Koot

Hi, I'd give finasteride a lot longer to work- it took 4-5 months for my loss to stop and another 6 months before I noticed any areas filling back in. Most reputable surgeons want you on the meds for a good while before they will access you for ht work. And that'll give you a lot longer to explore your options and save up some more cash! Turkey may be your best option on a limited budget for quality and price! 1000 grafts seems too low, send clear photos to the top clinics and you'll get a more realistic graft count. In my case all the decent surgeons were within 200 grafts of each other, including those I couldn't see in person but just sent photos.

Love the designs but no 4 looks really low to me 5cm+-? above the brows, would be worried about further recession if mine was that low! But it's important to note that one design does not suit everyone and folks need to explore loads of possible variants to get the right one - some Drs seem to have one generic shape and that might not be what suits.

Thanks for updating your donor looks great after 3000+ fue, hope the next couple of months will see an early sprouting of new shoots!

Wow.... that's some Christmas Present!

Also Dr De Reys in Belgium (Heist Op Den Berg) around 3 euros (previously lead Doc at Prohair)

That's looking really great and is a real Lorenzo classic - filling the temples as well for the complete look! Wishing you good growth and apologies for the weather. My folks only live half an hour away in Cheshire but the rain only seems to land on Manchester for some reason! One question- how did you cope with sleeping at the hotel, since you had work done on the crown, the hairline and temples? Great write up too!

I think some of the cost is reflected in the more hands on approach of Dr Lorenzo who punches extracts and places all the grafts himself, techs only assist. Dr Bisanga punches and makes incisions techs do the rest. Having recently had consults with both Drs Lorenzo and Bisanga I felt the former was more passionate and interested in his work also he would do my smaller procedure over two days so I was paying ?4500 per day for Dr Lorenzo and around 7000 Euro + per day for Dr Bisanga. I think that this difference in cost is also reflected by strip surgeons where Dr Konior who is very hands on charges more than other top strip outfits. But I guess the proof of the pudding is always in the eating and it's results that count.

I agree in principle with many of the benefits mentioned but was wondering if in the wrong hands or tired hands the implanter can actually harm a freshly implanted neighbouring graft. I assume the angle of each graft implanted has to be identical or else the point of the implanter will cause damage to the protective tissue of those surrounding. Higher risk in dense packing? I guess what I'm saying is that only two top surgeons are using this method and they implant all grafts personally, techs only assist.

Great to have you posting your experience - the first one in English I believe! Did you discuss density and design on the day or just go with Dr Lorenzo's suggestions. Also how did sleep the first night and how did you protect the grafts?

Hi Folks, Anyone got any thoughts on the two processes. After my recent consult with Dr Lorenzo it occurred to me that the stick and place implanter technique means that as each blade enters the skin it does so next to an already implanted graft whereas with the custom blade method all slits are made before implantation therefore there is no danger of the blade damaging newly implanted grafts. I intend to ask Dr Lorenzo about this but wondered if any FUE aficionados had any views either way. Thanks

Yes, he will be here for a year, he has kids and would like them to learn English. But will he survive a Manchester winter! Of course his services don't come cheap! I forgot to ask whether he has brought his staff over or is he training Farjo staff to assist.

Get on meds as soon as you can if finasteride no good try dutasteride I've been on them for 14yrs from age of 32 and wish I could have been on them a few years earlier. Stopped my loss dead in its tracks and even reversed loss of a couple of years earlier. If I had started younger might not have lost any hair!

Forgot to mention Dr Lorenzo is a great believer (like most HT Drs) in patients taking meds (either Dut or Fin) he himself is on them, and doesn't like to operate on patients until their hair loss condition is stabilized by age 40+ or by meds, preferably both.

Just thought some folks might be interested in my visit to see Dr Lorenzo. P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; } I recently visited Dr Lorenzo in his new home at the Farjo Clinic in Manchester for a consultation kindly arranged by Mick (who often posts on the forum) the head of patient liaison for the Farjo Clinics. The Farjo clinics new state of the art plush offices are just on the edge of central Manchester. After filling out the ubiquitous questionnaire and health check forms the very welcoming and affable Mick came and chatted with myself and another potential patient for a while, before one of Dr Lorenzo's first UK patients was ushered into a nearby room and Mick kindly offered us the chance to chat with him and look at the work that had just been completed earlier that afternoon. The patient had around 2200 grafts over two days placed in the crown area. Wow! The work was so clean and there was little evidence of bleeding and the extraction area was really tidy. The grafts themselves were just tiny white dots of epithelium packed densely in what would appear to be a moderate crown restoration area. The patient's head was certainly not the blooded mass of grafts and extraction sites that I had been expecting nor was there evidence of any swelling (this was his second day on the couch). The patient told us that it had been virtually pain free even the dreaded injections had been eased by the vibrating injection needles and he was certainly very happy with the way the procedure had gone. Shortly after Mick had managed to coax us out of the room Dr Lorenzo himself arrived still in his surgical scrubs and spent 15 mins with the guy in the consult room. Then it was our turn. Dr Lorenzo was relaxed, friendly and charming (and speaks very good English). I was not hurried at all during my consult and we discussed density (he implants up to a maximum of 70 grafts per cm.) and technique. He explained that he uses an implanter not because he thinks it's better than custom blades but because it feels it works well for him and allows quick implantation of grafts so they are outside the body for the shortest possible time (max 4 hours). He doesn't use PRP, Acell etc because he hasn't been able to prove to himself in trials that he gets a better survival rate and he believes that the ensuring uniform results is more to do with strict protocols and careful technique which is why he performs all extractions and placement of grafts himself. I discussed my goals with him and he drew a couple of possible hairline designs then showed me similar design on a former patient. He got me to frown and showed how my forehead muscles related to where my original hairline had lain (this explains the many frowning patient photos on his website). He then used one of those little laptop cameras to examine my donor density in three areas and showed me how he calculated it and also pointed out the distribution of the various graft grouping. Because I have some greying/white hairs he explained how he would extract these and if need be he would die my shaved head to make these more visible on the day. We then discussed yield. Dr Lorenzo warrants 85 %. Why not more I asked. He explained that whilst he always aims for 100% there are always some that fail, and the 85% figure is a base level and allows for the 10-14% which will be in the Telogen phase at any one time and therefore will not be visible. Which makes a lot of sense. 30mins had flown by and Mick entered to check my pulse, clean the red pen markings off my forehead, and give Dr Lorenzo chance to slip off for a coffee after a long day in the clinic. Mick and I then chatted some more Mick told me the Dr is a very talented classical pianist (which must explain some of his dexterity and dedication) and then I headed off, shook Mick's hand by the reception desk then turned round to see that Dr Lorenzo had come down to reception to shake my hand too. I said he was charming! Obviously the Lorenzo-Farjo collaboration is in its infancy and it will take 6-7 months for the first results to filter through but at the consult I felt confident that this could be really positive for the UK.

Anyone considering Rhinoplasty should look up Steve Denenberg in Omaha, even just to see a thorough explanation of the procedure on his website. Like hair transplants don't cut costs your nose sits right out in front and many nose jobs stand out like a sore thumb!

Hi Matt, I really like your hairline design and think it's great that Dr Konior felt confident to go a little bit more aggressive. One question. Did Dr K discuss density of the grafts in the hairline and behind and how he planned to design your HT in this regard. I'm in the UK so it's great to have such a detailed write up from some one who has travelled across the pond, as most traffic seems to be in the direction of Belgium these days!

Really great write up mate, pics looks fab and should lead to top result. Dr Konior's on my final list of three so will be following your progress with huge interest.

As Dr Lorenzo has now joined Farjo in Manchester -starting sometime in September, I was just wondering whether anyone has ever posted after having had a consult or procedure with him. I don't recall ever seeing a single report on his work by a patient on an English language forum, all I've seen are loads of youtube videos. It would be interesting to hear from patients as he is now a recommended Doc and it will obviously a while before his results at Farjo start trickling in.

Hi I recently had a face to face consult with Dr De Reys, getting to Heist Op Den Berg was actually quite easy trains run every 15 mins (one change) from Brussels Midi station (16 Euros return) you can go via Leuven, Lier or Antwerp just look on the Belgian railways site. I think Lier gives you most time to change platform! Think you'll be in good hands. Best

Yep it depends on the number grafts so can be 3 euros or less! It's interesting how different the approach to hairlines can be with different surgeons - some seem to place a cm of singles while others just a few mm. Dr De Reys is well known for his love of a zig zag pattern!

Consult with Dr Rudi De Reys (former lead Doctor at Prohair) Just thought I'd share some info from my face to face with Dr De Reys kindly arranged by his UK representative Nick (promotional link removed) Briefly Dr De Reys has set up a modern surgery unit in his home in the small Belgian town of Heist-Op-Den-Berg I travelled by Eurostar to Brussels Midi and then jumped on a local train for the relatively easy 1 ? hour journey (cost 16 euro return, 1 change) to Heist-Op-Den-Berg. After meeting at the station Dr De Reys drove us back to his home where after showing me the surgery facility he spent a good hour explaining his methods and drawing up a treatment plan for my hair loss condition (NW3-1300 grafts). I was also able to see examples of his work which he records and stores on a laptop. He said he extracts and places a maximum of 1500 grafts per day with the assistance of his experienced nurse wife Gina. The aim is to place a couple of rows of single grafts at around 60 per cm2 then go to 40 per cm2 of doubles and triples to give coverage of around 100 hairs per cm2. Up to 400 grafts per hour are extracted manually with a 0.75 or 0.9 versi handle punch, sorted and stored in a Plasma preservation solution. After a brief break for lunch, lateral slits are made using a custom blade (2 hours) and then the grafts are implanted by the doctor and his wife ( 300-400 per hour). So with breaks I guess the day lasts 8-10hours. At the end of the day the patient joins the family for dinner and then gets a lift back to the hotel in the town centre, which is included in the transplant cost (3 euro per graft). The practice operates on two to three patients a week to allow rest days. Dr De Reys speaks good English and is open and friendly and happy to answer questions so It'd be nice to see more of his work since leaving Prohair on the English language forums, although there are more patients posting on the foreign forums and some interesting videos (not just the ones on youtube) if you google carefully. I am looking possibly at scheduling work later in the year once I can arrange time off from work but would probably drive over for the actual surgery. Pros Cons Lots of FUE experience FUE only no FUT for those who need it Price Not many recent examples on the forums Small two person team Hotel included Doctor extracts and places Can do non shaven donor FUE for smaller surgery (1000 grafts) My regime 5 years of Dutasteride (after 8yrs finasteride) Nizoral Occasional bouts of minox (not convinced)