fitnessjunkie

Hi all, Sorry for the delay, I haven't been on much lately. Overall I think it's been a dramatic change from where I started, as you can see I can style my hair now after doing the FUE + SMP. I still have a lot of thinning all over and plan on getting another FUE procedure done potentially next year. The photos below have a bit of wax/paste in it which makes my hair look a bit thicker. Essentially, my head was 'painted' with ink and so I can't shave it super short to a #1 grade. Even though the scalp is covered with ink, it's important to realise that under harsher lighting, you can still see the shine of the scalp where the hair is thinned. Overall though I feel as though it was definitely worth it and a great option for many. Cheers

Thanks for the well wishes scar5. I fly out Sunday night for a two day procedure on Monday and Tuesday, somewhat excited!

Everything looking spot on mate. Months 1-2 are probably the worst in terms of shedding. Looking forward to the future updates mate!

Hi folks, I had a hair transplant 5 1/2 months ago in Belguim with Dr Reys. My plan from the outset was always to have temporary SMP done on my scalp on top of the FUE procedure, as there is a lot of thinning all over, even after the transplant which really only focused on the temples and crown. The procedure is still a few weeks away, but I will try to ensure I get some pre and post pics. The business doing the temp. SMP work is based in Sydney and was trained by Milena Lardi. I will update this thread over the next few weeks. Cheers!

Things look good mate. Haha unfortunately you can expect to lose nearly all of the transplanted hair over the next month or two.. but don't worry, they will grow back (eventually) I had several pimples in the donor too, but these disappeared completely by about 3 months post-op.

Here's the response I received from Dr Reys' rep. I've began to re-apply the aloe vera gel so will see how the redness and small bumps progress: "Dear FJ, Dr De Reys has looked at your photos and says that this does not look like folliculitis. He says it is normal for the skin to show small bumps as some of the new grafts start to appear. Folliculitis bumps appear as pustules with seepage. The folliculitis pustules are large and very visible. This is not folliculitis. What often happens is that small bumps appear as new hairs start to push through the surface of the skin. Since you are at 5 and a half months, this is exactly the time when the hew hairs start to grow. Dr De Reys asks if you are using the aloe vera shampoo regularly. This helps to alleviate redness. Both the redness and the bumps will disappear as the new hairs start to grow. Dr De Reys asks whether it was a medical practitioner who suggested you had folliculitis. He suggests that of course you should see your general practitioner if you are still concerned although in his opinion, this is a normal skin development after a hair transplant. Can you let us know if you are in any pain? Kind regards, Nick"

No problem mate. Your forehead/eyes/cheeks might swell up over the next few days but it's nothing to worry about (I looked like I had gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson lol although I think I definitely swelled up more than the average HT patient). If you get a chance, maybe check out La Sita which is pretty much across the road. The steak there was great! In 3 months it'll be the beginning of November - you'll have plenty of summer time to enjoy and you can always wear a hat in the mean-time so no dramas there mate. Cheers

Good write-up mate and glad everything went well (besides the pain). I had a lot of pain as well, especially on the second day going all the way to 10:30pm! The hardest bit is behind you now! Just make sure you don't go around banging your head on anything Looking forward to seeing some post-op photos! Also, did you check out any of the restaurants in Heist-Op-Den-Berg?

t1983 I don't think you have anything to worry about!

All the best for your journey and procedure mate! If you have any questions or concerns feel free to get in contact with me. Here is a 5 month update. I am happy with how things are progressing

Still waiting on the pics SRK!

Hi folks, I am almost 5 months post-op after 3000 grafts (FUE) with Dr De Reys. I shaved my head to a #1 grade on the weekend and have noticed small bumps in the recipient areas in the temples and crown (actually pretty much everywhere where grafts were implanted). However, I can only notice these bumps under bright lighting. There is also lingering redness in the temples. Could this be cobblestoning and should I be concerned? I am reasonably happy with the hair growth I have got so far. Cheers,

All normal mate! I had plenty of pimples in both the donor and recipient area.

Great write-up, I am looking forward to your updates Edsarn!

Awesome write up mate. Good luck with the new growth!

You'll be fine mate! When do you fly out?

Hang in there Stu! I'm the same in that I will always try and compare my growth at X months to somebody elses. I'm sure most of us do this and can certainly add to some anxiety and disappointment early on after the procedure. We all know Bisanga is world class and I am sure you'll start getting decent growth over the next couple of months!

Nice write-up! Johnnydrama - Not quite correct. I paid 7000 Euros for 3000 grafts which is less than 2.50 Euros per graft. Cheers

Hi mate, We caught the train from Brussels Airport to Leuven Station, and then straight to Heist-Op-Den-Berg. As long as you can get to Leuven Station you shouldn't have a problem, but I would double check online Did you need a map of Heist-Op-Den-Berg in order to find the hotel from the station? I still remember the 20min walk to the hotel - first time in the snow and we were wheeling our suitcases - what an experience for me and my folks (their first time overseas)! lol 1978 Matt, Thanks mate - hopefully things continue to improve!

It's been my pleasure mate, any time

There is nothing to worry about! I had a FUE procedure and the swelling starts at the forehead and slowly moves down your face until your throat where it disappears. Mine lasted about 5-6 days. I looked like I had gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson!

Thanks Mickey, appreciate your support and help over the last 12 months since I've signed up to the HTN. Cheers

Hi mate, Wow - time has flown by! Have you worked out how to get to Heist-Op-Den-Berg by train? If you have any more questions feel free to send me a private message! Cheers

Hi mate, Dr Reys did all of the manual punching, extracting and incisions himself. His wife Gina who has worked with him for years did maybe 15-20% of the implanting as Dr Reys would have a 20min break every 90 mins or so, with him doing the rest of the implanting. The grafts would definitely have been exposed for longer than 4 hours (especially because on my two days the procedure finished at 9pm and 10:30pm due to my fungal condition on the scalp). I'm not sure the of the solution these were placed in. It probably took around 3 1/2 months for the redness to go away, but that was mainly in the temples and not the crown which wasn't really red. Cheers,

KO You can see some pre-op photos here: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/169024-help-fue-graft-placement-combined-temporary-smp.html Cheers