Poster from the early 2000s, finally thinking to take HT plunge. H&W, Couto, De Freitas, Lorenzo.

[richlocks]

Hello all - 

Haven't been on any HL forums in over a decade.  

I'm 45 now and started experiencing loss in my late teens / early 20s.  Have been on Finasterside since then and it has certainly helped slow loss, but I have steadily lost throughout the years with decent stabilization over the past 5-10 years I would say (although it feels like I lose some slight ground each year).  Back then I was thinking about a strip procedure from Hasson & Wong (back in 2010), but never pulled the trigger.  I've been using toppik as a crutch for this entire time.  While it works visually, it has been exhausting and I'm looking to find a solution to end any cosmetic cover-ups and just be free.  I'd say I'm probably a NW 4-5, although have coverage all the way up to my original hairline which allows me to use toppik without anyone really knowing the wiser.  

 

I hopped back on the forums to check out the updates in technology and results.  I'm super impressed with FUE advancements (15 years ago it was NOT the way to go with my amount of loss).  I'm looking to finally bite the bullet and go for a pretty hefty FUE procedure (thinking 3.5K - 4K) that can hopefully cover most of the frontal 2/3s and perhaps come back later to finish the rest off. 

 

I have scheduled a consult with Dr. Hasson.  I have been reading things that perhaps the quality may not be the same as it was 10+ years back.  Plus their speciality was FUT rather than FUE.. so they are certainly not on the forefront of this arena. 

 

I do not have interest in going to Turkey.. but have started reading about some of the Spanish doctors (Couto, De Freitas, and Lorenzo).  All their work looks impressive, but Couto stands out.  I've heard about the issues with the waitlist with Couto, but really like the fact that he performs all work himself and staggers the session across multiple days and maxing at 1K grafts per day. 

 

Any thoughts?  I e-mailed Couto and will likely call their clinic this week (don't speak Spanish), but if they could give me a consult sometime this year then I might be willing to wait a year or two to go with him.  I didn't care for Lorenzo's website / results as much.. and De Freitas was somewhere in the middle.  I don't want to obsess and spend countless hours reading and researching like I did back then.. but would like to decide on a reputable doctor that is ethical and has my best interest above all else.  The cost isn't as big of an issue as I've been fortunate over the past few years career-wise, so I just want to get the right doc for me and my situation. 

[Diff-thinner]

If you're willing to wait, I would say wait for Couto, I just had mine done on tuesday, Its early to say, but so far from what I have seen/experienced, it was worth the wait. 

[richlocks]

Thanks. That's helpful.  How long did it take you to get a consult and then how long did you have to wait for the surgery?

[shiba1985]

3 hours ago, richlocks said:

Hello all - 

Haven't been on any HL forums in over a decade.  

I'm 45 now and started experiencing loss in my late teens / early 20s.  Have been on Finasterside since then and it has certainly helped slow loss, but I have steadily lost throughout the years with decent stabilization over the past 5-10 years I would say (although it feels like I lose some slight ground each year).  Back then I was thinking about a strip procedure from Hasson & Wong (back in 2010), but never pulled the trigger.  I've been using toppik as a crutch for this entire time.  While it works visually, it has been exhausting and I'm looking to find a solution to end any cosmetic cover-ups and just be free.  I'd say I'm probably a NW 4-5, although have coverage all the way up to my original hairline which allows me to use toppik without anyone really knowing the wiser.  

 

I hopped back on the forums to check out the updates in technology and results.  I'm super impressed with FUE advancements (15 years ago it was NOT the way to go with my amount of loss).  I'm looking to finally bite the bullet and go for a pretty hefty FUE procedure (thinking 3.5K - 4K) that can hopefully cover most of the frontal 2/3s and perhaps come back later to finish the rest off. 

 

I have scheduled a consult with Dr. Hasson.  I have been reading things that perhaps the quality may not be the same as it was 10+ years back.  Plus their speciality was FUT rather than FUE.. so they are certainly not on the forefront of this arena. 

 

I do not have interest in going to Turkey.. but have started reading about some of the Spanish doctors (Couto, De Freitas, and Lorenzo).  All their work looks impressive, but Couto stands out.  I've heard about the issues with the waitlist with Couto, but really like the fact that he performs all work himself and staggers the session across multiple days and maxing at 1K grafts per day. 

 

Any thoughts?  I e-mailed Couto and will likely call their clinic this week (don't speak Spanish), but if they could give me a consult sometime this year then I might be willing to wait a year or two to go with him.  I didn't care for Lorenzo's website / results as much.. and De Freitas was somewhere in the middle.  I don't want to obsess and spend countless hours reading and researching like I did back then.. but would like to decide on a reputable doctor that is ethical and has my best interest above all else.  The cost isn't as big of an issue as I've been fortunate over the past few years career-wise, so I just want to get the right doc for me and my situation. 

Cuoto is way over rated. and he does NOT perform all the work himself. 

[richlocks]

Shiba - who would you recommend? 

[Diff-thinner]

14 hours ago, richlocks said:

Thanks. That's helpful.  How long did it take you to get a consult and then how long did you have to wait for the surgery?

Hey Richlocks, check my post you'll find al info there
 

 

[Diff-thinner]

13 hours ago, shiba1985 said:

Cuoto is way over rated. and he does NOT perform all the work himself. 

I just had my surgery with him, he did everything except the last 2/300 grafts in the mid scalp, so you will be very hard pressed to find a surgeon like Couto and one who does everything themselves

[mr_peanutbutter]

the best fue surgeon are dr zarev and fuegenix. if you have the money id go with them

[shiba1985]

21 hours ago, richlocks said:

Shiba - who would you recommend? 

Konior

Laorwong

 

[shiba1985]

7 hours ago, Diff-thinner said:

I just had my surgery with him, he did everything except the last 2/300 grafts in the mid scalp, so you will be very hard pressed to find a surgeon like Couto and one who does everything themselves

thats good to hear. in the past extraction were done by someone else

[Diff-thinner]

No extraction was done by someone else, I was talking about the sites and implantation, for me the extraction was great, Esteban was lovely and trained under Dr couto for  over ten years in my understanding

[shiba1985]

12 hours ago, Diff-thinner said:

No extraction was done by someone else, I was talking about the sites and implantation, for me the extraction was great, Esteban was lovely and trained under Dr couto for  over ten years in my understanding

LOL .. EVERYTHING is done by him to 50% of surgery is not done by him.