Swill

Hello everyone,

Apologies for my delay in posting an update, life got away from me a bit in these crazy times!

I have attached some photographs to show my progress, I am now at the 8 month mark and the hair has started to come in at quite a pace over the last month or so. I also had my first proper haircut last week (rather than buzz cutting it myself, which I have been doing for years), which was nice!

The Hair Transplant App was again great at taking me through and beyond the initial stages of the procedure, it was surprising how much I had forgotten since my first procedure and the App kept me on top of everything, along with the detailed pack from the clinic. The clinic have also been great with their customer service and aftercare, and answered a few queries I had very quickly.

I am really happy with how things are progressing and the crown really seems to be thickening up by the week so I am expecting it to get even better in the coming months, and I will update with photographs as it progresses. I am particularly impressed with the scar repair, as it is pretty much no longer noticeable, even with a shaved shorter at the back hairstyle!

Hi HTJon,

First of all, congratulations with your procedure and that was a great write up.  I too have had two procedures with Dr Feriduni (the most recent was last month) and have provided write ups on this site.

I thought you would be interested to know given what you wrote that it is not always the case that Dr Feriduni praises everyone as a great candidate for hair transplantation surgery.  I can confirm that prior to my first procedure he took a great deal of time discussing the potential limitations of my procedure given that my hair is relatively thin (certainly far more so than yourself) and also about my hairline placement taking into account that I went to him last year looking for a repair from a procedure I had many years ago, which went badly, so he was certainly more cautious about my available grafts and results than he was with you (13,000 is amazing!).  That aside, I am incredibly happy with my results, he really has done a great job with me and from your pictures you look as though you will get a great result.  

Also, I will respectfully have to disagree with giegnosiganoe regarding his comments on finasteride and 'fear mongering.'  I don't often go into depth on my experiences with the drug, as the last thing I wish to do is preach and I appreciate it is a hot topic particularly in the HT community and everyone should make their own choice.  I however will say that my experience with the drug and the side effects I suffered (after 7 years of usage without any) were absolutely horrific and I would not wish them on anyone.  These came on at the beginning of 2013 and still persist (thankfully to a lesser extent) to this day... it is the most challenging thing I have ever been through. It is everyones choice and I totally respect that, and it may only effect a certain small subset of people, but referring to the side effects as always temporary and concern on the topic as fear mongering is ignorant in my opinion.

Good luck with the growth!

Just a quick note to let you guys know, as i've had quite a few questions regarding the scar repair...

I've realised that that that for the images I uploaded an incorrect image was uploaded above with the wrong picture for 1 year post op (SW10.jpg) I  have now corrected the image for the 1 year post op (middle picture).

4 hours ago, aaron1234 said:

Such refined work and a very interesting case.  I imagine that the strip scar will be practically invisible after this round fills in - there was already a significant improvement the first go around. 

4 hours ago, Dhyan said:

Would love to see growth of follicles in scar .. I am also waiting for my scar correction using beard fue into scar .

 

Hope your thread will provide some insight

Thank you.  Dr Feriduni stated he expects the scar will not be visible at all after it fills in.

I will certainly keep you updated with pictures as and when this occurs

9 hours ago, Curious25 said:

Great write up, and I echo the comments about how impressive your journey was with regards to your first repair journey with Dr Feriduni. 
 

I love you hairline design and the way you are keeping your hair short - eventually you will have a really nice homogenous head of hair. 
 

Any estimates of how much scalp donor you have left to play with ? 

Thank you!

Dr Feriduni mentioned in my follow up consultation that he estimates I would still have approx 2,000 to 2,500 grafts to use if needed, such as if the arch of my hair drops significantly.

10 hours ago, JohnAC71 said:

Loving the scar revision here 😊 

Thank you!

Hi guys, I've posted regarding my 2nd procedure, this is a link to the thread... there are also a load of further pictures uploaded showing the result of my first procedure.  Hope it helps

Here are some photos showing my journey, which include my first hair transplant with Dr Feriduni and some picture after the 2nd procedure.

Hello everyone,

A short bit about me. I am 34 years old and from the UK and have suffered with hair loss from a very young age. I have naturally thin hair anyway, and noticed in my late teens that my hairline was starting to recede heavily. As a result at 19 (back in 2004) I opted to have a hair transplant with a company in Athens, Greece, fronted by a chap named Malcolm Mendhelson (sp?) using the choi method… long story short I was young and stupid, the procedure was beyond terrible (hairs implanted without care for directionality, sparse, terrible job). I was also absolutely butchered with my scar site at the back of my head, the extent of which only became apparent years later when I had to cut my hair short due to further balding.

Resultantly, when considering a further procedure last year I was determined to research to ensure I had a far better outcome. There is a thread documenting my first procedure with Dr Feriduni from June 2019 on this forum you can find through my profile, where he repaired the very poor work from my previous transplant I had back in 2004. It involved removing my previously implanted hairline, repairing a very bad FUT scar and creating a new hairline. 

I documented my first procedure and a lot of people contacted me with queries and said they found it useful so thought I would document my second. I relied a lot on these forums and browsing through the results when making my decision so hopefully this helps some of you.

Following my first surgery with Dr Feriduni last year, my hair now looked natural and I was far happier in my appearance. However, I have lost nearly all of my hair on the crown and always had in mind that a second procedure on this area would definitely be something I would want to pursue should the first procedure go well. I was delighted with the result and as a result it was a no brainer for me to continue with Dr Feriduni for my second procedure to get that ‘full head of hair’ look.

One thing at the front of everyone’s minds at the moment is the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. From the perspective of safety, the clinic had very clear protocols in place to ensure safety and as a result I felt totally comfortable with getting the procedure done at this time. You will not find anywhere more hygienic than a facility that does operations! All hotels seem to have developed very strong protocols to deal with the pandemic during my visit and I did not feel concerned at any point.

From a travel point of view, there were more limited options than my previous trip to Belgium but it was far from impossible and there were still flight and rail options, and I opted to travel out on the Eurostar this time, which was incredibly convenient. There were no issues with passing through borders and all I had to do was fill out online forms 48 hours before entering Belgium and then 48 hours before return to the UK making them aware of my travel etc. From a logistical point of view, I was aware I would need to isolate at home for two weeks upon my return. As this coincides with the 14 day recovery period after surgery, I knew this would be no issue.

I had my procedure on Monday 14th September. I stayed in Hasselt the night before and the clinic arranged for a Taxi to pick me up from my hotel and I attended the clinic at 08:30am and had my consultation with Dr Feriduni prior to the procedure. He was as meticulous and thorough as I remembered from previously and once again spent a great deal of time with me evaluating the previous procedure and discussing the aims for this second procedure. He spent a great deal of time answering my questions and was keen to hear what hopes I had from the procedure and also was as ethical as I remember previously, making it clear what was realistic given my individual circumstances and advising what he feels would be the best way forward.

It was agreed that Dr Feriduni was hopeful to extract 2,000 to 2,500 grafts for this procedure and it was agreed the vast majority would go to the crown region to create the full head of hair, with a small amount being implanted into the now repaired and far less noticeable strip scar and a small amount for a small section of my hairline where I lost a few grafts following my procedure last year. I had stated to Dr Feriduni that as he had done such a great job on my strip scar repair, I felt it was not too noticeable now and my priority was the other areas. However, Dr Feriduni explained that there is no need to be concerned about ‘wasting’ donor site grafts on the scar area as any grafts used would be implanted back into the donor area, so this common concern would not be something to worry about.

Alongside the procedure result, the attention to detail in consulting and how informed and involved you are in the process is something that I think sets Dr Feriduni apart. All the staff were incredibly warm, friendly and professional and they really help put you at ease. I recognised most of the staff working at the clinic from last time and am aware most had been working with Dr Feriduni for many years, which again showed as it all ran like a finely tuned machine.

In comparison to my previous procedure, with the work taking place in the crown region I spent the majority of the day face down which was not the most comfortable, but the staff were very attentive and kept checking in that I was doing well throughout the procedure, and whenever I needed to stretch my neck and move for comfort I was able to do so.

I was delighted that the Doctor managed to go above the expected yield and 3,100 FU’s were extracted and implanted, with the Doctor able to do all the work we had discussed in our consultation on the crown region for a full head of hair and enough left over to cover the strip scar and touch up the very small area on the hairline.

After a night resting at the hotel I attended the clinic the following morning for my follow up appointment where my hair was washed and inspected by the staff and a further consultation with Dr Feriduni where he informed me he was incredibly happy with how the procedure had went and that whilst nothing can be guaranteed, he was very hopeful of a great result. He again took the time to answer all questions I had, and I left feeling delighted excited to see what the coming months bring.

The post operative care has once again been fantastic. You are provided with a pack with all the necessary products you will use for the healing process (medications, shampoo, serums and oils, hydrating spray, etc) as well as a neck pillow to aid sleeping and you are also provided with Head Nurse and Doctors telephone numbers should there be any urgent issues in the first night post-procedure. I had two queries regarding a bit of blood coming from my donor site on the second night post procedure and also an ingrowing hair with pimple in the donor site and I contacted the clinic by email with pictures and these were reviewed by the staff and the doctor and I received a response almost immediately advising and re-assuring this was nothing to worry about. I also had a number of minor queries regarding aftercare in the two weeks post procedure and these were answered incredibly quickly by the clinic.

I also once again used the Hair Transplant app that is provided through the clinic free of charge and have found it invaluable. You receive updates to your smartphone advising what needs to be done in terms of aftercare and when with timed updates, such as taking medications, washing your hair, applying serums etc. It is so convenient and makes the process stress free and hassle free. Even though I have had a procedure in the not too distant past, it is easy to forget the detail and the app makes it really easy with the pop-up reminders on your phone. There is also a section in the app dedicated to informing you what you are now able to do each day post procedure (such as when you can return to normal sleeping without the pillow, when you can wear a hat, when you can resume exercise, drink alcohol, sexual activities, etc) and informing you how many days until you are able to do these things when you have not yet reached the milestone. Since I last used it, they have added pre-procedure instructions to the app leading up to your procedure. This was very useful as it reminded me to stop taking my multi-vitamin a few days prior, which would have otherwise slipped my mind. The FAQ section is also incredibly useful, and I would strongly recommend this app to anyone should it be available for your procedure.

In summary, at this early period I am once again very happy with the procedure and that I chose Dr Feriduni to undertake it, and am very optimistic about the result. I have included pictures below from before and during my procedure, and will provide updates with pictures as I progress. The results from my last procedure started to become visible at around the 5 and a half months mark so I suspect this will follow the same timeline.

I am more than happy to answer any questions should anyone have any 

Just a quick update guys.  I arrived in Belgium today and am undergoing my 2nd procedure with Dr Feriduni tomorrow. 

I will update with a new thread shortly once it is done to document my experience and will put a link in this one... excited to get that full head of hair!

On 7/10/2020 at 9:27 PM, Deak said:

Thanks for your answer Swill, that really, really gives me hope!!
I already took steps to make contact with Dr Feriduni.

One last question if you don't mind:
The area of your previous transplant looks really great in the pictures. Are there really no traces left from your first procedure? Can people tell the difference in real life?

(I am not used to write in englisch, so I hope I have formulated my question clearly)

once again, thank you for sharing your experience!

 

Greetings from Germany

 

 

To answer yours and tressful11's question, as you can see from the photos there is no noticeable scarring in my opinion, Im pretty amazed by how it turned out in that regard.  If you shine a light on it and look at the forehead at within extremely close range in the mirror, there are a couple of pits but these are really not noticeable and could very easily just be put down to very slight natural imperfection in the skin.  

On 7/9/2020 at 9:03 AM, Deak said:

Hello Swill,

how many Grafts were Removed? How was the density of the removed area?

i am very interested in the Same procedure.

thanks for Sharing your experience, it helps a lot

I am not sure how many grafts were removed as I am not entirely sure how many grafts I had in my first procedure.  I was naive and not as clued up when I had my first procedure done back in the early 2000's.  If I recall correctly the Dr managed to re-use near a thousand grafts when combining the old hairline and the scar repair.  If you are interested, I would strongly recommend getting a consultation, Dr Feriduni was meticulous in my experience and was honest regarding expectations etc.

On 6/29/2020 at 8:00 PM, Melvin-Moderator said:

How many grafts do they calculate you have left?

If I recall correctly, prior to my first procedure with Dr Feriduni I had around 10,000 grafts.  I used 4,740 in my first procedure but as I understand it over a thousand of those were re-used from my old hairline from my poor first procedure. So I still have in well excess of 6,000 I believe.

Dr Feriduni spent a lot of time in the initial consultation calculating the number of grafts and then suggesting the new hairline placement in order to ensure that should I wish to have further procedures then there would be plenty present to give the 'full head of hair' look.  That initial consultation letting me know what to expect and ensuring realistic expectations was invaluable for me.

On 6/26/2020 at 4:45 AM, in2deep said:

Hi op. was the extraction done once only? because I emailed Feriduni in the past and he said it might require 2-3 sessions to fully remove the grafts. Please let me know.

Hi in2deep,

Thank you very much for the comment, I am very happy with the result.

In regard to the extraction, it was also mentioned to myself that the extraction may have to be done more than once.  As I understand it, this is down to the natural growing cycle of the hair and the fact that some of the hairs may be in their dormant stage at the time of the procedure. 

I was fortunate in that it was only needed once, and I was informed that with the minimal hairs that were left I could extract them myself with a tweezer and they would gradually return smaller and disappear.  This has definitely been the case.  Some hair still appears from the hairline although it is much finer and there has been progressively less, and I only notice them up close with a mirror, and I just remove them roughly every couple of weeks.  I imagine this wont be the case for too much longer.

In my experience, and from speaking with others when doing my research, Dr Feriduni is very ethical and honest in his approach and always wants to make you aware of what MAY be the case.  For example, in my consultation he was keen to emphasise to me the limitations and what to expect in my particular instance, as I have naturally finer hair than some of his other clients.  He puts great emphasis on realistic expectations and never goes into a 'sales pitch,' which really appealed to me given past experiences.  Rest assured that if it does't prove necessary for you, he certainly wont tell you a second session is required.

Hi guys,

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of my procedure so thought this would be the perfect time to provide an update on my final result. The pictures attached were taken yesterday. I have included a close up of the hairline to show where my previous hairline was removed as quite a few have asked regarding this.

I am incredibly happy with the result and am thrilled that I decided to go for it and with my choice of clinic to undertake the procedure. The density is beyond what I would have expected given I do not have the thickest hair naturally.

I have continued to keep my hair short; I still have a sizeable area that is bald at my crown and although I believe the transplanted area looks of greater density as it grows a bit and I much prefer it longer from a ‘front on’ angle, at the moment given the crown area I find that the best look aesthetically for me is to keep it shorter.

I was honest out of the gate that I had the procedure and have received a load of compliments about how natural it looks. Quite a few of my friends that are balding have stated I am their ‘test case’ and they have now started to look into procedures further having been impressed with the result.

As I have stated previously, the clinic have been superb throughout, right up to recently. I was due to fly out to Belgium from the UK to have my 1 year check-up a couple of weeks ago. This is all covered in the cost of the initial procedure and given the thorough detail Dr Feriduni went into on my initial consultation prior to getting the procedure I was keen to get feedback from him on the result and also get an understanding of things going forward should I get a procedure on the crown area to get a full head of hair.

Due to the virus I was unable to travel. Despite Belgium seeming to be in a great place with their response and re-opening… the UK not so much! My flight was cancelled a by the airline and quarantine restrictions have been imposed by the Government upon return to the UK, making travel at that time really difficult. The clinic were incredibly understanding and it was agreed I could re-schedule when things area bit clearer.

Going forward, life allowing I am really keen to get a further procedure at some point and given my experiences to date it will almost certainly be with the Feriduni Clinic.

Quite a few have asked questions and I have had a lot of direct messages… if you have any questions then do not hesitate and I will endeavour to answer, I remember how daunting it can be at the beginning of researching!

Stay safe everyone!

On 4/19/2020 at 5:04 PM, Wicky said:

Hey just wondering what guard you are cutting your donor area at? 

I am cutting it down to 5mm, and was previously cutting it down to 3mm and did not find the fact I had FUE visible even at that length.  I remember reading something the clinic gave me at the time of procedure recommending I do not go below 3mm.

On 4/16/2020 at 9:33 AM, TrixGlendevon said:

Update? How are you feeling/looking? 

Feeling and looking good thanks, I feel the density has improved and is looking thicker, I am very happy.

Like with most people, life has been a bit strange with the outbreak so have not got around to taking new pictures yet, but I will look to do so over the next few weeks, and will definitely do so in June for the 1 year mark

On 2/17/2020 at 8:29 AM, watterot said:

That was my thought too! Although I think a shorter hair cut suits him as longer hair would accentuate the crown. It is also a testament to how good the work is that he is able to keep really short hair.  

On 2/17/2020 at 8:48 AM, karatekid said:

I would say the opposite, you can see how impressive the results if the hair is long and styled.  I mean, if you want to keep buzz cut, just go for smp

And yes the crown is a problem anyway.

Watterot hit the nail on the head, I prefer the short cut right now because of the crown, as the hair grows the area I have had the HT on begins to look even better, but the limiting factor is that it really accentuates the baldness in the crown.  I don't really want to be using something like Toppik any more so i'm keeping it short until (life permitting) I have my second HT and a full head of hair.  At that point I will certainly grow it out and experiment 🙂

Hi guys, as promised here are my photographs at the eight month mark.  Recently I've really noticed the scar repair that Dr Feriduni did for me starting to fade, happy with the progress and excited for the final result.  I have a consultation for the end of May with the Dr to assess the final result (which is included with the HT itself) and assess future options. Exciting times!

On 1/21/2020 at 1:07 AM, home1212 said:

i don't think any FUE scarring completely fades away - in donor or from excision at the hairline - its a matter of how much or how little they are noticeable to the naked eye and each individual's physiology for scarring

Quite possibly, but Im certainly over the moon with what Dr Feriduni managed to do.  Ive attached an up close hairline pic at 8 months in my update post below.

On 1/19/2020 at 6:02 PM, watterot said:

Looks great considering the amount of hairline that was raised. Near the temples it's probably more than an inch. Impressive stuff!

 

@Swill How many months did it take for the marks to fade from the removed hairline? FUE scars always remain at the donor area, so surprised they fade away at the hairline!

They begun fading very quickly in fairness, I was not overly conscious of them from after the first couple of months, and was back in work within two weeks.  Ive attached an updated hairline picture in my update post below.

On 12/1/2019 at 1:58 AM, home1212 said:

looking great, continued success. how does the forehead look up close from the removal of the old grafts from your original HT? the pics show no sign of scarring, do you notice anything up close? i've always wondered about excision of oddly placed grafts up front in the hairline and whether or not its noticeable

The area where the old grafts were removed looks absolutely great now, there are a few little dots but they are fading and I expect all with time will likely disappear.  Dr Feriduni really seems to have done an amazing job for me, you certainly wouldn't know that I had grafts removed in that area.  I'll be sure to post an up close picture at the 8 month mark!

On 11/28/2019 at 4:57 PM, Gasthoerer said:

This looks excellent considering you are in month 5 and how bad your starting point was. You are in a much better position now than before. 

Did you already planned a next step? How does it look like? I personally think, that if you can disguise the scar a Little better you already could be fine. 

My next step will be an appointment with Dr Feriduni next June at the 1 year mark to assess the options.  All being well and finances allowing, I will look to get the patch at the back filled in too.

I am now at month 7 and it is looking considerably better than it did in the month 5 pictures, I am extremely happy and very encouraged.  I will post further progress pictures on here at the 8 month mark

Hi guys, just providing an update and the pictures.  I am now 5 months post procedure… I had intended to provide an update at 4 months but only a little hair had come in at that point, but I noticed that it was starting to much more rapidly so thought it’d be more useful to everyone to leave it another month.

As expected, I lost most of the transplanted hair between the two week to two month period.  I did keep most of the actual hairline, which I was informed was due to the fact they were single grafts as they give the best look at the hairline.  As I stated the hair began to come through noticeably just shy of 4 months but the change between month 4 and month 5 has been the most considerable by a distance.  

The scar from my old transplant is noticeably thinner than it was but still red from the fresh incision.  I think I am now starting to notice it fading ever so slightly however.  

Also the area where my old transplanted hairs were removed looks great in comparison to how it was, there are still a couple of marks but only noticeable literally at point blank range and I expect they will continue to fade further.  It is so unnoticeable that I would not be overly bothered if this was the end result in this area.

Some density is starting to appear and it is getting more noticeable weekly, very excited to see the progress as this continues.

The clinic has been absolutely incredible with their support.  I have contacted them a few times with general questions and they have answered very quickly.  I have even had personal responses and emails from the surgeon himself.  I really couldn’t recommend the clinic highly enough.  

The aftercare they offered through the HairTransplant app is superb and was hugely helpful, particularly in the first two months as you are reaching the various milestones in recovery.  It’s a great easy access guide as to where you are at in the process, and how long until you should be doing certain things safely, such as exercise, sun exposure etc.  It was so easy being just a few clicks away to all these answers without have to deep dive reading things.  It was also really fun in a peculiar way, like you were checking off landmarks as you go along.  The regular reminders in the early stages throughout the days regarding it being time to wash/apply lotion etc. were invaluable!

I am away over the next few weeks but will endeavor to answer anything, questions and comment welcome as always!

1 hour ago, jj51702 said:

Thank you for sharing. I think this is going to look great. Did dr feriduni say whether or not the frontal hairs that were removed may show any scarring?

Many thanks for that JJ.

In honesty that is one question I maybe should have asked the clinic, but didn't as I just assumed it would all heal up.  Its something I may query with the clinic if the healing in that area stagnates, but what I can say is at the moment it is getting much better and fading every day, to the point you only notice it up close now.  I expect that this, to lesser or more effect, will continue.