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Europe vs North America

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clee984

Valued member
(Hi, I already posted this in another forum, I would be interested in any responses here too, if anyone can help me out, that would be great. Sorry if this issue has been addressed elsewhere, I'm still finding my way around the forum.)


I'm considering getting a HT in the near future. I'm very impressed by the results of Hasson and Wong, and they clearly are amongst the best. However, I could just be swayed towards them because they market themselves better than most other clinics (their website, for example, is sick). I'll be living in France and/or the UK for the next few years, so obviously Vancouver or anywhere in the states is a bit out of my way. I've also been impressed by the results I've seen online of Dr Feriduni in Belgium. So my first question is, do you have to go to the States (or Canada) to get the best possible result? I have no problem going to Vancouver or anywhere else if it'll get me the best possible outcome, but if I can get the same result in Europe, that's preferable.

I'll explain my situation quickly. I'm 30, I have diffuse thinning, my hairloss is at the stage where after I get out of the shower and under strong light you can obviously see the developing norwood 5/6 pattern, but under normal light and if I grew my hair (I was shaving it until recently) it just looks like I have the 'M' receding hairline. My dad is 60 and isn't bald, and his father had a full head of hair when he died, as did my other grandfather. My mother had three brothers, one of whom was totally bald in his 20s, the other two had full heads of hair the last time I saw them, but my mum died a long time ago and I haven't seen them since then. I first noticed my hairloss at age 21. I bought some propecia online a couple of months ago, haven't noticed any effect from it yet, positive or negative.

Is 30 a bit too young for a HT? Should I wait a few years and see how it plays out, and see what new treatments come along? I don't want to get on the treadmill of having to get an HT every few years to keep up with my hairloss, so should I get an FUE? Does that mean I can still either shave it off or have a strip procedure in a few years, if I want to?

I think my expectations are reasonably realistic. I'm not after Led Zep hair. The Jean Reno, Micheal Stipe-in-the-losing-my-religion-video type hair would be fine. I'm after more of a conservative, 'preventative' HT, that means I won't go bald, rather than one that restores the illusion of a teenage head of hair for just a few years. I don't mind having a mature hairline and slightly thin crown.

Also I have read that a lax scalp is a good thing, and was wondering, is there any way to gauge this yourself? I can wiggle both ears and raise both eyebrows independently, if that's any indication!

(I can also do an impression of Darth Vader if you turn the lights off and I have a fluorescent condom, but that's probably more appropriate in another forum)

Cheers guys, any replies appreciated. And also, sincere thanks to the guys who have sorted their hairloss but still post advice on here, I think it's really cool that you take the time to do that.
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Before going down the HT route you should stick with the meds first, if you are a good responder you may never need a HT.

Try the shaved or short hairstyle also if you are comfortable with that look.You may like it and realise you don`t need a HT.

Thanks for joining and sharing your story with us.

bm.
 
My WHTC Hair Talk

My WHTC Hair Talk

Member
I noticed that you are interested in finding a good doctor in the UK. There are a few doctors I heard that were really good Dr. Mwamba, Dr. Bisanga, Dr Devorye,and Dr. Keser. If you have any other questions you can email my at [email protected].


www.mywhtc.com
 
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wylie

Valued member
Well, you ask some very good questions. Alot of them, unfortunately, can only be answered by yourself. It is up to you to determine what the future holds for you and whether or not you may one day decide to shave your head completely and be done with the nuisance of having any hair. For this reason I would opt out of getting strip and do an FUE only. This option is best used by those who are not diffuse thinners and have a good base of hair to work with. Thats why I would recommend FUE over strip. If you choose this option, your choices are narrowed.

While H&W may be king in the strip world (or maybe their marketing and website is the best, and other equally skilled surgeons remain lesser known in the U.S. or abroad) if you opt for FUE, you can scratch them off the list of being the best at FUE.

You see, its not only about what you want to look like right now, but what you MAY want to look like ten years from now. And the thorny questions that come with any decision (location, price, a good "vibe" from the doctor, etc., etc) are not going away. These need to be factored in as well, so the question becomes even more complicated to answer.

Thats why its so important to research and think these things thru BEFORE you start. So many people don't do this, opt for a small strip HT, and then, years later, would like to shave their head but have a scar to conceal. It's one of only many other questions everyone should ask themselves. Many doctors are not going to, why would they? They are not in business to turn away customers.

The moral of the story: Knowing what you want, and knowing what you don't want, are equally important
 
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drmwamba

Valued member
Hi Clee,

30 y.o. is a good age to consider hair transpalnt surgery .But the later you start the surgery ,the better because your hair loss will already take his shape and you won't have to do many surgeries to catch up .
A good way to control the progress of your haair loss is by taking medication such as propecia .2 months is too short to judge its effect .You have to stick to it for about one year to drag any conclusion .

Do your research and you will find out good doctors in US and in Europe .Everyone has his own philosophy and you can discover the one that fit your goals(hair line design ,grafting density ,etc...).They do have one thing in common :they provide good ,natural results .
 
Westcoaster

Westcoaster

member
Hey Clee, are you still around ?
You were trying out Propecia right ?
Did things work out for you ?

Here is a picture of my progressive hairloss, without cloning I have too much real estate to cover.
 

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Crudance2006

Member
drmwamba wrote:
Hi Clee,

30 y.o. is a good age to consider hair transpalnt surgery .But the later you start the surgery ,the better because your hair loss will already take his shape and you won't have to do many surgeries to catch up .
A good way to control the progress of your haair loss is by taking medication such as propecia .2 months is too short to judge its effect .You have to stick to it for about one year to drag any conclusion .

Do your research and you will find out good doctors in US and in Europe .Everyone has his own philosophy and you can discover the one that fit your goals(hair line design ,grafting density ,etc...).They do have one thing in common :they provide good ,natural results .

As Dr Mwamba says there are good doctors on both continents. Do plenty of research to find a doctor you are comfortable with.
 
topccat29

topccat29

29 year HT veteran
What €™s stands out for me with this post are a few things if I were in the researching stage. It doesn €™t mean I am correct but it means personally I would look at it and proceed with caution. In fact one could say that maybe I am overly cautious but too each his own.

The patient is 30 yet he references Led Zepplin, Michael Stipe and Darth Vadar. These would be more appropriate for some closer to 50 so immediately that makes me take pause and wonder if the post has another purpose and the person in not who he states. That doesn €™t mean this is the case but it is also important for others to understand this does go on. Postings with a purpose other than what they seem.


Always better to consider postings with those that post pictures and plenty of personal information and considerable follow up with a higher value when researching.

In my opinion the gold standard for using the forums is to follow posters who have a history that then go on to become patients and follow up completely with their result with disappearing. Of course this is only one aspect of researching but an important one none the less. One needs to filter out a great deal that tends to just produce social proof without any substance. Even patients who then go on to become posters have to be considered of lesser value when researching as it seems to be common sense. Just something for others to think about.

A good example would be Fred from Belgian. He posted at least for a year or more on multiple forums along with posting tons of personal information and to top it off full face photos. He then went on to have procedure with Dr. DeReys which he has been documenting. I don €™t always agree with what he has to say but regardless that is a very credible case and poster to follow because of the way it has unfolded. Follow that same recipe of looking for posters that then go on to become patients over time it €™s a safer approach. The recipe has to follow a specific order.



 
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