England

A couple of notes in favour of Finasteride:

1 - If you did have an adverse reaction, you're probably in the tiny minority of patients who this applies to, and you have not seen continued side effects since stopping taking the drug. This is important, as people who do see side effects generally see them go away upon stopping use.

2 - How are you sure that Finasteride was causing the problem? There are thousands of causes of temporarily low numbers of red blood cells, which may well have affected you and could have gone away regardless of whether you stopped taking the pills or not.

3 - I've taken Finasteride for a decade now and my blood work is completely normal and has been through all stages. I've seen no noticeable side effects

4 - To the guy suggesting FUE as an alternative, it's only a good option when you supplement it with something like Propecia to prevent further loss.

Just to add to this thread, I've been on Propecia regularly for the past.... 9 years? I've barely missed a day.

Recently had a baby boy and we conceived on first attempt. Baby is extremely happy and healthy, so don't worry guys!

Thanks everyone for the kind words - really appreciate it

2 Months

2 Months

2.5 Months - Back to pre-op state

4.5 Months

4.5 Months Pt 2

4.5 Months Pt 3

5 Months

After going out with zero product in my hair for the first time in 7 years, I encountered extremely strong winds, and actually enjoyed it:

5 Months 1 Week

The bottom line is, even if I didn't see any more growth from my hair transplant, it has already changed my life. Before, I would spend half an hour styling my hair, using all kinds of product to hold the comb-over in place, and be worried any time I sensed even the slightest wind. If I ran out of product, I didn't go out. Going out in any kind of strong wind simply wasn't an option.

I am now 5 months and 1 week in, I can style my hair in 2 minutes and I no longer need any product, whatsoever. I finally enjoy wind for it's cooling and refreshing qualities instead of being constantly nervous about my hair.

I seem to find the hair is getting thicker and thicker every week - I can't wait to see how it continues to develop over the next 7 months.

Cheers

Basically, yes... although with hair and hair transplants nothing is ever certain! :-)

One word of caution though - there are two types of shock loss. The temporary shock loss is the one we've been discussing, in which all of the hair is strong enough to grow back afterwards.

However, if you have any hairs which are on their 'last legs' - which would soon fall out and disappear anyway, the hair transplant may push them over the edge and they may not return.

To put things into perspective for you - as I mentioned I'm now 5 months post op, and for the first time in 7 years I'm able to style my hair in 2 mins, with no product, and to walk out in any wind with no problems. Even if I see no additional growth from here, I'm already delighted. You may not see exactly the same growth rate, but I would be surprised if you didn't have some improvement by 5 months. Are you having FUE or FUT? Generally FUT growth occurs sooner, and also growth is often quicker if this is your first surgery.

Cheers

My main worry is when does that shock loss hair grow back .. Because i have some hair in the front with which i can cover up as of now .. Iam only worried with the hairtransplant will i look more bald for some time

I would say that even in a worst case scenario most people tend to have recovered from any shock loss by 5 months.

In my case, it was 3 months at which point any sign of shock loss had disappeared.

Hi England,

 

Sorry a bit off topic. I read you were trying to decide between the two doctors in Belgium. What made you choose Dr Feriduni at the end.

 

thanks,

S

Hi Splashin I've replied on my thread so as to not hijack this one.

Cheers

Hi England,

 

Sorry a bit off topic. I read you were trying to decide between the two doctors in Belgium. What made you choose Dr Feriduni at the end.

 

thanks,

S

Hi Splashin,

Decided to answer on here so as to not hijack the other thread. Here are the main reasons I selected Feriduni, but I will say from the start that I believe Bisanga to be an excellent surgeon, who would also make a great choice for anyone considering FUE:

1 - Case studies. As well as preferring the design of Feriduni's hairlines, he was also able to show me hundreds of studies of people with similar hair to mine who underwent a similar procedure, during our consultation. I didn't get to see any during my consultation with Dr Bisanga. I also met some patients in the waiting room prior to my consultation with Dr Feriduni, and spoke to some of his former patients online.

2 - Approach. I felt that Dr Feriduni was very interested in hearing what my specific requirements were, and creating a strategy based on that, whereas the impression I got from Dr Bisanga is that he had decided what he was going to do before I even opened my mouth. Dr Feriduni also took a more scientific approach to the consultation itself, using digital equipment to evaluate my donor (displaying it on screen) and the special mask to calculate the ideal hair line. While the consultation with Dr Bisanga was over within say 15 minutes, the consultation with Dr Feriduni was far more in-depth and detailed, lasting probably 45 mins.

3 - Environment and Personality - the clinic, the staff, and the doctor all seemed more professional and amenable to me, which perhaps doesn't count for much - but it counts for something. Not only did it mean I had absolute trust in the ethics and honesty of the clinic & doctor, it also gave me great confidence going into the procedure that if anything went wrong it would be handled properly. That isn't to say that anything about Dr Bisanga or his clinic was unprofessional, I just felt more at ease at the Feriduni clinic and in the hands of Dr Feriduni.

Best of luck.

Between months 1 and 3 I had some shockloss - my hair definitely reached a point worse than pre-op at around 2 months, but it quickly grew back and at 3 months I was back to square one.

I'll be posting some pictures from 2 months to 5 months this weekend so you can check it out for yourself.

Iam just worried after how many months of the hair transplant i will look atleast like what iam now. Iam talking about hair trasplant.

Hey Santhosh,

I had FUE surgery 5 months and 1 week ago.

After 3 months I found my hair was back to my pre-op state, albeit a lot shorter because I shaved by head for surgery.

Now, after 5 months, I've already seen a life changing improvement in my hair, and I know that I should continue to see growth for at least the next 7 months.

That is not true some sides might be permanent and don't disappear when stop taking the drug, the FDA confirms that and forced merck to modify their label to mention that info. The possibility of permanent sides are also mentioned in propecia website.

Im honestly sick of doctors and ppl try to hide this info and just tell ppl that once you quit the drug all sides will disappear. Regardless the percentage of ppl getting sides, the possibility of permenant sextual sides is scary as hell and ppl should be aware of that fact before making such a big decision.

.

Fair comment - hadn't read the updated warnings since I started on Propecia 7 years ago. At that time it was stated that any sides would go away after discontinued use. I've checked around and seen the updates that were made later.

I wasn't trying to hide any info, as you make out.

It's important to put the side effects into perspective. It remains the case that only a small percentage of men get side effects and the vast majority of those who stop taking the drug see their side effects go away.

Do u know the reason why hair loss will be happen after surgery?

any specific reason?

Hair loss is progressive. Whether you have surgery or not, your hair will continue to fall out and get thinner.

If you have surgery, you thicken up a particular part of your scalp / hairline - and this is usually permanent. However, the rest of your hair (not touched by surgery) will be unaffected, and will continue it's progressive fall-out. This means that even though the surgery has filled in the original gaps you have, your natural male pattern baldness will create new gaps in the future. This isn't an effect of the surgery, it's an effect of your genetics :-)

The 2 solutions to this are medication (Finasteride) to slow or stop this natural process, or further surgery once it occurs. This is why you have to plan for your long term future when thinking about a hair transplant. You have to factor in future loss and ensure you have sufficient donor to deal with it.

I would certainly consult with him, he is recommended on this forum. I would also consult with other surgeons, as I mentioned.

You can view real patient experiences here:

Healing and happy with 3320 grafts in one session with Dr. Madhu - Forum By and for Hair Loss Patients

15 Months after HT done at Dr.Madhu's Hyderabad - Forum By and for Hair Loss Patients

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/159366-my-hairtransplant-dr-madhu-29-01-11-a.html

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/160065-dr-madhu-hyderabad-india.html

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/161476-just-got-my-hair-transplant-dr-madhu-heres-my-experience-promised.html

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/162158-3400-grafts-dr-madhu-08-08-2011-need-your-feedback.html#post2275121

I've seen, and read the link you provided.

It does nothing to change my mind, whatsoever. I stand by everything I said. Every clinic, no matter how good or bad, can present itself in a positive manner.

The 'award' 'he' won was for:

Dr. Batra's Positive Health Clinic Private Limited (DBPHCPL), the world's first and largest homeopathy healthcare corporate, has been honoured with Franchise India's prestigious Star Retailer Awards 2011, in the category of Health and Beauty Retailer of the Year. The award recognises Dr Batra's outstanding contribution towards propagating beauty and health, through homeopathy, and its effective utilisation through branded retailing, across India, the UAE and the UK.

It has nothing to do with surgical hair restoration. The award also seems to be for the corporation, not for a specific doctor.

I hope you take my advice :-)

Rogaine is a topical treatment aimed at preventing hair loss. In my experience, it helps your existing hair to grow (and strong), but doesn't necessarily prevent further loss. I personally don't use it but many on here do so they must see some results from it.

Propecia is a brand of pills, in which the active ingredient is Finasteride.

Proscar is another brand of pills which also contain Finasteride.

Thanks for the quick reply, Pavan.

I re-read your previous posts and I see that you stated you would use Homeopathic and allopathic medicines after surgery (which I misread), so it now all makes sense.

Here is my advice:

Homeopathic and allopathic medicines

I would strongly recommend against this method. There is little to no scientific evidence that any of these methods work. Even at the time they were conceived, there was little to no scientific basis behind the theory. In short - it is my honest belief that this medicine will provide absolutely no benefit to you, and would be a waste of your time and money. Also, a lot of people mistakenly believe that just because something is 'natural' that it can't be damaging to your health. The reality is that natural substances are 'drugs' every bit as much as the pills you can buy - the only difference is that nature doesn't require FDA approval. I can't change your beliefs, but I can at least try to convince you of what I believe to be accurate. Here is a great article explaining why Homeopathy is not the right path to take:

Column: Homeopathy isn

Finasteride

The only drug which has been proven scientifically to reduce hair loss, I would strongly recommend that if you go ahead with surgery, you combine it with this drug to limit the need for future surgeries as much as possible. I notice you have already been informed of possible side effects in a previous thread you started, but I would suggest that despite this possibility, you give Finasteride some serious consideration. Hundreds of us on these forums are using Finasteride every day, with no side effects whatsoever. It is a very small percentage of people who suffer any side effects, and those who do find that those side effects disappear when they stop taking the drug. If you're serious about hair restoration, and surgery, it is an ongoing battle between your hair loss and hair maintenance / restoration techniques, and Finasteride is an essential part of that battle. There is a very real danger that if your hair loss continues after surgery, you will be left with an unnatural looking hair pattern and you may have insufficient donor to restore a normal appearance.

FUE Surgery

I recently had a 2,500 FUE surgery, so was probably in a similar situation to you prior to my op. However, FUE surgery is far more complex & time consuming when compared to FUT, and also requires a great deal of skill to perform consistently well. Grafts are not extracted from under a microscope in controlled conditions, but under lesser magnification from your living, moving, head, in a process which is far more risky to the grafts. I am an advocate of FUE in some cases, but there are only a handful of surgeons worldwide who can consistently generate excellent results with FUE - and even they have the occasional lower yield. It is simply difficult to perform. My main concern with your plan is that the surgeon you have mentioned is not even familiar to me, let alone in my list of surgeons who I would trust to take a scalpel to my head. That, combined with the choice of FUE - is a recipe for disaster, in my opinion. You are probably in a difficult state of mind, set on getting yourself 'sorted', and the last thing you want to do is cancel - on a personal level I think it will be extremely difficult to persuade you that this is the correct course of action. But my sincere and honest advice to you is that you should cancel your scheduled procedure. Any doctor can show you pictures of success stories, but unless you can read up and research a doctor independently, you don't see the other side, the times it went wrong. You also have no way to prove that the pictures the surgeon is using are his own - Jotronic on here has many times exposed clinics using before/after pictures which do not belong to them. I have seen / read hundreds of cases such as yours, and the end result is almost never a desirable outcome. The hard, cold truth is, if you go ahead with this procedure, I would bet a significant portion of money that you end up dissatisfied with the result. I don't want to scare you, or be dramatic in any way, but that is honestly the route you are on.

I know, because I made the same mistake. I was so focused on my hair being the problem, so desperate to sort it out at any cost, that I didn't stop to look around and look at the massive array of options when it comes to surgeons. For my first procedure, I went to a sub-par surgery, just because it happened to be close to me, I was completely unaware that a decision like that would affect the rest of my life. I was quite happy to believe the before/after pictures they showed me, because I wanted it to be right. You are more fortunate, or wiser, than I was. You've already come onto this forum and asked for advice, and that puts you in a better position than I was. You've now had many experienced, impartial users of this site telling you that the best course of action is to cancel, and you should take that advice very, very seriously.

Remember, everyone on here has no motivation to lie to you. We don't get more money if you choose to go with one surgeon or another. We're here purely because we've been through what you are, and we want to help you to achieve the best results.

Here's what you should do, in my honest opinion:

1 - Cancel your procedure. This is going to be the hardest step, but you will be happy you did it in the long term.

2 - Have an online consultation with the big names of the hair restoration industry, even if you don't intend to go with them. Hasson & Wong, Dr Rahal, Shapiro Medical Group, Dr Feriduni, Dr Feller, Dr Konior. These guys are simply the best in the business, they have been proven, time and time again, to produce excellent results. Even if you can't / don't want to travel to see any of them - they will give you an informed, expert assessment of your hair and what strategy is best for you.

3 - After your online consultations, make an informed decision on FUE vs FUT, and your long term strategy. Select at least 2 surgeons who are well regarded and have well documented impartial patient stories (not from the Clinic), and go for an in-person consultation. If you can't do this, do a consultation via Webcam - this will give you a more accurate idea. If you have the opportunity or possibility to meet any previous patients, this is invaluable.

4 - Schedule your surgery with the top surgeon you experienced, and have confidence in knowing that you will end up with the result you deserve.

The bottom line

My biggest fear in your case is that you will ignore all of the above advice, and go ahead with your procedure. I cannot stress enough how much I hope you don't do this, because I've seen it time and time again, you'll be back on here in 5 months time, more disappointed than ever, looking for a repair. Please learn from the many mistakes that a lot of us have made, and don't make the same mistake yourself.

Hi Pavan,

I want to give you a more detailed piece of advice, based on my experiences, but first, can I ask what exactly have you booked?

Have you booked surgery, and if so, have you booked an FUE or FUT procedure?

I notice in a previous comment of yours that you were going to seek 'Homeopathic and allopathic medicines' - is this true? Or did you change your mind and elect to go for surgery? In my understanding there isn't much of an overlap between the two?

Can you give us more details about the procedure you plan to have on 22nd, what it involves, how many grafts will be extracted (if any) - or the technology involved?

Please get back to me because I think it's important that you don't rush into any procedures without being fully informed.

Best regards

Post Op

I really wanted to maximise the effect of any surgery I had, so I elected to stay at the Radisson Blu for 16 nights, (15 nights after my surgery) - the theory being that I would be close to the clinic and could check in should there be any problems.

The most uncomfortable part after the surgery itself was sleeping – you obviously have to sleep on the back of your head, but that’s where all the extractions came from. With strip you could find a comfortable position lying on your side, but since the FUE extractions I had included the sides of my head, I simply could not get comfortable at all. The provided neck pillow helped a bit, but not a lot.

To my surprise, Dr Feriduni invited me back every single working day that I was there. Every morning I had a taxi, paid for by the clinic, pick me up and take me to the clinic, where the nurses cleaned my grafts, washed my hair, inspected the grafts and generally made sure that everything was fine. They also had a special towel system for removing scabs, which made the whole process of post-op care really comfortable for me. I also had personal inspections from Dr Feriduni, who helped by applying various creams which were on the post-op instructions, as well as checking on the grafts through the special microscopic glasses. He even bottled up some Aloe-Vera gel in a container for me, free of charge. A taxi, again paid for by the clinic, then took me back to the hotel. I have to say that this is simply outrageously good service, far in excess of any expectations, I was blown away.

Day 7

I noticed that as the scabs were healing, there were some ‘lines’ in the scabs which concerned me. Of course, I was able to directly show these to the Doctor who informed me that they are very normal. He likened these to lines in the desert – the scabbing and healing dries out the skin, stretching it and leaving what appear to be ‘gap’ lines in between. This is absolutely normal.

Day 15

The doctor attempted to pull out some of the implanted hairs using a special surgical tool (they are meant to fall out and re-grow anyway), and found that they wouldn’t come out – this could be a sign that I would see early growth and perhaps I wouldn’t shed! Being fair skinned, I still had some redness at this point, but Dr F tested that the redness subsided when it was pressed, it did, which is apparently a good sign.

1 month – 2 months

Unfortunately, the early promise of non-shedding failed to materialise, and I found myself most definitely in the ‘doldrums’ – with my hair effectively going back to pre-op state. All of this was expected, though, and I knew that from here on in it would all be positive.

All in all, I am reserving my final assessment of Dr Feriduni until I see my final result, which will be roughly in March 2013 (1 year after) – however, I have to say that the care and support I received was simply unbelievably good. I could not have asked for a nicer, more professional group of staff and I am absolutely delighted (so far) that I elected to go with Dr Feriduni. It backed up the feeling I got when I first consulted, and then some.

I had my HT at True and Dorin 3 wks ago. I was very impressed by their professionalism and the procedure went well.

I have 2 questions post op. Please view the photos in my profile and comment

1. It looked like the FU's were popping out o f my scalp after the first hairwash. I used the cup pouring method and did not rub the scalp at all. I was alarmed and contacted the DR. The told me it sounded normal and not to be concerned. I emailed them the photos but did not receive a response. what do you think?

2. It is now 3wks after the procedure and I am concerned about my Strip Scar. Does it look like its healing normally or is it strecthing?

Thanks everyone

Hey Mogaine,

I also can't comment on the scar - but looking at the photo you took of the hairs which came out, it looks to me like the hairs are just attached to the scabs/crusty skin which form after you have a hair transplant.

It's very normal for most of the transplanted hairs to fall out, and often they take the scab with them. It doesn't look to me like the graft itself has come out. The very same thing happened to me and I confirmed with Dr Feriduni that everything was normal (I was able to go back to see him every day for 14 days after my procedure).

After 3 weeks the grafts are so set in place that you couldn't remove them without seeing quite a bit of blood, I've seen surgeons state that they would have to be surgically removed after this much time.

Don't worry!

"I met Stephen from Bisanga in May and I think his situ was high up on the NW scale and he looks almost fully restored, a top notch result"

 

Who's is this "Steven" you guys are talking about? any links or pics?

Thanks.

Stephen is the BHR patient advisor. He's a former patient who later became an employee as he is a great example of Bisanga's work. He had a very high level of loss, and has had multiple FUE to allow himself to pull off the 'stubble' look all over (he can pull off the short hair). I met him and touched his scalp, it looks great on him and he's a great guy. I'm not sure how it would look if he grew it out, though.

Update:

 

Following my consultation with Dr Bisanga on 8th Aug I have no option but to throw in the towel and forget about a hair transplant :mad:.

 

Dr Bisanga told me my donor density is around 50 and not suitable for hair transplantation, faced with this unfortunate news Ive decided to accept the number 1 all over look, and move on with life...

 

Wish you all well

Sorry to hear that mb30, but there are a number of positives here:

1 - It saves you a lot of money

2 - You will never have to go through an operation or scar your head, so if one day another cure for balding emerges you will have a virgin scalp.

3 - You don't have to worry about the results of your operation and keep up a continued assault on your hair loss, including future ops, pills, and general stress.

4 - You will find it liberating not having to worry about / style your hair - and everyone around you will get used to your new appearance quickly enough.

5 - Some girls like the tough-guy skinhead look.

Provided having short hair suits you, it's actually the best approach for most guys, in my opinion.

Best of luck

I told a couple of my closest friends, my girlfriend, and my mother.

All of them saw it as a positive step, and it's made my life at lot easier that they know.

Nobody else knows.

Hey all,

So I’ve been on this site for over 7 years, I tend to read rather than comment but now I feel I should share my experience. I’ve broken it down into sections because it’s quite a long story, but I’ve tried to include everything to give you the full picture:

Operation Summary

Duration: 10 Hrs (approx)

Technique: FUE

Blade: 0.9mm Manual Punch

Graft Total: 2,548

1's: 504

2's: 1,174

3's: 830

4's: 40

Area Covered (approx): 50 sq cm

Avg Density (approx): 50 grafts / sq cm (plus native hair)

Background

I first noticed my hair loss after college, when I went to university. Probably just about the worst time to lose your hair and your confidence as a result. At the tender young age of 20, I was vulnerable enough to be taken in by Jeremy Isherwood and the Norton Clinic. Looking back with embarrassment I’m ashamed to say I did everything wrong – I had my consultation with a salesman, I didn’t even consider going anywhere else, I don’t know even know how many grafts I had or needed, I didn’t fully understand the long term implications and of course the end result was pretty poor. That being said, I’ve seen and heard of much worse horror stories with the Norton Clinic, my scar is mostly pencil thin and even the wider places do not show at all normally due to my hair colour being so close to my skin colour (extremely light). Despite them placing doubles and triples in my hairline, and some of the graft direction being somewhat suspect, the end result was undetectable and it’s lasted me a good 7 years. The plan from Norton was always that I would go back for a second operation to have the hairline thickened up, I never felt the need to but I always intended to.

More recently, I’ve started to find it harder and harder to style my hair, with wind becoming more and more of a problem. My first reaction was that I just needed the hairline thickening up as per the original plan, perhaps 1,000 grafts would do – this turned out to be wildly inaccurate - so much for self diagnosis! There was one key moment in my life where I snapped at a family member after having my hair messed up by the wind, and that was the final straw - I made a new year’s resolution that this year I would sort out my issues with my hair as they had begun to affect how I was living my life, and even who I was as a person.

From the very start, I knew that I wanted FUE for this second surgery. I have had a medium sized strip surgery, and I’ve felt the tightness from time to time even years and years after the original operation – I simply didn't want to go through that again. I also feel quite fortunate that I only have a relatively short, straight scar, rather than a smiley face, and I did not want to risk making this scar worse (it’s extremely easy to cover). I also wanted to leave myself the option of FUE into that scar at a later date to give myself the option of shorter hair, which I felt would be compromised if I had another strip making it both longer and potentially wider.

Even though I’ve been on this site for so long, I actually first considered the convenience of an FUE surgeon local to me, and I arranged a consultation with them in January. This is despite them having no information on their surgeon on their website or upon request. I feel it is somewhat more embarrassing that even with my relative ‘experience’ within this industry, I still nearly made the same mistake twice. It just goes to show how easily people can be sucked in and end up in the hands of sub-par surgeons, underlining the importance of sites such as this.

Thankfully, I cancelled, looked up the recommended European surgeons on this site, and began to see and hear very good things about Dr Bisanga and Dr Feriduni. After consulting with both these doctors and some other surgeons from the states and Canada online, I arranged a consultation with both in January of this year.

The Consultation

I consulted with both Dr Feriduni and Dr Bisanga. Interestingly, they both had different approaches, and took a different line in reaching the same conclusions:

Dr Bisanga measured my donor density at 60/70/70, Dr Feriduni measured it at 80/96. Dr Bisanga suggested that light hair needs less density, Dr Feriduni suggested light hair needs more. I think both are true – if you have blonde hair it’s easier to get an illusion of coverage with fewer grafts due to the lower skin/hair contrast, but it’s harder to get a dense look because the hairs aren’t as visible. The end result, however, was that both recommended 2,400-2,500 grafts over 2 days, which was in line with their and the other online consultations. Both also recommended that I dye my hair dark prior to the operation, as the hair is naturally so light it can make extraction difficult. Both asked the question had I considered FUT given that I already have a scar and that the yield can be very slightly higher (2.1 hairs via FUT vs 1.8 to 2.2 via FUE) – but I was decided FUE would be the way forward for me and both felt I was a good candidate.

I found the consultation with Dr Feriduni to be a very pleasant experience, he was able to show me my donor area magnified on the computer, live, and seemed to listen much more closely to what I wanted and approach the transplant with a great deal of artistry, he seemed more precise in his approach, using a mask to align the hairline perfectly, and he also had hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of excellent case studies on his computer. It must be such a low percentage of his cases which actually make their way onto the forums but the case studies he can show speak for themselves. There was never a feeling that he was pushing me into anything, or that he was in a rush to get rid of me – he gives you his full time and concentration. On top of all of the above, he’s one of those people you just know are genuinely good guys. I know you shouldn’t select a surgeon based on how nice they are, so I didn’t, but I had confidence that he would stand by me should anything go wrong and that means a lot. This level of care wasn’t just confined to Dr Feriduni either, the whole team of nurses and Daphne & Cristian were extremely friendly and professional. I was left in no doubt after the consultation that I wanted Dr Feriduni to be my surgeon, so I promptly made a booking for a 2-day surgery at the end of March (thanks to a cancellation).

The total cost for 2,500 grafts was 10,750 EUR (?8,576), which works out at 4.3 EUR / graft. The deposit which had to be paid was 1,000 EUR per surgery day, so 2,000 EUR in my case. The remaining balance was due 21 days prior to the surgery, I elected to pay the upper amount for 2,500 grafts (as opposed to 2,400). One nice thing I noticed on the terms and conditions was that unlike some other surgeries, this deposit is refundable in the case of ‘unforeseen circumstances’ for example if you fall ill or if a relative dies.

The Operation

28th 7:00 PM– Arrived at the Radisson Blu hotel, took my time dying my hair jet black to make sure it could be seen during the operation, since I was shaving it anyway I didn’t care. I had a bit of a last minute panic about dying my hair so soon before the operation, and I’m ashamed to say the evidence of this remains – I posted on this forum at the 11th hour asking when the best time to dye hair was!

29th 7:30 AM – Arrived at the clinic where I was greeted by the nurse and shown to my personal room for the day. I read through all the legal documents, signed them, and changed into op clothes which were surprisingly comfortable.

8:00 AM – Was shown to Dr Feriduni’s office for a second consultation, to mark out the proposed hairline and to finalise the details of the operation. I was absolutely delighted with the hairline, as per the original consultation it was not aggressive, pretty much keeping my existing hairline height but rounding off the temples and adding density throughout zones 1, 2 and 3. We also lowered the central peak by about 1mm across roughly a 1 inch width, which I preferred to a widows peak – I have a large forehead so the doctor advised doing one or the other to break it up. This is a good example of the attention to detail and artistry that I mentioned before. The doctor mentioned that zone 4 seems to be holding up well for now, which was great news, although I do anticipate requiring further grafts down the line.

8:15 AM – I headed into the OR where I met some of the nurses, who were all extremely friendly and professional throughout - and had my head shaved. I’ve never shaved my head before so I should probably be grateful that there were no mirrors around!

8:20 AM - Blood pressure and heart rate were measured, and I was given IV antibiotics. I had a relatively high bp and heartrate, which I’ve actually had since I was young. The nervousness didn’t help.

8:25 – Face down in the chair, a vibrating tool basically made the numbing injections painless – I couldn’t feel the first one and subsequent injections were close by so the area was already numbed.

8:30 – Extractions started. I had a LOT of bleeding (due to my high bp) which made the operation harder to perform. I found the situation very uncomfortable – breathing face down into the moulded face holder made me very hot, and some blood started running down over my face. I was very nervous because I could feel the stress in the team, and was worried something was going wrong. If I had one criticism of the whole experience it would be that I wasn't reassured or spoken to much during this time. The nurses performed the majority of the extractions, there were 2 at a time working in shifts for about an hour at a time. Dr Feriduni also did some of the extractions himself, but there was no discernible difference in technique. After a while I asked if everything was OK or not, and was told that I was fine but bleeding a lot. To add to the drama, my heart rate monitor kept beeping from time to time, indicating a high heart rate (mainly due to me panicking a little). Towards the end, the extraction zone had to be widened in order to obtain the required grafts. I was later informed that the team went through 3 pads of tissues when normally one would suffice for a day. My bleeding meant that numbing injections had to be re-made several times during the process.

12:30 – Extractions complete, I was offered lunch and drink/chocolate. I declined because I wanted to have the grafts out of my body for as little time as possible. Instead, I had a glass of Coke and a chocolate bar in the chair and then Dr Feriduni started to make the incisions. This stage was much more comfortable as I was sat up and could talk properly. Dr Feriduni took his time with the incisions, carefully avoiding all native hair. I continued to chat to him during this time and the worst part was most definitely over.

14:00 – Incisions complete, I was offered another break for food/toilet but declined for the same reasons as before. The nurses began placing the grafts, this process was quite comfortable too. Dr Feriduni came by to check everything was OK every now and then.

17:00 – By now the grafts has all been placed, but Dr Feriduni said we needed more. This required more numbing injections in either side, which REALLY hurt this time (I believe I even let out a loud ‘ouch’). An additional 190 or so grafts were extracted from the sides and placed into the remaining incisions.

18:15 – I was cleaned off and washed down, bandaged up and taken back to my room where my lunch was waiting. The operation has been completed in 1 day, which I was absolutely delighted about. I didn’t fancy my body going through the same trauma the next day, when in my own mind I felt it was best for the body and my grafts to be recovering. I don’t know the difference in terms of yield, but I know in my personal (and totally unsubstantiated opinion) – I much prefer this to splitting the operation up over 2 days.

Immediately After the Operation

I later had another check up and post-op review with the Dr. Everything was looking great. He informed me that the extraction had been very easy because my roots aren’t very deep, meaning extremely low transection and capping rates. He also informed me that the ‘excellent’ blood flow I was so worried about would actually greatly help the implanted grafts, which put my mind at rest.

I asked the doctor whether or not he managed to avoid the native hair when making the incisions (my biggest fear was making my hair loss situation worse through surgery), so he demonstrated to me with a piece of paper, a pen, and a blade how easy it is. He drew some dots with the pen to signify the native hair, and illustrated how he could easily make hundreds of tiny incisions all around them, without transecting them.

After a few more questions about the specifics, I was bandaged up, a taxi ordered, and I was taken directly back to the hotel. After a lively conversation with the taxi driver, he informed me that my scalp looked very clean and that he had seen everything before – he was completely unphased. He also suggested he dropped me at the side of the hotel, by the underground car park – that way I could sneak back to my room without meeting a soul. I was very grateful for this.

Note - Some pictures below are quite graphic.

Donor Area - Pre Op (dyed black)

Recipient Area - Pre Op (dyed black)

Donor Area - Magnified

Donor Area - Magnified Further

Donor Area - Showing strip scar

Extracted Grafts

Graft Placement - Nurses

Immediately Post Op - New Hairline

Immediately Post Op - Magnified (

1 Day Post Op

12 Days Post Op

Donor Recovery - 2 Weeks

Recipient Recovery - 2 Weeks

I will post more updates shortly.

England

All this time I thought you were talking about some great philosopher or scientist.

Firstly, it's absolutely essential going into your op that you trust your doctor. If you don't trust him to give you accurate numbers - you shouldn't go into surgery with him

That being said, Dr Feriduni showed me all of my grafts in petri dishes once they had been extracted. He also took photographs so he and his team could later go through the images and count the 1's, 2's and 3's.