NARMAK

Gatsby can probably reply for himself and i 100% agree with you that refugees can be incredibly talented in their own countries and due to the incredibly awful circumstances of war, they end up leaving everything. However, there's got to be a level of competence imo and experience people have to have before they should be allowed to become a technician in hair transplants and putting the specific prior occupations/circumstances of the individuals to one side. As long as they are properly and adequately trained, then i have no issues with that. The problem is that Turkey can have such lax standards in these Horror Mills that they employ technicians with very little or no experiences in some examples for some of the stuff they are due to perform as part of a hair transplant. It's not just unethical but downright criminal in some circumstances.

I think it's important for people to know that there is a possibility of such side affects. A friend of mine seemed to have the side affects mentioned resulting in him discontinuing use of Finasteride but i must stress that these are not to be considered common side affects for the majority it seems. Also, its usually difficult to link mood based side affects to medication unless they are the only variable like it seems to be in your case, so sorry to hear that the medication orally did that. Hopefully a Topical Finasteride/Minoxodil combo will be much better for you. I do think there is hope on the horizon for individuals such as yourself and tbh, even i would like to be able to use something that blocks significant amounts of scalp DHT only without affecting the positive aspects of DHT in the body.

Great video Melvin and a reality check for those just starting their research to see its not all sunshine and rainbows but a tough rocky road starting.

Without any pre-surgery pictures it's difficult to determine what your hair situation was and whether you may have benefitted from trying Finasteride. I do think the fact they told you that you need 2 surgeries can be an honest sign but also used by less scrupulous clinics to try and get you back in the chair 12 months later to make more money. The difference is that a reputable clinic will usually concentrate density imo in the frontal area and then usually go to the back and crown with density. I do know some clinics that are reputable will do it in two passes too front to back so you do have a light covering too. Eugenix did this it seems with @Zoomsterbut in his case, he still had a pretty solid look imo and the 2nd procedure more recently added to that.

Have you taken any medication at all so far? I don't know if you mentioned it at all but it's probably important to maintain what you have and yes you may have a budget but you should ideally save up enough to pay for a reputable clinic.

Ah, that's a really solid 6 months looking result with plenty of maturity to come as well. The temple points are definitely helping with the framing. What's the distance again from glabella to hairline for you Armen? I'm thinking to try ask them maybe to try bring the temple points in a little closer over the brow if possible. I know it could eat more grafts but i think it's just gonna be interesting to see my forehead look less wide as a result.

Your thread titles going to confuse people lol Also, let's just be a little more clear here. Finsateride doesn't lose its effectiveness AFAIK. What happens is that your follicles sensitivity to DHT increases and that's why the hair loss progresses again. We know this because there is a 10 year Japanese Study showing how Finasteride continued to work past the 2-5 years you mentioned. The reason why Finasteride might not seen as effective in some in 2-5 years is because of that DHT sensitivity becoming increased in the follicles and with only 41% or so scalp DHT blocked, for those who's hair follicles say maybe only block 50% or less DHT over time, it's usually worse without medication. I would say Dutasteride is solid at around 51% blocked scalp DHT but honestly the holy grail of DHT inhibition would be something without any side affects targeting like 80%+ scalp DHT without affecting the useful function of body DHT.

Hey bud, not sure and tbh would also love an answer. I recently got a Derma Pen. Going to hopefully start it March 1st but eventually plan to get a hair transplant in May so i don't think i'd be using it near that area myself for a similar timeframe you asked where the transplant is done. I might however switch to using it more in the crown area. Kinda like what you're asking too. Maybe more within a month though. I don't think there's any real risk of damaging the grafts 1 month post op assuming the clinic actually planted them more down around 3-4mm where they usually area located.

Hear hear. Exactly right bud. We do this for ourselves firstly and getting ourselves to that point where we feel more confident and by extension i think the other things are a byproduct. A lot of people who don't understand call it a vanity etc. but its only when i think it actually hits them they realise its not as easy as "Just shave it bro(!)". Personally i don't intend to be at my current workplace that long and i prefer my privacy generally speaking. Even here on the forum whilst i generally like to be open, i feel this is a safe space for like minded individuals who understand each other and the struggles around hair loss generally even if they're maybe 5 Norwoods apart. However, i think i still like the idea of maintaining anonymity amongst regular shmoes IRL i interact with even if i did share more details like here on the forum or spaces online.

Don't get me wrong, Dr Sethi is building himself a formidable reputation and track record, but internationally he's still kind of new on the scene really. 2018 onwards is when they started imo coming out from the fringe of just being in India to really getting noticed more Internationally. That 4 year period has had a pandemic for like 2 of them, so it's hard to say where Dr Sethi can remain in such esteemed doctors but i do think they care about their quality and reputation. I am planning to go there myself because of their specific history with being able to do temple point recreation which very few clinics seem adept at and particularly for the budget i had. If i had a higher budget, i may have opted for Dr Arika or Dr Sethi but i am reassured with the results shown off even on here i'd be in good hands with Dr Das who is scheduled to be my lead surgeon for the procedure hopefully in May. I was leaning to them prior to joining this forum but seeing all the guys here and their results as well as talking to people like @MazAB made me feel more confident in going ahead with Eugenix. I am a touch disappointed that i did miss out on Dr Arika being involved still in the 120 RS package i chose but very happy i got to speak with Dr Das and she put my mind at complete rest and feeling i was in good hands alongside a chat with Armen. Generally, i think it's best to go by your own experience and results, but the confidence from others is making me feel comfortable in the choice as well as yourself having been there albeit i would say your situations probably a little bit more VIP than the rest. Nothing wrong with that, just not quite indicative of what i will get and most i guess.

I think OP has that unusual case of where the crown actually starts to thin out more early on and the frontal area doesn't look bad till later. My family has a slight history of that too where the Uncles on my dad's side are in their mid to late 40s now and have recession quite visible on the crown but the frontal hairline still looks pretty well framed. Apparently the crown naturally also looks more thin too because of the way the whorl pattern makes the hair sit and that 100% makes sense because i've literally seen kids with that more visible area. I'm not a kid per se but it helps check your expectations sometimes to see its probably just a genetic thing sometimes you don't have control over too.

Man, that's a great picture of you two guys. Glad to see you had fun meeting up and hopefully will hear all about it on the HRN podcast or whatever it ends up being called

They may have taken it off their website but that's not quite as accurate because there was 3 packages initially. 120RS involved Dr Arika for hairline design, slits and crucial extraction and then Senior Techs. 210 RS had her be even more involved with extraction of 300-400 grafts and more hands on with the hairline. However, there was a 350 RS package with her fully involved and Dr Sethi was on the 350 RS only package with a case by case disclaimer. So, Dr Arika is involved in more packages even now with her dropping the 120 RS completely to just having the senior doctors like Dr Das etc. lead and do stuff to only being on the 210 RS and 350 RS packages only. Personally i think cost shouldn't be a full factor in any decision making but Eugenix are not typically for the top package price any different than anywhere in Europe for top clinics, but they are imo still semi-new so time will hopefully tell if they can keep the consistency of results we come to expect from them and of course the Eugenix brand as its mainly becoming at lower price points with their own capably trained senior doctors and technicians.

It depends what you mean by taking them together. You can take 1mg Finasteride for say like 3/4 days of the week and take Dutasteride for the rest if that's what you mean. Usually the way people taper if when having 1mg/day of Finasteride is to usually replace 1 day with 0.5mg Dutasteride and then taper up. Personally i started off nuclear with Dutasteride even though i would argue my hair loss seemed slow/stable for the most part over the last 10 years. I figured of the adage is that you can't see how much hairs lost till it gets to 50%, i'd better try make up for not starting earlier and be more aggressive. Luckily my body tolerated it well and i've balanced out the initial sides from the DHT drop in the body. I would say though probably better to tape use and it will be less likely to give you noticeable sides as your body tapers down on reduced DHT function.

Yup, it looks like indeed it was yourself. So i guess there's a strong possibility it can look like badly angled grafts even 2 weeks post surgery do to potential changes underneath the skin. I think it's important for us to be prepared for these sort of things because honestly, if i was in OPs position, i'd probably be freaked out thinking i've been botched a bit too after trying to do all my research and everything.

As the guys above have said really. What medication are you taking if any and how frequently? Can you provide a few more pictures showing your donor area. You look like a Norwood 2A possibly heading towards a 3, but the frontal forelock being weaker leans me to a 2A but it's very borderline to Norwood 3. You're 27 and tbh, the primary issues i see are your sideburns over the area show strong indication of having Retrograde Alopecia which is usually a bad sign against you being an ideal candidate if that's also affecting the donor area. Right now, what is a reasonable cost to you? Also, what are your expectations of a hair transplant?

Somebody mentioned that their grafts looked fine on the day of surgery and then misaligned Day 17 so there's a possibility that this has occured with you OP and yeah, i agree with Joe that it seems like people backed off a bit when they got a confirmation it was Eugenix, but i only think that's because we have had so many genuine patient results and testimonials from people that have had Dr Bansal do the slits and there's not been a single bade case of misaligned grafts noted before. There's then the possibility the direction thing is the grafts falling out a bit sooner than expected and changing directions as they get ready to do so because your angle of direction did change between the initial picture and the one you last posted again as well as the obvious lighting difference in the areas of native to transplanted hair. I do get how people saying X, Y, Z might make it seem like they're ignoring what you've raised after the fact but as always, once the procedures done, usually you need to wait till the later stages to see the results progress and make a full determination. I'd say 3-6 months updates will let you know for sure. Just to put this out there, personally if i was in your position i'd have also probably felt hugely apprehensive after all the research etc. It's a very emotionally invested procedure to make. However, with it being Eugenix, the reputation Dr Sethi and Dr Bansal have been building with the results they have shown off, it's harder for probably most on here to think the result in the end shouldn't be correct angles and turn out well. Eugenix actually are responsible for a lot of repair cases and i've seen The Alpha and another guy from India on YouTube who went to them. I would go on a limb and say that if anything were in my case wrong, i probably against what i said about running would publicly share everything and document it but give Eugenix a chance to sort it providing its all covered cost wise by them. I don't think they have a reputation for ruining peoples donor or hairlines. They know they're living and breathing by the reputation they're building right now but i am a bit worried they're expanding quickly and that the care standards could be slipping if your case isn't a rare exception and becomes much more common.

1mg/day Finasteride is good. How long have you been on it though? Your expectations also seem realistic. The list is pretty small because the majority of Turkish hair transplant clinics are known as a Hair Mill or as i've began to refer to them in a self trademark manner "Horror Mills" because almost everything about them is a horror show from overharvesting donor areas, large punches and high transection rates. Pluggy grafts etc. and dressing it all up as better than it is for social media etc. Genuine and good quality doctors and clinics therefore are much more difficult to find and probably 95-98% don't make the cuts for the standards expected apart from those recommended on the forum. Usually it's better to save up and go to somewhere else. Why specifically is it that you want to go to Turkey? I know you said you are from Romania so you have a lot of options in Europe too if you wanted as well as those mentioned from the Forums recommend list in Turkey you could reach out to.

I genuinely wonder though what it is that would be seen in those blood tests that's genuinely a risk for a hair transplant? A diabetic for example would need to maintain their blood sugar levels with regular snacks. A person that's got Hepatitis B, C or HIV i get would be more serious but those blood tests are very specialised and extensive. I think it would benefit potential customers of Eugenix etc. to know why those specific tests are necessary because it just feels very heavy handed and a check box exercise at present for a very difficult set of tests that most cannot easily secure without going private.

I had a swathe of blood tests done that i requested from my doctor and apparently not all the stuff they wanted was on there so i've been asked to go get more done for: Hep C, Hep B, HIV 1&2 and Random Glucose. I guess simply saying you don't have Hepatitis, HIV and diabetes wasn't quite the right answer lol. They apparently want it all on paperwork. I do think the tests requested are numerous and really an annoying bunch of different tests but they can apparently arrange blood tests for you the day before but the Eugenix reps i've all talked with don't seem eager to try and have it arranged for you. They definitely seem to prefer you do it yourself beforehand. @Melvin- Moderator what did you do to get your Blood Tests sorted?

Thanks a lot for sharing. I'm sorry that so far it doesn’t seem to be on track as would be expected however its pretty much done. Generally the reputation of Eugenix is good and i know some users did mention in a similar time frame their grafts looked mis angled so hopefully they are not going to settle like that come to the 6+ month park. Ultimately if there are issues, Eugenix will more than likely offer to fix them for you. I do genuinely believe that yes whilst they are hot atm and got that marketing momentum behind them, the reputation is something they will be hoping to maintain and they will respond properly. Ultimately i hope your growth for 12 months does go well and you keep us updated. I am personally booked in with Eugenix for May and the reason i went for them was because of their track record of getting the right results and at a reasonable cost (exclusive package) instead of me ending up at a hair mill with subpar results. This result from a procedure with Dr Bansal does surprise me a little bit but i am keeping my fingers crossed for you. I won't be taking my original words back on what i said just because it was Eugenix now being revealed as the clinic because that's a neutral impression we gave just based on the images at the time which imo was a fair cop.

Yeah, i've had it done on my consultation and no way in heck i was going to get a hair transplant done if it didn't include them. In terms of being Indian, your Visa should be a breeze to get and tbh, i would definitely say flights have gotten crazy priced. Better to book in advance. Virgin got Flexible Flights too atm so you probably get a solid price. I kinda get what you mean about saving up. Originally wanted mine in March and tbh, it would have been tight but could have done it. May gives me a bit more breathing room.

Thanks for sharing your picture. How often are you taking Finasteride as you said you still feel you shed? It's normal to lose a bit of hair as part of the normal cycle of telogen etc. Looking at that picture, there's a strong case for you being a Norwood 5 even. Your crown abd me midscalp looks like it's got thinning too. Minoxodil with a combination of Microneedling could help a little bit but it's a commitment and i'm not sure how much you will be able to keep adhering to that since you stopped Minoxodil as you felt you weren't seeing results. Bear in mind, both Finasteride and Minoxodil have different mechanisms of action which is why they work synergistically. Finasteride slowing/halting the hair loss with DHT inhibition, sometimes in rare cases helping with regrowth but Minoxidil being the main growth antagonist. However if you use Minoxidil alone without blocking DHT, it's a bandage imo so good thing you already on it for the last 5 years. I think it's good that you feel you have realistic expectations. Also, that top part gives an indication of the type of hair loss pattern but can you share more pictures of your donor area?

Can you show us any pictures before you had your first surgery? I appreciate you putting the red line and stating that's where all the transplanted hair were placed within but its very difficult to determine where they actually are placed tbh because the hairs still very short to be able to tell. I honestly think you might need to grow your hair out a little longer for people to get a better idea of your donor area and density for both scalp and beard. The stubble though seems to indicate you have a good area of beard to use for donor if needed and probably will. Again, just in terms of what a hair transplant can offer you, i'd urge you to look at Eugenix and the Caucasian cases and the specific one is for Karl who is @Zoomsteron here and hopefully he can share a bit too.

Firstly i would urge you to look at the Forum Recommended list and which are based in Turkey. You probably have a budget like everybody but the problem is that if you cut a corner in choosing a quality clinic to save a bit of money, you will probably end up regretting your choice a lot. This isn't like when you buy a car and no longer like the colour, so you wrap it. Your donor area isn't unlimited and if you choose the typical Turkish hair mill, there's a very strong chance you will be over harvested and not get left with good results. It's always harder to be a repair case than getting it right the first time. Personally i would say what's more important to know is your age, current hair loss situation and whether you take any medication. Please post some pictures as well. Jumping straight to hair transplant surgery isn't the first step to take. Medication and hair restoration is. Also not forgetting that you have to have realistic expectations on what can be achieved. So what are your expectations from the hair transplant?