NARMAK

I came to this forum and feel i did learn a great deal and had my eyes further opened that we should still have to do even more scrutiny even when clinics or doctors are recommended. In the short time here, i'd like to feel i've been able to contribute and give back to the community too. However, i have said it previously that i think it's sometimes a rock and a hard place that the forum may be placed in with regards to commenting on specific patient results posted in the community here when they come from forum recommended doctors or clinics. That's not to try and question anybody's integrity. It's just something that others have picked up on and i guess needs to be probably seen to be balanced. We have to remember that like for example in cases where Doctors take all the precautions and say the right thing etc. but a patient result shows sub par growth etc. it does certainly affect the final outcome and patient and prospective clients will see that as a slight red flag. In those situations, i think it's always best to have a healthy and respectful debate that can look at objective things. Poor density, angulation, planning etc. that are moreso an issue that's clinic sided more than say patient responsibility. I think a fine balance when struck keeps the harmony and principles that are stated as being the foundation of the forum strong and from cracking. I hope we can all always pull together and be objective and fair in judgement whether a doctor is recommended or not in a respectful manner.

Yup, official envy at the size of those bad boy temple points lol. For the amount of hair extracted your donor is looking pretty good.

Ah, to have thick perfect donor hair lol. Personally mine gets wavy but i'm more inclined to say mine is fine to medium until confirmed otherwise. Not the finest but a bit more on the thin side imo. I still think a lot of guys underestimate the quality of their hair because we don't style it properly and make use of a blow dry to thicken the hair up and give it that "poof" look. You'll be surprised how much more volume that can create too and making your hair look much thicker.

Thanks for sharing the additional pictures. I am going to stick by what i said initially and have to be the bearer of bad news in telling you that your donor are is below average and it looks like you have perhaps some retrograde alopecia with how on the left side your hair is much more thinner and rises up. It's also really diffuse around the crown and over the ears. Now, i think that's a lot of negatives to be hit with, and i do not want you leaving here with a negative feeling. I want to also mention how things can be more positive. Firstly you did the right thing reaching out here on the forum and you already are on the right track by trying to get on medication to do some hair restoration. Finasteride, Minoxidil and Microneedling are your 3 biggest things right not for the next 12 months. Consistently doing these and seeing how you respond month to month with progress pictures taken in the same lighting. Save up, educate yourself on hair transplants and perhaps consider that you may need to go for an FUT procedure to try maximise your outcome via hair transplant and you will probably need to be really conservative with the hairline design if you want full coverage.

Honestly, going by your pictures your donor density doesn't look strong at all. Could be a factor of the lighting but you are definitely right to start medication for 12 months and see how you respond. As a suggestion, i recommend adding Microneedling once a week at 1mm to 1.5mm with a derma pen. You should hopefully see a better result alongside the Minoxodil. If you respond well, then you could get to a really good place and not require as many grafts.

Oh wow. That's bad. I hope he somehow manages to find a way to get that sorted. I'm personally very sad whenever i see anybody end up in this situation. I truly think that it's become such a wild west of Horror Mills.

Thanks for sharing the great breakdown and details. I think your temple points in particular look exactly like what i'm going to try get which are much more vertical almost. I think the hairline for me would also sit at a similar length from the glabella around 6cm with where i am atm and potentially lowering it down in a more flat and straight hairline. Right now, the biggest hurdle is not being able to pay for the surgery, getting blood tests or flights. It's literally a stupid VISA and i've been waiting over 2 months and 45 working days as of tomorrow. I think getting a hair transplant seems stressful enough, but for me, the extra added anxiety is i don't know many within my budget that are competent enough with temple points. Your entire hairline looks amazing man. Really happy for you.

OP, i still can't believe that's at 7 months but the fact that you have like 70+ cm/2 grafts is probably why it also looks so damn dense and natural. Out of curiosity, have you been able to maybe do another graft count to see how the survival rate has been? That's always been a concern most people cite with higher density but the fact you have near on enough to the native density in a single procedure still astounds me. I will have a dig through the thread but do you mind sharing the cost?

Damn dude, i haven't seen your updates in a minute. Wow. That 7 month result looks like it's already near the final 12 month. To think you still got 5 great solid months to go.

I've stated before that i don't begrudge people making money if they're in demand etc. but but i do not think technicians are potentially rewarded as high as you stated and the way they can build their resume to try justify such an income would be very difficult because i do not know how easily they could showcase their skill or portfolios if they needed to jump from one place to another. Usually only the clinic knows on a day to day basis how good their technicians are and also, i don't think you are taking into account how international clinics are probably still paying techs reduced wages alongside overhead costs, so their profit margins are very healthy. We've already said its a business at the end of the day. Every clinic is entitled to jack up their prices to the moon until their demand slips and moreso than not, we are seeing this happen with almost all the reputable clinics to maximise their income. I know you mentioned athletes and actors, but usually very few make the biggest incomes you hear grab the headlines and they're classed as the elite of the elite. So it's not inconceivable some make 6 figures rather than 7 figures. Then you do have the top elite doctors making multiple millions per year after costs. Regarding work hours, that's also an individuals choice. They have a reputation to make people typically work around their schedules if they wanted to.

Okay, i wanna bump this thread. I have tried to ring the High Commission of India in London and their contact number as recommended to do so for my Visa by the VFS. It constantly rings out, can't leave a voicemail as its got a full inbox and it cuts the line. I have also shot an email with my full name, DOB, application number, passport number and VFS location i applied at. How long do they usually take to respond? I applied on 4th Feb 2022, and was told i would have to wait a minimum 45 working days and that is completed tomorrow 7/4/22 but i'm trying to make sure i get this sorted by the time i have to travel for my procedure in mid May. I feel like the entire process so far is extremely clunky and its been difficult. I just want to get a few tips on how you guys maybe chased up on this.

It's amazing when somebody can call €250k income per year "garbage" lol. I was just trying to give a conservative ballpark figure and the truth is, the best Hair Transplant doctors are probably easily multi-millionaires and it's not like the lifetime income takes a nosedive after like 10-15 years. It's near enough a full length career you can have and earning tens of millions if you are amongst the best and consistently in demand.

Could you provide a little bit of background around your journey. Like for example when you initially reached out to Dr Couto and how long it took you for the consultation and procedure date. Right now, apparently its like 2 years just for a consultation and the last i checked on their Instagram, they're saying they've closed all the bookings for further consultations. Apparently there's a year way after consultation too for the actual procedure.

Honestly, i think it depends on your relationship with the other person and how it's maybe intentioned. If it was done in a malicious manner, then fair enough that's an idiot to cut but somebody you have a really good relationship with, it's probably a bit more brutally honest than we might want but not necessarily in a malicious way. That said, i think OPs story is really a ride and throwback to how far things maybe have come.

Microneedling once a week at 1mm to 1.5mm should not be leaving any permanent or lasting damage. If it is, you are doing it incorrectly and perhaps too much. Grafts are usually secure around 3mm into the scalp much below where you would Microneedle. Just beware though that you will need to stop for a while after a hair transplant before you resume again. Luckily Microneedling imo acts more like PRP and results tend to persist after you stop.

Even if they were exaggerated, hot damn. A 7 figure turnover with potentially €250k+ Euro profit per year assuming really high costs. I don't know how that isn't living a good life though.

I guess your friends group and yourself generally go against the grain as the saying goes. Most people i have come across worry about the frontal framing and temple recession moreso but i think again as somebody said above its an individual thing and as an elective cosmetic procedure, you can focus on the hair loss that matters to you. To me, i still believe the temple points and frontal hairline should be focused on to maximise aesthetics. I would also care about a balding crown and mine thinning out does concern me, but it's also usually the area on the head that can naturally appear thinning without hair loss due to how the whorl pattern makes hair sit on the scalp area.

It's unfortunately a market that has high demand and low supply for quality doctors and clinics. As such, you end up having to pay more but if you are smart about it, you could potentially travel overseas to some reputable clinics and save thousands if that clinic is appropriate for your hair restoration objectives. That said, it's an elective procedure and just like any other person, doctors will always seek to make the maximum amount of money they can over their lifetime. Whilst that might mean some people feel left in the cold and turn to hair mills, ultimately it won't change the fact that enough people are willing to pay them. It's causing a huge ticking time bomb imo and until somehow we get a better balance of supply of quality clinics or similar, then the status quo won't change.

I will 2nd the Revolut option. You open an account, then insert your GBP deposit there and bank transfer/card payment can be made and will convert usually at the best possible rate they can offer which typically is better than these bank rates and bureau de change rates. I used Revolut to pay my deposit this way in a foreign currency but i think because i did it over a weekend, it took longer to clear as a bank transfer so be aware of making transfers over the weekend.

I think generally it's acknowledged that the crown is a black hole and takes up an enormous amount of grafts to make a noticeable visual improvement whilst trying to respect the whorl pattern which is why generally people tend to focus on the frontal framing of the face. I also think it's significantly easier to use fibres and cover the crown if it's a bit more light to disguise any balding/thinning on the crown. Aesthetically the frontal hairline worries far more people because it's visually what we see in the mirror and others predominantly see. I personally think until there's unlimited grafts, the crowns the very last place i'd want to personally be investing my finite grafts when trying to improve my visual appearance via Hair Transplant. In that picture of Jack Nicholson i do agree, if he basically had receded on his temple points, he would look significantly worse.

That's just a disgusting response you got if that's how they approached it. Again, it seems that Caveat Emptor is always in effect and researching thoroughly as possible with patient results is an important thing as well as talking with former patients like on this site

Apparently the benefit is still achieved with the oral Minoxidil too. I would recommend trying it out. It really is something that can boost your results. Usually once a week at 1mm to 1.5mm is sufficient. Using a derma pen is probably also the most effective.

Tbf, the FDA isn't the world's eminent authority on medication approval and Japan as well as South Korea have approved Dutasteride for male pattern hair loss which is what gives it more legitimacy alongside the clinical studies. The manufacturer didn't pursue a patent probably because it wasn't seen as cost effective enough and could be used off label as it is, so they still made bank.

Isn't it also extremely rare though to have individuals without temple points at all? That's coming from somebody btw who has lived without them since like 17/18 right now and at 32, i can 100% say they're probably the #1 reason i am going for a hair transplant because if they couldn't be done, i would consider it a waste of time imo because it won't alter my aesthetic as much as recreating the temple points I know there's always individual cases but i do believe they offering a framing that definitely has a positive effect. Not having them ages you imo.

Man, that's looking so good! Still hard to believe that there's 5 months left for you too.