Taking the plunge and going for FUE

[TrixGlendevon]

Hello! I have decided to go ahead and get FUE with Dr De Reys in Belgium. I have seen excellent results from him and I like the fact he does the whole procedure himself and doesn't delegate the work to technicians or apprentices. I have also been in touch with a few other surgeons and I have decided to go with him. I will get 2,500 grafts and some surgeons say I am Norwood 3 and others 4. My donor area is estimated to be between 5,000 and 6,000 from the photos I have sent them. I want a conservative hairline, more to "fill in" what I already have rather than give myself the George Clooney hairline I had when I was 18. I think this is more sustainable for the future. It helps I have a "tuft" which he can use in the hairline.

 

For those that have done FUE already, I have a few questions.

 

1) Any tips on how to calm down the post-surgery redness? I can take 3 weeks off work to get it done so I ideally want the redness to have gone in this time (or as much as possible).

2) Any pre-surgery advice? I was thinking about getting head massages leading up to the surgery to increase blood flow to the scalp but I am not sure if this is worth it or not.

3) How many days would pre-op would you give to recover from the flight? I don't want to arrive and then have the op done the next days as I have read the flight can temporarily affect blood flow to the scalp. On the other hand, I want as much time as possible after the op to recover before flying back home. As I said, I will only have 3 weeks in total.

4) Any other general advice?

 

Thanks!

[hsrp10]

What other doctors were on your final list?

I haven't seen enough patient posted experiences or clinic published home runs from him to state that this is the best surgeon decision, though you seem to have done your research.

 

1) Post-op redness is partly reliant on the work done by the surgeon and how many grafts you are having placed (overall trauma to the scalp) not to mention your complexion. There is a good possibility you will be red post-op 1.5-2 months at least, do you have some native hair you can grow long and then comb down/comb over to help hide it?

Some do use products such as witch hazel etc but don't apply anything on your scalp until at least post-op day 10, and only after you run it by your doctor.

 

2) Spex has some good FAQ posts on here and I will add a link below. I don't think the head massages will hurt before but most likely won't have any major benefits either.

Other things to consider are to book your airline ticket early so you can pre select your seats for the return trip preferably in the back near the bathroom, and also to arrive locally ahead of time to do the food shopping and other preparations you won't be able to after you have your surgery.

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/171707-hair-transplant-tricks-tips.html

 

3) Post-op most people either travel on day 2 after the clinic check and first hair wash or around day 4-5, because the facial swelling starts to get bad around day 3. If you have time I would stay around 1 week to protect the grafts, to have the clinic do the first hair washings for you and to make sure everything is settled before flying.

 

4) If you have any specific questions let us know

[TrixGlendevon]

Thanks for the reply. Dr Erdogan in Turkey but although he does good work, I find he uses a LOT of grafts to do small areas. Dr Villnow too, also in Belgium. He doesn't do the whole procedure himself though. What I liked about De Reys is he has a conservative policy and thinks of the future too. As I said, I don't need to have an 18 year old year hairline to consider this a success. If I am not bald then I will be happy. Just filling in what I have so it looks natural for the years to come will be a great result for me. I wouldn't even mind keeping my hair short for the rest of my life. Quite low expectations to be honest.

 

I understand some other people on here have differing goals/objectives and expected outcomes but I'd rather look ok for a long time to come than great for 5-10 years and then bad afterwards. I saw one user posting pictures of his crown and saying he has lost the battle. I probably didn't that much hair on my crown when I was 16 (this is a lie)!

 

I am quite pale so the redness may well affect me. I do have hair that will cover it yes. I just need to be eating a high protein diet to make the hair grow back quicker so I can use it to cover it up.

 

Why close to the bathroom?

 

The point about food shopping is a good one. I hadn't thought of that. I will be renting an apartment on AirBnB to recover in Brussels I think so this is good advice.

[hsrp10]

As long as you've done your due diligence for surgeon selection and are in a position for a regret free procedure (there are a lot of pitfalls in this field trust me!) then everything's good.

 

Also look into MSM supplement which many use post HT to speed up native hair growth.

 

Sitting close to the bathroom will help if your doctor recommends spraying the grafts post-op and also to check on the grafted area if necessary.

good luck!

[TrixGlendevon]

What are MSM supplements? I will be in Belgium for about 2 weeks after the procedure anyway.

 

Could you elaborate on the pitfalls you're talking about please?!

[wibbles180]

Hello! I have decided to go ahead and get FUE with Dr De Reys in Belgium. I have seen excellent results from him and I like the fact he does the whole procedure himself and doesn't delegate the work to technicians or apprentices. I have also been in touch with a few other surgeons and I have decided to go with him. I will get 2,500 grafts and some surgeons say I am Norwood 3 and others 4. My donor area is estimated to be between 5,000 and 6,000 from the photos I have sent them. I want a conservative hairline, more to "fill in" what I already have rather than give myself the George Clooney hairline I had when I was 18. I think this is more sustainable for the future. It helps I have a "tuft" which he can use in the hairline.

 

For those that have done FUE already, I have a few questions.

 

1) Any tips on how to calm down the post-surgery redness? I can take 3 weeks off work to get it done so I ideally want the redness to have gone in this time (or as much as possible).

2) Any pre-surgery advice? I was thinking about getting head massages leading up to the surgery to increase blood flow to the scalp but I am not sure if this is worth it or not.

3) How many days would pre-op would you give to recover from the flight? I don't want to arrive and then have the op done the next days as I have read the flight can temporarily affect blood flow to the scalp. On the other hand, I want as much time as possible after the op to recover before flying back home. As I said, I will only have 3 weeks in total.

4) Any other general advice?

 

Thanks!

 

Hi , out of interest what are dr de reys prices plus vat etc ? Also where have you seen his excellent results ? Cheers

[TrixGlendevon]

Hello. 2,500 grafts is 6,000 euros including accommodation. I am not sure how he works the price out per graft. Sales tax/VAT is included in that quote.

 

There have been a few stories on here with pictures and he was also the head surgeon at a clinic whose name escapes me at the moment (on phone and the internet is too slow to look it up, sorry). Check those out. It is really good work.

 

The English language website is ran by his ex-representative and is no longer in use. Are you interested in surgery with him?

[hsrp10]

What are MSM supplements? I will be in Belgium for about 2 weeks after the procedure anyway.

 

Could you elaborate on the pitfalls you're talking about please?!

 

MSM is a supplement some say speeds up growth of your native hair after you have it shaved or buzzed after a HT. I took it after my first procedure as I shaved down and I think it worked. After your hair grows back in there is no need to continue it.

 

Here's an old post.

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/165223-products-take-post-hair-transplant.html

 

As for the pitfalls, there are really a lot of things to watch out for when searching for a hair restoration surgeon and even people who have researched it for years before choosing can unfortunately end up with a subpar result.

 

Two key points that I mention to others are don't settle for lower price only as the deciding factor and also try to find a surgeon who has very little or zero published poor results. It's hard to do and takes a lot of time and research and even then there are no guarantees.

 

You seem to have done your research and have made an educated choice over the other doctor so you should be good.