Tijuana HT and Beyond

[sunfire]

So I'm 30 years old. I'm about a norwood 3v and most of my hair loss took place in my late 20s which is when I started researching HT procedures. Living in California I first checked out some Doctors out here then inquired about some of the Canadian Doctors I've read about on this forum. Both were way out of my price range but the information I gather was that since I had such thick donor area and I didn't need a mega session the procedure would be pretty straight forward. I also settled on the FUT strip process since I know friends who have had the strip and others who had FUE..after a few months the FUT scars were undectectable and they seemed to me to have grown more hair than the FUE guys. I started reading about HT doctors on this and other sites. There was a lot of anti-mexican HT talk going around but usually not from patients who went there. I heard people complaining about stuff like the beds were uncomfortable..all that mattered to me were results. I narrowed it down to Dr. Alessandrini with Renovate Medical (also called Bajanor) and Dr. Hernandez with Neopel Clinic. They both seemed pretty comparable though Neopel was slightly more expensive and very slow to respond So I went with Dr. Alessandrini. I paid $2500 for what they approximated would be 2200 grafts. I was met at the mexican side of the san ysidro/tijuana border by the doctors son. We walked through a pretty shabby neighborhood to get to Renovate Medical. Renovate Medical Center while better than the neighboring buildings was also quite shabby..not the Sleek modern beverly hills office you would associate with cosmetic surgery. The facilities and amenities were not very modern and there was a pretty laid back atmosphere among the staff..at this point I was a bit worried. I soon met the doctor who was very professional calming and knew what he was talking about. The nurses were all super sweet...by the end of the day we were all friends. The actual procedure was smooth and painless. Since my donor area is dense and since I shmoozed the nurses all day they were able to retrieve and implant 2600 grafts..the extra grafts went to thickening between the crown and hairline. he crown was filled in with the 3-4 hair grafts while the 1s and 2s were used on the hairline mostly. All in All it was a good experience but what matters most now is the results. If the results turn out the way I think they will I'd gladly skip the formalities and marble counter-tops for a good affordable HT. This all happened yesterday so I'll post some pre-op and 1st day post op pics.

[sunfire]

here are some post op pics..... My only regret so far was not filling in the area above and to the right of my crown in the pictures. My reasoning was that first of all its not that bad 2nd of all since i've never really been on a strict regime of rogain and propecia and I will be on both now, that part may thicken up a bit anyway.

[DAVE52]

. I paid $2500 for what they approximated would be 2200 grafts. I was met at the mexican side of the san ysidro/tijuana border by the doctors son. We walked through a pretty shabby neighborhood to get to Renovate Medical. .

Sounds like a movie
good luck in your results

[sunfire]

Sounds like a movie
good luck in your results

haha yeah I know but keep in mind Ive been to tijuana a bunch of times before this so I wasn't as weirded out as someone else might be

[AfterHair]

oh man, I remember seeing billboards in TJ for hair transplants when I was an adventurous 20-something...
still, I could never imagine getting such an important procedure done in TJ. Heck, even in the USA there's only a handful of docs I'd trust to work on my hair... I would never ever consider doing such a thing..
How much research had you done your surgeon prior to committing? Anyway, if this is the real deal, I hopeful that your results were positive.
But I think that saving a bit of money pales in comparison to getting the procedure done by a surgeon who has an excellent reputation, has been doing the technique for years and is renowned in his community.

[sunfire]

oh man, I remember seeing billboards in TJ for hair transplants when I was an adventurous 20-something...
still, I could never imagine getting such an important procedure done in TJ. Heck, even in the USA there's only a handful of docs I'd trust to work on my hair... I would never ever consider doing such a thing..
How much research had you done your surgeon prior to committing? Anyway, if this is the real deal, I hopeful that your results were positive.
But I think that saving a bit of money pales in comparison to getting the procedure done by a surgeon who has an excellent reputation, has been doing the technique for years and is renowned in his community.

I did a fair amount of research..heard good things from people who had it done with him. Ultimately I saw no measurable difference between this doctor and an american one besides the price. In fact his staff was larger than most american HT doctors and since this is a labor intensive procedure having a flock of skilled nurses working is a plus. Its unreasonable to think that in a country of 100 million ppl and specifically in a city about 2 million that decent medical care wouldnt be available if you're willing to pay. 2500 is no small amount for a procedure even for an american doctor if he didnt have sky high insurance premiums, labor costs etc..so there is plenty of incentive to do a good job.
Oh and the price difference was not "a bit of money" as you put it. It was the difference between getting the procedure or not getting it at all. I know how the procedure is supposed to go...I've watched dozens of them online so I wasnt simply putting blind faith in the doctor. I know he did the procedure correctly..and so in that regard research was very useful in letting me be in the drivers seat.

Ostensibly everything is great..however I'll save my glowing review for after the results come in.

[sunfire]

oh man, I remember seeing billboards in TJ for hair transplants when I was an adventurous 20-something...
still, I could never imagine getting such an important procedure done in TJ. Heck, even in the USA there's only a handful of docs I'd trust to work on my hair... I would never ever consider doing such a thing..
How much research had you done your surgeon prior to committing? Anyway, if this is the real deal, I hopeful that your results were positive.
But I think that saving a bit of money pales in comparison to getting the procedure done by a surgeon who has an excellent reputation, has been doing the technique for years and is renowned in his community.

Also I noticed you're Doctor went to medical school in Iran..not that that is a bad thing but to think that once one crosses the border into America that their level of care goes way up simply isnt true. America has plenty of crap doctors..plenty of scammers..plenty of bad and plenty of good.

[J_B_Davis]

Also I noticed you're Doctor went to medical school in Iran..not that that is a bad thing but to think that once one crosses the border into America that their level of care goes way up simply isnt true. America has plenty of crap doctors..plenty of scammers..plenty of bad and plenty of good.

Sunfire, I wouldn’t worry about what others say at this point. You’ve had your procedure and it will hopefully turn out well. While most of the best doctors in the world are discussed on this site, and are members of the IAHRS, there are probably some great doctors around the world that no one has really heard of yet. Maybe you found one?

Don't let others bring you down, you’ll know soon enough if you made the right decision for you. Good luck and keep us posted!

[35YrsAfter]

We walked through a pretty shabby neighborhood to get to Renovate Medical. Renovate Medical Center while better than the neighboring buildings was also quite shabby..not the Sleek modern beverly hills office you would associate with cosmetic surgery.

Here are some Google Earth street view photos of the clinic from different angles.

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office
Cole Hair Transplant
1070 Powers Place
Alpharetta, Georgia 30009
Phone 678-566-1011
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advice

[sunfire]

Here are some Google Earth street view photos of the clinic from different angles.

yeah thats what I said whats ur point?

[35YrsAfter]

yeah thats what I said whats ur point?

I hope you get a great result. I grew up in Los Angeles and have visited Tijuana a few times and once even drove all the way down to Ensenada. In those days, Tijuana was a place where you would always bring your own food and water because of sanitation concerns.

Does the clinic have an autoclave? If not, how do they sterilize their surgical instruments? It is certainly true that terrible cosmetic surgery results can come from a Beverly Hills office. The appearance of this clinic doesn't inspire confidence. I posted it because I believe people need to see it and consider the safety of having a medical procedure there. If I were the doctor there, I would hire someone to keep the dumpster away from the front entry and keep the litter picked up in addition to keeping everything as clean and safe as possible.

[DAVE52]

Oh and the price difference was not "a bit of money" as you put it. It was the difference between getting the procedure or not getting it at all. I know how the procedure is supposed to go...I've watched dozens of them online so I wasnt simply putting blind faith in the doctor. I know he did the procedure correctly..and so in that regard research was very useful in letting me be in the drivers seat.

Ostensibly everything is great..however I'll save my glowing review for after the results come in.

Hope you get the results you want . Your description of your journey was " different " to say the least

But there is a big difference between me and you seeing how a HT is done and a person actually doing one

All the best

[sunfire]

I hope you get a great result. I grew up in Los Angeles and have visited Tijuana a few times and once even drove all the way down to Ensenada. In those days, Tijuana was a place where you would always bring your own food and water because of sanitation concerns.

Does the clinic have an autoclave? If not, how do they sterilize their surgical instruments? It is certainly true that terrible cosmetic surgery results can come from a Beverly Hills office. The appearance of this clinic doesn't inspire confidence. I posted it because I believe people need to see it and consider the safety of having a medical procedure there. If I were the doctor there, I would hire someone to keep the dumpster away from the front entry and keep the litter picked up in addition to keeping everything as clean and safe as possible.

wow you are really trying hard to discredit these guys..First of all that border is the most heavily crossed border in the world. Millions of Americans go back and forth every year. I live in San Diego, I'm Not Mexican and neither are any of my friends but we go pretty often specifically for the food. I don't know if your actually ignorant or being intentionally obtuse about mexico. As far as the dumpster I never seen one so that must not be the patient entrance...All dumpsters go somewhere. Although I described the building as shabby let me emphasizes that it was not dirty..I wouldn't risk having a surgery under unsanitary conditions. Everything was very clean. When I say shabby I was referring to the looks only..decor etc. Do they have an autoclave?? Of course they do what kind of question is that? I personally have an autoclave ..anyone with a few hundred dollars can have an autoclave.

[35YrsAfter]

wow you are really trying hard to discredit these guys..First of all that border is the most heavily crossed border in the world. Millions of Americans go back and forth every year. I live in San Diego, I'm Not Mexican and neither are any of my friends but we go pretty often specifically for the food. I don't know if your actually ignorant or being intentionally obtuse about mexico. As far as the dumpster I never seen one so that must not be the patient entrance...All dumpsters go somewhere. Although I described the building as shabby let me emphasizes that it was not dirty..I wouldn't risk having a surgery under unsanitary conditions. Everything was very clean. When I say shabby I was referring to the looks only..decor etc. Do they have an autoclave?? Of course they do what kind of question is that? I personally have an autoclave ..anyone with a few hundred dollars can have an autoclave.

Sorry for the offense. Many people, including myself would not go to Tijuana for a medical procedure. Please post your results as they come in. Traditionally, you will see the best growth between the sixth and ninth month. I wish you the best, great growth and a natural result.

[sunfire]

here r some pics from today ..day 8 post op..most of the scabs are gone and I didn't lose any grafts.