minutes ago, HairFunk said:

To be honest I wouldn’t limit yourself to forums these days. 15 - 20 years ago this was all we had! Social media has taken over massively in the last 6 - 8 years. I’ve seen a decline in forum use globally with some forums closing completely. Times have changed…. I’m 46 and my son aged 22 has never used a message board 😂

So very true, forums such as this are really antiquated, it's still being used as it has probably the biggest repository of results that can be found anywhere. The list should be only viewed as a guide to "some" good or elite Dr's, it is not a all encompassing list either, some very good choices are not included. I think it has more than a fair few Dr's who shouldn't be recommended in 2024, but that's just my opinion. 

Double edged sword though as other ways of advertising Dr's can be pure marketing, and therfore can't be trusted either. 

What works? Trawling through every medium you can find and making you're own mind up!. 

I have learned that a Dr can live of past glory, and/or not move on with the times, like a lot of Dr's still only focused on FUT (In the US particularly) 

Here in the UK we now have some relatively new names being mentioned, doesn't mean they won't prove to be a very good Dr within time, some may already be. 

 

Edited March 8 by Britanium

[HairFunk]

On 3/8/2024 at 1:15 AM, Britanium said:

What works? Trawling through every medium you can find and making you're own mind up!. 

 

So very true! The best thing to do is to take that leap and book in for a consultation with the surgeons you’ve selected and follow your gut instinct always.