JohnnyDrama

Completely forgot to mention the spray applicator. This is a MUST! I couldn't imagine using the product without it.

I use Nanogen Locking Mist and to be honest I find it far better than any other spray I've used when it comes to keeping my Toppik fibres locked in.

Ok, I think the services that a particular clinic provide will dictate things here. An FUT only clinic will most likely just have one patient per day. Dr Bisanga works this way too. However, what do you suggest happens for, lets say, a 2500 FUE case? Done in one day which is very tiring for all involved? Or spread over two days in which case massively affects turnover for clinic? A knock on affect of this approach would be that waiting lists would effectively doubled, so in some clinics cases a patient would have to wait twelve months once they've finally made the decision to pull the trigger!

Excellent account Stinger! As you know through our pms, I'm getting 2000 FUE done over 2 days with Dr B in 6 weeks time. I'll be documenting all of that so you can feed off that too if you wish. Spanker, re your concerns over 2 patients per day.......the vast majority of top clinics have this process. I'm assuming Dr K is only one? The combinations are strategic / planned out too. There isn't just any old 2 patients thrown in together. They match up 2 who suit the doc/patient in terms of fatigue and so on. I personally have no issue with 1.the idea of spreading my 2000 FUE over 2 days and 2. the idea of sharing the clinic with someone who is also getting the same procedure as me. I'm happy with whatever conditions the doc is more comfortable working in.

Iker is definitely looking a lot fuller than he was 2-3 years ago, whatever he has done!

Best of luck mate!

7 weeks to go until my Op. Have decided to add pics for the very first time (think you have to click into my profile->Albums) to give a few of the regular users in particular an idea of what I'm doing all this for! Taken 2 months pre-op and no concealer whatsoever, and well overdue a cut! I'd normally have it a nice bit shorter but these show the diffuse / ludwig pattern loss that I have. As you can see I have quite a bit of native hair, so I guess this will make it all the more challenging. I'm certainly not the usual receding type, seeing as I have pretty much a full hairline. The issue is that it is so sparse in my midscalp, that you can see straight through. I have to admit that I have possibly the best kind of loss when it comes to concealer. It really does make a difference. Dr Bisangas plan is to put 1700-1800 grafts into my midscalp (all 3 and 4 hair grafts, so I'll be praying they fill things up good), and then 200-300 to strengthen up around the hairline. I have also requested to be considered for PRP as it is responding positively in diffuse/ludwig cases.

Super result! Matt, is that you in your avatar?

Actually, back on topic of graft counts......I'm hoping for big things from my own procedure in the stat regards at least. Dr Bisanga calculated my donor at 80/85/80 (he used the term 'very good'), with very favourable groupings. Of my 2000 planned FUE grafts, he said 1700-1800 will be midscalp, and 200-300 to strengthen the hairline. The 1700-1800, I'm hoping, will be all 3 and 4 hair bad-boys. My hair is medium-fine, so I'll need those high groups to give me a hand!

Ah then you were speaking in terms of range, I was being a bit more precise! In that case we may both technically be correct, but I'd wager that 78 wouldn't be far off if were to pull a figure out of the sky for it. Something that I also found odd was the difference in readings from one clinic to the next for a particular individual.

Hey CD, I reckon average donor density is closer to 78 than 88. Would be interested to hear different doctors opinions.

I'm a few weeks away from my FUE and from my research, Aloe Vera is what is suggested in most cases. I have 3 weeks before I'm back to work so I'm hoping it will have calmed a bit by then. I do think you should try the AV though.

Do you mean unshaven recipient, or donor, or both?

What does this bit mean? You've ranted on quite a bit in your post but you've given absolutely no detail whatsoever. Have you ever had surgery with them?

They are some nice groupings you got there MondayHead! With almost 8,500 hairs I'm expecting you to look very different this time next year! Nice to see another Bisanga patient on here, I'm going there for FUE in August so I'll be interested in monitoring your progress!

I use Nanogen Locking Mist. For me it is far better than the Toppik equivalent (even though I prefer Toppik fibres to Nanogen). It has a very firm hold and a nice neutral scent.

Something like Dermmatch would be much better suited than fibres. Fibres pretty much need hair to cling on to anyway. SMP might be another alternative. A few active users on here have gotten their scars SMP'd with very good results.

Sounds like a very positive experience Denny! Looking forward to hearing about it.

Massaging aloe vera can sooth the donor area too, and taking vitamin B can help to calm the nerves. Again, this is stuff that I have seen experienced FUE guys go through, and not my own experience.

Having read into this before, it turns out that experiencing your kind of pain that long after surgery is rare enough, but not unheard of. You may have some 'overactive' nerves that were damaged to some extent (which happens). The nerves sort themselves out and reconnect over time and the pain eases up. Ibuprofen can be quite helpful (400mg I believe).

I would imagine it is impossible for reasons already mentioned. There is no black or white when it comes to a poor scar. One mans poor scar is another mans successful scar etc. I think clinics would go out of business quick enough if they were to do this. Clinics couldn't possibly leave it to the discretion of the patient on whether it is poor or not. There would be too many patients who, even though deep down are relatively happy with the scar, would return to try and perfect it when there isn't any need. And if a patient came back 12 months later with a poor scar, what is to say that their post-op behaviour was not conducive to a good result? The could come back saying they stuck to the instructions, but in reality they may have been back lifting weights after 1 month. There is no proof.

What % of the available donor does Lorenzo usually allow for extraction? E.g. Dr Bisanga is typically 25-30%.......is Lorenzo a bit higher?

Great to see a patient video. Stunning result. His course hair has worked wonders for him too.

Mid scalp is pretty notorious for having slower growth times than other areas Shane, so I certainly wouldn't panic yet. It's quite common that things take better shape there around the 8-9 month mark. I'm going to be getting a very similar number of grafts as yourself, and my midscalp is where most of them will be going. What meds are you taking? Any supplements?

Scar....my message and I reckon others would say the same is 'If it is at all within your capacity to get multiple in-person consultations, then by all means go for it. If not, then so be it, and go the route that so many have which is also perfectly acceptable'. Personal comfort was not my goal. My goal was to attain the kind of details that is impossible to attain via online consultations. I wanted to know my donor density. I wanted to know if I was a good FUE candidate. I wanted to get a vibe to see if the doc was confident in my case once he had my head physically in front of him, as opposed to looking at pics. I got different vibes from different docs in that respect. Also, I got to compare each of their individual plans for me. This was arguably the biggest factor. One doc estimated 1500, another 2000, and another 2800-3000. These details are hugely significant for me, and I would have been clueless had I not gone ahead with it. Another example of just how I benefited from this was from a planning perspective. The clinic that I was most impressed with from my research, initially said that I would possibly need 3000-3500 grafts going by my pics, and that I may need to go the FUT route. When I got to the clinic, I found out that I was a very good FUE candidate and that around 2000 grafts would be necessary. It's funny, of the 4 docs I met, they could each fall into the categories you mentioned. I could argue that I actually decided to go with the least 'seductive' of them after weighing up everything. If I had not gone ahead with this consultation......I could easily have just put a deposit on a 3500 FUT procedure and let it be. As a result, I'm paying for far 'less' grafts. In the grand scheme of things, I actually feel as if the trip I made has saved me money (as well as preventing me from committing to a scar). The clinic even gave me a discount due to me making an effort to visit. This discount was more than what my airfare cost. I think everyone who has chimed in on this would say to get an in-person consultation 'if it is in anyway within your capabilities'. Obviously for some it is easier than for others. In my case I am lucky that I can takes me 3-5 hours depending, to get to a city that has 4-5 top surgeons within an hour of each other. Obviously this isn't a case for most, particularly outside of Europe. My weekend turned out to be incredibly practical in hindsight. Granted, it was a tough weekend with a lot of effort and planning put into it. I was pretty exhausted by the end of it, but had gained so much from it. My procedure is exactly 2 months away, and I'm a long way from finding out if it will be a success, but at least I will be able to tell myself that I did everything I could from a research point of view beforehand.