Hair transplant clinics in Ireland

Polski

After seeing the cosmetic surgery thread I thought I might ask a similar question about hair treatment clinics and hair replacment centres in Ireland, or Dublin to be more specific.

Are any of them any good? Has anyone got recommendations?

DublinWriter

I've heard horror stories about some people's experiences.

What would worry me most about transplants it that it would be something that you'd need to keep up every few years.

For example, I'm going a 'shiney' on the back of my head. If I got that area done, as I'm 36 now, what about all my natural hair going around the treated area.

I'm trying out a herbal remedy called Saw Palmetto which it supposed to aid in keeping the hair you already have. Obviously it's something you could only really judge the effectiveness of in 10 years. At this stage it's a lot better than trying out 'maidens water'.

It always puzzled me about the whole 'maternal side' thing. My mum's dad's family died will full heads of hair in their 80's, while from looking at photos of my dad at my age now, he seems to have gone through the same pattern of loss that I have.

Jello

DublinWriter wrote:

what about all my natural hair going around the treated area.

I heard your existing hair does thin out a bit.

But OP have you heard the cost of a hair transplant? I heard it's really expensive.

Dizzyblabla

just shave it! a bald head is quite sexy on a man!

RoundyMooney

Dizzyblabla wrote:

just shave it! a bald head is quite sexy on a man!

/Grins...

segadreamcast

It is. A shaved head on a moderately fit, well-groomed guy is absolutely fine.

A balding head is part of nature - don't be ashamed of it OP. The awkwardness that comes with being self-conscious about it is far, far worse than any lack of hair could be.

Polski

Im noticing if my hair is tight that my face looks much fatter and less toned so maybe more excercise is in order. Has anyone heard of "cosmetic transdermal reconstruction"?

replytohere2004

why not try HairGain, purley natural supplement.

Links:
Jornal of Int Medical Research:
http://www.jimronline.net/content/html/fullhtm.asp?ArticleID=81

eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.ie/HAIRGAIN-STOP-HAIR-LOSS-FAST-3-MONTH-PACK_W0QQitemZ5674177221QQcategoryZ31413QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

sportswear

listen i know you don't need people telling you this, but if you watch 'lost' look how cool john locke looks with his head shaved in comparison to the flashbacks when he has his shiney top and bits on the side.

he looks fookin cool. when i'm 40 i wanna look like that.

Polski

The guy who plays Locke does indeed look cool but he also looks his age (53).

Has anyone tried/heard of CTR?

The Doktor

gettin hair implants is nearly as sad as a mickey extension...:D

sportswear

right its definatly not as sad as a mickey extension, i think it depends on two things, if your married, and what age you are

if it does actually really bother you then by all means consider it. But the main thing to remember is that it is an irreversable problem. you will spend thousands on a treatment for something that is guaranteed to get worse.

no i haven't heard of CTR but i'm sure google has.

Polski

sportswear wrote:

i think it depends on two things, if your married, and what age you are

Im 34 and divorced. Maybe thats why I went bald?

Polski

sportswear wrote:

no i haven't heard of CTR but i'm sure google has.

I found this www.hairloss.ie/advanced_ctr

Has anyone tried them?

Polski

Anyone?

Polski

Or has anyone tried Advanced Hair Studio in Fitzwilliam place?

replytohere2004

a scam and for sad bástards.


plenty of reading here:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.baldspot/search?group=alt.baldspot&q=advanced+hair+studio&qt_g=1&searchnow=Search+this+group

Polski

replytohere2004 wrote:

a scam and for sad bástards.


plenty of reading here:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.baldspot/search?group=alt.baldspot&q=advanced+hair+studio&qt_g=1&searchnow=Search+this+group

ReplytoHere: Did you get burnt?

DOLEMAN

http://www.cult.ie/gallery/I/2005/01/01/5.jpg

Indeed.

Polski

Ive read a few posts on that Group forum and this one jumps out at first regarding AHS

I appreciate that Advanced Hair Studio has been covered on other threads.
However, I’m keen to let people know of my experiences, as a word of
warning.

They are a leading hair replacement company, with a large presence in many
countries, especially Australia & the UK. To give themselves an aura of
respectability, they use big-name clients such as Graham Gooch, Greg
Matthews & John Hartson to promote their “treatments”. Their main
“treatment” is their patented "strand-by-strand procedure", which is, in
reality, a glued-on hairpiece. Their success is undoubtedly due to their
misleading advertising & marketing. Realising that hairpieces have a
certain amount of stigma and ridicule attached to them, they set out to
create the illusion that they will replace your hair using some new &
revolutionary technique, literally replacing the hair on your head a strand
at a time. They do this with phrases such as “replace your hair the way you
lost it”, “in stages” & “strand-by-strand”, coupled with misleading picture
sequences. Their consultants describe it as attaching an invisible membrane
to your head, or a second layer of skin, and back this up with picture
sequences which are not true. In reality, the only way they will replace it
"in stages" is if you purchase smaller toupees first, and it certainly
doesn't happen in the way they claim. This deception not only enables them
to catch people (like myself) who always vowed never to wear a hairpiece,
but also enables them to charge extortionate amounts (I was last quoted
£3700 for a 3-stage toupee).

They also greatly exaggerate how much it is like having your real back.
They do this with the help of their celebrity clients, who really should be
ashamed of themselves. Watching their video, the message is that not only
will you look great (debatable), but you’ll also feel great! In fact it
will dominate your life, and will be a constant source of stress, paranoia
and hassle. I found it to be a very poor substitute for having your real
hair. When freshly glued, it looks & feels OK. However, your real hair
soon grows back underneath, and it becomes “loose” on your head. Therefore,
basic actions such as itching, combing, taking a jumper off, resting your
head against a weights bench … all have to be done in private as they can
cause tell-tell movement. When exercising, you real hair will sweat whereas
your toupee will remain dry, another obvious giveaway. When you wash it, it
takes a hell of a lot longer to dry than your real hair. For me, it was
much drier than my real hair, so I had to apply conditioner each day to make
it softer. Also, unless you pay an extortionate amount (perhaps double) for
their Diamond hair, then the hair you are given has been chemically stripped
and dyed to match yours. Unfortunately, it fades in the light, which means
that you have to top up weekly with colour refresher and the occasional AHS
“tint”. (You can’t use ordinary dye, as this is apparently bad for the
hair.) Sounds OK in theory, but I found it extremely difficult to keep the
colours in sync. I also found it very difficult to style, a common
complaint according to one manager. The front bit has to be sealed with
tape, which must be replaced weekly, and if you dive into a pool, the front
will burst open. In short, I found it very restrictive in a great many
ways, too many to list here.

They also hide the real long-term costs. Only when I went for my first
fitting did they mention that these things have a very limited life. I
rather assumed that my hair purchase was a one-off cost. They start off far
too thick, which is just as well because they shed a significant amount of
hair in key areas well within a year, and even with many expensive repairs
(£65 per hour), these things look like a road kill within 18 months.

I don’t know much about their other treatments. However, their
Non-Surgical-Grafts is also a glued-on toupee. Although the base is
lighter, it is apparently worse on hygiene, durability & cost. They also
have an Advanced Laser Therapy treatment, which combines the use of the drug
Minoxidil (which has very limited hair regrowth properties) with a laser.
Prominent people in the hair industry say that the laser can have no effect,
and I've yet to find any independent & scientific study to back up their
claims. Indeed, they quote no figures that relate to how much improvement
the laser will give above & beyond using Minoxidil alone, and the UK
Advertising Standards Authority has ruled against them for making claims
that they can't substantiate. They charge £3500 for a year's treatment,
compared to approx £250 for 5% Regaine from my local chemist, and they seem
to hide the fact that Minoxidil is something that you have to take for life,
not just for a year (otherwise any benefits are quickly lost).

There’s much more I could say regarding their highly questionable ethics,
and I will do so on request. Similarly, if you have any info on them, I
would be interested to hear it. I’m looking to hit them where it hurts, and
hit them hard. The best way of doing that is to let people know the truth
about their so-called treatments. If I can prevent just one person falling
for what is effectively a scam, then my efforts will have been worth it.

DublinWriter

I just thought I'd bump this thread as I've been two months on the Saw Palmetto now.

I started taking it because, as was mentioned, it can absorb the DHT produced in your body that damages hair folicles, so basically it helps you keep the hair you already have.

However, just lately I've noticed my hair starting to get thicker. At first I thought I was imagining things, then I examined my forehead hairline and noticed a few 'rogue' hairs were growing (too short to have been there since my last haircut) just under where my hairline is receeding.

I spoke to a friends in the UK about this last week and asked him would it be possible and he said that in some cases Saw Palmetto can actually wake 'sleeping' folicles.

Now I realise that it's early days, and still all just might me in (or on!) my head, but I just thought I'd see if anyone else here experienced any similar effects with Saw Palmetto?

Terry

if all else fails, try the scott tenorman studio. i hear they do good work.

daRobot

For a start, Maurice collins is the best person for a hair transplant in Ireland

http://www.hairtransplantsurgery.ie

Secondly, using propecia is a good idea for hair loss.It slows it down any loss, and in many cases will stop it alltogether.It's fda approved aswell.

The combination of propecia and minoxidinil woluld be the best thing for you to try.Give it a year of this, and if theres no results, then consider the transplant.Nizoral shampoo once every three days is important with any hair loss treatment.It's a dandruff shampoo, and will keep your scalp nice and clean, and free of any product buildup.

If you find that propecia is too expenisive (85euro per month) you can ask you doctor for a perscription for proscar.Proscar is a drug for prostate problems, but contains exactly the same drug, just in larger amounts.

Therefore with the proscar (5mg of finasteride), you need to break up the tablet into quarters, and it'll give you the same effect as propecia (1mg finasteride).Works out at 15euro per month.

You'll find generic minoxidinil on the web for a lot cheaper then the chemists aswell.

Good luck!

WellyJ

Regain FTW

trixter

Jello wrote:

I heard your existing hair does thin out a bit.

But OP have you heard the cost of a hair transplant? I heard it's really expensive.

That depends, there are also different types of transplants. There are the traditional plugs which look really bad because it takes several folicular units at a time and implants them into a circular area. This ends up looking like doll hair. A folicular unit is a single unit which contains 1-4 hairs.

The better method, which looks far more natural, but there is still some art to placement, so getting a qualified surgeon is important. They will cut out a section of your scalp, how much depends on how many grafts, 6x6 cm area will have anywhere from 1000-1500 grafts required. There are an average of 200 folicular units per square cm. Do the math

Once they have sliced the back (or possibly side but usually the back) of your scalp, workers get busy cutting each folicular unit off that strip. This is done under microscope, and takes a bit of time. They sutcher the back of your head shut, and try to leave a minimal scar (but you cant shave your head without it being visible, you have to have some length of hair).

Then for the next several hours they will insert these folicular units one by one into the area you want more hair. The hair will eventually go dormant, typically shed (less than 1% grows immediately, most shed) and after a period of several months the hair starts to grow. Its real hair, it will grow like real hair, its just more immune to the effects of DHT because it came from the sides or back.

It is all outpatient, meaning you go in the morning, leave in the evening and that is it. They numb the area with about 50 shots. You typically walk away with oxycodone (vicaden) and maybe a muscle relaxer - you cant sleep laying down for the first 3-5 days, you have to be at a 45 degree angle, so they give you a sleep aide to help with that, and a horseshoe shaped pillow so your head doesnt flop over.

The total process takes about 8 hours, you will have scabbing at the transplant area, as well as the area they harvested. You generally will have some swelling this is much more common if they do the top of the forehead (swelling can extend to the eyes and maybe nose). The swelling can be there for a few days as well.

After a month or so you are basically healed, although you still dont have any new hair growing.

The cost of this is $4-6/graft, which if it takes 1200 grafts or so it will be about $5000. This is of course US pricing, I dont know what (if its even done by anyone) over here. Given the prices of some of these toupes, or other treatments that have a much higher on going cost and a roughly similar initial cost, a little pain can go a long way in this regard.

Make no mistake, it does cause pain, it is minor surgery, but it is surgery. Its also not instant, it will take upto 10 months on average for the donated hair to actually start growing. Because it is your hair, colour, thickness, etc will be about as good as your can expect.

If you look at your hair at 40x magnification, you will see typically the top is thinner than the sides. This is generally becuase DHT causes that hair to thin (each hair becomes thinner in diameter) then fall out. The reason that the transplant works, usually (very high percent), is because the hair that is taken is from the sides and back, which the reason it doesnt fall out is because its more immune to DHT. If you are in early hair loss, and the doctor doesnt take out far enough down, then they can remove hair that will later fall out. If you are in later stage hair loss its easier to see what will remain and what wont. This is why you dont lose 100% of the hair on your head in general, but keep the sides and back (it relaly is different hair under the skin).

Propecia (brand name) works to lower the amount of DHT and while it is not rated to regrow hair, it is designed to stop what you still have left from falling out. Minoxidil however has shown to regrow hair in some people. The combination of the two is often recommended as a first treatment to see if it helps, but both can take months to show any effect.

Propecia also has some reported sexual side effects (less desire, etc) although I think those are in the minority. Any doctor that prescribes it should know exactly (and there should be an insert that comes with the prescription).

Often many that get a transplant will use propecia to prevent further hair loss, but its one of those 'take forever' drugs, because once you stop DHT will start to build up again, and cause more hair to fall out that wasnt transplanted. Some will take minoxidil to improve thickness in a non-transplanted area that is a little thin.

TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAKE YOUR HAIR LOOK FULLER

wash it daily, clean hair doesnt lay as flat and generally looks fuller.

when you dry your hair, pat it gently, dont rub, rubbing can break hairs which reduces the total volume of hair

dont overheat your hair, if you use a hair dryer, set it to warm or cool, but never hot

use a good conditioner, if your hair is dry it has a greater chance of breaking

I am sure there are more tips, but those are all free and easy to do (and all I can remember off the top of my head).

Ruu_Old

Moved from AH, probably best suited here. Frow it back in my direction if its not in zee right place mods. Thanks.

china2006

In reponse to criticism I read about AHS, I would just like to say that I totally agree with the piece I read. I went for their "supposed" laser treatment which turned out to be a complete load of *&^&%&$%. I'd like to see these people sued to the eyeballs and put out of business. The "treatment" is rubbish and a complete lie. Avoid them like the plague.