my 1974 graft FUT, April 2009 with Dr Devroye

[newton]

I'm 45 now. I started to thin around 31, 32 and wasn't too bothered until I hit about 35 when it started to become noticeable.

 

by 37 I gave up and shaved it off and resigned myself to being bald for ever. I was lucky it looked really good shaved.... but... I wanted my hair back!

 

I researched HTs and was still hearing horror stories. I gave up. I kept my head shaved for 8 years.

 

But every now and then I'd research HTs again. I started to read more encouraging things and by chance met someone who'd had a HT (in the UK). I was stunned because I couldn't tell! His hair was still thinning a bit but when I heard how different it had been before I was encouraged to go and seek out the best surgeon I could afford.

 

Unfortunately everything I read bout UK surgeons put me off. America and Canada seemed like the best option, then I started reading things about DR Devroye and some other good surgeons based in Europe. I decided to go for a consultation, it would only be the cost of a Eurostar ticket. If I was impressed then I would seriously consider having the procedure done.

 

 

 

I went for a consultation in early 2009

 

I got a look round the clinic, got to see a patient who'd just had an fut, scar was good, transplant was undetectable already, just a bit red

 

 

 

Claudia at Dr d booked me into the Montgomery Hotel, it's very nice, the room was a good size, you will have to pay for it first, but Dr d refunds you after the procedure

 

its a 5 minute walk to the clinic, very straightforward (unless you're like me and take a "short cut" and get lost, doh!)

 

arrived at 8

 

left at 4

 

had lunch

 

couple of toilet breaks and half hour waiting for grafts to catch up

 

got 4400 hairs from 1974 grafts!

 

staff are all very friendly, all speak at least a little english and some speak very good english

 

some nice background music consisting of cover versions of cool songs done in different styles, like easy listening or salsa etc

 

slight stinging as the needles for anaesthetic went in, after that felt nothing while the strip was being taken!! not a thing! took an hour

 

when the incisions were being made again could hardly feel anything, could feel a sort of slight touch occasionally, I had one sensitive area which wouldn't take the anaesthetic, but even that wasn't terribly painful

 

took I think an hour 20

 

putting the grafts in was a long process, but not painful, stopped for lunch and stopped for 20 or mins later to allow the graft preparation to catch up

 

it's not that messy or bloody, a little wet as your scalp is regularly sprayed during the procedure, I was really shocked how clean and undamaged my scalp looked after, I expected it to be red and swollen, but it was slightly pink! I can't even tell which hairs were already there and which are the new ones!

 

most of the post op care instructions are on the website and Dr gives you them and some preparations to take with you, it's all simple

 

the medication isn't available in the UK, so I had to get it when I arrived in Brussels. the pharmacist told me you can get equivalent medication in the UK but you'd need a new prescription

 

the augentin is fine, take it with or just after food, you'll barely notice it

 

the medrol tastes foul!! I wrapped each one in a little bit of food, bread or similar, then swallowed it with a big gulp of water, if you get any of the taste in your mouth keep swishing it with water, it really lasts an is foul!!

 

you can tell the staff are genuinely pleased for you when you get a good result

 

I got much better density than I'd hoped for. All of the front to the crown is great, hairline completely restored to what I had 10 years ago, slightly thinned but very natural looking. I didn't really have enough grafts to do the crown but Dr d blended it into the edge of the crown really well, looks very natural. I still have the option of going back for a small FUE to do the crown, depends, once it's all grown in I may be happy with it as it is. The rest looks as tho it'll more than compensate for it!

 

The donor scar is a bit scary at first, I've never been ill or had anything done before so it was a bit of a shock to see it. Dr d did a great job, it's really nice and even. The stitches make it look worse than it is but they'll be out in a couple of weeks. (in hindsight i wish I'd grown the back in bit longer to hide it)

 

A recent patient popped in while i was there for a 6 week update and I was lucky enough to check his results. amazing! his hair was about an inch long all over, the donor scar was invisible till his hair was lifted up, then it was a thin red line, obviously will fade even more in time. The transplanted hair was growing strong and and fast. he was delighted and i could see why. he'd had 3000 grafts in approximately the same amount of area as mine, it looked great I'd be delighted to get half of that but theoretically i was gonna get 2 thirds!

 

so, I'm typing this up 3 hours after the procedure.

 

no pain, not even discomfort yet, slight tightness at the donor scar.

 

feelings so far; very, very pleased. extremely optimistic it's gonna look great when it grows in!

 

mixed emotions about how it currently looks, because the top is about 3mm long and the sides about 15mm and a scar across the back hahaha, well maybe people think I've had some kind of emergency brain operation or something.

 

not sure how to disguise it when i go back to work, think i will try shorten the sides to the same length as the top, then graduate to the back, if the scar is still really visible, might have to wear a hat to work for a couple of weeks

 

i took a couple of snaps on my phone to remind me, but Dr d has plenty for his website

 

 

 

Day 2

 

went for quick post op check up.

 

Dr d is very pleased. it looks really clean and is already undetectable as being a transplant

 

travelled home to London, no pain or discomfort. carried on taking the medication, couldn't use the spray much on the journey but it was only 3 hours, managed to use it once in the toilets waiting for the Eurostar

 

once i got home carried on spraying often. took the medication. still no pain or discomfort, just slight tightness around donor scar using the creme seemed to help a little.

 

sleeping was better this time. I was still really worried about dislodging the transplants but managed to get a reasonable nights sleep. woke p abut 4 times, used the spray, went back to sleep.

 

 

day 3

 

still no pain or discomfort. slightly itchy but i just spray when it gets itchy.

 

everything looking great, scalp a bit pink but no scabbing or discharge.

 

just a waiting game now.

 

 

day 4

slept fine. still propped up.

no pain, no swelling, not sign that I've had it done apart from bloody great scar across the back of my head.

 

still very wary of touching the transplants. went grocery shopping, did some cleaning and hoovering at home nothing to strenuous.

 

now I'm starting to think how to best conceal the scar at the back. I really should have let it grow in longer before the surgery, bugger.

 

day 5

went out and about shopping and stuff, th top/front is completely undetectable as a transplant. I'm still being very gentle touching the transplants, washed it but made all the foam in my hand then gently dabbed it on. I have no scabs or anything.

 

slept OK, still not completely back t normal, anxiety more than discomfort, thinking so much about not doing anything to disrupt the transplants.

 

I caught sight of myself on the security cameras in the store.... I have hair ! OK, it's only a few mm long, but i have hair all over the front, a proper hair line! I haven't had that for 10 years. I checked out my reflection in a window in bright sunlight, I have hair!

 

I really can't wait for it to grow in.

 

the donor scar is looking really good, it's only really the stitches that are obvious, the scar doesn't even appear to be red. won't really be able to tell for another week when i get the stitches out but I'm very optimistic it's already hardly visible.

 

1 week

first day back at work. really worried someone is gonna say something about the scar... but no-one said anything!

 

no-one has noticed I have loads more hair either! I know it's clippered very short, but I have a really defined hairline now!!

 

oh well, I wanted to sneak it past everyone, looks like I'm gonna get away with it!

 

and.... I'm sure the transplants are growing.... they can't be can they?

 

 

13 days

 

transplants are definitely growing

went to get stitches out, they itch like crazy. the scar is still pretty obvious, but not one person has mentioned it!

 

20 days

the transplants appear to be shedding. they are still growing but shedding as well.

 

It's a bit disappointing.

 

 

24 days.

 

yeah, definitely shedding

 

Oh well. Well I'm clippering it really short then to wait for it to start growing back, but the scar at the back is still very red so I'll have to keep the back longer. Hair is gonna look stupid but it's better than people seeing the scar and having to explain that over and over.

[newton]

I'm 45 now. I started to thin around 31, 32 and wasn't too bothered until I hit about 35 when it started to become noticeable.

 

by 37 I gave up and shaved it off and resigned myself to being bald for ever. I was lucky it looked really good shaved.... but... I wanted my hair back!

 

I researched HTs and was still hearing horror stories. I gave up. I kept my head shaved for 8 years.

 

But every now and then I'd research HTs again. I started to read more encouraging things and by chance met someone who'd had a HT (in the UK). I was stunned because I couldn't tell! His hair was still thinning a bit but when I heard how different it had been before I was encouraged to go and seek out the best surgeon I could afford.

 

Unfortunately everything I read bout UK surgeons put me off. America and Canada seemed like the best option, then I started reading things about DR Devroye and some other good surgeons based in Europe. I decided to go for a consultation, it would only be the cost of a Eurostar ticket. If I was impressed then I would seriously consider having the procedure done.

 

 

 

I went for a consultation in early 2009

 

I got a look round the clinic, got to see a patient who'd just had an fut, scar was good, transplant was undetectable already, just a bit red

 

 

 

Claudia at Dr d booked me into the Montgomery Hotel, it's very nice, the room was a good size, you will have to pay for it first, but Dr d refunds you after the procedure

 

its a 5 minute walk to the clinic, very straightforward (unless you're like me and take a "short cut" and get lost, doh!)

 

arrived at 8

 

left at 4

 

had lunch

 

couple of toilet breaks and half hour waiting for grafts to catch up

 

got 4400 hairs from 1974 grafts!

 

staff are all very friendly, all speak at least a little english and some speak very good english

 

some nice background music consisting of cover versions of cool songs done in different styles, like easy listening or salsa etc

 

slight stinging as the needles for anaesthetic went in, after that felt nothing while the strip was being taken!! not a thing! took an hour

 

when the incisions were being made again could hardly feel anything, could feel a sort of slight touch occasionally, I had one sensitive area which wouldn't take the anaesthetic, but even that wasn't terribly painful

 

took I think an hour 20

 

putting the grafts in was a long process, but not painful, stopped for lunch and stopped for 20 or mins later to allow the graft preparation to catch up

 

it's not that messy or bloody, a little wet as your scalp is regularly sprayed during the procedure, I was really shocked how clean and undamaged my scalp looked after, I expected it to be red and swollen, but it was slightly pink! I can't even tell which hairs were already there and which are the new ones!

 

most of the post op care instructions are on the website and Dr gives you them and some preparations to take with you, it's all simple

 

the medication isn't available in the UK, so I had to get it when I arrived in Brussels. the pharmacist told me you can get equivalent medication in the UK but you'd need a new prescription

 

the augentin is fine, take it with or just after food, you'll barely notice it

 

the medrol tastes foul!! I wrapped each one in a little bit of food, bread or similar, then swallowed it with a big gulp of water, if you get any of the taste in your mouth keep swishing it with water, it really lasts an is foul!!

 

you can tell the staff are genuinely pleased for you when you get a good result

 

I got much better density than I'd hoped for. All of the front to the crown is great, hairline completely restored to what I had 10 years ago, slightly thinned but very natural looking. I didn't really have enough grafts to do the crown but Dr d blended it into the edge of the crown really well, looks very natural. I still have the option of going back for a small FUE to do the crown, depends, once it's all grown in I may be happy with it as it is. The rest looks as tho it'll more than compensate for it!

 

The donor scar is a bit scary at first, I've never been ill or had anything done before so it was a bit of a shock to see it. Dr d did a great job, it's really nice and even. The stitches make it look worse than it is but they'll be out in a couple of weeks. (in hindsight i wish I'd grown the back in bit longer to hide it)

 

A recent patient popped in while i was there for a 6 week update and I was lucky enough to check his results. amazing! his hair was about an inch long all over, the donor scar was invisible till his hair was lifted up, then it was a thin red line, obviously will fade even more in time. The transplanted hair was growing strong and and fast. he was delighted and i could see why. he'd had 3000 grafts in approximately the same amount of area as mine, it looked great I'd be delighted to get half of that but theoretically i was gonna get 2 thirds!

 

so, I'm typing this up 3 hours after the procedure.

 

no pain, not even discomfort yet, slight tightness at the donor scar.

 

feelings so far; very, very pleased. extremely optimistic it's gonna look great when it grows in!

 

mixed emotions about how it currently looks, because the top is about 3mm long and the sides about 15mm and a scar across the back hahaha, well maybe people think I've had some kind of emergency brain operation or something.

 

not sure how to disguise it when i go back to work, think i will try shorten the sides to the same length as the top, then graduate to the back, if the scar is still really visible, might have to wear a hat to work for a couple of weeks

 

i took a couple of snaps on my phone to remind me, but Dr d has plenty for his website

 

 

 

Day 2

 

went for quick post op check up.

 

Dr d is very pleased. it looks really clean and is already undetectable as being a transplant

 

travelled home to London, no pain or discomfort. carried on taking the medication, couldn't use the spray much on the journey but it was only 3 hours, managed to use it once in the toilets waiting for the Eurostar

 

once i got home carried on spraying often. took the medication. still no pain or discomfort, just slight tightness around donor scar using the creme seemed to help a little.

 

sleeping was better this time. I was still really worried about dislodging the transplants but managed to get a reasonable nights sleep. woke p abut 4 times, used the spray, went back to sleep.

 

 

day 3

 

still no pain or discomfort. slightly itchy but i just spray when it gets itchy.

 

everything looking great, scalp a bit pink but no scabbing or discharge.

 

just a waiting game now.

 

 

day 4

slept fine. still propped up.

no pain, no swelling, not sign that I've had it done apart from bloody great scar across the back of my head.

 

still very wary of touching the transplants. went grocery shopping, did some cleaning and hoovering at home nothing to strenuous.

 

now I'm starting to think how to best conceal the scar at the back. I really should have let it grow in longer before the surgery, bugger.

 

day 5

went out and about shopping and stuff, th top/front is completely undetectable as a transplant. I'm still being very gentle touching the transplants, washed it but made all the foam in my hand then gently dabbed it on. I have no scabs or anything.

 

slept OK, still not completely back t normal, anxiety more than discomfort, thinking so much about not doing anything to disrupt the transplants.

 

I caught sight of myself on the security cameras in the store.... I have hair ! OK, it's only a few mm long, but i have hair all over the front, a proper hair line! I haven't had that for 10 years. I checked out my reflection in a window in bright sunlight, I have hair!

 

I really can't wait for it to grow in.

 

the donor scar is looking really good, it's only really the stitches that are obvious, the scar doesn't even appear to be red. won't really be able to tell for another week when i get the stitches out but I'm very optimistic it's already hardly visible.

 

1 week

first day back at work. really worried someone is gonna say something about the scar... but no-one said anything!

 

no-one has noticed I have loads more hair either! I know it's clippered very short, but I have a really defined hairline now!!

 

oh well, I wanted to sneak it past everyone, looks like I'm gonna get away with it!

 

and.... I'm sure the transplants are growing.... they can't be can they?

 

 

13 days

 

transplants are definitely growing

went to get stitches out, they itch like crazy. the scar is still pretty obvious, but not one person has mentioned it!

 

20 days

the transplants appear to be shedding. they are still growing but shedding as well.

 

It's a bit disappointing.

 

 

24 days.

 

yeah, definitely shedding

 

Oh well. Well I'm clippering it really short then to wait for it to start growing back, but the scar at the back is still very red so I'll have to keep the back longer. Hair is gonna look stupid but it's better than people seeing the scar and having to explain that over and over.

[newton]

not sure how to attach more than one pic at a time so will attach them in separate replies

[newton]

second pic

[newton]

third pic

[newton]

fourth pic

 

I'll add more pics when I have some done

 

currently as the hair started shedding I'm clippered/buzzed it very short

 

the scar is red but is healing niceley and should look OK once redness has gone

[kaounis]

The work looks vry clean, the scar is not that noticable, looks like you were wearing a hat...try some dermatch to cover the scar...It seems that you are a Nw6, 1900+ grafts will give you slight coverage, but no volume, density. Why did you get such a small procedure with such advanced balding? What is your donor, laxity, cost? Anyways you will probably need a second procedure, and maybe even a third if you go consevative with the grafts each time..IMHO...Good luck and happy growing...Nice work Dr.D...

 

Just a thought from the peanut gallery...

[newton]

I wasn't expecting to get great density, I'm very realistic about the limited results I can expect

 

I'll probably have a second small FUE about 1000 grafts on the crown next year

 

like I say I'm 45, so I don't mind if it looks like my hair is thinning a bit, I'm not expecting to get back the hair I had when I was 25.... like when it was 35 would be great, it was thinning but still looked cool

 

the cost was 7500 Euro, considering all the staff and time involved that's very reasonable

 

I only grew my hair back in a few months before the procedure, just so I could get a proper look at how much I still had, it looks great shaved so I could have just gone with that for the rest of my life... but.. after speaking with Dr Devroye and getting a realistic idea of what could be achieved I decided to go ahead

 

it's a very nice procedure, I'm happy that the density will be acceptable for me when it grows in and the second procedure next year will finish the job to my satisfaction

 

so far I'm very happy with things, I won't know completely for a year when I get the full result, but I couldn't have asked for a better procedure than DR Devroye and his team provided

[runwithscissors]

Hi Newton, just a quick question. You say that the cost of the procedure was 7500 Euro: was that for 1974 grafts? I was checking the Devroye website and it says the pricing is 2.5 euros per graft (lowering to 2 euros per graft over 2000 grafts). My sums don't add up... shouldn't it have cost 5000 Euros (or 4000 Euros at the lower price)? Basically, could you please give a more detailed break down of the costs if at all possible. Thanks

[MikeTheDane]

The cost is additive.

 

The first 500 grafts = 6 euros = 3000 euros

another 500 for 3 = 1500 euros

another 1000 for 2.5 euros = 2500 euros

 

2000 = 7000 euros

[Bill - Seemiller]

newton,

 

Congratulations on selecting an excellent surgeon to perform your hair transplant! I expect you'll be yet another Dr. Devroye success story :-).

 

To attach multiple photos to a thread, you have to create a photo album instead of a discussion thread. You can do this by going to "new" and then "photo album". The best way to present your photos is to create a hair loss patient website. You can then link to your website in your forum signature.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[newton]

Thanks for the replies and my apologies for the sloooooooooow reply. I have had 2 more procedures since then and will post updates on those.