soundgrower

I had a cancellation in October 2016 and was asked to still pay 80% just over a week before surgery and the rest on the day after the surgery. Fortunately I had the funds.

3 months and 2 days.

Thanks, yes it's about 3 months when growth stats to kick in. Just shaved my head a little more which shows the results better. If I get chance I will update the image. Happy Christmas.

10 Weeks. No new growth to speak of yet, seems less hair than the last photo and possibly some loss from around the donor area which would be shock ?

Thanks for the encouragement Bill. I feel far more outgoing already !

Hi, Here is my 1 month update. As you can see the hair has started to fall out which is expected. Everything is healing well and feeling itchy. Had a bit of a worry as I bumped my head, not too bad but enough to be sore the next morning, in the crown area but hopefully 1 month on I should be in the safe zone.

Here is my head at day 8. This morning I initially thought my grafts were falling out but I read online to put my mind at rest that the hair and scabs start falling around now. Phew !

I initially met Dr Lupanzula and his wife Sandra in London in January at one of his seminars. Having had my front, mid area of my scalp restored by Dr Rahal in 2007 (and a brilliant job he made of it) with almost 3000 grafts via strip. I thought it was getting high time to look into getting my crown covered as it was becoming more noticeable as well as affecting my self esteem. In 2015 I suffered a mild form of a major stroke. This came as a shock being perfectly fit and healthy but my blood pressure and cholesterol are sadly high due to hereditary. I did email Dr Lupanzula before the trip to London with my concerns about whether he would consider surgery on a stroke sufferer. Surprisingly, he still seemed willing to see me despite this setback. I had a very positive meeting with the Dr and his wife Sandra with a view to restoring the crown. I was pleased to hear that as long as I was taking my meds I should be fine for surgery. He told me that I am a good candidate for a transplant. I came away feeling positive and had a good feeling. I liked the fact that it is a small, family business with good ethics and we also share the same Christian faith. Last week I had an offer of a cancelation 13/10 so I had to make quick arrangements for my flight. I booked a very cheap Ryanair flight from Manchester on the 12th to return on the 14th. I was kept informed by one of the team, an extremely nice person called Gianluca who was to meet me off my shuttle bus from Charleroi airport (an hour's drive into Brussels which ironically cost more than my flight at ) He also showed me to my hotel and was very obliging. Later that day I had my consultation with the Dr which went very well. In fact, there is a genuine warmth from the person who completely put me at ease having travelled into an unfamiliar country facing the prospect of surgery. The next day I had 1995 grafts in my crown by Dr Lupanzula. The care, and professionalism from the team was above and beyond my expectations. The surgery went very well except for some bleeding which my blood thinning meds were the obvious cause. Dr Lupanzula was getting quite concerned when it was still bleeding well into the evening but he gave me some medication to counteract the flow which eventually worked. When something unexpected like that happens ( and it's a first for the dr) it's very reassuring to know how capable he is, not just as a hair surgeon. The next morning I was expecting to feel swollen and groggy. Not a bit of it ! I felt great and had a breakfast before my post op with the doc. He was very pleased the bleeding had stopped and washed and dressed my scalp. I like the fact that they give you a bag of after care products that again have a professional quality. Even a cool black bandana for wearing on the way home, something I was worried about being self conscious. I would also like to say that Gianluca was exceptional in his help with the logistics of the whole trip, right down to the small details. A lovely, patient person who is an asset to the team. I was given a usb stick with the photos Dr Lupanzula took before and after surgery of which I will share here. One week on from surgery and I am doing fine. I would say that about 4 days after surgery I started to get some pain from my donor area which lasted a couple of days and has subsided. Interestingly I had no pain the first 3 days after surgery. Perhaps the anesthetic has fully worn off ? Anyone considering to go from the UK I would highly recommend. It was suggested that I take the Eurostar to get direct into Brussels but being based in the North West I would have the cost of getting to London by car or rail (not cheap) as well as the more expensive Eurostar. Flying out for ?7.99 seemed a no brainer but if you are based in the South perhaps the Eurostar would be a better option. Anyway, here are my first images.

Thanks voxman. I wish you well with your recovery. I must say I am disappointed with the lack of response here.

It has been a very tough year for me for various reasons I won't go into but one of them is this. Just over 8 years ago I had a first FUT transplant with Dr Rahal. It was a great success but I feel now is the time to get a second procedure. I have been looking at my options, some in Europe that sound good due to price and quality and less travel. I am a healthy 48 year old who is active, has never smoked, eats healthy food, not overweight, takes natural supplements. I have never had any illnesses and rarely ever had to visit a doctor. Just as I was getting my reserch refined something happened. I woke up one morning in May feeling dizzy, very nauseous and could not coordinate my walking. Later that day I visited my doctor who told me it is 99% Labyrinthitis until I told her that it was worse on my right side. She initially seemed to think all my reactions were normal and sent me to hospital to rule out a TIA (mini stroke) To cut a long story short after many tests including heart, brain scan etc I was actually told I had suffered a major stroke as it had left a mark on the right side of my brain. In fact, I had had a milder one sometime earlier than that on my left side I never knew about. This of course was a shock and still is. At the moment I am on statins as my cholesterol is genetically high (despite taking cholesterol lowering supplements and eating healthy food) and blood pressure lowing meds because it is high, and still too high despite meds. they also put me on blood thinning meds that do a similar job as aspirin to prevent clotting. Now I have no idea why my blood pressure is so high (although I am prone to getting stressed) but again it seems like it is genetic and endemic of men my age. At the moment it's obvious that a transplant wouldn't be wise while things are in the air but I really do hope to get back on with it once things are stable. The thought of not being able to get a second procedure for around 1000-3000 grafts gets me down. Has anyone else had similar issues and had a transplant after a stroke, high blood pressure etc ? is it still possible to have a transplant after a stroke ? I made a full recovery as my symptoms were numbness to the right side which went away after a couple of weeks. It could have been much worse which I am grateful

I am sure you can get the same quality for less money in Europe (Brussels, Turkey)

Good grief he is expensive. I can't budget that much. I would have thought going to Spain would be reasonable from the UK. Would Brussels be my next choice for FUE ?

Doesn't Lorenzo work in the Manchester, Uk clinic ? If so, then I will give him a try as half an hour away :-)

I am also asking the same question. I need a second FUE procedure (first was the main work done via strip in Canada) This time I want to stay as close to home as possible but am willing to go to Europe if the Eurostar is an option. Wasn't there a guy in the UK called Rogers I seem to recall ? The UK seems very expensive at Ziering. There is also Dublin to consider as there is another post on this forum about that. I have just discovered this place in my Local-ish city of Liverpool. It's cheap for FUE. Worth a look ? http://www.theskinandhairclinic.co.uk/

What would be my best option in the UK / Europe ? I need some FUE as a second procedure.