swayzedo

Hey folks, just thought I'd share my experience with BHR and my consultation I had yesterday (23rd April) with Dr Bisanga. Taken from my blog so skip over the bits about me being smug with myself for being able to get on a plane if you want- Well it's Thursday Morning, I'm still half asleep from my day to Belgium yesterday but what an all round experience it was, I thoroughly enjoyed it! First off the flying! The flight over was an absolute breeze. I'm so surprised at myself to the point of stunned as I've never been like that on a plane before. I was even gawking out the window for most of it when previously that would have made me bring up my breakfast! To be fair the 5 diazapam I swallowed may have had something to do with it and the fact that the flight only had about 20 people on it. The way back wasn't so good as it was crowded, dark and the air-con seemed to be broken but still it was bearable and didn't seem to take as long. Taxi's were no problem too and besides a slight language barrier from the official taxi man outside the airport he was nice enough and a quick look at my iphone with the clinic address was enough and just over 50 euros for the trip. The taxi back was a very talky affair though, a lovely Portuguese gentleman who actually took me to see some sights in Brussels plus got me to the airport n less time than the first AND charged me less. But to the clinic itself. As I was sitting in a lovely park in Brussels eating my lunch in the blazing sunshine (it was a beautiful summer like day!) I got a call from the clinic asking if I wouldn't mind coming n a bit early and since I had got bored sitting at the airport and had went in to the town for a wander about and was getting a bit bored now it was a welcome change. When I got to the clinic all the staff were extremely friendly (and not to sound sexist but rather easy on the eye too!) and I was made to feel very welcome. They appeared to have lost my form that I filled in online but it only took 2 minutes to fill out another one. So the man part - first impressions of Dr Bisanga! Top man! I really, liked him. He was very easy to talk to, a good sense of humour and an infectious laugh. The time came and he asked me to pull back my hair to see the damage and he looked pretty surprised at what he saw as I'm quite good at covering it up after years of practice. After gingerly informing me that he would have to snip parts of my hair to assess density (apparently something he always asks patients with long hair) I said that was absolutely fine and to chop away so he did his assessment and It turned out that had higher than normal density in the two parts he looked at (75 and 90 I think) and after i got home I honestly can't see where he cut it. After that he took charge of the situation pretty much from the off and went to draw a hairline on me from what I had described in my form, which to be honest I was a little uneasy about as I thought I would have a go first and then he would refine it, but I was happy as he got it pretty much bang on to what i would have done and not conservative looking at all so it was all good. The only thing we didn't quite agree on was that I wasn't too bothered about it being rounded off at the points where it met the temples because my old hairline never did that and was quite happy to have a square edge but the doctor insisted that this was necessary to be able to blend it in with my natural hair and in that I can see his point and he did reduce the rounding a touch for me although I would have liked it reduced further sill. This was also true of my frontal third, which i thought would be left alone but again he said it was necessary to fill in a touch at the front for blending. I thought it looked a little juvenile to be honest but that's not a bad thing, it's a bonus as more area will be covered and I'm down with that. He explained a little about how the hairline was made to go with the contours of my face so he obviously takes that in to account when designing hairlines and an do it with a glance and being the arty type I am I do agree with him and that's probably why we thought alike on the design. Overall the graft count was higher than what I expected at 2000, which is the maximum I can afford. I was hoping for 1500 but if it has to be 2000 then 2000 it is. The one thing I will say is that the consultation was very short, about 20 minutes. This was mainly my fault as after the stresses of the day I had forgotten to ask a lot of the questions I had set out to about graft placement, density necessity as I'm not looking for super thick teenage like coverage and I was kicking myself a bit afterwards but I'm sure there will be some sort of mini session right before the surgery that I can express all these concerns and make sure I'm exactly at ease and ready. I'm wondering if I can maybe get away with 1800 grafts, but I don't want to second guess someone like Dr Bisanga who seems to really know what he's doing. After having the pen cleaned off my head by his lovely assistant the clinic were kind enough to book me a taxi back to the airport where i had 5 hours to kill but actually went by so fast after a quick sandwich in a cafe and a read of my book. Dr Bisanga is going to send me a report of the consultation and from there I can decide what I want to do, but all in all I'm feeling pretty confident as it was a very positive meeting!

Well it's Thursday Morning, I'm still half aslep from my day to belgium yesterday but what an all round experience it was, I thoroughly enjoyed it! First off the flying! The fligt over was an absolute breeze. I'm so surprised at myself to the pojnt of stunned as I've never been like that on a plane before. I was even gawking out the window for most of it when previously that would have made me bring up my breakfast! To be fair the 5 diazapam I swallowed may have had something to do with it and the fact that the flight only had about 20 people on it. The way back wassn't so good as it was crowded, dark and the air-con seemed to be broken but still it was bearable and didn't seem to take as long. Taxi's were no problem too and besides a slight language barrier from the official taxi man outside the airport he was nice enough and a quick look at my iphone whosing the clinic address was enough and just over 50 euros for the trip. The taxi back was a verty talky affair though, a lovely Portugese gentleman who actually took me to see some sights in brussels plus got me to tye airport n less time than the first AND charged me less. But to the clinic itself. As I was sitting in a lovely park in Brussels eating my lunch in the blazing sunshine (it was a beauticul summer like day!) I got a call from the clnic asking if I wouldn't mind coming n a bit early and since I had got bored sittng at the airport and had went in to the town for a wander about and was getting abit bored now it was a welcome change. When I got to the clinic all the staff were extremely friendly (and not to sound sexist but rather easy on the eye too!) and I was made to feel very welcome. They appeared to have lost my form that I filled in online but it only took 2 minutes to fill out another one. So the man part - first impressions of Dr Bisanga! Top man! I really, liked him. He was very easy to talk to, a good sense of humour and an infectious laugh. The time came and he asked me to pull back my hair to see the damage and he looked pretty surprised at what he saw as I'm quite good at covering it up after years of practice. After gingerly informing me that he would have to snip parts of my hair to assess density (apparenly something he always asks patients with long hair) I said that was absolutely fine and to chop away so he did his assessment and It turned out that had higher than normal density in the two parts he looked at (75 and 90 I think) and after i got home I honestly can't see where he cut it. After that he took charge of the situation prety much from the off and went to draw a hairline on me from what I had described in my form, which to be honestt i was a little uneasy about as I thought I would have a go first and then he would refine it, but I was happy as he got it pretty much bang on to what i would have done and not conservative looking at all so it was all good. The only thing we didn't quite agree on was that I wasn't too bothered about it being rounded off at the points where it met the temples because my old hairline never did that and was quite happy to have a square edge but the doctor insisted that this was nescessary to be able to blend it in with my natural hair and in that I can see his point and he did reduce the rounding a touch for me although I would have liked it reduced firther sill. This was also true of my frontal third, which i thought would be left alone but again he said it was nescessary to fill in a touch at the front for blending. I thought it looked a little juvinile to be honest but that's not a bad thing, it's a bonus as more area will be covered and I'm down with that. He explained a little aboyt how the hairline was made to go with the contiurs of my face so he obviously takes that in to account when designing hairlines and an do it with a glance and being the arty type I am I do agree with him and that's probably why we thought alike on the design. Overall the graft count was higher than what I expected at 2000, which is the maximum I can afford. i was hoping for 1500 but if it has to be 2000 then 2000 it is. The one thing I will say is that the cosultation was very short, about 20 minutes. This was mainly my fault as after the stresses of the day I had forgotten to ask a lot of the questions I had set out to about graft placement, density necessity as I'm not looking for super thick teenage like coverage and I was kicking myself a bit afterwards but I'm sure there will be some sort of mini session right before the surgery that I can express all these concerns and make sure I'm exactly at ease and ready. I'm wondering if I can maybe get away with 1800 grafts, but I don't want to second guess someone like Dr Bisanga who seems to reall now what hes doing. After having the pen cleaned off my head by his lovely assistant the clinic were kind enough to book me a taxi back to the airport where i had 5 hours to kill but actually went by so fast after a quick sandwich in a cafe and a read of my book. Dr Bisanga is going to send me a report of the consultation and from there I can decide what I want to do, but all in all I'm feeling pretty confident as it was a very positive meeting!

Well it's Monday and I jet off to Belgium on Wednesday for my consultation appointment with Dr Bisanga at BHR. I'm starting to get a little nervous but not as much as I expected, probably becasue I have had other things to occupy my mind but I know my whole system will probably go apeshit when I'm at the airport or waiting to get on that flight. Did I mention I hate flying? Yes, well I'll maybe just mention it again! Add to the fact that when researching taxi companies to take me there and back once I arrive I noticed that people were saying there are a lot of rogue taxi companies in Brussels who will completely rip you off and as I'm only taking 200 euros I'm a little worried about getting suckered by one of these and stranded in the middle of Brussels. From the airport will be fine as there are official ones parked outside but what about from the clinic back to the airport? I wouldn't be able to tell a good taxi from a bad one and that's where the risk lies. I'm going to chance my arm and ask the clinic if they wouldn't mind phoning me a taxi as I'm sure they know a reputable company (I hope!). It's going to be a long day alright. My plane leaves Edinburgh at 5:50am so that means me getting up at about 1am in order to get there in good time, then I arrive in Brussels at about 8 or 9 and then I have 6 hours to kill before my appointment at the clinic at 3:30pm and then another 6 hours before my flight back at 9pm. A good book will be essential methinks!, that is if I dont pass out asleep as not only with ai be tured from getting up so early the tranquelizers I'm taking to ease the flight jitters will pile on the sleepy eyes on top of that. I'm not a big coffee drinker, green tea is my thing but I think I'll be getting a big mug on arrival just to give me a nudge. I think my worst fear is getting lost at Brussels airport on the way back and missing my flight. I've never flown alone before and when I did I always let someone else figure out what to do and where to go. No idea how to read airport boards or any of that and looking at the map of Brussels airport......well safe to say I can't really make head nor tail of it, but I guess I'll have that 6 hours to get everthing sorted adn I'll quite happily sit in the departure lounge outside the gate for that amount of time. Storm in a teacup indeed but I guess new experiences are always like this. And on t the subject of hair (finally) I pretty much know what I'm going to say to Dr Bisanga because I know what I want. Whether he will say he can give me it is another story but I'm sure a compromise can be reached. I have sent Stephen the UK rep some videos of Dr Bisanga's work, some which I lie and some which I don't like just to show the kind of end result would be prefereble in terms of graft placement at the front becasue some are lovely and staggered with a very natural gradient at the front line where as other examples appered to be quite harsh and a noticablely over straight hairline which I want to avoid . As I'm sure I've mentioned in previous entried this is Phase 2 of a 4 phase program I'm doing for myself. this is undoubtedly the hardest part (bar the procedure itself) because so much is unknown about everything but I'll feel much better once I'm back with my arse on my own couch with all the details and all the flying rubbish behind me (and with a better understanding for next time!) So that's about it and hopefully by Thursday I'll know a little more about my future. It's a lot of running about for a 30 minute appointment but it is an importaint one so I'm glad. Here we go.......

Well it's been about a month since I deleted facebook, set myself some goals and made an effort to reinvent myself. It feel like a million years!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, I've been locked away in my flat with zero contact besides familyat the weekend. No booze, strict diet and ust myself to talk to is hard going but I am allowing myself a night in the pub in my home town in the country at the end of the month so looking forward to that. Not that I know anyone from there any more but a social setting will be nice. Maybe I'm a masachist but this level of discomfort makes me feel like I am making an effort and if i don't feel that then it's all too easy to slip into bad habits. The good news is I have my consultation with BHR booked for the end of next month. Of course wouldn't you know it I'm summoned for jury duty two weeks beforehand so I'm hoping to god it doesn't spill over to my consultation date. I should be ok though but it's just another added worry onto an ever growing pile. It's helped that i my mind I've broken down my hair journey for the next year into 4 phases which will rise in difficulty go as such- Phase 1 - See local GP and get prescription drugs for flying Phase 2 - Fly to Belgium for consultation then fly back same day. Phase 3 - Fly to Brussels for procedure. Get in one day early stay in hotel, have procedure, stay in hotel, get check up next day then fly home in the evening. Phase 4- This happens when my hair has grown in sufficiantly to style. I've already completed Phase 1, got some Diazepam 2mg pills for the flight. I was advised by the doctor to try some out if I have spare time to see the effects which I did and I ended up taking 4 becasue honestly i didn't even feel the first two and even after the 4th I just felt a bit tired but then again I normally feel tired around that time since I'm an eay to bed person. I can see myself having to 'triple dunt' three of these pills to have some effect becasue I was watching a small documantary on youtube about how to go through a flight and I kid you not, even when the presenter was filming going down the jetway to board the plane my heart was absolutely thumping with fear just watching it and to top it off this will be my first time flying alone so extra pressure is on. I've still to book the flight as well which is costing me £250 as I can only get a direct flight to Brussels from Edinburgh and not Glasgow airport which is just down the road from me. The flight will be at 5:50am as well which also means getting up in the middle of the night to drive to Edinburgh for 4am and my consultation isn't until 3:30pm (Brussels time) and the flight back is not until 9pm I think. So much pressure as flying on a plane is one of my big, big issues in life and I'm trying to see it as facing a fear but that dread is ever looming, especially as the last time I was on a plane I vowed I'd never get on one of those evil beasts again! Then there is the fear that I get to the consultation and the doctor and I just won't agree on a hairline but I think that is paranoia more than anything else. If I'm honest Phase 2 will probably be the hardest one to complete. It's the 'scout party', the dry run almost. Once it's done the next time I go it should be ok becasue I'll know where to go and what to do but right now I'm petrified not just of the flight but getting lost in the airport or going to the wrong section after landing or even worse getting lost and lanuage barriers making me look like a typical arrogant Brit. There really is a lot riding on this next Phase but if....and i say if, it all goes to plan and I get there in one piece and the consultation goes well I'll most certainly be having a few beers once I'm safe and sound back in my flat, no matter how long I'll have been up for. I guess we'll just need to wait and see, but if i don't check in here after April ends there's a good chance I missed my flight back home due to getting lost and am walking! On a lighter note the length of my hair right now is reaching just above my belly button. I've been dying for a while to cut it becasue being the seasoned rocker that i am I've had long hair for over 20 years and one of the reasons I'm having this procedure is becasue i really want a change but there is no way I could have short(ish) hair in any style that would look good with a receding hairine. It would just age my face (and beleve me my pockmarked, big nosed face needs all the help it can get!) and I don't think I could go that. Anyway, I nearly had the chop last week to something a bit more sensible but I decided for a laugh to keep growing it until the actual day of my procedure just to see how long it will be and then it'll all come off, every last bit of it. At least until then I can keep my receding hidden with the long hair tucked behind my ears and it will be sad to say goodbye to an old friend when the time comes but having hair this long at my age really is starting to feel ridiculous! And i can always grow it back!

JohnnyDrama, just spent a good bit reading your consultation thread (A few times over) Loads of great info there and what you say about Dr Bisanga being very willing to listen to what you want has swayed me back a little toward him. In my opinion density in brow/temple receding such as mine isn't the most important aspect, it's shape of hairline and most important carefully staggered graft placement at the front to make it look natural and if Dr Bisanga is as open as he sounds to suggestion (with obvious margin for compromise on both sides) he may very well be my man, it's just that all of his results do look very, very samey and more conservative than what I'd like (not by much) but of course these are just the documented cases. One thing about Dr Feriduni that I've seen from his design work is that he seems to deliberately make the design pen markings uneven and dart in and out or up and down whichever way you want to look at it (plus he makes room for a widows peak at the front as well) which I assume he follows in graft placement and I really am attracted to that way of thinking whereas Dr Bisanga's cases it's just a round line and in one case I saw he placed the grafts a little higher than the pen template that was drawn Also, not being a good traveller the added *sigh* factor of getting to Hasselt as well to see Dr Feriduni and he fact that he will probably be more expensive AND advise more grafts is a little off putting because although I don't think I need to worry for the future I am wary of conserving my donor area plus I want to be able to get away with as little grafts as possible for a good result and Dr Bisanga seems to be good at that. Damn it really is still 50/50! EDIT: LondonHT, that is a very fine point you bring up. I've been in talks with Stephan from BHR and I have to agree with you that the contact service with him is superb. Any question I ask get's answered within a day and it never feels like I am bothering anyone. This may swing the vote some more toward Dr Bisanga!

Cheers for all the great info JohhnyDrama. The Aj29 case was one that I have been looking at a lot as it seems to be the same surface area that is covered that I need with maybe the hairline being preferably straighter and less curved. I will certainly see both doctors as I think it will be a close finish between the two of them. I would certainly prefer Dr Bisanga from a security/cost/convenience/quality point of view but it really comes down to getting what I want which is to say I don't want my receding hairline replaced with a slightly smaller receding hairline which is what Dr Bisanga's results seem to be but who knows what he will say about my case until I meet him. As you say it will all be in the consultations so I will need to wait and see but I will get on it as soon s I sit y own GP next week and sort out some pills for flying. Thanks for all the great opinions guys , keep them coming if you have them!

Thanks for the reply's folks. I'm actually swinging more towards Dr Feriduni now because while I'm gratefully aware that Dr Bisanga may be cautious for the future on my behalf it's really all abut the final result at the end of the day (as I the one that will be living with it) and at 37 years old this year and my hairline not moving one bit in the last 6 years I don't think the future is going to be a worry. It's so hard, both Doctors have such appealing qualities. I think Dr Bisanga has the most going for him in terms of patient security but Dr Feriduni has the edge on actual hairline designs in both quality and variety. How easy or hard would it be to get consultations for both on the same day? I'll be travelling from Edinburgh to Brussels and probably only staying for the day at most so making the most of it would be good!

Hi all, Things seem to have gotten a little more complicated which is a nightmare for an indecisive person like me. I was totally sold on BHR clinic for my procedure then I came across a thread from a patient who basically has the same views as me as regards to hairline shape. I know what I want and I want my hairline, not low but quite broad especially at the temple points which I've had to live with for over 12 years so I obviously want to get as far away from that look as possible and I have a pretty firm idea of what I want. The OP in this particular thread said that Dr Bisanga was quite insistent on his own design of hairline which was quite conservative and not what the patient wanted, but Dr Feriduni was more willing to do a less conservative hairline. Looking at Dr Bisanga's results most, if not all of the hairlines are very similar and follow the conservative approach which I'm not really interested in. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not stupid and I don't want a juvenile hairline and to be honest I think my idea for a hairline is quite mature and pretty common but it IS less conservative than what I've seen from Dr Bisanga's work (Excellent though it is!) I really like the look of Dr Feriduni's hairlines as well. They seem to be much more in keeping with what I'm after which is quite broad and every one I've seen has a lovely loose staggered look at the front in terms of graft placement which is very natural looking. Some (not all) of Dr Bisanga's graft work seems very 'tight' at the very front of the hairlne which isn't appealing. I know little about Dr Feriduni plus he doesn't give a graft price on his website which makes it hard to budget for and Dr Bisanga has his immense ethical reputation and after-care on his side not to mention being based in the capital city. I guess my question is what are your experiences with both doctors in regard to what you want vs what they want? If what I want is a achievable then I want to get it, not what the doctor thinks looks good. Of course all this is very up in the air until I have consultations but I just want some feedback on both the doctors 'views' if you will beforehand. I'm really in a limbo right now! Thanks!

Hi all, Can someone tell me how manageable transplanted hair on a hairline is? As in to style? Since the hairs are coming from the back and sides and will naturally be a bit thicker I was just wondering. Also I'd be interested to hear about manageability at different stages post-op. I know the hair when it first starts growing will be very wirey looking and probably be going in the wrong direction until it settles (as I've seen in some post op pics) but it something I'm interested in. I've had the same hairstyle for nearly 20 years (latterly to hide my receding) and if I get the ok from Dr Bisanga after my consultation and I get what after my procedure then I'll probably become the mousse and gel king. Is it very manageable and good to mess about with or does the direction of the graft placements pretty much dictate what side to part on and how to comb? EDIT - Just while I'm here what is the opinion on Bio oil for post op application for redness? I use it to reduce red marks on my face from acne left over from my teenage years and it does a good job I must says so just thought I'd get an opinion.

What'she deal if you keep your head wrapped in bandages when going through the security? I wouldn't mind that at all as it could be for anything and surely they wouldn't ask you to remove medical bandages? Any thoughts?

Oooh now that sounds like a very tempting option, I do enjoy a train journey. If the Xanax works out I may fly over for my consultation but a nice train journey back home after my procedure sounds very relaxing! and less stressful!

Thanks for the kind words of encouragement! I'll be fully documenting all my experiences with BHR on here so I guess this is my new Faceook!

Well, two days ago I took my first steps into total character reinvention. The goal being to eliminate all that is negative and neurotioc while retaining all the things I actually like about myself. The first step I took was to delete my facebook page. I don't need the distraction or the hurtful drama that unfolds there and even within 48 hours my mood has improved and I'm being creative again. I also started back on my workout routine. I've always ate healthily and I lost nearly 20lb last year and even though I've been drinking and feeling sorry for myself the last month or two I've kept a firm, eye on what I've been eating and I haven't gained a pound so I'm picking up where I left off. Alcohol is also off the menu for the next month or two at least as the depressant in in was dragging me down further.I haven't been trim and slim since I was 30 and I really miss having that confidence as well so if I can get to a point with my body and then have my transplant procedure then it will be a double whammy for my confidence which at the moment is absolutely shattered an needs fixing fast as I don't even leave the house any more. It's coming back a little, I'm fitting into t-shirts and trousers I haven't been able to for years and muscularity its certainly making it's way forward, but all this is nothing without a decent hairline to frame my face the right way and sometimes I think a well developed body with no hair is overcompensating. Women may disagree with this but I'm not doing this to impress women, it's all simply so I can look in the mirror and think "Yep, you look good" and be able to take that confidence out with me into the world and infuse it in all aspects of my creative and emotional life. I'm also in the process of tallying up things that I own to sell to contribue to my transplant as I forgot to factor in flghts and hotel costs. I have appointment to see my GP in 2 weeks to ask about medication for flying (Xanax has been recommended) and if that is all go then I book my face to face consultation at the BHR clinic and if all goes wel then I will be boking my procedure for as soon as possble so that I can get healing as fast as I can. It's a scary thought at 36 to just cut yourself off from everyone you know but to be honest all my real friends have settled down and I never see them and while I wouldn't call my facebook friends 'dead wood' it does feel like I'm trimming down all the unnecessary parts of my life. I would have had to disappear after my procedure anyway so it's best it happens now and I feel much more focused on what I want and the procedure is sucha a big part of that. I do keep worrying that I'll get to the consultation and the doctor will refuse to give me what I want and insist on a much more conservative hairline. I have a firm idea of how I want to look and I think it's reasonably conservative anyway but any less and Iit would still be a receding hairline that's too far I'd be just and neurotic. I can't see it happening though but it's just a worry. Other things like donor density are a worry but my hair looks very thick so again I can't see it being a problem but even still looks can be decieving! The waiting is the killer and then knowing I'll have to wait again after the procedure to get my results is torture but I'm going to use my time wisely in aforementioned fitness goals and creativity so it certainly won't be just sitting about waiting for hair to grow. This is certainly going to be a year outside my comfort zone and it's scary, very scary with a lot of time, effort and money being spent but I'm confident that this complete character rebuild (Or refurbishment if you wish to call it that) will open doors for me that I never even dreamed of and all the effort will have been worth it!

Xanax eh? That sounds just the ticket! I'm not one for taking pills or medication unless it's necessary but something like that would really help. I'm seeing my GP in a couple of weeks for that very reason so I'll definitely mention it!

I guess you're right. Just a little nervous because I haven't flown much due to aforementioned dislike of flying and this will be my first time doing it on my own as well. Just an addition to save me starting a new thread, can any UK dwellers point me in the right direction of websites that I can book flights? I'm having real problems finding a direct flight from my local airport (Glasgow) to Brussels and I really don't fancy the stress of a stopover but I think I may be looking in the wrong places since I'm new to all this. Flying is a real issue for me so I want to make the flight as quick as possible. Thanks!

That is a real downer. I was hoping to be back home and settled the day after my op but I may have to stay a few days to let my head heal a bit so it won't look as bad.

This will be the year I'll be getting my transplant to fill out my temples and hopefully I'll be able to get that Road House retro look Just a question though, I've never been good with flying and hence I've only done it a few times in my life. I'll be going with BHR clinic and I'll have to fly from the UK to Brussels on my own for the consultation and the op itself. The flight is only about an hour/hour and a half so it's no a long haul for sure. It's all good as I'm seeing it as facing a fear (And some medication from my GP might help as well) but I'm a little concerned about flying back after my operation. I'm not worried about the grafts but I heard that you have to remove all head gear when doing the security check and that includes post-op bandanas and the idea is filling me with dread. Is this true? I can't remember much about airport security and I'd imagine it's very tight but I really don't fancy exposing my fresh transplant in front of lots of strangers (and god forbid I knew anyone!) so it has me a little concerned.

Right folks, I've decided I need to get back on medication. It's not that my hair has gotten any worse but just to make sure. The problem is that getting a hold of Propecia from my doctor is a nightmare. The surgery wants me to book an appointment every time I want a refill and it's a different doctor I see every time which means I need to explain my situation again and again which is humiliating and they refuse to give me a simple repeat prescription. Add to that the cost seems to keep rising and last I heard the surgery itself was whacking on an additional charge for these kind of prescriptions so that way is out for me. I'd like to know where in the UK can I find a reliable source of Proscar that I can order online? By reliable I mean it is a decent quality drug and from someone who won't take my money and run! Thanks all!

My thoughts exactly. I think I'll be doing that when I go for my consultation. All the work that I do/don't like is by the same surgeon that I'm having the consultation with so I think any offence taking would be out the window.

Just a quick thought, do you think it would be ok to take videos or pictures of HT's that you really like (Or dislike) to a consultation to give a better idea of what you want? I know it's akin to taking a picture of a celebrity into a hairdressers but I've seen a few pictures and videos of HT's that I really like and one's that I really don't like and since consultations only seem to be about 30 minutes think t would be a great way to quickly give an indication of what a patient would want and then that would give a clearer base to the surgeon in what could be achieved or what could be done to could come close to it. Has anyone done this before?

Referring back to that latest video I posted I think it's one of the things I liked about that frontal transplant is that you can just see a little scalp through the hair when the light hits it. My natural hair in my frontal third is like this and I'm fine with it. I guess I'm not a perfectionist and I like things a little worn/uneven to add some age appropriate character but still 'filling the gaps' so to speak. Also the thought of someone actually noticing I had a transplant is horrifying so a little look of wear and tear is cool with me. When I talk about staggered grafts I'm only referring to the very front few rows, not the actual filler bulk that sits behind it which is always really good with Surgeons like Dr Bisanga.

Just to do a good comparison I think this is great work by Dr Bisanga. if you look at 0:55 the hairline at the front, particularly on the patients left side looks great. It's quite staggered and the hairs seem to be very fine and a bit lighter at the front with virtually none of that 'give away look' . Whether this is just the patients hair colour or surgeons choices is again a mystery. I would want my hairline to be even more staggered and less straight than that mind you but it's certainly going in the right direction!

It is a little doll head like, but was this at the request of the patient or the Doctor's choice? I think the actual bulk of the hair in that video looks superb and it all sits the right way but the front edge is far too synthetic. The very thick dark hairs don't do it any favours either when you compare it to the edge of the hair at the side of his head. Maybe it's exactly what he wanted though, who knows. That's what I'm trying to find out! Yes you should trust your surgeon but if I had a result like that I wouldn't be happy at all!

I agree, but still If I'm paying a lot of money (and it is a LOT of money) I want to get exactly what I want and what I think looks good and I have a pretty clear idea of that. I will trust in the surgeon to get things like the direction of grafts/natural flow etc and the other medical things I don't have a clue about, but the actual aesthetic final product I want to have as much input on it as possible. After all, I'll be living with it! I don't think it's being unreasonable to ask the surgeon to make the graft placements not so tight and a little thinner or more staggered at the front. Seems like less work if you ask me. I guess that's the danger of doing anything artistic, it's all subjective to individual taste!

Would just like to add this video as an example of what I most certainly wouldn't want in a HT. As you can see the actual hairline shape is fine but the front hairs are lined up far, far too perfectly. I would want a few out of place going up and down and lots of tiny gaps (just at the very front) to get a good staggered look. Plus if you stop the vid at 0:45 you can see the curve at the temple where the dark line of hairs meets the more feathered natural hair at the sides. To me it's all just a dead giveaway although it may be the fact that cramming 4000+ grafts into a hairline that didn't look that bad in the first place may have been the culprit. It certainly isn't a bad HT, that's not what I'm saying, it's just not something I'd be happy with! Same doctor, very different result.