Who\'s the best out there that money can buy?

Hair Transplant
1

I’m for the most part severly bald. Several years ago went the Bosely route and was very much disapointed. All I have to show for it is a scar. I was wondering who is the best to fix this and give me something respectable and natural looking.

Also using the FUE technique, does the hair grow back from where it was harvested? It seems that you then only have so much stock to work with and are really just spreading things around, yes?

2

There is not an agreed-upon doc that is best. There are several dozen clinics that are the real deal and basically trustworthy (read: not Bosley), and maybe a dozen clinics that are considered “the A-list.”

Each clinic has its own set of cheerleaders on the net, and some of them are officially paid advocates of that clinic. So keep in mind the source when deciding whose advice you trust.

FUE doesn’t create more donor hair. Nothing does yet. We’re still basically robbing Peter to pay Paul with even the best HTs.

FUE basically amounts to using a tiny hole-saw and taking out hair follicle grafts one at a time. You get a couple thousand little tiny dots for scarring instead of one huge line. FUE scarring is not invisible but it can generally be buzzed down very short before it shows.

The downside of FUE is that it thins out the donor area and it costs about double what conventional HTs cost. The final graft survival rate is not as good as a top notch strip HT. (Although even FUE’s reduced graft survival rate is probably still better than the Bosley hackjob you’re comparing it to.)

The upside of FUE is that you get your whole head to pick grafts from. That means you can possibly get hairs grafted INTO you line-scar in the back. The graft survival rate there is not good but it can help minimize the appearance of the scar. The other big advantage of FUE is that the doc can take thinner-shafted hairs from the back of the neck, and use them on the hairline for added realism. (The standard donor hairs are thicker shafted than natural hairline hairs, which is part of the reason it has traditionally been so difficult to make nice hairlines with HT work.)

A lot of guys in your position elect to just go to a top-notch clinic and have another big strip-type HT session(s) done. They figure that their head is already permanently scarred anyway, so why pay for FUE work when good strip work is still offering more reliable and cheaper results? And at the same time, the second surgery can excise the original scar and reclose it with a tricho method. This is the best-looking closure method we have for line scars, it helps at least some hairs to regrow in the scar tissue.

Some of the best strip-type HT clinics are doing “megasessions” these days, which basically amounts to creating a very long scar and doing a TON of grafts in a single session. The recovery is worse than with smaller strips & FUE work, but at least you get more progress for your session. In ideal situations a clinic like Hasson & Wong can potenially do 4000+ grafts in a single strip session.

You might elect to go for FUE work along with more strip work. Lots of HT veterans have gone this route. It seems to be the best way to get the maximum amount of lifetime donor grafts from your head. Total lifetime max grafts can range from 3-4000 all the way up to a few outlandish cases of 9000+ grafts. It depends on the person, the degree of MPB, and the characteristics of their hair, and the type(s) of surgery used to extract the grafts.

3

When I was researching my first HT there were only a few doctors in all of the world I would consider letting do my HT procedure. In the end I decided upon Dr. Armani. http://mystorypats205.blogspot.com/

I have had both Strip and FUE done and speaking from experience I will say that the downtime is considerably less after FUE.

The hair does not grow back after it is harvested. You only have so much donor hair, so it is important to go to a good doctor who will do your procedure right and preserve your donor. A bad procedure can waist precious grafts.

The biggest advantage of having FUE is you do not get the gigantic scar left in the back of your head from ear to ear like I have from my FUSS procedure.

My biggest advice to you is, do not let travel or price be a factor when choosing your doctor. Choose your doctor based on the results you like the best. Your transplant result will be their for life and something you live with everyday.

4

Like Pats, I also had a mediocre strip procedure done with a surgeon in southern california. The FUE procedure with Dr. Armani couldn’t compare. Far less invasive and my results were superior. In my opinion FUE is a far superior method.

5

If you want an honest answer from a real patient i’ll give you mine.

The best FUE Dr. in the field is Dr. Armani.

Please checkout my threads to get an idea and thread of many others who had an FUE with Dr. Armani.

If you have any questions i’ll be more than happy to help you out.

Good Luck

6

Beard grafts into scar video. Results not typical and vary from person to person.

Dr. Umar’s patient.
click PLAY button below to watch video.
1_file26.flv

7

Like you, I also went the Bosley route - the biggest mistakes of my life, by far. I would recommend that you have FUE and/or a combination of strip scar revision/FUE. Dr. Armani is an excellent choice. And no, I am not a paid “cheerleader”.

8

bostonbuzz,

Prior to getting my HT I researched my options for a good 6 months before deciding to go with Dr. Armani. As a result of looking through countless numbers of before/after pics, joining certain online forums and talking to some actual patients of Armani it was a no-brainer for me. Here it is 5 years later and I can’t imagine what life would be like if I had not followed through with it. This is a very important decision for you, so take your time and do your research. I will say that you can’t go wrong with Dr. Armani - his work speaks for itself. Take a look at my blog below and if you have any questions I would be happy to answer them for you.

9

I can give you a bit of advice and say go to Dr. Armani in Toronto. I had a FUE procedure done last year and I am extremely satisfied with my results.

He is one of the best doctors out there and can do wonders. The experience I had with him and his staff was wonderful. If the FUE route is what you are going to do I wouldnt trust anyone other then Dr. Aramani and his clinic.