NARMAK

OP, i think there needs to be some context to your situation but generally speaking, suing against elective procedures like a hair transplant where there's so many subjective factors even in the UK will prove tough and likely not many options. Also, i don't think people could steer you towards legal options but the naming and shaming of clinics on here can maybe help somebody else avoid the same fate if you provide context.

Honestly, those shots are gonna just make people think you're posting "After" 12 month results lol Like i said before, it's up to you if you do wish to proceed with hairline lowering and filling in temporal areas but just do your research and know what the post-op recovery period and timescale for results will be. You've probably not even broached a true Norwood 2 tbh. More like a Norwood 1.5 and with the hair down, it doesn't look anything but normal. I would say honestly put your homework in and choose carefully. Especially if it will involve working within existing hair. Try consult with Dr Bisanga. Apparently he's coming to London in May. There was a rep, Ian from BHR who mentioned contacting him but can't recall the Username off the top of my head.

Since you said you are plabbing to conceive in the fall, as above, stopping a few months prior should let it leave your system fully. Whilst some people have conceived on the medication, there's also a recommendation to stop it for a few months prior and then resume. I would say the lighting is very harsh but your mid scalp is looking very vulnerable. You might actually want to start using Minoxidil and Microneedling and you don't as far as i'm aware need to worry about stopping that when trying to conceive.

I just want to clarify for you and anybody reading. Finasteride blocks 70% of BODY based DHT. Not the scalp. In the scalp, studies show it is around 41% DHT reduction using 1mg everyday as the dosage. For Dutasteride in comparison you block 90% or so of body DHT and around 51% scalp DHT. Bear in mind, your scalp and everybody else will naturally block a certain amount but for those that don't block as much and their DHT sensitivities are higher, they will still lose ground. Sometimes even to the point Finasteride etc. looks like it "Isn't doing anything" even though in reality without it, they'd probably have lost ground even quicker. If you are in that situation, the only thing you could try imo is to throw the kitchen sink of Dutasteride, Oral Minoxodil and Microneedling with a derma pen at 1.5mm once a week and adding in a 2% Ketoconazole shampoo like Nizoral. Also combining that potentially with some other research based chemicals like RU going by anecdotal evidence of effectiveness. The last one you can leave as its not fully supported by studies but also stopping short of near full blown gender changing medication, that above list is the maximum you can do that's got science backed studies. Ultimately hair loss is a difficult fight and is multi-factorial so what i listed might need to be done in addition to say treating seborrheic dermatitis, inflammation, Vitamin deficiency etc. too as those might be causing your hair loss too and often are very easily overlooked.

I'd say that those waiting for a particular doctor do so because they want to go to that particular person. I think hair transplants aren't one where what you said will happen for the top elites. Maybe the more medium range options perhaps.

Responding to Finasteride is something you have to keep a track of with progress pictures and maybe a Trichoscopic evaluation. That said, the hair shedding people talk about is what always gets me. If it's like over say hundreds a day, then 50-150 hairs is apparently a normal range. Also, if you are shedding thin hairs, it could be because the hair will grow back stronger but it could take a few or more hair cycles. A typical hair cycle is 3 months. That's why Finasteride can and does work for some over a longer period like 10 years and still improving things even slowly.

Firstly don't stress about this, you have actually gone to a reputable clinic and they wouldn't imo butcher you or do anything untoward. Some people grow slowly. You're not even at the 6 month mark. You actually have another 7 months to go and depending on how the individual follicles may have responded, some may have been more traumatised during the process and shock loss may still be something you're recovering from. Some people see massive growth from month like 3-6, but some don't see much till maybe even months 10-12 or even beyond. Believe it or not, some people actually improve even beyond 12 months till around 18 months too. Just try and wait but also, were you on any medication at all prior to the surgery and are you still on anything?

My personal take on it is that 2k extra grafts via starting with FUT is a significant number of extra grafts. That potentially if they're grafts that can be split with say 500 of them being double grafts or greater could mean when split, you end up with an extra 1000 grafts to use. That's the beauty of FUT too imo, that you can get two strips potentially on the right candidate and use the same linear single scar and then switch to FUE and imo, the total size of a linear scar is smaller than the total size of what FUE scars will cumulatively add up to. That said, i would love to see a damn landmark change in the hair transplant industry finally happen where we can get those Stemson grafts they think they'll be able to deliver to give us an unlimited well of grafts. It will essentially eliminate the issue of donor supply and best methods or using BHT. You can also potentially go back and say have them maybe actually do a hair transplant to repair the extraction zones in the donor areas from previous surgeries and give you back the thickness you had or help potentially those with retrograde alopecia issues too.

The "problems" you described any guy would kill for (cept the suspicious girlfriend xD) but i would be wary of keeping an eye on how your hair loss is over the time you have these new pills. Anecdotally some people claim for example that generic Finasteride doesn't have the same QA as something under the branded version like Propecia etc. You should reach out i think to the place you purchased it to see if there's anything they can advise on potential differences or check the labels on the two.

Yes, you're absolutely right doctor that it probably wouldn't. However for a scientific study case in a clinical study, i think it would certainly create a good point of comparison if you could potentially contrast the two methods. I would like to think as well, that the healing comparison time between the two methods and outcome of the results would be an interesting thing to have data on. If you were to excision an FUT scar in a near identical manner to when it's originally performed, it would also be interesting to observe the potential scalp laxity and way that the original scar appears after Verteporfin.

You should visit a dermatologist about this and might be able to get a referral from your doctor if you are in the UK for example. Also, if you haven't got side affects, i would probably urge you you start taking a 1mg dose everyday to block the maximum amount of DHT it can for you. Microneedling usually punctures the upper layer of the skin just enough to usually cause growth factors to kick off but when i used to use a roller even after cleaning with Isopropyl alcohol i did notice the kinda issues with dry skin/dandruff flaring up more. It wasn't until i used T-Gel that it calmed the issue down. So, maybe once you treat your issues you could go back to that combination as i do think it could help fill in that temple area.

Personally as a person that really badly suffers with dandruff at times, what has helped me is adding T-Gel to my routine. Use it like once a week after the initial course and generally keeps my scalp healthy enough and inflammation is kept more or less at bay compared to what it was. If you were using the cheap Minoxodil like Kirkland, it's apparently the PG formulation that is rubbish and dries out the scalp. If you are able to stretch to and pay for the Rogaine foam, apparently that works really well. I think Microneedling would only be an issue then if there's perhaps a re-use of the same roller/needle without disinfection in some Isopropyl Alcohol and/or not replacing it after a little while. I stand by T-Gel as helping boost my dandruff control the most tbh. Nizoral didn't do enough at all for me and when i finally introduced T-Gel, i saw a noticeable improvement. Although apparently T-Gel does have i think side affects listed that include hair loss, i felt i still would lose more hair by not addressing the dandruff and inflammation on the scalp than using it.

More doctors enter by using crappy robot systems and fly in technicians to lead procedures like you have littered all over the US that are almost a hair mill unto themselves that few mention because Turkey gets all the flak usually for Horror Mills. The US has a hot bed of doctors who use it to basically maximise technicians to further bolster revenues. I heard of one female doctor who came in, did something really basic i think that was legally required and then bounced to go do some boob job while the technicians did the rest and then basically didn't return till the end to sign things off. I also think what you said about more people coming into it and getting good and having lower prices sounds great, but it's an OPEC situation imo. They're not overtly colluding but why would any surgeon enter hair transplants, build a reputation and not jack up their prices to match the income they could make like the rest? It doesn't make financial sense for them to hold back on further pricing once their reputations established imo. In the first early years they're new and need to balance things. We actually see this a lot imo.

What dose of Finasteride are you on and how often? Also, can you elaborate a bit on the Minoxodil and Microneedling issues to your scalp. Yeah, a lot of people don't always account for potential shock loss. In perhaps a fair amount of cases it can be seen as temporary but the chance of it being permanent is a risk and you need to be aware of it. If you are willing to basically go for a hair transplant, you should probably also be aware of what can go wrong and whether you could manage and live with that if it happened. Maybe come up with a contingency plan of what to do if you got hit with those issues.

Personally i don't know if it does generate more money but with their reputation, they could probably have switched to it a lot sooner if it was only about making more money i guess. The fact they waited it out for so long says to me they care about their reputation and they can already charge a premium being one of the most lauded in the world with that reputation.

If you feel things are starting to slip, then there's a good opportunity for you to start adding in Dutasteride to your regimen. Initially you may start to notice more shedding again which is apparently common, but if you are not doing so, i would also recommend adding Nizoral shampoo with 2% Ketoconazole or similar and Microneedling once a week with a derma pen at 1mm to 1.5mm. You'll probably be surprised at how well that little extra change could help you but ultimately its up to you if you want to do so. I personally think if you are already so committed to Minoxodil then adding Microneedling with the studies showing how much more boosted results are is a no brainer.

Thanks for sharing the picture. Are you currently on medication like Finasteride at all? I personally think if you aren't then you need to get on it ASAP and tbh, i would probably say add some Microneedling once a week with a derma pen at 1mm to 1.5mm because you actually look like you could save the hair in the corners. If you respond well. That would probably bring your hairline down again at those temple points. Also, if you aren't using medication but willing to commit. Finasteride, Minoxidil and Microneedling combined with a bit of Nizoral shampoo that has 2% ketoconazole would probably do wonders for you in 12 months. If you get a hair transplant right now as things are, the hair that's in those temporal areas could probably get lost permanently due to shock loss rather than potentially being saved and becoming healthy again to the point where you won't need as many grafts. You probably might want to still get a procedure down the line, but pay a deposit and tell them you'll go in like 12 months to avoid any further potential price hikes.

I do believe that Eugenix have offered this to patients on a complimentary basis during their procedures. Based on what you are saying, what advantages do you feel it offers patients.

Not gonna lie OP, the urge to insert a Dumb and Dumber gif if Jim Carrey was strong. Alas, i couldn't find the way to do it lol I think depending on your current hair loss situation, a lot of guys that are even possibly Norwood 3 or less whilst on medication or stable with hair loss could do that hair cut and with some gel and hair spray keep it in place. Depending on your current hair loss, (please post some pictures including your donor area and top down) you probably could get that again but i always feel like if you get your hair restored, play around. Live a little and enjoy some different styles too if you want.

Doctor, i am but a pleb on the internet as we would say in the UK lol However, i am curious that in the case of FUT, would it be possible if say two FUT patients were willing to perhaps try two methods. One of which is how you mentioned but a 2nd method whereby perhaps instead of the same linear strip scar removed and stitched, you punch equal distance FUE excisions into the scar and inject the Verteporfin. A bit almost like how people use FUE method to implant grafts into a linear FUT scar to hide it but in this case, as a means to inject the medication. Therefore you theoretically have a chance to have faster healing than creating another FUT style cut and healing process. Do you concur?

Honestly, i guess i'm just surprised by how bad things are in the world when first world problems like being able to probably pay for shelter and bills look like everyday 3rd world problems lol. Then it just makes it even more stark how elective a procedure a hair transplant becomes. Something a lot of people might want but can't afford from reputable clinics so they end up at these Horror Mills and the cycle continues. I hope something changes at some point where we have a bit of a better balance kept between somebody reputable and pricing or there's gonna be even more guys hitting this forum after the fact needing repairs.

In that case, it's because the surgeon probably feels that is the best way to achieve the outcome you might be looking for if they were to do it but give you an "out" in the event things don't work out. At the end of the day, you still have to do your research and trust in who you choose that you feel will offer you the outcome you want.

A doctor that usually pushes towards one method does so because that's what they do best. Few places are able to do both well. In fact, Hasson and Wong stuck with FUT for a long time till FUE got to a point they felt it had become superior for them to use on most patients. Personally i think if you're a Norwood 5, it's best to stick it out for about 12 months with Finasteride and see if your hair loss is stable during that time before pulling the trigger and then do so with a reputable clinic that you feel offers you the best chance of success for your individual goals.

Just going to hijack this thread a bit. So, usually we are told that if we take Finasteride/Dutasteride etc. it helps prevent the DHT converting via 5AR inhibition so that hair follicles are safer for longer Hypothetically if a person aged, we are told hair loss tends to slow. Is this because naturally the hair follicles become less sensitive to DHT or the effect of it converting reduces as we age. Because kind of like this thread talking about using it for a long time and stopping hypothetically if a guy used it from say 18 till 45. Once you're in your mid 40s, if the hair loss had become less sensitive to DHT then stopping the medication should hypothetically mean less DHT in your system in your 40s and thus you have much slower hair loss off the medication. However, if i'm gonna guess and this is right, the reason hair loss resumes and you end up losing all the hair the Finasteride etc. saved is because your DHT sensitivity on the hair follicles never changes with age. The hair sensitivity is pre-set in that way and when you stop medication it simply resumes and picks up where it left off. So as an example, if say my hair was pre-determined to be a Norwood 5 and not really go beyond, if i stopped in my 40s, it would continue losing hair from say Norwood 1 till Norwood 5 over the next few years or at whatever rate i am sensitive to losing hair. However, if you're saying destined to be a Norwood 7 but you block well and respond to medication, hypothetically you can stop hair loss in its track at say even a Norwood 1 or Norwood 2 if you intervene quickly enough. However once you stop, it again will hit you to Norwood 7. I guess the flip side is people who are aggressively impacted and even blocking with Dutasteride merely slows it down.

Lol, don't give them all ideas. They already seem to have blown the doors off with some clinics charging $10k+ for like PRP.