swayzedo

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!

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.

Looking at my hairline where it has receded it is mixed in with the vellus hairs that used to be my old hairline so the softer effect is most certainly still there.

imnothere, I agree with you 100%. I think sometimes the hair at the very front of a transplant can be 'too perfect' and combined with very dark hairs it does give an unnatural look even though the hairline shape may be fine.

Dr Charles I totally agree too, a staggered hairline is what I would want and I can see that this is done in most transplants but the actual margin area for the staggering of fine hairs still seems very tight at the front of most transplants which looks like about half a cm when I think a full cm at least would be more appropriate to break up that nasty solid line that can give away a transplant.

Spanker, that is an excellent point you make about calibre or gauge of hairs. I can see in HT's that it is most certainly 1's in the front of the hairline but they seem just too thick to be there. Definitely something for all surgeons to consider.

Thanks for the reply's. I'll be going to the BHR clinic but was just asking because I was watching Dr Bisanga's work on the video gallery on here and while most of the work is superb there were a couple that did look far too synthetic with regards to the actual hairline itself and was far too 'solid' and was just wondering if that was from patients guidance or doctors decision.

I just think sometimes that margin where the hair becomes a little thinner at the front is too small sometimes in a transplant and should be made just a little wider/more staggered and less perfect while still following an actual guide line.

This is all down to taste of course but even my frontal third, while it looks very thick isn't really and I can see the reflection of my scalp through it quite clearly but I'm fine with that as it covers everything fine when dry and the fact the front of it is a little less than perfect and quite staggered with a gradient that's larger than just a few mm's I'd like the work down on either wide to match that because I feel it's age appropriate (I'm 36) to have a hairline that is most certainly there but has seen a 'bit' of weather.

With regards to losing hair in the actual temples I've lost very very little, it's all in the actual upper brow section of my hairline that has gone back. My actual temple hair is fine! Interestingly a friend of mine has the opposite problem, his brow is as broad as ever (at 43) almost straight but he's gone back on just the sides of his head.....but it looks way better and much cooler that way! I guess he can get away with a decent side shed so he's not worried.

If you go to DR Bisanga's video section on here the video '3450 Grafts FUT Hair Transplant with Dr. Bisanga' and stop it at 0:20, I think the lower picture gives a really good example of what I'm after (Not in terms of hairline but of gradient!) as there is a good half an inch (or just under) of gradient there it looks like. You can still see the hairline but it's not ultra solid!

I may have asked this question before but how much of an impact does the patient get to have on the actual hairline design?

I've seen some results from the same surgeon that are very natural and some which are painfully obvious as a transplant and it's all down to the front hairline placement which would suggest a very clear direction being followed by the surgeon from the patient although the bad one just could be an old video where the surgeon has improved since.

When I go for mine I have quite a firm idea of where my hairline should be. The actual frontal third of my hair is fine but it's a little thin at the very front but I sort of like that as it's age appropriate I think and I'd like the rest of my hairline to be quite staggered like that as well. I know there is a gradient incorporated to give that look but I think I'd like the margin for that on my transplant a little wider as there is nothing more horrid looking than a row of very dark hairs all lined up perfectly next to one another.

I know you have to trust somewhat in your surgeon but I don't want a rock solid hairline that you could play join the dots with.

Does anyone who has been for a transplant mind giving a detailed description of what goes on bar drawing where you want your hairline with a pen?

Thanks all!

Thanks for the reply's, I'm sure it will make a massive difference.

Johnboy71 I'm going FUE all the way. I know strip scars are virtually undetectable nowadays but still I just don't fancy it.

As for number of grafts, I had a consultation with the Vinci clinic a year or two ago and they quoted me 1500 grafts to get what I wanted but that was quite a heavily lowered hairline and I've become a 'little' more conservative about it these days plus I've heard Dr Bisanga is a genius at getting great results out of fewer grafts so I'm hoping for possibly even 1200-1400 grafts.

Any more than 1600 and it will be hard to fund, even with support from my family and I wouldn't ask them to pay any more than that anyway so I'm praying that it comes out at 1500 or lower to get a good result after my consultation.

I honestly don't think I have much to be filled in and I wouldn't want it super thick anyway just to be age appropriate as long as it covers enough flesh so I'll be quietly confident yet prepared!

Hi all, I thought I'd just chime in here with a fairly positive post. (well for me anyway)

As I stated in my blog I've been through a rough time recently. I became a neurotic monster and I lost the best relationship I ever had due to it (and it was all my fault) and yes hair loss was a MASSIVE part of that insecurity.

After breaking down to my family at my lowest point they have agreed to help me fund a hair transplant and even the difference in me now is actually quite staggering.

The more I think about it the more I'm so looking forward to becoming the person I always wanted to see in the mirror. It's scary as well but I know I'll be in good hands (Going to BHR clinic) and it's a double facing of the fears for me as I have a rather bad fear of flying which I'll have to learn to deal with as I'll need to get on a plane for the consultation and the procedure itself.

I've said it before, hair loss should be classified as a source of proper mental trauma. Just because some people deal with it without a thought doesn't mean that everyone can, but I guess the whole spectrum of mental illness is still very much misunderstood and even ignored. A very shocking fact in this day and age.

My point is that the difference that even looking forward to a procedure or treatment can lift one's spirits to amazing levels.

A part of me felt very ashamed and superficial when I was telling my family what i wanted to make me feel better but my mother was so supportive and told me if it makes me happy then do it. "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time!" I believe was the words that she used.

I don't want to advise anyone to get in to debt but to be honest if I couldn't get the money one way I would have gone to a loan shark or worse and I still think this feeling would be worth it and I know that I'll feel even better once I see the results of my procedure in full.

There is that tiny voice at the back of my mind saying "What if just after the procedure they discover a pill or injection that makes your natural hair grow back!" That would be a real kick in the teeth but I know that is not going to happen in my lifetime. Also what if I am not happy with the results, what if it doesn't look right, what if the procedure causes my own hair to fall out or what if the grafts don't take? I'm sure these are thoughts that everyone has when they are a first timer.

I'm confident though, I don't have a lot of receding to fill in and the rest of my hair is fine. I am concerned how it will look if I attempt to grow it really long but that's something I can discuss with Dr Bisanga.

Anyway, If you want something, just get it and to hell with the naysayers and worry. Feelings like this don't come along often and although I'll always lament what I've lost due to my hair loss rooted neurosis I'm looking forward to becoming a better person because of it and so should you!

Out and about last night and as usual I was eyeing up peoples hairlines.

It really is getting hard to tell who has had a transplant and who hasn't because the designs of the actual transplanted hairlines are getting so artistically accurate but there's one thing I really have noticed and that's the presence of finer lighter hairs in a natural hairline.

I know in transplants a good surgeon like Dr Bisanga (Who I am booking with this year) does pick grafts that have only 1 hair to make a gradient towards the front of the hairline but even so sometimes the very front of a transplanted hairline can still look harsh compared to a natural one and I am sure it's because there is lots of lighter, almost very long vellus hairs blended in to give a feathered look in a natural hairline.

Even looking at my own hairline at the temples which hasn't receded at all (it's just the actual brow line) there is a blend of dark and light hairs which really gives a natural softening effect.

These lighter hairs are at the back of my head as well so do you think that this should be taken into consideration when designing a hairline?

Even the very best transplants with a beautiful gradient can still look very 'deliberate' without the lighter hairs blended in with the very dark ones so I'm thinking it may be something for patients and surgeons to consider even though it may bump up the graft count a bit more.

Thanks!

Glad to hear it. Dr Bisanga's reputation is near legendary, not only for his excellent work but like you say for his ethics as well.

He was always my number 1 choice based on that, it also helps that he is one of the less expensive Doctors as well and is relatively close by too (I'm in UK, Scotland to be precise)

I've already sent an online consultation form off with BHR and I'll probably go over for a proper face to face consultation too and see what my options are in fine detail.

Looking around my flat right now at all the things I'm going to have to sell to pay the fee but I think it will be worth it!

Thank you Mickey85 that's just what I wanted to hear.

I would be very dubious about going ahead if there were not some kind of final approval policy and follow up approval after paying all that money. I have no experience of having a HT but I would assume that it isn't just in and out and there are constant 'progress approval' checks that happen at many stages from the consultation and on the day of the surgery to make sure it's just right before you are sent home.

Hi all, after much thought and bad times I have decided to go for a hair transplant. I can't really afford it but I'll find the money some way.

I just wanted to clear something up though, I've decided to go with BHR clinic and Dr Bisanga as his reputation seems excellent and the results I've seen are top notch but what is the general policy of clinics as regard to clearly unsatisfactory results?

Like I say, it's a LOT of money (All my savings, most of my possessions everything!) and say that after surgery I found my hairline to be uneven on one side or there is a gap somewhere or it's just generally not quite 'there' if you know what I mean. This could be down to a number of factors that has nothing to do with the surgeon's actual technique but I really don't want to be left high and dry so would I be taken back in for 'tweaks' and 'fix ups' if I wasn't entirely happy with the result or would I just have to grin and bear whatever I'm left with or pay more money?

I've heard BHR clinic has an excellent after care program but I just want to know where I stand after surgery is done.

Thanks all!

(Also forgive my misspelling of the word 'where' in the title. Pet hate!)

It seems to be a problem with Google Chrome. I can post fine in Firefox. Still don't know what's causing it but it's a solution.

I think it's just the case of as with most things different people will react differently to it. I'm tempted to try it along with Rogaine/regaine or whatever it's called and see what happens. I stopped taking propecia due to the almost humiliating inconvenience to get a supply from my doctor and the ever increasing price so might be worth trying out.