jame$

Well I'm just around a week off the 8 months mark. Here's some updated pictures. I'm in desperate need of a haircut on the back and sides. I've pulled the hair directly up over with some matt effect paste in. Very happy with the way everything has progressed. Cheers for the kind words guys

@83mjs Thanks mate. Yes donor area is great. I'm very happy with the way things have gone over the past  7 months. Hopefully some thickening over the next 5. Fingers crossed! I knew once I came across Dr.Bisanga he was the surgeon for me. Very happy with my choice

..

Right so here I am on month 7. Things have really taken off since month 4 and I'm really happy with my progession! All the transplanted grafts have started to settle in nicely in my opinion and flow great with my native hair.

I mentioned a slight issue with my hairline in previous posts which I feel was a little harsh. As my hair stands at this moment, longer and more developed, I feel like its totally unnoticeable with the style I'm currently going for. With a shorter haircut, or with a longer on top style (combed back over) I still feel like "I" would notice it, but very unsure if a total random person would. I'm going for a straight back combed style. As I described to Dr.Bisanga on consultation so we will see My patient advisor Ian has reassured me Dr.Bisanga will happily take a look at the design if I'm still feeling the same way.

All being said, I'm totally chuffed to be at this point 7 months in. If your considering Dr.Bisanga I'd go and do it.

I've attached a variety of photos with my hair in different conditions.

- Semi wet and under harsher direct lighting conditions
- Dry, no products and natural daylight lighting
- Paste type product, average (if not brighter) room lighting.
- hair pulled tightly back over, dry natural, room lighting again
- Donor area with a guard of around a no1 blended.
- A pre op photo to give comparison

It would be great to hear everyones thoughts on my progession.

@BOW32 your hair is looking spot on mate. Fingers crossed I'll get a similar results as you. Although I think yours looked a better success from the off. How much do you feel your hair has progressed past month 6? 

Month 4 update 

It's been 4 months yesterday since I had the surgery with Dr.Bisanga in Athens. Very happy with the way things are going. The only very slight issue to date is the hairline to the right side of my head. It just seems fairly sharp and unnatural the way it approaches the temple area. Again it's a very minor issue but I think it would have looked more natural to have been shaped like the left side. It may just be a case that this area hasn't produced any follicles as of yet but only time will tell.  

I've uploaded a few photos to show my progession. Under harsh lighting conditions - a few with the hair wet, a few with the hair dried upright and another few in natural daylight (out of direct sunlight) with paste in the hair. 

Again very happy for the 4 months stage and would like to hear how others think I'm getting on 👍🏼

On 12/24/2019 at 12:54 PM, karatekid said:

Hi James, Thanks for making this thread!  I have so much interest in this since Im in a very similar situation to yours.

Im 30 and  have similar hairloss to yours, though a bit worse (hairline more receded), and I also have been considering Dr.Bisanga for long time, and actually had a consultation with him in his clinic 2 years ago.  So Im watching closely, keep updating!

I do have some questions,  if you or Rafael can answer:

1. what exactly the difference between the athens clinic and belgium clinic? Is the cost in athens is cheaper purely because prices at greece lower than belgium? and how this arrangement work for Dr.Bisanga, does he do some weeks in athens and some weeks in brussels? Im asking because I want to make my decision based on quality as number one, and really been wondering if there are disadvantages for booking in athens clinic. Also, I hope it doesnt sound stupid but all those flights can be exhausting for Bisanga and his technicians.

2. you said Bisanga did the punching and was present at the extraction. what about the placement part? would you say in general Dr.Bisanga more involved in the whole procedure than other surgeons?  Also as I heard the surgeon should also do the placement of the front line,  was that the case for you?

3. Do you take medication (other than vitamins)? what the doctor recommended you?

4. What is the density of the transplanted hair?  and did he also transplanted hair some inches into your native hair area? I cant really tell if you have thinning, but for me the front hair really thin and he said that he also transplant about 4 inch into current hairline

 

I wish you good luck and waiting to hear more good news on the results!

 

Hi @karatekid no problem in regards to creating the thread. I just think the more information online relating to hair transplants the better! 

Unfortunately I can't accurately answer no.1, but one thing I will say is that his team of technicians from Brussels were alongside him for my surgery. Other technicians recently employed at the Athens clinic were also involved and overseen in parts of the procedure. Mainly extraction. 

2. Yes Dr.B completed all graft punching and the incisions. The removal of the grafts were completed by his technicians. Mostly the Brussels staff, but the Athens staff also did contribute. The placement of the grafts were only completed by the Brussels technicians. One had been working for Dr.B for over 11 years! So I didn't have any issues on this front.

To be honest I've never heard of the physician just completing the placements of grafts on the hairline.

Yes the reason I chose Dr.Bisanga to complete my surgery was because of the input you recieve. Lots of other Dr's in Turkey for example only draw the hairline and at most make the incisions. 

The two most critical parts of the surgery for me were the shape of hairline, incisions to form the hairline / surrounding areas, and the punching of the grafts. 

3. I was recommend to take oral finasteride. Although I have been totally put off by the amounts of people with horrendous side effects on a facebook forum. I did although consider topical finasteride but due to maybe having another child I decided to put this on hold. 

4. I didn't receive the density measurements after surgery to be honest. Yes he went into my natural hairline by a good inch or so. 

Hope this helps! 

I'm updating the page soon as I've just hit the 4 months mark today. 

On 12/11/2019 at 10:37 AM, MJM said:

Hi James,

Your hair is looking awesome! Was shaving your head for the procedure a personal preference? The only reason I ask is, you already had really good coverage, so I assume you could have used your existing hair to hide the procedure for the first few months of recovery/regrowth.

I'm looking to book in with Dr Bisanga either in Brussels or Athens so I'd be keen to hear your thoughts. I know shaving is preferred but not necessary for areas that are not going to be treated.

Cheers.

Hi MJM, I shaved for the operation as Dr.Bisanga wasn't offering unshaven FUE in Athens at the time. I would have preferred a unshaven procedure to be honest, although I know he densely packed the frontal region more than expected. To be honest it's 3 months of hell but well worth it in the grand scheme of things. I really dont know if you would feel comfortable regardless. In my opinion I would always be wary of it being noticed. Probably end up in a cap again ha!

On 12/8/2019 at 11:50 PM, kondofoni said:

Thank for updating! looks nice for month #3 ; 

 

Thanks mate

On 12/4/2019 at 2:48 PM, Raphael84 said:

Looking great at 3 months post op.

Its a great sign of things to come. Im very pleased for you that you can get back to normal every day life without hiding under a cap and that you can feel more comfortable again.

Looking forward to the next months.

Thanks Ian, yes very happy with the progression so far. Will update at month 4. 

Also I'd just like to add, that although it appears to be slightly red in the pictures its definitely not in reality! 😁

3 Month Update.

Well it's been three months since my hair transplant with Dr.Dr.Bisanga in Athens. I'm very happy with my progression and feeling a hell of a lot more positive. I suppose everyone goes through the stages of second guessing every little thing. Slight paranoia around something going wrong. 

Pictures taken in the harshest light possible but in natural daylight with my hair slightly altered and angled in certain directions no one at all would give me a second look and think I had a great hairline. 

Still a few areas with very little growth, although I know the fun is just starting!  

If I'd hit this part of the progession by Christmas I would have been very happy... so I'm a month in advance! 

Ive been very strict with diet (as usual) so no change there, but also very strict on my daily vitamins. 

MSM

Saw Palmetto 

Biotin

Omega 3

General Multivitamin

Vitamin D

17 hours ago, BOW32 said:

That hairline is going to be unbelievable when grown in! 6 More weeks and the fun will start! 

Thanks @BOW32 . Yes roll on another 6 weeks! 

On 10/10/2019 at 4:19 PM, Raphael84 said:

@jame$

How are you?

Great quality photos and documentation. At five weeks, you have maintained many of your grafts. Experience would suggest that I would still unfortunately expect most of those to shed. Im hoping not for you.

That's one of the best ugly duckling phases I can remember seeing. Mine was far more intense. Still some way to go!

Keep us updated. 

@Raphael84

Yes I'm good thanks. Hoping that's it on the shedding front. 6 weeks tomorrow and I look near on the same. Praying that's the lot

Hoping for some hair at Christmas ha! Yes long road ahead, but like everyone in my position I'm hoping for some early acceleration. 

I will frequently update the thread, possibly the 2 month stage. 

Week 5 update. 

From week 3 I started noticing a considerable amount of shedding. Lots of hairs falling in the shower and noticable amounts on my V shaped pillow (I've became quite attached to it since the first week). Still a permanent fixture in the bedroom as somehow I've attempted to using it and a bit reluctant to get rid ha! 

Just after week 4 I noticed my shedding phase had appeared to stopped. During and shortly after shedding stopped, I started to see very, very, small hairs appearing through the scalp. 

Could I be growing this early!? 

I have been quite red and have been advised to use bio oil to reduce the redness. Although I've decided against this as and I'm going to try and smile though this ugly ducking phase as naturally as possible.

Here's a few more pictures 

Looking very very good at 6.5 months! I'm praying for the same from my operation with Dr.Bisanga. Currently coming up to 6 weeks. Happy growing! 

Day 18 update. 

Totally random day to update the thread at day 18. It landed on a Saturday, what more can I say.

I'm very happy with the donor area at this very early stage. Near on unnoticeable. I've had various complements off other guys like us on facebook and hairloss forums. 

I'm not looking forward to the dreaded shed stage, it's feeling like it's getting ever closer. 

Still feeling slightly less dense on the right hand side of my head compared to the left. I haven't received any feed back on this thread and very curious to hear other professionals or patients thoughts?

I'm more than confident with my choice of surgeon and always have been from the start. Obviously at such a early stage it's very hard to tell and I have been reassured by my patient advisor that I'm looking good, also if for any reason there was a problem after 12 months Dr.Bisanga would review and touch up if deemed necessary. 

Directly from the front it looks very good in my personal opinion. I'm happy with my new hairline and hoping it permanently sticks with me through the full process....fingers crossed! 

As usual all the photos are taken directly in front of the window, in natural light. 

Have you got any pictures from your finished result? 

On 9/3/2019 at 5:42 AM, maxmind90 said:

Day 6

Worst itch of my life. Prob the most uncomfortable day yet but I'm hanging in there.

Hi I'm at pretty similar timescales to yourself in regards to my operation with Dr.Dr.Bisanga. Have you got any additional updates to share? I went to Athens on the 3rd of September for mine. Happy growing!

2 hours ago, Lyubo93 said:

Looks amazing! Will follow your progress with.

Day 10 Update. 

A bit of advice needed.

While looking through all the post operation photos and my 9 days post operation photos I noticed two similarities. In both temples its seems like theres a few areas which aren't as densely packed as others. On my left temple - a line type effect. Also on my right - a more of a obvious few patches.

As I haven't hit the shedding phase as of yet I'm wondering if this is the finished density?

Or will this be at all noticeable once grown through? Hopefully I'm just being slightly paranoid about the whole thing and just need some reassurance.

I've attached two photographs, one immediately after the procedure and one from yesterday. 

Any advice appreciated. 

On the 2nd of September myself and my friend flew out to Athens for my front temples and hairline reconstruction surgery with Dr.Bisanga. My surgery scheduled on the 3rd of September at 7:45.

As promised by the clinic, a driver was waiting for my arrival in the airport (even though we were 1 hour 30 minutes delayed / late). He then took us straight to our hotel and we checked in.

On the morning of the Surgery at 6:15 I went down to the hotel restaurant where we had breakfast. Avoiding caffeine and drinks high in Vitamin C. I had quite a large breakfast knowing there was a long day ahead. Although the hotel was great, my sleep the night before had suffered. I only managed around 5 hours.

My hotel was only a short 15 minutes walk from the clinic. Arriving at B & C I was greeted very happily from my Athens point of contact Maria. She took me through everything and I signed the necessary paperwork. From that point I went and met Dr.Bisanga's Technician. She took my before photos and handed me my surgery wear.

Once Dr.B arrived, we went off to another room to disscuss the surgery. We also discussed the hairline and any other questions I had. He again was very welcoming, professional and put me at ease straight away. Although it did seemed to be quite rushed as he was a little late on the morning.

During the operation Dr.Bisanga was joined by two fellow surgeons from Israel. They didn't contribute towards the surgery, but were just observing, asking him and myself questions along the way. His knowledge is unquestionable in regards to FUE and it was a pleasure to listen in and contribute to their conversation. Both Dr.Bisanga and the other surgeons were complementing myself on the unlimited donor area / hair quality I seem to possess. For this reason Dr.B evenly punched one side and the rear of my head. He explained the reasons behind this and I was more than happy to agree.

As disscussed with my UK patient advisor Ian, Dr.B completed all graft punches and incisions. Again the other Drs seemed to be in awe of his techniques and quality of work. All things you would love to hear from the mouths other professional surgeons.

Once Dr.B had finished off, his team of technicians from his Belgium clinic began the extractions of all the grafts. This for me was the worst part of the operation. Not because of the extractions, but the body position I had to endure for quite some time. I was face down on the chair, on what can be described a very hard travel pillow with my neck bent up over. I was later told the clinic are in the process of moving to their new premises and this wasn't the usual chair used. I did have to stop for a few seconds every now and then to stretch my jaw and neck.

A this point we stopped for lunch and I was provided with a meal while the technicians sorted my grafts.

After a quick lunch break at around 3.30pm we were back in the surgery room. The final stretch! Placing the grafts in the incision sites. This was the most comfortable part of the procedure for myself. As I was sat conventionally on my back relaxing, while the technicians completed the placements. The two surgeons from Israel popped in from time to time to watch their techniques. Again they were both impressed.

Overall the procedure was great. The lead upto the big day was well organised and communication with my UK patient advisor Ian second to none. Not only Dr.Bisanga, but his team and staff are all clearly professionals.

From the start, I some how had a gut feeling Dr.Bisanga was was the physician for me. After researching on various hairloss forum's, reading reviews, looking at examples / styles of work, I decided he was the surgeon for my desired hairline.

Fingers crossed I've made the correct decision!

Specifics from my procedure :

Punch size - 0.9

Total Graft Count - 2622
1s - 400
2s - 976
3s - 1046
4s - 200

Currently 9 days post operation. The donor area is near on unnoticeable and hairline free of all scabs although slightly red.

43 minutes ago, det9925 said:

you dont need an HT yet imo

I suppose everyone's opinion on the topic is totally different . For me, I've thought about this procedure for several years and I know this is the right time. You can only base your decision on your own personal hairloss. Thanks for the confidence boost though det9925

1 hour ago, BjornBorg said:

You have a great starting point for a hair transplant. And in the hands of Dr Bisanga... man, I can't wait to see this result.

Thanks Bjorn, Yes I'm also looking forward to the results! Time seems like it's totally slowed down once I confirmed my booking. Eager to get going asap. Don't get me wrong I know I'm in for a slow and steady ride. Also hoping I'm one of the lucky ones that doesn't shed too much...fingers crossed!