Hair post 2000 FUE No shave laorwong 6 months. 1st photo is a week ago. Photo 2-6 is before the surgery Photo 7-8 are post surgery And photos 8-20 are all in the last 2 weeks, some wet, some dry, some styled, with the last 2 being from an event i was at last week 42/m been on 1mg fin for years, topical minox off and on but post surgery added 2.5mg oral minoxidil daily and have gotten 3 Prp shots over the 6 months. My overall feeling is of somewhat disappointment, with the caveat that i likely had unrealistic expectations, may have hair dysmorphia and also it’s partially my fault. After his initial drawing i got a little paranoid it would be too low and asked for it to be maybe half a centimeter higher, i feel like it ended up being a full centimeter higher or more and now i feel like i spent thousands of dollars to still have a receding hairline. I don’t know what was going through my head. I think i thought it would use less graphs, cause he originally told me 1600-2000, but the graph count didn’t change. Also maybe i was wrinkling my forehead and didn’t realize it 😂 I did feel rushed during the design phase, and also wish he had included my temples, but at the end of day I’m the moron. And i know everyone says it’s not 12 months yet, but my growth has also tapered off, especially density wise. I feel like I had great growth in the first 4, 4.5 months and it really hasn’t grown since then, in basically the last 1.5 months. The hair feels very wispy, you can see it in some of the photos, and for 2k in such a small area it should be far denser. Additionally, it’s just weird and hard to style. It mostly grows straight up, in a way that isn’t normal. Like, it won’t go down and i can’t wear it down. Just straight up. And in maybe 15% of it, along the right edge, it’s growing in sideways, at like a 60 degree angle. It makes it very hard to style. For example, i can’t comb or wear my hair down, if i wanted to cover up the forehead or do a fringe. The hairline also just looks weird, too straight, and even though I asked for micro irregularities there doesn’t seem like any put in. Luckily i have a few forgotten soldiers that survived and give it maybe a little bit more normal appearance. I don’t think it’s the kind of thing the average person would mostly notice but it definitely looks off to me. Weirdly, i think it looks best when it’s wet as the new hair blends with my old hair. The back looks fine unless I cut it short, in which case it has a bit of the moth eaten look, which means i can’t really get fades which is also another issue. Granted, i haven’t done that since about the 4 month mark cause I’m too scared now of what it’ll look like, so it could have improved. While this isn’t a horror story or anything, and it could still turn out solid, i really wanted to be able to stop hyperfocusng and thinking about my hair all the time. And maybe i have hair dysmorphia or something, but that hasn’t been the case. I also really wanted to be able to slick my hair back and can’t really do that. So all in all, somewhat disappointed. I’m starting to look for a touch up surgeon who could do some temple work and maybe give me a half or full centimeter lower hairline, if anyone has any recs. Would love to get something done this winter and finally have something I’m happy with but seems unrealistic. Happy to answer any questions

Hello everyone. I would love to hear your thoughts on my operation and answer any questions. Key information Age: 31 Norwood: Every clinic I contacted that gave me evaluation said NW3, although I feel like I am on the advanced side of 3 Meds: 1mg finasteride daily 3/2022-6/2023. Stopped my hairloss from progressing. No side effects apart from increased libido at first and watery semen. I wish I had started a lot sooner! 0.5mg dutasteride daily 6/2023-present. I had minimal side effects on finasteride so decided to switch hoping for further regrowth. I had some testicle pain at first, at which point I decided to switch to every other day. The pain went away, and after two weeks I began taking daily. No further side effects except maybe like 5% decreased libido, which is honestly fine by me. 2.5mg oral minoxidil 6/2023-present. I'm considering switching to 5mg as after the first few days I have had no side effects. Collagen + biotin supplement 6/2023-present. Balding history: first noticed thinning around age 20. Progressed gradually first at the hairline and then the midscalp/crown until I started finasteride. Family history: My dad is full blown NW7. We have similar hair and appearance generally. No one on my mom's side has hairloss, nor does my younger brother. Price: 65THB / graft, for a total of 271,750THB or ~$7.8k. 20kTHB deposit over Wise, then the remainder with Visa or Mastercard after surgery for no additional fee. Included a PRP injection. Grafts: 4,178 total. 1,257 triple, 2,292 double, 315 1.5 (I actually don't know what this means), 314 single. 9,299 hairs total. Decision process I first started thinking about a transplant 3/2022, which led me to start finasteride after a consultation with a local surgeon. I made the decision to get a surgery 4/2023. Budget was not really a consideration for me, but I didn't feel that the results from top clinics were significantly better so I focused on doctors in the $3-10k range. Location was not a major factor, but I am based in Asia so Bangkok was a positive. I felt ready for the surgery and didn't want to wait, so I preferred clinics with short waiting periods. After seeing many good results from Dr. Laorwong on here and Reddit and positive initial communications with his clinic, I decided to go with him. I also appreciated that they provide 5 full days of aftercare. Consultation and lead up I communicated with the clinic over Line in mid May. I believe I was talking directly to Dr. Laorwong the whole time. He provided me with an MS-paint style hairline drawing a 4k graft estimation. There was some availability in June and July with significant availability in August-October. Due to my travel schedule, I decided on 8/4 and confirmed the date with a 20kTHB (~$572) deposit. I was told to stop oral minoxidil one week before surgery. I arrived in Bangkok a few days before the operation after a diving trip in Koh Tao (recommended place to visit). I met with Dr. Laorwong on 8/3 at 3pm for the in-person consultation. To be honest, his hairline designs were I thought the weakest part of his performance in reports that I had read, but I liked the first one he drew on me. The hairline went down to my retained forelock, which was what I wanted and expected based on my facial proportions. After a bit of discussion, we decided to slightly increase the arch so that I would have a bit of widow's peak to slightly improve hairline density and generally be conservative. He measured my donor area and confirmed that I was all good for surgery.They took pre-op photos and did a finger prick HIV test as well. I was told to eat breakfast the following day but avoid coffee and to not drink that night. In general, I found Dr. Laorwong to be concise and business like, but he happily and thoroughly answered all of my questions. They gave me antiseptic shampoo that I used that night and in the morning before surgery. Surgery I arrived at 8am on 8/4. I changed into surgery attire, then a kind nurse checked my blood pressure and gave me medication. I think it was amoxicilin, arcoxia, and two valium. Then Dr. Laorwong came in. He redrew the hairline and marked up my scalp, then proceeded to shave my head with the help of a few nurses. We proceeded to the surgery room where I laid face down for extraction. They massaged my calves and used a vibrating machine on my head while administering the anesthetic. It didn't hurt much at all, maybe a 2/10. They had music (I think Thai music? It was vaguely dancy and pretty good) on in the background and chatted a bit, but generally were pretty quiet throughout the operation. The valium began to kick in and I was in and out of consciousness for most of the morning. The most uncomfortable part was lying face down for so long. The gel pillow was nicer than a massage pillow, but still felt uncomfortable against my forehead. I had to lay my head on its side while they extracted from the parietal area, which was aggravated my neck (perpetually stiff from too much desk work). Overall, though, not too bad. We broke for lunch around 1:30pm. I had requested chicken pad thai, which I ate in the room where they shaved my head. After 30m or so we restarted. For implantation I sat in the same chair, face up this time. They drew blood for PRP then covered my eyes with a gauze blindfold. They administered more anesthetic to my forehead, I believe just above the center part of each of my eyebrows. Also about a 2/10 on the pain scale. I could feel the doctor making the initial incisions which stung a little, but when the anesthetic fully kicked in I didn't feel anything. Again, I drifted in and out of sleep for most of the operation. I'm not sure who performed most of the implantation, but I know that Dr. Laorwong was present for much of the time as I recall hearing his voice on a number of occasions. I was conscious for the last hour or so as the valium wore off and started to feel pretty bored, so I was quite happy when Dr. Laorwong told me that they were all set. They It was 8:30pm when we finished, for about 11 hours of surgery time after accounting for the lunch break. The same nurse who checked my blood pressure bandaged me up. They served me a light dinner, gave me medication (amoxicilin, arcoxia, prednisone, and tylenol, which I didn't end up needing) and instructions, handled payment, and sent me home. After enjoying a delivery smoothie, I took a valium and went to bed. Per their instructions, I slept on my back with two pillows supporting my head and a towel under my neck. Again thanks to the valium, I enjoyed a good night's sleep. Overall the surgery was a bit more comfortable than I expected. The entire team acted with utmost professionalism and kindness. If I could offer one piece of feedback to the clinic, I would have appreciated some progress updates as the surgery proceeded.  Aftercare I went back to the clinic at 3pm on 8/5. The same nurse who had gotten me settled the previous day undid the bandages and washed my head. She spoke decent English and had a warm, positive demeanor. The doctor came by for a checkup and confirmed that everything had gone well the previous day. They gave me a headband to wear for 3 days to prevent swelling in my face and a very comfortable black bonnet. I also did about 30m of low level laser therapy (LLLT) on the donor and recipient areas. They gave me a saline spray to use every hour until I went to sleep, which I adhered to carefully. They told me to resume oral minoxidil on this day. I returned to the clinic the following three days for further cleaning and LLLT. I saw different nurses on these days who were still kind but didn't speak much English. As a minor complaint, I had to wait in the lobby for over an hour past my appointment time on one of the days. Today, my last day before I depart, Dr. Laorwong checked up on me again and confirmed that things looked good. I thanked everyone for their excellent service and went on my way. In general, I felt pretty good after the surgery. My donor area was a bit sensitive and stung for the first two days, and there was some blood on my pillow after the second night (first night without bandages). The clinic said that this is normal and not something to be concerned about. The recipient area feels quite numb, which I understand is common. I also felt like I had to clear my throat a lot for the first two days after surgery, kind of like I gotten water in my windpipe. However, this could be allergies or just me being bad at eating. Logistics Bangkok is a very comfortable place to recover from surgery. Food and grocery delivery is cheap and tasty. I stayed at Pattern hotel and would recommend it -- kind staff and excellent breakfast. I have been to Bangkok before so didn't do much sightseeing, but there are a number of high end malls with air conditioning and good food courts that are nice places to kill time. I saw Oppenheimer in imax at Iconsiam and have to say it might be the nicest movie theater I've ever been to. Miscellanea Some of the post-op instructions were different from what I've read about with other clinics. In particular, I am a regular snus user, and the doctor told me that it was fine to resume using the day after surgery. He also told me that I can start exercising 7 days after surgery as long as I avoid contact sports. I was not instructed to sleep sitting up or anything like that. Overall impressions Although I reserve judgment until time reveals my results, I had a very positive experience. The doctor and his staff came off as consistently competent, professional, and kind. They were responsive to my concerns before, during, and after surgery. All details about pricing and logistics were presented clearly. The clinic is modern, clean, and fairly conveniently located. Assuming that my eventual result is positive, I would happily return if I need another procedure as well as recommend to family, friends, and strangers on the internet. Thanks for reading my wall of text. I plan to update with photos periodically. Implantation summary 4 days post-op 4 days post-op 4 days post-op 1 day post-op 1 day post-op 1 day post-op 1 day post-op Pre-op Pre-op Pre-op

6 months in and we have officially-officially made it past the ugly duckling phase! Note: if you have questions, please check first and second posts. There are a lot of answers there.

Hey everyone, I’ve never posted on Reddit before, but I’ve benefitted so much from this community that I wanted to share my experience and pay it forward. I’m using a throwaway account for privacy reasons. My Journey I’m 36 and started losing hair at 23, classic male pattern baldness. Over the past 10 years, I’ve been on oral finasteride and minoxidil which helped stabilise my hair loss. Around a year ago, I began exploring the possibility of hair transplants. It was a daunting process initially because I had so many questions and concerns about what could potentially go wrong, but this community’s reviews and insights gave me the much needed confidence to go for it! After nearly a year of research, comparing results and reviews from clinics in Turkey, Australia and Thailand, I chose Absolute Hair Clinic in Bangkok. While they were one of the pricier options, their reputation and consistent results stood out for me. Between Dr. Laorwong and Dr. Ratchathorn, I ultimately chose Dr. Ratchathorn for her outstanding results and impressive accolades. I just had a strong feeling she was the best fit for my use case. The Consultation I planned a two week trip to Bangkok to ensure I had time to recover before flying home. The day before the surgery, I met Dr. Ratchathorn for the pre-op consultation. She designed my hairline, conducted a donor area assessment and did my blood test for HIV. Initially, she recommended two sessions, focusing on density at the front and midsection first and then addressing the crown later. However, I preferred a single session if possible and she accommodated this by maximising the grafts she could use for a single session: 2300 grafts to the front 800 grafts to the midsection 1200 grafts to the crown In order to make this work, we agreed not to lower the hairline and prioritise coverage. Cost & Surgery Details Cost: 80 THB per graft (shaved) Total grafts: 4,300 Procedure length: ~6-7 hours On surgery day, I arrived at the clinic, had my hairline finalised and off we go. The anaesthetic injections were about a 5/10 pain wise but once they kicked in, I didn’t feel much. I slept through most of the procedure thanks to Valium and woke up briefly during implantation when the anaesthetic wore off (a quick top-up fixed that). After the procedure, I was given meds, made the payment via Wise and walked back to my hotel. The process was surprisingly smooth overall. Post-Op Care The clinic provided five days of free cleaning and medication application for both the donor and recipient areas + 1 session in an oxygen chamber. I extended the cleaning service for an additional 5 days (totally worth it as I didn’t want to risk damaging the recipient area and it wasn't very expensive). All the staff there were incredible!!! So friendly, professional and attentive. On my last day, they even treated me to an oil scalp massage to remove the scabs. Overall I’m very happy with my choice to go with Dr. Ratchathorn. She is truly a master of her craft. The thought and care she put into designing a natural looking hairline were outstanding. While it’s still early, I’m feeling very optimistic about the outcome (fingers crossed). Thailand itself made the whole trip worthwhile. Amazing food, friendly people and I could comfortably explore the city with the black bandana they provided to protect my scalp. I’ll try to post monthly updates to share my progress, but please feel free to ask me anything in the comments!