6000 FUE Grafts (3000 Dr De Reys in 2013; 1800 Dr De Reys 2014; 1200 Dr Reddy 2017)

[Edsarn2017]

Hello,

I previously documented my first transplant in 2013 with Dr De Reys – see link below:

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/171535-3000-grafts-dr-de-reys-1-2nd-july.html

At the time, I became a bit disillusioned with this website as I felt at times that some of the comments posted about people were too harsh and a little underhand. As such, I deleted my account, but have still been a regular visitor over the years. I see this website as support forum, where people can read about a person’s experiences, see pictures, and then make an informed decision about choosing a particular surgeon or not. As such, this blog is for those considering either Dr De Reys or Dr Reddy.

Hair Transplant 2: 1800 grafts over 2 days in June 2014

I decided to take the plunge again to thicken up my front and crown. Other consultations prior to my first surgery suggested (e.g., Feriduni) said I would need more grafts than Dr De Reys estimated, so I always thought I might have to go back to get it thickened up a little.

Compared to Transplant 2, Transplant 1 was a walk in the park. I found the whole thing completely excruciating. In my first operation, the only things that hurt where the injections and making the hairline, the rest was fine. Hair transplant 2 was a complete nightmare!! Contrastingly, the injections did not hurt, but everything else did!! I felt every extraction, incision, and implant. All were really painful. The second day was even worse, because my head was so sore from the previous day. I remember we had a break on the second day and I could not face the agony of going back for more time on the “torture bench,” but wanted to get the job finished.

Dr De Reys could see that I was in discomfort and did his best to eradicate the pain with medication, but it did not alleviate the pain. He mentioned that people coming back for an operation after 12 months or so can sometimes experience a lot of pain during the procedure. Normally, I have a high threshold for pain, but I would say this is was tough, because it lasted all day and there was no let up. That said, as the procedure was finished, I was pain free again.

As I mentioned previously, he is very caring and personable, and I like the set up there, which is a building adapted for operations that includes the surgery room, lounge, bedroom, and kitchen. It is in a really nice quiet town too. I definitely think that Dr De Reys is a person that you can trust, who is not in it for the money and cares for his patients. He regularly e-mailed me for progress reports.

I’ve attached some pictures immediately after and some in 2017, which is almost three years after the operation. I must say that immediately after my operation I started taking 1mg of finasteride every day and I am still on the dose now. I previously tried combining finasteride and minoxidil in 2007. Although the results were excellent, I had sexual side effects, so I stopped taking both of them. A few years later, I went back on minoxidil and noticed the same thing again (struggled to sustain an erection on occasions, which had never previously happened). At the time, I did not give this much thought, and I know there is little/no evidence for minoxidil side effects, but anecdotally, it affected me! This time, on just finasteride I have not had any problems whatsoever.

In terms of the results, and where I came from, I am happy with the outcome of first two procedures, especially the hairline and the work done at the front. So far, no one guessed I’d had a hair transplant.

I still wear fibres in my crown, so decided I would get that thickened up. Initially, I was going to back to Dr De Reys, but came down with a bug on the day I was due to fly out and it coincided with the attack at Brussels airport – I would have flown home that morning. As such, my partner did not want me going back there, so I looked for UK surgeons. I did lose my deposit though, which was a pain.

[Edsarn2017]

Results in 2017

 

Here are some pictures taken in 2017, prior to my operation with Dr Reddy. As such, these were nearly 4 years after my first operation and 3 years after my second operation.

 

I've also attached a picture that was taken a year before my first HT, for a comparison.

Edited April 9, 2017 by Edsarn2017
I've added a picture from the year before my first HT

[Edsarn2017]

When I initially consulted Dr Reddy back in 2012, he was not a member of this forum and there were not as many pictures of his work as there is now and I struggled to make contact after my consultation. I must admit that I have followed his work closely over the last few years and wondered if I’d made the right choice or not, by not going with him. As such, I thought I would consult him and Farjo.

My consultation experience with Dr Reddy was completely different with him this time than in 2011, he now has his own room at Selston for consultations and we spoke for about 25-30 mins, it was very thorough. He told me that my crown would not be perfect, but he could make an improvement to it. My goal was to fill it as much as possible so I could used the least amount of fibres – and hope that hair cloning is available in a few years!! I was not really impressed with Farjo in terms of FUE, because there are few results to view and I’ve hear lots of bad things about ARTAS. Given Dr Reddy’s extensive portfolio of work, and the fact he was only two hours away from my house, I thought it was a no brainer. In terms of Farjo, they only had 2 pictures of FUE on their website and I did not think they were great examples either!! It did not inspire confidence and they were more expensive too!!

I know Dr Reddy gets a bit of flak on this site for quoting people for the number of hairs. However, I booked the operation at Selston cosmetic clinic (which is cheaper than his Harley street practice) and was quoted ?5000 for 1200 grafts. I know that is more expensive than Dr De Reys, but I am so impressed with his work and in the UK there are people with no track record of performing transplants charging between ?5.50 to ?6.00 per graft. As such, I was paid ?4.16 per graft with someone who considered a top FUE surgeon and I had no hassle of travelling and staying in hotels.

Dr Reddy estimated that I saved around 3-4K by having the operation at Selston. All his team were present (3 of his technicians) and they only performed my surgery. I believe in Harley Street that his team perform two surgeries per day. Not only did I save money, but I had Dr Reddy present most of the time. I would say that he did around 80% of the extractions and incisions himself.

In terms of the operation, once my head was shaved both Dr Reddy and Umar (the technician) stated that Dr De Reys had done an excellent job with the placement of my grafts as they were all in the right direction. That pleased me a lot. Once the extractions started, Dr Reddy said that Dr De Reys’ had done an excellent job looking after my donor area and that it was still in great condition and that I had lots of “chunky grafts.” He was not sure whether Dr De Reys had left lots of big grafts, or whether my donor was packed full of chunky grafts. Indeed, 20 minutes in, Umar said that there were lots of four hair grafts and some five hair grafts. I don’t know the final breakdown, but after the team had extracted 824 prior to starting the incisions, there were 2 665 hairs, which Dr Reddy said is very rare for someone having their third operation, as the usual average is about 2.5 hairs per graft, at best. He said I was a bit of a genetic freak, because he’d only seen 6 NW candidates (which is what I would be without surgery and medication) with so many chunky grafts.

In terms of the punch, I believe a 1mm manual punch was used and the choi implanter was used (this sounds and feels like someone is cutting a pair of scissors above your head – completely painless!). Interestingly, Dr Reddy made an incision before placing each graft with the implanter pen. I am not sure whether that is common practice or not, but he believed the pen allows for more accuracy. Dr De Reys used the forceps method.

The operation lasted from 11.15 to about 20.15, with a 20 minute break for lunch. I can’t praise Dr Reddy and all his staff enough. I found Dr Reddy very easy to talk to and we had some very interesting chats about different surgeons and the hair transplant industry in general. He and his team are incredibly passionate about what they do and genuinely care about the patient. I feel so lucky to have found both of these surgeons, given my extensive hair loss – I needed every graft to count, especially because Dr Reddy told me some stories about the repair work he does!!

My goal before the operation was to reduce the amount of fibres I put on my crown (I don’t bother using it at the front any longer). Dr Reddy and his team believe I won’t need to use fibres any longer, once the new hair grows in. If that happens, it would be an absolute bonus for me. So, I guess I will have to wait and see. I will post results in the future. Unlike some people on here, I seem to be a bit of a slow grower, and my results after HT 2 took around 14-18 months to fully mature.

These pictures were taken straight after my procedure. It is morning after my procedure and I am in no pain whatsoever. Looking forward to the final outcome.

If you are considering a hair transplant, my advice would be to RESEARCH, RESEARCH, and RESEARCH. Once you think you have done enough research, do a little more and don’t rush into any

[johnny2000]

When I initially consulted Dr Reddy back in 2012, he was not a member of this forum and there were not as many pictures of his work as there is now and I struggled to make contact after my consultation. I must admit that I have followed his work closely over the last few years and wondered if I’d made the right choice or not, by not going with him. As such, I thought I would consult him and Farjo.

My consultation experience with Dr Reddy was completely different with him this time than in 2011, he now has his own room at Selston for consultations and we spoke for about 25-30 mins, it was very thorough. He told me that my crown would not be perfect, but he could make an improvement to it. My goal was to fill it as much as possible so I could used the least amount of fibres – and hope that hair cloning is available in a few years!! I was not really impressed with Farjo in terms of FUE, because there are few results to view and I’ve hear lots of bad things about ARTAS. Given Dr Reddy’s extensive portfolio of work, and the fact he was only two hours away from my house, I thought it was a no brainer. In terms of Farjo, they only had 2 pictures of FUE on their website and I did not think they were great examples either!! It did not inspire confidence and they were more expensive too!!

I know Dr Reddy gets a bit of flak on this site for quoting people for the number of hairs. However, I booked the operation at Selston cosmetic clinic (which is cheaper than his Harley street practice) and was quoted ?5000 for 1200 grafts. I know that is more expensive than Dr De Reys, but I am so impressed with his work and in the UK there are people with no track record of performing transplants charging between ?5.50 to ?6.00 per graft. As such, I was paid ?4.16 per graft with someone who considered a top FUE surgeon and I had no hassle of travelling and staying in hotels.

Dr Reddy estimated that I saved around 3-4K by having the operation at Selston. All his team were present (3 of his technicians) and they only performed my surgery. I believe in Harley Street that his team perform two surgeries per day. Not only did I save money, but I had Dr Reddy present most of the time. I would say that he did around 80% of the extractions and incisions himself.

In terms of the operation, once my head was shaved both Dr Reddy and Umar (the technician) stated that Dr De Reys had done an excellent job with the placement of my grafts as they were all in the right direction. That pleased me a lot. Once the extractions started, Dr Reddy said that Dr De Reys’ had done an excellent job looking after my donor area and that it was still in great condition and that I had lots of “chunky grafts.” He was not sure whether Dr De Reys had left lots of big grafts, or whether my donor was packed full of chunky grafts. Indeed, 20 minutes in, Umar said that there were lots of four hair grafts and some five hair grafts. I don’t know the final breakdown, but after the team had extracted 824 prior to starting the incisions, there were 2 665 hairs, which Dr Reddy said is very rare for someone having their third operation, as the usual average is about 2.5 hairs per graft, at best. He said I was a bit of a genetic freak, because he’d only seen 6 NW candidates (which is what I would be without surgery and medication) with so many chunky grafts.

In terms of the punch, I believe a 1mm manual punch was used and the choi implanter was used (this sounds and feels like someone is cutting a pair of scissors above your head – completely painless!). Interestingly, Dr Reddy made an incision before placing each graft with the implanter pen. I am not sure whether that is common practice or not, but he believed the pen allows for more accuracy. Dr De Reys used the forceps method.

The operation lasted from 11.15 to about 20.15, with a 20 minute break for lunch. I can’t praise Dr Reddy and all his staff enough. I found Dr Reddy very easy to talk to and we had some very interesting chats about different surgeons and the hair transplant industry in general. He and his team are incredibly passionate about what they do and genuinely care about the patient. I feel so lucky to have found both of these surgeons, given my extensive hair loss – I needed every graft to count, especially because Dr Reddy told me some stories about the repair work he does!!

My goal before the operation was to reduce the amount of fibres I put on my crown (I don’t bother using it at the front any longer). Dr Reddy and his team believe I won’t need to use fibres any longer, once the new hair grows in. If that happens, it would be an absolute bonus for me. So, I guess I will have to wait and see. I will post results in the future. Unlike some people on here, I seem to be a bit of a slow grower, and my results after HT 2 took around 14-18 months to fully mature.

These pictures were taken straight after my procedure. It is morning after my procedure and I am in no pain whatsoever. Looking forward to the final outcome.

If you are considering a hair transplant, my advice would be to RESEARCH, RESEARCH, and RESEARCH. Once you think you have done enough research, do a little more and don’t rush into any

 

Congratz

I hope you get a really good result

 

I would be very interested to see how your front hair looks when shaved Down like these pictures you just posted.

 

Could you show som pictures of the front Line of your head?

Would love to see how the density looks with This close a buzz

[Mick50]

Good luck with your third procedure ,your hair looks pretty good pre third op but it will make a difference to you having the crown filled in especially if you can stop using fibers .

4.16 per graft is pretty good for a top UK Doc when you factor in travelling expenses and hotels etc

it's a really good price.

[Edsarn2017]

Hi Johnny2000,

 

Sorry, I meant to attach those pictures before, so people can check out Dr De Reys' work with the buzz cut. Here is a picture of the front and the top with a buzz cut.

[Edsarn2017]

P.S., I never knew I had such a spotty head, until I looked at the enlarged version of these pictures. I don't have spots anywhere else!:mad:

[johnny2000]

P.S., I never knew I had such a spotty head, until I looked at the enlarged version of these pictures. I don't have spots anywhere else!:mad:

 

Thanks.

Spotty head? Are you talking about the red spots on your scalp?

 

What to you Think of the density with such a Low buzz?

Do you fell it looks obvies that some areas are HT hairs and others are normal hairs?

[TillerMaN]

Good luck with it! It's also nice to see that you have zero pigmentation issues... I'm only 6 days post OP and really hoping that all my redness dissipates quickly and looks like your hairline.

[Edsarn2017]

My donor and recipient area seem to be healing well, and I've had very little redness for the last couple of days. It has become a little itchy, but I remember this occurring from my last couple of operations. To help this, I found an over the counter anti-allergy tablet with Loratadine in it very helpful.

 

My clinic suggested I used a rolled up towel on my pillow to aid sleeping. In the past, I previously used a travel pillow, but the rolled up towel has been so much more effective.

 

Also, after operations 1 and 2, I noticed that I lost a few hairs within the first week or so, whereas this time, I have not lost any - or at least, I have not seen any. I wonder if this is because I am on finasteride, which I was not on before my first two operations.

 

Looking forward to growing my hair again, because there is a strong contrast between my donor and recipient area from the back. Once my hair is longer, this becomes much less noticeable.

 

I will update the pictures in a few months, when my hair is longer. As previously mentioned, I don't think I am quick grower, so won't be expecting to see the final result for at least 12 months, possibly even longer.

[Gasthoerer]

Wow, your buzzcut looks good. With some SMP in the crown and back you should consider this as an option!

[Edsarn2017]

Thanks. My wife likes the buzz cut look too, and wants me to keep it short. I think I will probably use dermatch (applied dry) until it grows a little and the two areas (donor and recipient) merge into one, which it does when it is longer.

[Edsarn2017]

I thought I would provide some one month follow up pictures.

 

My donor area has become quite itchy in the last week or so, particularly around the sides, but I am sure I remember this happened previously.

 

I have not noticed any major shedding yet (i.e., lots of hairs in the shower), but I imagine this will will start soon.

 

Also, I have been using a small amount of dermatch on my crown and front, to give the appearance of having more hair. I use a small amount of water, but find this quite messy, so I will be glad once my hair grows again, so I can use fibres.

 

Looking forward to my hair growing again, although my partner likes it much better shorter. When my hair is longer, it looks like I have more, so I will continue growing it.

[Tbcruz]

Looks good ! I will be following your progress !

[Edsarn2017]

Cheers. Can't wait for the final result. If I can manage not use fibres in the crown, once the growth comes through, I will chuffed!!

 

I will update in a few months.