+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 5 of 5
  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    5

    Default FUT or FUE and Recommended Clinics?

    Hello everyone!

    Just want to say first that I truly appreciate this website and all that I've learned. This will be my first public post where I'll finally share my story, hair transplant results with Dr. Rahal, and hopefully you all can give me some honest reviews/recommendations. Two things before I get started. I don't have the best quality pictures nor very many of them and I apologize.

    I'm 39 years old now and live in Missouri - United States. I started receding at 16 years old. Almost had a HT with Bosley in my early 20's but thank God I wrecked my car and then couldn't afford it. Going to Bosley would've been the worst decision ever. I took Propecia/Finasteride off and on in my 20's and early 30's which really helped. And then I stopped the medicine when I was around 32 because I knew at some point in the near future my fiancee and I would be trying to do In-Vitro Fertilization. Less than a year after I stopped Finasteride I had lost a lot more hair and it was driving me crazy. I was about to get married and I knew it was time to get a hair transplant asap.

    After all the research I had done up until this point I was 100% sold on Dr. Rahal. My goal was to create a new hairline that was dense and natural looking and I felt that Dr. Rahal was the surgeon I needed. I ended up having a FUT with Dr. Rahal in October, 2013. Based on my hair loss at that time, Dr. Rahal recommended 4000 grafts by FUT. Once the procedure was finished I only ended up with 2949 grafts based on my laxity and donor density.

    Four to five months after my FUT with Rahal I was feeling optimistic because more new hairs were starting to sprout. I was also given the okay from Rahal's team to use Toppik if I wanted. I had never used any hair fibers in the past and this was a complete game changer for me. Even though at 6 months my results were see through and not dense, with the help of Toppik, I was able to create an illusion of a full head of hair.

    A year after my FUT with Rahal I took pictures and emailed them to Rahal’s team. I expressed that I felt my growth was not what I imagined it would be and that I’d like to hear Dr. Rahal’s opinion of my results. I didn’t make a big deal about it to Rahal’s team. Rahal’s team responded and said they covered an area of over 81cm with 2949 grafts, which is an average of 36 graft/cm squared. They also said at that density we expect to see some see though and visibility of the scalp. I was also advised that when Dr. Rahal reviewed my file that my grafts were fragile and my skin was tough to create popping. Dr. Rahal advised the fix would be to do another procedure/add more grafts and bring the density closer to 50 grafts/cm squared which would give a better illusion of density. Dr. Rahal also offered me 300 free grafts if I scheduled another hair transplant.

    By the way, I financed the hair transplant with Rahal thorough my own bank in Missouri on a 5 year loan. So a year after my HT when I knew I needed another HT in order to add more density and getting a better result, I knew I simply couldn’t afford anytime soon. So I let it go and went on with my life using Toppik every day and making the most out of the hairs I had.

    Also, I’m absolutely not blaming Rahal for my result. I think he is an amazing surgeon and I consider him to be very ethical. Even though I didn’t get a homerun result which I know now is not always the case, the result I got with the combination of Toppik changed my life and appearance in a very positive way. I’ve always known I’ve had thin hair, but I didn’t realize until lately that different hair characteristics play a very important role in the final result or the illusion of density. I also think it’s very likely that the reason I didn’t get a home run is because my hair being very fine, not many triples and no quads, not able to get as many grafts needed to cover my area needed, possible below average growth, and no finasteride.

    Here I am now, five years since I had my FUT with Rahal. I haven’t taken Finasteride in 7 years or so and I’ve lost so much more hair. I still use Toppik almost every day, except for the days I wear my hat. I’m tired of using toppik and spending so much time fixing my hair and stressing over it. It’s exhausting and depressing to say the least. I’ve considered shaving my head and also considered getting a hair replacement system. My gut tells me I wouldn’t be happy with either of those two options. Since I was successful at IVF and had a healthy child, hopefully very soon I’ll get back on Propecia or Finasteride which I know will help.

    What I really want and think I need is another hair transplant. In a perfect world I’d love to get one mega session and be done. Reality tells me I might not be the best candidate for that nor does that happen every time. So I want to be realistic. I’m not sure if I should go the FUT route again or if I should try FUE? Even though my hair characteristics are not amazing, if I were to get another FUT or FUE who would you guys recommend? Obviously I have a lot of area to cover and I’d love to cover as much area as possible in one session. Thank you all so much for reading this and sharing your opinions!
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version

Name:	InkedIMG_5272 (1)_LI.jpg

Size:	94.6 KB
ID:	62627   Click image for larger version

Name:	InkedIMG_5079_LI.jpg

Size:	96.5 KB
ID:	62628   Click image for larger version

Name:	InkedIMG_5077_LI.jpg

Size:	91.1 KB
ID:	62629   Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_5321_LI.jpg

Size:	92.1 KB
ID:	62630   Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_5301.jpg

Size:	87.5 KB
ID:	62631   Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_5283.jpg

Size:	96.1 KB
ID:	62632   Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_5262.jpg

Size:	93.9 KB
ID:	62633   Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_5255.jpg

Size:	89.7 KB
ID:	62634   Click image for larger version

Name:	InkedIMG_4987_LI.jpg

Size:	91.8 KB
ID:	62635   Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_4991_LI.jpg

Size:	90.6 KB
ID:	62636  

    Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_4992.jpg

Size:	91.4 KB
ID:	62637   Click image for larger version

Name:	InkedIMG_5028_LI (2).jpg

Size:	92.4 KB
ID:	62638   Click image for larger version

Name:	InkedIMG_5027_LI.jpg

Size:	102.1 KB
ID:	62639   Click image for larger version

Name:	InkedIMG_5026_LI.jpg

Size:	91.2 KB
ID:	62640   Click image for larger version

Name:	InkedIMG_5031_LI.jpg

Size:	78.6 KB
ID:	62641  

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    524

    Default

    I would go to Dr BISANGA or Dr Cole. I think they have teamed up .
    Get on advodart of finesteride. Keep us posted.

  3. #3
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    5

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by mrclean View Post
    I would go to Dr BISANGA or Dr Cole. I think they have teamed up .
    Get on advodart of finesteride. Keep us posted.
    Thanks so much for your feedback! I think those doctors are very good and respected. May I ask why you recommend them? Is it because you’ve had a HT with one of them or because you think they would be the best for my situation? Thank you!

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    524

    Default

    I have had a consultation with Bisanga and after years of research decided on him for FUE. After the consultation he told me i wasn't a candidate for FUE so i haven't pursued it since. Check out Topcat repair video and you can google his story:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHZA-cuctcE
    Dr. Cole is also very good with repair but i have never been to him.

  5. #5
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    5

    Default

    Hi guys - I just wanted to let everyone know after all the research and consultations, I’ve made my final decision for a FUT with Dr. Muresanu at Hattingen Hair Clinic in Switzerland on November 15th, 2019! I can’t begin to explain how confident and excited I am with this decision! I will be making a separate post before too long so I can share more details, share my progress once I have the hair transplant, and chat about my more recent experiences with dermarolling, minoxidil, and soon to be finasteride. Thanks so much for all your support!

Similar Threads

  1. FUT or FUE and Recommended Clinics?
    By Hairlineman in forum Hair Transplant: Start Your Own Topic
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 05-01-2019, 08:51 PM
  2. salon recommended shampoos..?
    By Tonydc in forum Men's Hair Loss: Start Your Own Topic
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 04-14-2016, 03:16 PM
  3. Recommended surgeon in NJ/NY area
    By sidd in forum Hair Transplant: Start Your Own Topic
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 03-30-2016, 11:31 AM
  4. Recommended doctors in NJ / NY?
    By 79BirdofPrey in forum Introduce Yourself & Share Your Story
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 02-17-2015, 08:39 AM
  5. USA Hair Clinics a.k.a. USA Vein Clinics
    By Crickster in forum Introduce Yourself & Share Your Story
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 05-10-2014, 04:52 PM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts

» IAHRS

hair transplant surgeons

» The Bald Truth

» Recent Threads

1800 graft repair case results by Dr. Lindsey
Yesterday 08:38 AM
Last Post By Dr. Lindsey
Yesterday 08:38 AM
Navigating the German Job Market as a Kenyan Citizen
11-04-2023 06:31 AM
Last Post By Keegan212
Yesterday 03:51 AM
DR HAKAN DOGANAY/ 4500 GRAFTS / Implanter Pen+FUE
03-26-2024 04:15 PM
Last Post By Hakan Doganay, MD
03-26-2024 04:15 PM
The Mane Event for Thursday, June 15th, 2023
06-15-2023 02:59 PM
Last Post By gisecit34
03-26-2024 08:05 AM