NARMAK

Are you actively taking any medication? The retrograde alopecia isn't probably a great sign for any potential hair transplant but if you hope on medication and add some Microneedling into the mix, you can probably get some solid regrowth on the top of the scalp. Give it circa 12 months and you'll probably be able to get some consultations with some of the forum recommended doctors and save up if it is potentially possible for you. Medication is definitely step 1 though.

Eugenix have a bit of flexibility in terms of whether you go for the 120RS exclusive option with their senior doctors/technicians or the founders at 210+. The cost is a factor for some, but the quality is what should be your first priority and right now they're knocking it out of the park it seems. I would personally have said if you don't have any side affects, maybe increase to 1mg/day sooner rather than later. I feel like the more DHT blocked, the better chance of keeping what you have and maybe anything that was still being affected can stand a better chance of recovery too. The problem with Minoxodil being the first thing you used is that it can kind of mask the hair loss because you don't treat the underlying cause which is DHT based. That's why usually starting with Finasteride and then switching after 12 months or so is a good idea. Good job on the Microneedling plan and hopefully you see results. Think of the cost as a proper investment into yourself that will pay dividends everytime you go look in the mirror and present to other people whilst looking after your donor for any future need to have a further hair transplant. A lot of younger guys make the mistake of thinking "Oh, it's so much money(!)" but happily chuck £300-500 per month on a lease car and £30-50 on a phone contract monthly spending almost £4k+ but think a hair transplant designed to stay with them for their entire life is expensive at £4k. I think it's ridiculous how people justify the cost of some stuff in their mind, but won't budget for something life changing.

Cowlicks are usually one reason to place hair in a certain pattern to recreate that natural look on the frontal hairline, but the three pictures above with the scabby grafts look like the angle direction naturally on the head was in what would be considered a "normal" direction. Either way, i think we always hope OP has a good outcome even if initially things don't always seem to land ideally.

It depends entirely on whether you feel the extra cost per graft is worth it for Dr Arika/Dr Sethi on the 350RS packages + tax of 18%. The lower package of 210 has slightly less involvement by Dr Arika Bansal but includes yhe procedure being lead by and crucial extractions done by her. The 120 RS package is with senior Eugenix doctors and technicians. There's probably a result on here by some of those. Right now i'd advise you to get a consultation from Eugenix directly and see what they say for grafts and whether to do things in one session. Your crown has quite a fair bit of thinning and i know you said you been using Minoxodil too, so i think you might want to introduce Microneedling with a Derma Pen into the mix and use Nizoral shampoo for an added boost in your hair loss regime. The primary problem for you imo is your age. You are 27 and been on Finasteride for a year, and although thia will continue to keep working for many more years and hopefully thicken the crown area too slowly over time, your hair loss looks like a Norwood 3V in many ways. That means the first procedure may concentrate on your frontal hairline and temple points with a few grafts towards the crown. Personally i would add Microneedling into the mix and see how you get on over the next few months whilst you get a consultation.

These are probably the very basics of what you should be learning in your hair transplant research and what would happen if you go against the advice like an increased risk of them being dislodged and dying. The entire way you worded it sounds like you haven't done enough research and it's not just about hair transplants. It's any type of surgery that you're given specific post op instructions to help you achieve the best outcome.

The problem is you can't always educate gullible people who will think you don't know what you're talking about versus these so called "experts". The flash side of luxury hotels, pick up in a nice car by hair mills in Turkey is a key part of their shtick for attracting these young naive people who don't truly understand. You'd probably be surprised how many people think that the donor areas actually something that regrows and don't know it's a finite source. They simply don't do enough research. They genuinely think its akin to say a woman going for breast augmentation where the stuffs inserted and basically do what you want to get the result you want. I think genuinely the industry will not change and once Stemson manage to get unlimited hair grafts, if they aren't as bothered who gets access to their stuff, Turkish hair mills are just going to try churn out even more results for money. At least if Stemson went to human trials, stayed extremely selective of how their products are used then it might mitigate things but if i'm honest, companies chase profit first and they'll use PR to spin how they manage the safety of patients etc. and only supply to doctors with credentials. Which is a shame but that's the reality awaiting us. The only potential positive is that should more doctors get trained and become competent, we might have a chance to repair those cases but i dare to say, once a virgin head has been transplanted on badly, the damage could be done with cobbling etc. and even if you punched every graft out, it's just causing further trauma than had somebody gone to somebody reputable in the first place.

Good Video Melvin. Hopefully helps a lot of people avoid these Horror Mills (TM :p)

He also said "transplants" in his tweet. It is possible he'd been for more than 1 FUT procedure and stuff but not been potentially using medication which is why the hairline was set so high too.

I've settled on Eugenix. 32 and taking Dutasteride 0.5mg/day for the last 9+ months. I got classed around a Norwood 2 but my progression has been very slow over the last 10+ years which i'm incredibly fortunate for. I feel like my temple points fading at my mid to late teens may have been a specific targeted almost Retrograde Alopecia. Luckily doesn't seem to have affected anywhere else like it would. The hairline has probably regressed so slowly i didn't really pick up on it as much maybe as i should have earlier. I feel like it's mainly over the last 3/4 years max that things progressed more noticeably and probably from the Pandemic onwards moreso. Since using Dutasteride i have seen a positive benefit and i think that should hopefully continue. I do wish i probably started Finasteride 5+ years ago. Even when i was in my early 20s but glad i started when i did and wanted to be more aggressive so started Dutasteride as my brother had used it a year prior with no issues. I pushed through the sides as i've mentioned elsewhere and tbh, i think so far taking progress videos every month, then 3 months or so has shown a slight improvement to my situation. Getting Nizoral into the mix, addressing my low Vitamin D and staying on top with a pill every few days and recently adding T-gel to address my scalps itchy, dry flakiness and inflammation has probably helped a lot. I was going to try start using a derma pen but can't find a good one just yet reasonably priced.

I am definitely conscious about making the right choice and looked into the clinic who I felt best fit the specific temple points and natural results for the frontal hairline. I knew i was on a budget too, but i think i've made the right choice in who i want. The problem right now is just getting the Visa stuff sorted in time and not being left in the lurch. I have postponed and re-arranged to May to allow enough time for the Visa to get granted. All things going well, i'll be sharing my journey on here. I 100% think the back and forth in my mind is just because i want to get that right result the first time in terms of the design. That photoshop kinda gave me a good idea of how the temples could look and i think although i've already adjusted them once, i'd probably change them just a little more to box in.

One thing i've noticed generally is that depending on how i dry my hair. The "puff" you give to the hair can make it look better even at the same hair. Plus, you are pulling back the hair on the top so that has a little influence on the way it will look. Overall though, i definitely see what you mean. Your bottom picture looks more boxed off but it's subtle looking which is always a plus too imo. The aesthetic sides being more subtle is a blessing in that it's harder to detect the change, it just looks "better" to people but a curse in that sometimes you might think about it from a hair greed PoV.

Not gonna lie, yours looked really solid. I literally have none lol. They went by my late teens pretty much. Hopefully you get the results you want man. They're definitely situations you count yourself lucky to be considered for because genuinely anything past a light Norwood 3, nobody is going to be willing to go aggressive with hairlines.

Lmao, i look like a Brown Elvis impersonator. *Thank ya very much* But you know what, it actually does seem that sort of hairline might actually end up age appropriate but doesn’t look super low or aggressive even if the size from the glabella measurements makes it seem that way. I think the temple point design i might get to be a little longer over the brows to try give it a more closed off look.

I think in these situations that they try to offer you additional surgery etc. but you should run for the hills. Best thing usually is to try get a refund of whatever you can from them and get it repaired down the line. The whole "wait till it grows in" phase is sometimes used as a distraction to claim "See, you can just style it like this, and it looks fine(!)" sort of rhetoric. Where is this clinic based and how did you come across them? You didn't say. I know you won't name them just yet but the above is helpful too.

Thanks for the reply. I have been trying to use a ruler to guess where to place mine and i think my central frontalis muscle sits around 4.5-5cm. The current sorta plan i was given by the clinic without them having measured but when i did so, sits around 6cm. Potentially even a bit under. I think however that without recreating the temple points entirely on mine and hopefully closing them in a bit closer, the forehead even at 6cm for the hairline would look like i still have a big forehead. I didn't realise how big a part the temple points actually play even though they seem such a small part of the hairline to most. The temple points can make even a hairline that's higher look lower from the article i read by a respected doctor online when he compared how Leonardo Di Caprio had an arguable lower hairline than Bradd Pitt but his temple points not being as narrow made his head look bigger.

The angles and the graft placement in direction don't appear to be correct but it's done now and you have to wait a bit for the hair transplant to mature and see what you end up with and what might need to be done. Where was the clinic based? I know you don't want to name them yet but a location at least and how you came across them might help users in who might end up in a similar position if they were to have potentially researched in a similar way but come across this before their procedure potentially avoiding a similar fate.

Yeah, i think hopefully you can dye it and should be fine. I guess you get a hair transplant to give you a more youthful look, you don't want greys make you look aged lol

Bump. I just wondered if any folks could chime in and help with photoshop. The two lines show the initial temple point angle the clinic gave and the darker is what i want to do. I think looking at it, it is a more aggressive temple point a la Brad Pitt or Jake Gylenhaal but probably would frame my face better.

It's definitely not common, but the fact that you had paid for X number of grafts and they only seem to have extracted and implanted far less is the primary issue. Get as much evidence as you can together and get legal advice as you may be able to get them to refund you what they overcharged essentially. The hair transplant is done and you have to wait the full 12 months to see how it turns out but that doesn't mean you can't try explore options to get your money back. Once you know what your results are like, you can hopefully do further research to choose a better place if there's a need to get a touch up or perhaps try repair. This forum will serve you well for knowledge.

I think there's no full study on it but working out can increase testosterone production and thus converts more into DHT but its difficult to place that blame solely there as Hair Loss is multi-factorial etc. and maybe a change in diet could have triggered it too.

Do you want to dye it personally or have to do so for a job etc.? I'd personally try to avoid using bleach/dye for the full 12 months but i know others on here will probably say its safe after X duration of time.

If anything, i think the first day would calm your nerves as you already been through it and know what to expect. I think there are a few clinics that could possibly do that many grafts in a single session competently like Eugenix but everything is a case by case basis regardless of who you go to. The most important thing is choosing a quality clinic and trusting them whether they do it over a single or multiple day procedure.

@John Leobe careful about what you write, as it sounds like you're USA based and right or wrong, the system is rigged to allow anybody and every to simply sue you for what they'd potentially call defamation/libel and i would probably say it's wise to seek legal advice from professionals in your country about your situation. Generally speaking, i'm really sorry for your experience. This is a perfect example of the dangers of how horror mills operating in the USA are ignored and Turkey is always focused on. I'd argue its probably even worse having to pay more money to end up with the results those horror mills in the USA provide. I think the way you described the length of the procedure and lack of Dr involvement is a good learning point for anybody considering a transplant in the US to do their research properly.

Honestly, i think the FUE scar situation is a reality whether it's FUE or FUT and depending on how many grafts you need, how your body heals it could potentially be visible to the naked eye at a buzz cut/skin fade on the sides. Especially if you have a high number of grafts. Look up Mr Rolandas on YouTube. He's here on the forum too, and he went for a buzzed/fade on the sides and his FUE scars were imo more visible with how he healed. That's a potential risk if you ever think "Okay, the HT didn't work, i'll just stay bald" but generally a hair transplant should be a last resort when you've tried everything else. The bottom line though imo is that if you have thrown the kitchen sink of hair restoration towards something and it's still where you're diffused thinning, this could be a sign not to go ahead it imo. That's not something i say lightly but because there's a very real chance you may not be happy with the results and would probably have been better to save the money. There's potential treatments due out in the next few years that are topical/oral that could potentially help people alongside what we already had for like 20+ years, but i genuinely think nothing will be as big a game changer as Stemson DHT resistant clone grafts and it will start off really expensive and nobody knows when it would become mainstream enough. That situations where anybody and everybody imo can be considered a candidate and probably give with the right clinic a 100% density. That said, let's stay with current reality. You have diffused thinning and despite being buzzed i'm impressed you kept up that routine. I just think it's unfortunate you haven't seen a recovery of the diffused thinning as you could hope for but as you said, it's good that you recognise having a good head shape. This is why i genuinely do feel for guys that are in their 20s and 30s, put into these situations without any control over it. I think Bald Cafe is a good place for accepting that sort of situation but although Harry is a good guy, i think his stance on some of his videos around hair restoration and just advising men to probably shave it off before giving medication etc. a try and in some cases a bit even going towards a hair transplant isn't always something i agree with him on. I believe every guy should try hair restoration just like you did, see how it goes, consider a hair transplant or in some cases if the look of hairs really important, a hair system which i guess has become the evolved naming for a wig/toupee. Then consider making peace with shaving/buzzing it off full time.

Then the best thing to do is contact the representative of the clinic you are being looked after by and ask them what their process is in terms of whether you need to stop taking those oral or topical medications etc. I would wager the oral medication for Finasteride should be fine, you might potentially get asked to stop Oral Minoxodil due to potential impact with blood pressure. The topical stuff mainly to make sure the recipient areas as healthy as possible and clear of any chemicals potentially affecting grafts. Double check with them though, this is just an educated laymen guess.