Hair transplant diary (ongoing)

suave.4u

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122955845#Comment_122955845

On Fin (and minoxidil)for the last 12 years. It has stabilized, but reached a plateau now. Wut would like to goto the next step, by taking Dut.
Anyone on Dut?

waynescales1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122956342#Comment_122956342

So you’ve stabilised your hair loss? What are you hoping to achieve by switching to DUT?

suave.4u

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122956526#Comment_122956526

https://www.hims.com/blog/finasteride-vs-dutasteride-which-is-better-for-preventing-hair-loss

It’s worth noting that although finasteride and dutasteride were both effective at treating hair loss and promoting hair growth, the researchers found that the men who took dutasteride had thicker hair — and a higher average hair count — after 24 weeks than the men who used finasteride. 

• tried Fin, hence thinking of moving to Dut

waynescales1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122959515#Comment_122959515

Fair enough, couldn't see myself switching if I was experiencing good results from Fin after 12 years. You'll probably experience a shed after switching, be interesting to see if you get better results.

If you find DUT let us know where you get it…

zeebre12

I got a hair transplant 4.5 months ago in MHR Clinic. I said I would hold off reviewing them until I saw some progress. I must say I am so disappointed with the results so far. They seem to have made a mess of my hairline. They placed multiples grafts in my hairline and now I have thick coarse wiry dark hair along my hairline. They didn’t even try to blend it in. There are very few singles from what I can see. I don’t know what to do. I presumed they would get that much right anyway. I would have known myself before I went for the transplant that you put the lighter single grafts at the front of the hairline. You’d know something was off with my hairline. It doesn’t blend in and looks unnatural. I can’t believe I put my trust in them and was reassured multiple times that they would do a great job. I was really contemplating going to Turkey but I was put off it as I didn't know what kind of hair mill I could get in Turkey. I didn’t want to take the chance. How wrong was I? I seriously don’t know what to do? Whatever about the odd multiple graft. There doesn’t seem to be any much singles used. I really am devastated after going through all that for now what seems is a hames of a job. Even when I push back the hairs on my hairline with my hand it doesn’t feel right. It almost feels like I’m rubbing dolls hair. It feels coarse and wiry.

On top of that I asked to have the crown filled in a bit. I’m questioning now did they even do much at all to the crown other than the odd graft to make it look like the did something. I’m pissed off with the whole thing now really.

mrcheez

If you grow it long it might soften it? The photos look good, do you have a pic of the entire forehead from the front so we can see if you like?

20/20

I am no expert but 4.5 months is not very long, give at least 10. Also it looks good to me. Can you realy feel a difference in hair with your fingers.

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122971386#Comment_122971386

When I see poor work on here or other forums I generally don't comment as the person might be feeling vulnerable and it can really affect them.

It's important to remember aswell that even though I know it's a bad job they might be delighted with it.

I'll comment here as you've already highlighted some aspects you're not happy with.I totally agree with your description.There are clear multiple follicular grafts in the hairline.Your hair caliber seems quiet thick so even selecting singles for the front they would need to pay extra attention. They may even have to take from the nap or just over the ears where hairs are thinner.The hairline design to me isn't natural either.

It must be incredibly frustrating that you actually did your research and this happens.Thanks for sharing this post,you've saved others going to this clinic.

On the positive side all is not lost.Although there are issues with you HT 99% of people won't notice.Its important to realise its not a total botch job.I know however it's important to be happy with it yourself,in fact that's all that really matters.

Anyway,from what I can make out it's fixable (I'm assuming your donor wasn't botched)

It won't be cheap but there are some magician surgeons who do a lot of repairs.

DM if you like and I'll put you in touch with one.

To sum up,it's not a good HT but it's not a total disaster, nobody will notice it except yourself,its fixable (I think) should you want to do that.

Ps,looking the pics again I think there will be improvements in the coming months.I think it'll be blended in much better from about month 8 or 9.Many people are worried at the 4 or 5 month stage.You will still have the problems of the multiples in hairline and hairline design but I think it'll look much better.Maybe reassess then.

zeebre12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122971689#Comment_122971689

The photos aren’t really great for showing how it looks under normal daylight. It’s a lot worse than it looks in the photos. I’ll try to take more clearer ones. The hair at the sides of the temples is finer and lighter than in contrast to the temples I got transplanted is coarse, wiry and thick (in the top picture). It sticks out like a sore thumb. By the feel of it actually feels like pubic hair it is so coarse. It doesn’t look at all natural. Most of the grafts along the hairline have 2/3 hairs. I see very few singles. It looks so ****. It looks really pluggy like a doll.

Is it not common sense that you don’t put thick multiple grafts in the hairline? I knew that myself. I used to try to cover my thinning hair with my own hair in the wind now I’m going to have to try to cover my hairline. That’s after getting a hair transplant. I’m so pissed off.

HBC08

Looking at the 2nd set of pics I'd be much more optimistic. That will definitely thicken and blend in a lot more in my opinion.

zeebre12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122971772#Comment_122971772

I dunno. It will always look off I think. It doesn’t look like a normal hairline. Like in the top picture the hair at the side of my temples is fine and wispy and then all of a sudden there is coarse, thick wiry hair where I got transplanted. I don’t understand surely they know that multiple grafts are not to be used at the very front of the hairline. You’d think they would get that right anyway. It’s something you don’t do. Is it not very bad practice?
If it was some hair mill in Turkey that might not give a crap what they do to your hairline I’d understand more. MHR seemed like a well regarded clinic. Is there any point going back to them or am I wasting my time?

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122971849#Comment_122971849

Splitting multi hair grafts into singles or just selecting singles is the way it's meant to be done.Some cheaper less reputable places just extract and then implant and hope for the best.

If you go back to them now they will tell you to see how it looks at the 12 or even 18 month mark.Also they don't have the expertise to do a repair (which is much more complex than a standard HT)

I'm not sure what the law is in ireland on this.

It might be no harm to bring it up with them anyway and see what they say.

zeebre12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122971708#Comment_122971708

I can 100% feel the difference. The transplanted hair almost feels like pubic hair. It feels coarse and wiry. Whereas the hair along the sides at the top of temples is light and soft.

Deadwards.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122971941#Comment_122971941

Really sorry to hear this. For sure they wil ask you to give it a bit more time but they should also address the issue. As you say, only singles should be in the first few lines to give a soft natural hairline. Who did the procedure for you i.e. did the doctor perform the extraction and incisions? I'd be happy to have a chat offline with you to discuss a bit more and see if I could offer and advise if you'd like.

zeebre12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122971730#Comment_122971730

It’s really getting to me now and it’s getting me really down. The thing is when I look in the mirror now I can see the pluggy/doll like hairline. It’s really noticeable without even pushing back my hair. I put my faith and trust in them to do a good job. I mentioned in the initial consultation that I was weary about choosing a clinic and wasn’t sure which one to go for. I was reassured several times that this was a highly regarded clinic with highly skilled staff. I mentioned that I was thinking about going to Turkey and was told to avoid it as I could get a very bad result and the clinic over there wouldn’t take much care in extracting/inserting grafts and it was very risky. I thought I was taking the safe option by doing it in Ireland. I was told a bad job would not be done on me because the reputation of the clinic was on the line. Hearing all this made me feel more at ease.

The thing is even on the transplant day I was quite sceptical about the whole process. As I mentioned in a previous post they said I got 2700 grafts. I’m questioning this also. They didn’t start the actual extraction procedure until around 3 and I was finished by 7:30 with a break in between. I rang a few weeks before asking do they want me to come earlier as I presumed hair transplants would be a whole day thing. I was told there was no need. I then rang again on the morning of the procedure to ask did they want me to come any earlier as I was available if they would like. I was reassured there was nothing to worry about.
The thing is even before I noticed about the multiple grafts along my hairline I was worried about what they did with my temples. I got both temples done and one side is now lower than the other and looks off as well. When I was lying down and they were implanting the grafts I could feel where she was placing the grafts that it seemed a bit low. I asked could I have a quick look where she was placing the grafts and at what she was doing. She ignored me. I asked again and was told she had 8 years experience and knew what she was doing. Then they both laughed and started talking in their own language. I didn’t like the whole tone of them. They kept talking in their own language. It almost felt like they were talking and laughing about me. To tell the truth my heart was in my mouth and I was questioning in my head what are they actually doing to me? I was right she did place the grafts to low on one side of the temple compared to the other one. It’s shocking how I could feel she was going too low on one side and she the one looking at it and still made it look off.

I also asked to have the crown filled in. They said they did but I’m actually very unsure of that also. Other than the odd graft here and there in the crown to make it look like they did something. I don’t think they actually did anything much at all in the crown. They said crown patchwork was done but that could be five grafts. I dunno I’m so pissed off with the whole thing. It’s making me really down. Getting a hair transplant was meant to give me my confidence back but to tell the truth it’s made things worse.

EltonJohn69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122975765#Comment_122975765

Stay positive mate, it will be 12 months before you can properly judge the success of the HT. After that there is always the option of getting another surgeon to fix things.
Obsessing and catastrophising won’t do you any good, enjoy your Christmas and reassess things in the new year.

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122977128#Comment_122977128

Came here to say the same thing.

Don't panic and don't stress.

You have to wait it out for another 4 or 5 months and reassess then,I'm convinced that you will see big improvements by then.

Also as mentioned you have lots of options (none of them however are now) so just wait it out.As I said it's certainly not a botch job or disaster HT and it will only improve.

Apiarist

Short progress report

I had a hair transplant with HairPalace Budapest in September 2023. 4900 hairs (~2000 grafts) to the front hairline. The price was ~€2900 with the apartment and the airport transfers. The whole process was professional and smooth. Below are photos before the transplant and 10 months after:

iebamm2580

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122975765#Comment_122975765

With Dr Nel, he spends approx 3 hours the night before making the inicisons in the head for grafts. I got 2042 grafts done in 2019. The day of the procedure its 7am to approx. 7pm. Not sure how the clinic you went to done yours so fast. I researched alot and only place i wanted it done in Ireland was Dr Nel after seeing many of his results including kerry footballer Darren o Sullivan and tbh a lot of the pics i see on here make me confident i made the correct decision.

Landers11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122995805#Comment_122995805

How happy are you with it overall? Any problems with finasteride?

iebamm2580

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123007119#Comment_123007119

Yeah v happy with it, could maybe have went bit more dense in temporal regions but all in all i have good head of hair with no visible signs of balding. All good with finasteride, was on it years ago mid 20s, had watery semen, now im on 1.25mg 3 times a week and no sides. Planning on getting off for few months year to start a family alright.

HGVRHKYY

How can we get dut in Ireland?

GenericName2

Crown transplants!

Anyone happy to share their experience? I've read and have had similiar recommendations that if the front is done often later a crown touch up is required, even if on finasteride and minoxidil.

So could anyone share their experience or info they know from elsewhere, on that second crown touch up job?

tom1ie

Folks can I ask a general question here:

When you get a HT on the crown and temples, what happens to the areas where you don’t get transplanted over time?
ie do you end up with patchy hair from where the HT has stayed and worked well but the natural hair has now fallen out- say 10 years from when you get the HT.

Is the idea that the meds retain the existing hair to blend in with the HT?

Deadwards.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123052115#Comment_123052115

In cases where family history has progressive hair loss, medication to prevent future hair loss is recommended. In other words, the transplant replaces lost hair but without medication, you may continue to lose the non transplanted hair.

waynescales1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123052115#Comment_123052115

A DHT blocker like Finasteride is compulsory post-op medication. Most reputable clinics won't operate on you until you've been on Finasteride for at least a year, prior to surgery.

mrcheez

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123052115#Comment_123052115

Yes the rest of the hair that was going to fall out anyway will fall out leaving you with tufts of transplanted hair in isolated patches.

So Finasteride is taken to halt/slow further loss.

suave.4u

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123011252#Comment_123011252

Any luck? I am searching as well :)

Landers11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123053367#Comment_123053367

Fin stop working for you?

HGVRHKYY

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123053367#Comment_123053367

I see that dutasteride does seem to be a legally registered medicine in Ireland at least, so I presume we should be able to get prescribed through certain doctors

Apiarist

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123049786#Comment_123049786

I went to Turkey for a crown transplant at the end of October 2024. This was my second HT, the first was the front hairline transplant back in September 2023. It is too early to say what the results are going to be! I will report here in a few months' time :)

GenericName2

Nice! Good to hear. Any thoughts up to now. How was recovery vs #1...I take it you need to sleep differently etc?

mrcheez

You can use a travel pillow to sleep on which raises the crown off the bed... sleeping on your front can be hard for many

Apiarist

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123075819#Comment_123075819

The recovery after HT #2 was a bit easier. Both went without any problems, but Dr. Gur's clinic (HT#2) gave me a hair foam to use for 10 days on the transplanted area which significantly helped with softening and removing scabs. Also the second time I knew that I can use antihistamines to reduce itchiness.

After a few days one gets used to sleep propped up in a semi-sitting position. In fact, after two weeks of that, it felt unusual to sleep on a flat pillow again.

EltonJohn69

Does anyone here get their Fin delivered to them directly from Sons as opposed to collect from the pharmacy ? I had previously been going the Lloyds online route but they have switched from the Sons fin to generic and I was also getting charged twice the price that Sons are offering. Pharmacies seem to massively raise the price on Sons fin brand and I don't want to change brand.

EltonJohn69

Not so sure about Sons.ie. Made an order and then they emailed me 5 minutes later asking for an additional payment, odd behaviour for such a big company.

Deadwards.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123113013#Comment_123113013

Their set up in Ireland is a little odd but what I understand happens is you pay for your prescription and then for the product. Reach out to them and they can explain but I have come across this with them before. They are legit but just have a strange process over here,

EltonJohn69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123115286#Comment_123115286

yeah I ended up going direct through them. About 60% cheaper than a pharmacy and delivered to the door. Not bad at all.

GenericName2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122826126#Comment_122826126

Hey you have any luck with this? I am looking for the same. Dr Nel just recommended that brand awhile back. I switched to generic but want to go back to proscar now

Landers11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123153432#Comment_123153432

Could you not get your GP to do the prescription?

GenericName2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123155637#Comment_123155637

After paying to go to my doctor, who said I shouldn't take it as its pretty dangerous and watch myself, I got a prescription after going through the common side effects which (I don't think I have!)…only to find out my chemist has said they can only supply generics

Landers11

Anyone take DIM to help control any increase in estrodial? Restarted fin after taken 5 months off it as I experienced nipple pain in the first week. On it over a week now and all good except for slight nipple sensitivity. Nothing compared to the first time.

mrcheez

Travelling at the mo so I was able to pick up 12 tabs of 5mg Fin over the counter without prescription for €4...Will see if my head explodes 😀

Can prob get oral minoxidil too though they had none in stock.

Remind me again what's the price per tab in Eire?

waynescales1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123182879#Comment_123182879

I get 46 tablets for €29 from my local pharmacy.

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123182879#Comment_123182879

Thats 2 months supply at 1mg per day or 4 month supply at .5mg per day.Good value.

When I first started finesteride around 2008/9 I could get 30 Proscar (5mg finesteride) for about €15 without prescription.I was taking 1mg per day at the time so a years supply was about €35!

Currently I get both fin and oral minoxidil delivered from a pharmacy in Europe,I need a prescription for it.Works out at about €500 a year to cover both.

What country are you in do you mind me asking? I'm guessing somewhere in Asia.

HGVRHKYY

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123183054#Comment_123183054

Could you share the pharmacy please? Also where do you get the prescriptions?

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123183263#Comment_123183263

I get the prescriptions from Dr Bisanga in Brussels and they have an arrangement with the pharmacy next door.You can't order without prescription.

If you're in Ireland you can get a prescription from your doctor and go to your local pharmacy. Also I believe some on here get theirs from online services such as Hims and Sons but I don't have the details on that.

mrcheez

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123183054#Comment_123183054

Aye in Asia. Could stock up and resell at home maybe 😉

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123183738#Comment_123183738

Haha! Get yourself a year or two supply first

HGVRHKYY

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123183361#Comment_123183361

So you're in Brussels? I thought it was that you were ordering online to Ireland