My excellent experience with Dr Devroye

[macbeth]

Hello.

 

I've visited this forum for a while & I'd like to share with you my excellent experience with Dr Devroye & his team at Clinique Grand Roi in Brussells.

 

I had surgery on 21/03/2012.

 

F.U.T

grafts - 3031

hairs - 6672

 

Here is my story...

 

I am 31 yr old male from UK & started thinning noticably from my mid 20's. Unfortuntely i've been

pretty much housebound for much of the last few years due to problems with diziness. These

problems have left me quite isolated & without any real social life. Over the last couple of years I've

tried to push myself to get out more & try to regain some enjoyment from life.

 

I suffer from depression & while this is partly an effect of being housebound, my hair loss has been

something that has been bringing me down on a daily basis for too long now. This is something you

are reminded of everytime you look in a mirror. I've tried shaving my head, some people it suits but I

really don't feel comfortable with this look so I opted for the hat.. This became part of my everyday

attire which is ok on occassion but there are times where you just can't cover up such as weddings,

partys etc.. In these events when I'd actually be out for what should be an enjoyable day or night,

rather than feel good & smart in a suit I'd be feeling exposed without my hat. Things like seeing

myself in a photographs had become very depressing. My confidence, very low.

 

Over the last 2 or 3 of years I've been researching what options are available & that led me to forums including hairtransplantnetwork hairlossexperiences & most importantly

introduced me to Dr Devroye. I do not have much money so transplant was always going to be very difficult for me but this year, after some help from my family & selling most of my prize posessions I had the opportunity to undergo surgery.

 

I knew I had to make the right choice when selecting a doctor because this was my opportunity. My

big chance. The most important thing was to find a doctor who I felt I could trust & who i am

confident would deliver the best result possible.

 

Dr Devroye was the perfect option for many reasons.

 

I was impressed by his profile & credits. I was very impressed by the results of patients I've seen in

many photographs.

 

Every review I read from Dr Devroye's patients seemed to be positive - from experience now I

understand why. He is highly respected & an expert in his field.

 

Another thing I had to take into consideration was location :

 

Q - how much would flights cost from UK?

A - the flights were around ?200 return to UK, so that was within reach.

 

Q - how much would accomodation cost?

A - Dr Devroye very generously paid for 2 nights stay in a lovely hotel within walking distance from

 

the clinic.

 

Q - how much would it cost to travel from the airport to the clinic?

A - again Dr Devroye generously arranged for me to be collected from the airport & chauffeured to

 

my hotel via the clinic.

 

To me this is first class service.

 

I initiated contact with Dr Devroye last year & from my online consultation he came up with a

strategic plan to cover areas shown in my photographs & gave me an approximate price. He was

happy to answer any questions & I was happy with the detailed analysis which made me confident I

was making the right choice.

 

I booked an appointment for a final consultation & surgery which really felt like I had taken a very

positive step in fighting my hair loss. A deposit is requested as part of the procedure & even though I

was running a little late in sending the deposit, I was never chased or rushed to hand over any money.

 

Again, this made me confident in my choice as clearly this was not somebody desperate to take my

money. In fact the very opposite. I had read of Dr Devroye actually advising patients against surgery

in favour of medication being a better option. This is the kind of honesty I was looking for.

 

For a couple of months I looked forward to my trip to Belgium & the weeks flew in, surprisingly

quickly. Before I knew it I was flying to Brussels, on what I think is the smallest plane I've ever been

on, which from the UK was a very pleasant flight at just over an hour or so.

 

My sister & I arrived at Brussels airport & were met by a member of Dr Devroye's team who drove us

to our hotel via the Clinique Grand Roi. We had a couple of hours before the consultion so enjoyed a

walk towards the clinic stopping off for a soft drink in a nice bar along the way. (To be honest I wouldn't have

minded a stella artois but no alcohol is allowed before surgery).

 

I arrived at the clinic & was greeted at receiption by a member of Dr Devroye's team. I had a seat in

the waiting area & helped myself to some water.

 

My initial thoughts were positive. This was a nice building, the clinic looked clean & smelled clean. Surgery aside,

I was in a comfortable environment.

 

A couple of minutes later Dr Devroye took me to his consultation room & we had a chat & discussed

my surgery options. Dr Devroye was very friendly, welcoming & he knew what he was talking about.

 

He was very open & realistic about the results which is exactly what you want in this situation.

In person I thought he also looked slightly like the actor Val Kilmer, which gave me a chuckle.

Anyways, we agreed a time for surgery the following morning & I left the clinic feeling very optimistic.

 

My sister & I went out for dinner, there was a nice choice of restaurants to choose from close to the

hotel. I'd certainly like to visit the area again at some point for a short break. I tried to have a

reasonably early night to be well rested for the long day ahead.

 

The morning came & I was very much up for my surgery. I think my adrenaline was flowing. A short

walk to the clinic & it was time to begin.

 

From the moment I entered the clinic, I was taken care of by Dr Devroye's team. Throughout the day

I talked to most of them & all of them were very friendly & caring which really helped make a long

day more comfortable. Each member seemed highly competent & I really felt I was in good hands.

 

Before we started, I was given a clean shirt to wear & Dr Devroye took some pictures. Dr Devroye

gave me a very nice "mad scientist" haircut as he shaved the recipient area, which was quite

amusing. He then drew on what he felt an appropriate hairline & asked how i felt about it. I

requested it be slightly lowered if possible to which he explained the further forward the hairline be,

the less density overall could be acheived. This makes perfect sense & we agreed on a hairline we

were both happy with.

 

Again, I was very impressed by the excellent clean standard of the clinic's operating room, very

clean & the atmosphere was very relaxed.

 

Next I was prepared for the strip to be taken. The injections were a little nippy but very much

tolerable & soon the area was numb for the procedure. Dr Devroye removed the strip & patched me

up & the strip was taken to be prepared. At this stage I was just trying to stay as relaxed as possible

& it definatley helped knowing I was in the hands of such a friendly team.

 

Dr Devroye made the incisions in the recipient area, around 3000 including some in the sideburns

area. I requested some hairs in this area but not as priority as I was aware any which went to the

sideburn would not be available for the top. The injection were more painful in the sideburn area,

though a small price to pay in the long run.

 

Each stage I felt was very straight forward for Dr Devroye & his team & basically I'd lay there & let

them work their magic. At times I was actually drifting to sleep.

 

I was offered a good variation of lunch options & when the time came I was taken a small kitchen

area where I had a nice meal & a chat with Dr Devroye.

 

The procedure took most of the day with 2 team members working tirelessly to implant the large

amount of grafts. There were breaks for toilet etc.. & drinks readily available.

I was relaxed & while I would not call the procedure pleasant, it is surgery after all, I don't see how

it could have been made any better.

 

At the end of the session Dr Devroye inspected the work. I was given clear instructions on how to

look after my head. which is very important on the first night. I was also given a bag which included

spray, neck travel pillow, pain killers, antibiotic creme & a cuddly bear (ok, no cuddly bear). My sister

had returned to the clinic by now & after a long day of around 12 hours, Dr Devroye personally drove

us to our hotel which i felt was very kind.

 

The following morning I returned to the clinic to have my staples removed & a final inspection from

Dr Devroye. With everything looking well I headed back to the UK on the mini aeroplane.

 

It is now just over 4 weeks since the surgery & I have since had my suture removed. The nurse was

very impressed with the wound itself & hopefully it should heal very nicely. My sister, who is in the

medical field, is also highly impressed with the skill in which the donor area has stitched leaving a

fine scar.

 

So now is the waiting part, for the final result. However it is a great feeling knowing that the seeds

have been planted. Hopefully this can have a positive impact on my life in general.

 

Overall this was a very positive experience & I cannot imagine how it could have been any better.

I cannot praise Dr Devroye & his team enough for their dedication, skill & welcoming manor.

I am confident I made the right choice in a world class doctor & if I decide on any further transplant procedure in future, I will be more than happy to return to Dr Devroye.

 

I have attached some pictures below from the day of my surgery & the final picture you see was taken 26 after surgery, most of the grafted hair has fallen as expected but you can see how nicely the area is healing.

 

If you've any questions then please get in touch, I'll be happy to help

[Dutch]

Congrats. Happy growing. Glad to hear you had a good experience. It's good to read about an experience with Dr Devroye, it's been a while from the last time I read one

[jimshu26]

Hi there I also had a HT with Dr.Devroye on 5th march and I was wondering how you obtained your photos. Did you email a request to the clinic? congratulations by the way man.

[KO]

Hey where is this photo from:?

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/attachment.php?attachmentid=28605&d=1334833062

[macbeth]

Thanks for the replys.

 

Yes jimshu26, The clinic were happy to email the photographs. I expect you also had pleasant experience with Dr Devroye Congrats to you also.

 

KO, this photograph is from the day of surgery, before my recipient area was shaved. I was very badly receding at the sides & very thin in the centre. I'm thrilled to actually have a hairline again & looking forward to some growth

 

all the best.

[jimshu26]

Cheers Macbeth I will email them I think. Be good to compare with how things are progressing up top. Need to get the finger out and post some recent pics too.

[macbeth]

So here is an update of my progress as we are now approaching six months (wow time goes fast).

 

First of all, I have to say, the after-care I have received from Dr Devroye has been outstanding. Any questions I have asked have been quickly responded to & even when I don't have any questions, Dr Devroye will be in touch asking about my progress & offering his opinion, fantastic.

 

The first picture is from around 3 months.

 

The second, third & fourth pictures were taken today at nearly six months post surgery.

 

The final picture is from around 3 weeks post surgery.

 

The transformation for me, is incredible & for the first time in literally years, I am now able to look at pictures of myself without feeling disgusted or depressed because of my hair.

This is very nice feeling & a huge boost in general.

 

I will try to add a pre-op picture to show you just how much of an improvement there has been. As you can see from 3 - 6 months, there has been much growth & hopefully more to come. I must add under very bright light as you can see (in the last picture) the light can cut through a bit. However, I cannot complain & overall I feel I have made one of the best decisions of my life choosing to have this surgery through Dr Devroye.

The scar has healed very nicely also.

 

I will continue to try & grow my hair to see what styles are possible I will also continue to you updated on here if you wish to follow my progress. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

[hairshopeing]

Looks really good,next 6 months should fly by!

[Postdoc]

Impressive result - many congratulations!

[SADbutTRUE]

what a difference , truly a homerun. and you still have time for the hair the develop more in the next ,six months i cant imagine what the change of ur apperance has done to ur confidence, what has family and friends say about ur new found locks.

[SADbutTRUE]

hats off to the doc, impressive for 3000 grafts,

[macbeth]

thanks for all your nice comments, appreciated. My family are all very impressed with the results so far & after such a long time loathing my appearance in the mirror & photographs due to hair loss alone - it really is a breath of fresh (h)air to have some back again

[SADbutTRUE]

i can relate to that , i hope when i have my HT my results will be as good as yours,

[macbeth]

update for 7 months .. I am very happy with the results so far & hope for continued thickening over the next few months. I found a pre-op picture for comparison.. quite a difference

[beardywierdy]

Looking nice mate. I am 1 month post op with Dr Devroye and waiting now, for the green shoots!!! great doctor.

[chrisdav]

Macbeth, you must be pleased with your progress.

 

You hair has improved considerably, and still more to come

[macbeth]

hello folks, as we're a couple of weeks short of a year post surgery, I think it would be a suitable time to draw my conclusion.

 

Today I feel a million times better about my appearance than compared to a year ago. It's been exciting watching the growth & from the moment the "seeds were planted", there was a new sense of hope & optimism. No longer do I despise how I look in the mirror or in photographs. I'm far from perfect but the relocated hair is a massive improvement.

 

The journey can be frustrating at times & it is a bit of a waiting game but in my opinion, I have made the right decision & I am delighted with the results.

 

Regarding Dr Devroye & team - They have been fantastic!

The procedure, the minimal scarring & the natural results - all first class.

 

From the day of surgery to present day, the after-care has been superb. Any questions were answered quickly & Dr Devroye was always happy to give his opinion on my progress.

 

The surgery is a big, big decision & I'm really grateful for sites like this one, great advice & information. I felt very vulnerable before my surgery so I do believe it's my responsibility to give as accurate an account as possible.

 

I realise there are a few very capable doctors out there & it's always good to research & decide your own best option.

 

From my experience the transformation has been amazing. I don't know how it could have been any better, There was quite a large area to cover so I can't thank Dr Devroye & his team enough for their efforts

 

If I need any more work done in future, I would not hesitate to return to Dr Devroye's Clinic Grand Roi.

 

Highly recommended

 

I hope my blog can be of help to anybody who is considering having a transplant.

 

Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions regarding my experience & good luck to all of you in your quest!

[james84]

Great result from a great Doctor.

 

Nice to know this has changed your life for the better:D

[TakingThePlunge]

macbeth,

 

Congratulations on your outstanding result! I'm happy to hear that the procedure has impacted your life for the positive. Enjoy your new look!