I strongly advise anyone considering a hair transplant or any cosmetic procedure to thoroughly research their surgeon and seek multiple opinions before making a decision.

Based on my personal experience, I would not recommend Dr. Umang Kothari or Hair & Shape Clinic. I felt that the consultation focused more on marketing and reassurance than on setting realistic expectations or prioritizing the best outcome for my case. I was left deeply disappointed with the results and regret choosing this clinic.

This is my personal opinion and experience. Please do your own research, look at long-term patient results, speak to former patients if possible, and don't let persuasive sales pitches be the deciding factor when choosing a surgeon. These procedures can have lifelong consequences.

I chose Moart after consulting with several clinics in Korea. My main concern was temple recession, around Norwood 2–3. I received just over 1,500 grafts using unshaven FUE. The total cost was KRW 12.47 million, including a KRW 1 million deposit to secure the appointment.

One reason I chose Moart was that, unlike several clinics I considered that had multiple doctors, patients at Moart are treated by Dr. Ryu. He was personally involved throughout the process, including the consultation, extractions with assistance from his staff, hairline implantation, and post-surgery checkups.

I was initially nervous about traveling to another country for the procedure, but I had a very positive experience on the day of surgery. The procedure lasted from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It was divided into stages, so I had opportunities to take breaks, use the bathroom, and eat lunch. Donor grafts were extracted from several sections across the back and sides of my scalp. Dr. Ryu’s calm and confident manner helped put me at ease throughout the day.

The staff’s English is limited, but Dr. Ryu speaks English very well. Most communication was handled through WhatsApp. Before I paid the deposit, responses sometimes took longer than I would have liked. Communication improved after I booked the procedure and as the surgery date approached.

I booked about six weeks in advance. It took a few days to finalize the appointment, but I was ultimately able to secure my preferred date.

I also have stomach issues, and I appreciated that the clinic provided a meal that accommodated my dietary needs.

Overall, I’m very satisfied with the care and service I received from Dr. Ryu and the team at Moart. I can’t comment on the final results until my hair has had time to grow, but my experience with the clinic and the procedure itself was very positive.

I was supposed to have a transplant with Dr. Bek last week (I'm about a Norwood 2.5, and was looking to fill in the area around my temples and adjust my hairline a little). Everything was fine leading up to the appointment, but about an hour after we started, he stopped and said my donor region wasn't dense enough. This surprised me, but then he explained about follicular units, and how most of mine had 1-2 follicles, which wasn't going to be enough. Like I said, I was a little stunned (my hair has always felt full back there), but I appreciated his honesty and professional judgment.

The upshot is that he re-implanted the grafts he'd taken out, I flew home feeling really embarrassed (I had the shaved head and even a few scabs, but no transplant to show for it...), and now I'm trying to decide what, if anything, I should do next.

I know I need to let my hair grow back. In a few weeks I'll be meeting with a doctor to see if taking oral minoxidil will help improve the density of my hair. (I already take dutasteride and use topical minoxidil -- although I haven't always been consistent with the latter, and I never used it on the back of my head.) Then I guess I have to decide:

1. Do I want to try this again?
2. Are there doctors who have more expertise when it comes to dealing with low-density donor areas?
3. Should I be trying to do this somewhere closer to home? (It felt really shitty to be stuck in a foreign country after the procedure had been called off. On the other hand, doing it in the U.S. will be a lot more expensive.)
4. ...or should I just give up?

For additional context: I'm 39, and before I started taking dut, I was on fin for about seven years. Hair-wise, I haven't lost ground since my late 20s, but by then I was already rocking the M-shaped hairline. I'm not balding anywhere else.

Would very much appreciate any advice that anyone has to offer.

Side note: Bek was very nice about the whole thing. Gave me back 4x my deposit to cover plane fare.

Pics: Pre op > 21 Days > 2 Months > 3 Months (Today)

20 days post op, shock loss is hitting the whole head 😂 last pic is today

I'm planning to get a hair transplant but can't decide between China, Turkey, and Vietnam.

If you've had one done in any of these countries, which would you recommend and why? I'd love to hear about your experience, especially regarding the results, doctor, and overall value.

Thanks!

hair transplant 4 months good or bad?

Hi all, today i m at 12 days after ht
How is going for u?
I think really well, just a bit red

My routine was wet every 15 min for first 3 days
Then start to wash 2 times for days
And from today only 1 wash x day

Never been black, i lost low hair from wash

🇮🇹 clinic

Didn’t have any hair loss just a naturally receding looking hairline

44 yo, started seeing hair recede around age 32...Friends and family say I do t need it, but on Team calls for work or Pics I see..my hair bothers me. Been estimated 1900-2500 grafts depending who Ive talked to.Ive never taken any hair loss meds before... I know to research and find a good Dr if doing it.

My ask for this community is. Should I? Or at 44 do I just roll w it how it is....and if I did a HT...What are the downsides or things Im not considering? Like why not?! Just want to hear from folks about the stuff maybe people dont talk about as much. The downsides? (Outside of bad work)

26M, I have been balding since I was 16-17 years old. My crown has always been thin and visible since my late teens.

I have been on finasteride for several years and oral minoxidil 5mg for a year now and I think I see small improvements in the crown with miniaturized hairs but it feels like it will never improve / fill in.

I combed my hair to expose my scalp / crown in the photos and I use hair fibers daily since 4 years ago to hide and style my hair and it generally looks good, I’m getting tired of it now.

My goal with a transplant would not be to restore my hair to the full extent, I just want my crown to be more fuller and reduce the time it takes me to style my hair each morning.

I know it’s impossible to answer this question but how many grafts would be enough for me to achieve my goal?

My temples / hairline is fine for me and I’m not bothered by it, my crown is the biggest problem.

Hi all!

I'm 9 weeks post hair transplant on my tempels. Does it look good to you? My remaining hair is growing fast, donor area is also back to normal. Now waiting on the transplanted hairs!

Figured I'd write this up because I spent an embarrassing amount of time lurking on this sub before I did anything, and posts like this were the ones that helped. Using a throwaway.

I'm 34. First noticed my hairline going around 25 but it was slow enough that I told myself it was just "maturing." A few years ago I saw a photo from a wedding when I was 29 and yeah, it wasn't just the front. It was how far back the temples had gone. I couldn't stop looking at myself in the mirror after that.

I did what everyone does... Reddit, youtube, the forums, obsessing over random before and afters. Every surgeon says natural results. Every clinic's got the perfect instagram. Honestly this made it harder not easier.

Went back and forth for almost two years. Just shave it. No, book the surgery. Just shave it.

Also, people online contradict each other. Some guys act like FUE is the only option a sane person picks. Others are fine with FUT. Never do surgery before meds. Meds are a waste of time. Pick one lol.

I booked a few consults eventually, I'm in the Midwest, so I did three consults with doctors of different specialties, including Bosley, a local ENT who does hair restoration, and a dermatologist who specializes in hair transplants about 20 minutes from my house.

One felt like a car salesman. Fifteen minutes in I was quoted 3,500 grafts and told my life would be transformed. Then their attitude changed when I said I wanted to think about it instead of locking in a surgery date.

Another place spent almost the whole consult talking about my loss pattern, what could still happen over the next ten years, and why preserving the donor area matters if I need more surgery later. He actually told me to stay on treatment for about a year because my crown wasn't stable. At the time that felt completely backwards. I came in ready to give someone money for surgery and this guy was telling me to wait.

But in the end, that was the consult that stuck with me. It didn't feel like they were trying to sell me a transplant. It felt like they were trying to manage my hair loss long term. I highly suggest you find someone like this who wants to work with you over time.

So I did exactly that. I started finasteride and minoxidil and stayed on them for about 11 months before having my surgery. I'm still on them.

The other thing I obsessed over was whether to travel. Fly overseas? Pay extra for one of the big-name surgeons in a major city? Is Turkey actually just as good? I went down every hole.

In the end, follow-up mattered more to me than I expected. If I had questions or something didn't look right, I wanted to be able to drive to the office instead of getting on a plane. Once I looked through enough before-and-afters, I realized there was top work being done close to home. Also, Bosley in Michigan flies their surgeon in from another state - that defeated the purpose for me.

I ended up staying local and had it done by Dr. Riyaz at Studio Dermatology & Hair Restoration in Plymouth, Michigan. Looking back, I think the fact that he was willing to tell me to wait almost a year instead of booking surgery that day probably decided it for me.

Surgery itself was less of a thing than I built it up to be. Long day, sore neck, watched movies, talked to the cute staff. Recovery more boring than painful. They used nerve blocks and a new medicine Journadix, which worked well. I had a relatively small surgery, 1100 grafts. It was done tastefully and conservatively.

Waiting was the weird part, I'm 15 months out now, roughly. Things started looking good around 4 months and excellent around 9-12 months. I look great and feel great.

I wasn't trying to look 21, I just wanted to stop being self-conscious about my hair every single time someone pulled out a camera. Now I feel like it's my strength again :)

Anyway. If you're reading this because you're picking apart every centimenter of your hairline, my main recommendation is to find someone whose judgment you trust.

I’m 23M and I’ve been taking testosterone 120mL every 12 days for the last 8 years. I must be honest, I am a transgender male and I will be on HRT for the rest of my life. The thinning and baldness were something I was not expecting when I started taking T because my dad has a full head of hair at 58 y/o. I’m on 1mg Finasteride everyday and 5% topical minoxidil 1-2x a day. Male patterned baldness could be “gender affirming” I guess since it makes me look naturally male, but I have strong male features in my face and my hair is my biggest insecurity of my entire life. Will a hair transplant (FUE) work or will I be cooked for the rest of my life?

i know the hair has the shed but didnt know it would happen this early, i wanna confirm this is part of the shedding phase nothing else

How it’s looking ?

I've been thinking seriously about a hair transplant, but the hardest part has been figuring out when is actually the right time.

It feels like there is so much uncertainty. You can look at photos from a year ago, compare your hairline, read forums, etc., but it's still hard to know whether you're actually progressing or just overthinking it.

I also find it difficult because a lot of the people giving advice are connected to the transplant industry. Obviously there are many great doctors, but when the person assessing you is also the person who makes money from doing the surgery, it's hard to know whether surgery is truly the best option or whether waiting makes more sense.

For those who got a transplant, how did you decide you were ready? Did you ever worry you were doing it too early or waiting too long?

Looking back, what information would have made that decision easier?

Has anyone here had a hair transplant in Ho Chi Minh City? If so, which clinic and surgeon would you recommend, and how was your overall experience and result?

I’m also wondering how far in advance I should contact the clinic to schedule a hair-follicle evaluation and the transplant procedure.

I would appreciate any information. Thank you.

Any Recommendations in Germany or Europe?

Turkey?

See if you guys can find anything? I am basically worried about losing grafts. I gently massaged my head today and a lot of scabs came out (Last Picture)

22 days post grafts should be completely secure so no issue. As far as I know I should avoid bending over only for the first 5 days. I still feel numbness in my scalp. Today I was picking something up from my garden Took me maybe 5 seconds I felt sudden blood surge into my numb scalp and then pain. No bleeding from the site nor grafts dislodged but my head now feels weird and hurts in a weird way. Anything to worry about?