Senior Member MarshallUK Posted September 22, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted September 22, 2018 Good Afternoon, After Months of using this and other forum sites to educate myself on all things hair transplants I would like to give back and document my experiences. I am 33 and have been receding from the front with the classic M shape for years now. Once I decided to look into a transplant seriously I set up some consultations and started doing extensive research to hopefully make the right choice. I will section off below each part of my journey to hopefully help anyone else who was in my position. Research and Consultations I started my consultations at Vinci in Manchester as I have seen them online quite a lot. There sales rep was a nice man and gave me my first insight into the options and costs involved. I came out impressed but decided to do more research online and finally discounted them due to lack of results online. I then had 2 consultations at Fargo's in Manchester. I met with Mick and DR Racheal Kay who were both very nice and professional and I was impressed with the clinics setup, I was offered 1600 grafts and met some of there patients who were there getting a check up. After doing more research I was keen on having more grafts than 1600 due to the case studies I had seen on these forums. I was offered 1800 once I asked for more but got the feeling they wouldn't go much higher. I also was waiting a good few days (sometimes a week) for replies to my questions on email so that made me start looking elsewhere. I had seen Dr Bisanga was in London for consultations so decided to book in as he seemed well thought off online, I took my wife for a day out to London and went to the consultation. The Dr and his assistant Hilde were very welcoming,helpful and knowledgeable. The Doctor told me he would recommend 3000-3500 grafts to get my desired results which seemed higher than I expected but made me research even more. I had also contacted Dr Demisroy whose work seems very good at a good price and I couldn't find any negative results even on the German forums. He Also quoted for 3000-3500 grafts which made me a lot more comfortable with that amounts of grafts I required. I narrowed it down between Dr Bisanga and Dr Demisroy and struggled with the decision as we all know its a tricky one ha. I found that Dr Bisanga had lots of cases on forums and was very impressed with his results and especially with grafts numbers similar to mine. Also I was impressed by his professionalism and his after care if results were not up to his expectations, so that along with everything else made me pick Dr Bisanga!!!! About time haha. Travel and Operation I booked the Op for Wednesday 19th and was told to be at the clinic for 7am and expect a long day. I flew Ryanair from Manchester £47 return to Brussels Charleroi and then used a coach service called Flimico it takes 45 minutes to Brussels midi and then a 30min walk or 5 min taxi to the Hotel Catalonia which is recommend by the clinic as its literally down the road (2minutes walk). The Day went well we agreed the hairline, took pictures gave blood and then shaved my donor area. I must say I was not looking forward to the injections but found them really straight forward and literally like a pin prick for a second they didn't bother me at all. The Op went well the Dr did the extraction and insertion holes and the tech removed and placed the grafts as discussed. We were complete for 7pm with a 10-15 minute dinner break which I had chicken and cheesecake not together ha, the bandana was put on and all after care was explained. I have honestly not had any pain or itchiness so far but my head has swelled quite a lot and I look like Quasimodo ha, I stayed in Belguim until last night so tuesday night untill Friday night in total. I attended the clinic on Thursday and Friday for check ups and they applied my aftercare for me which was very nice. While in Belguim I was more than happy to go out site seeing, shopping etc as with the bandana on no one could really tell and I was comfortable going for coffees and food etc with no one really staring. I was going to get a taxi on the way back but as I felt comfortable enough I got the metro and coach again with no problems saving 55 euro!! At the airport I felt a little self conscious as my face was swelling and I had no ice to help reduce it but I soon realised I didn't care what people thought and was ok after that. The customs in Belguim asked me to remove my bandana and I showed him my hairline and he quickly let me through. The clinic does give a letter to get a private room but security was quiet and it was alot quicker just removing my bandana a liitle bit and no issues. In the Uk they didn't even bother they just scanned my paasport and waved me through, I was keen to get out of there as I was delayed 1 hour in belguim and just wanted to get out of crowded places and chill. Summary So far so good! I am early days but happy with the process and clinic etc. I am following the clinics guidelines and just glad I did what I wanted to do and not worry about other peoples opinions! I am a great believer we only live once so if you want to do it get it done!! Dr Bisanga and his team especially HIlde are great and I highly recommend them! Obviously if I don't have a Mullet in 12 months that may change haha. Below are some pics by me before and after including the pic which made me decide I wanted a HT. I will upload the clinic pics once I get them. Any questions feel free. 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Regular Member Ftothe Posted September 22, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted September 22, 2018 Hello marshall, i had 2003fue done one day before you at bhr clinic and have been at the clinic for checkup at 19th, the time where your grafts were being extracted ? funny, what a small world. And i also stayed at catalonia hotel. i dont want to steal your thread but just wanted to say hello :-). I am also healing very weell, wihtout skin problems or anything else. But i had to ask dr bisanga a question about my hairline today. In my opinion it is not as Symmetrical as i would expect it to be. Wishing you the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MarshallUK Posted September 22, 2018 Author Senior Member Share Posted September 22, 2018 Agreed a small world! I didn’t see anyone while I was there so we probably just missed each other. Am sure the dr will sort any issue you may have, I am very happy so far so hopefully all grows well! Good luck with it all!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Ftothe Posted October 18, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted October 18, 2018 Hello marshall, how are you doing? My donor is looking very good and was already at a stage before the surgery 2 weeks after the surgery. About the recipient area I think maybe 50% of the hairs have shed. I hope the rest will remain to cover the redness I am still dealing with, which is really annoying under harsh lighting. So far I let everything grow and didnt cut anything. regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MarshallUK Posted October 21, 2018 Author Senior Member Share Posted October 21, 2018 Hello Ftothe, I am well feeling good. I think I am in the same boat as you as only 50% of my hair has shed. I am unsure if this will stay or if it will all shed in the next few weeks.I have just had my first haircut to tidy my hair see below. Are you trying to hide the HT or are you just telling people? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Ftothe Posted October 21, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted October 21, 2018 Currently only two people know about my procedure (mum and brother). I am trying to hide it. I only received one comment from a guy who is bald himself and probably is a little bit into HTs, but i blocked it. What about you? Yes, I hope there wont be further shedding, but I dont know. I will tell you. I think my redness is a little bit lower than yours, but i also had less grafts (though they are in a smaller area than yours). I am currently applying minoxidil (twice a day, once a day on receipent area), aloe vera gel and sometime some bepanthol cream. What is your post-op care? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MarshallUK Posted October 31, 2018 Author Senior Member Share Posted October 31, 2018 HI Ftothe apologies on the wait to reply. My post op is the same yours but I was using the vitamins I asked the doctor about. I have told all my friends about my ht but no-one at work but they will find out soon ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MarshallUK Posted October 31, 2018 Author Senior Member Share Posted October 31, 2018 6 weeks today, still red. Some of the hairs have stayed so hopefully will not shed but who knows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Kiwi Guy Posted October 31, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted October 31, 2018 Good luck with this. I hope you get a great result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Ftothe Posted November 4, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted November 4, 2018 (edited) Hello, I really think our progress seems to be going hand in hand :-). My shedding has also stopped and the hairs that didn't shed just keep growing along with the others, as if they have always been there. The main shed happened in those areas, where hairs where implanted into/very close to my native hair. But in my hair frontline where I hardly had some native hairs, most of the hairs didn't shed. Nevertheless, the last weeks have been ups and downs for me due the ugly duckling phase and fighting the redness, which is (at least in my opinion but not in my brothers) visible in the shedded areas. But what else can we do, but waiting and keep applying aloe vera or what ever and hope to speed up the healing. Still I generally think the recepeint area is healing very, very well. The donor area has never been a problem after surgery. In my opinion this really shows Dr. Bisangas routine. Your last picture shows a very good progress fighting the redness. What kind of Vitamins are you taking? Regards Edited November 4, 2018 by Ftothe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MarshallUK Posted December 27, 2018 Author Senior Member Share Posted December 27, 2018 Hi Ftothe, Unsure why my response didn't register I must not of pressed send ha. I am only taking biotin 300 per day(may up soon) and a multi hair vitamin called follicle or something along them lines. Some updated pics attached mid dec and today both are around 1 week after trimmed to a number 1. I have been shaving my hair every couple of weeks to keep it looking normal. I am currently 3 months 2 weeks and I have noticed the redness has nearly gone and hairs seem to be doing well, I defiantly have hair where once there wasn't which is good. Under a dull light my recipient area looks well and filling nicely but under daylight/bright lights it looks like below. When I shave my head no one would have a clue I have had a ht but obviously as it grows at different speeds it can be seen. I am now going to start growing it to see how it grows so we update once there is anything to see, wish me luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Corbinite Posted December 28, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted December 28, 2018 Hey!! I'm in late to the party but I also had a HT with Dr Bisanga in Nov 16th. I stayed at Catalonia as well! The walk to BHR was like 12 steps lol. I had 3000 grafts on my frontal area. But my case was a bit unique --- Dr Bisanga used 1500 chest grafts and 1500 beard grafts. So there were no scalp hair grafts used. I didn't want to damage my donor anymore as this was my 3rd FUE procedure. It's been 1 month and 1 week now and I think I'm following your footsteps on healing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MarshallUK Posted December 28, 2018 Author Senior Member Share Posted December 28, 2018 Ahhh great stuff hope all went well it's just a waiting game now for both if us! I would be interested in your case as I may opt for a 2nd one for my crown down the line and my beard and chest are plentiful, good luck growing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MarshallUK Posted December 28, 2018 Author Senior Member Share Posted December 28, 2018 Pics attached in my bathroom with just the mirror light on looks best in this light for growth and new hairs, all just a waiting game now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Ftothe Posted December 30, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted December 30, 2018 Hello marshall, looking good and I still think we are going hand in hand regarding the healing. The lighting generally seems to play a big role when it comes to judging the process. I can still see a difference between the receipent area and untouched area, too. Friday, last week, I went back to BHR clinic for a general check-up. Although I did not meet Dr. Bisanga in person, because he was doing surgery, I talked to my contact person and one of the ladies, who were doing my surgery. Everything is on track and they gave me a general advice to try stop thinking about the HT too much. I had little concerns regarding little dots that appeared after about 2monthts of the HT, but they said it is simply "growing hair", what seems logically to me. 😉 Maybe you know them too. See you and take care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Corbinite Posted January 1, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted January 1, 2019 Nice Marshal. I'll post at 3 months if things proceed well...I'm recovering from a failed transplant from "an expert surgeon" actually recommended on this site. Will address that later but I'm grateful Bisanga took me in. Now i'm just waiting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Sean Posted January 1, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted January 1, 2019 Thanks for sharing Marshall. Would love to see how this comes out. Cornbite, sorry to hear that a recommended surgeon previously failed you. I am glad Dr Bisanga took you in now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Corbinite Posted January 2, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted January 2, 2019 ^Yeah thanks. Still a bit stressed out to see what Bisanga can do. I'm still waiting for the results like OP here...currently I'm 1.6 months post-op. Before I write a post on the botch by my previous surgeon, I want to see success from Bisanga to prove to myself that it was indeed a surgeon issue and not a body physiology issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MarshallUK Posted January 11, 2019 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 11, 2019 Gents, Quick update at 4 months. I have grown it out a little and looks on track in my opinion. Lots of hair now where once there wasn't just want to see how it progresses and matures. The hair is still a bit fluffy if thats the correct term so hopefully it will start thickening soon. The pics are typical selfies and then 2 out and about under harsh lightning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MarshallUK Posted January 19, 2019 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 19, 2019 Tried some wax on it the other day to see how it was coming on, all in different lights. Still only 4 months 1 week in so think am coming on nicely. Only thing I am unsure off is the new fringe line is straight up which is different to my normal hair. I noticed the doctor does this a lot and gets great results with it, it's just getting used to it i guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Since21 Posted January 19, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted January 19, 2019 3 hours ago, MarshallUK said: Tried some wax on it the other day to see how it was coming on, all in different lights. Still only 4 months 1 week in so think am coming on nicely. Only thing I am unsure off is the new fringe line is straight up which is different to my normal hair. I noticed the doctor does this a lot and gets great results with it, it's just getting used to it i guess The fun begins. Bisanga was my second choice behind Konior based on geography. Love his work. His and Konior's hairlines are exceptional. Looking forward to seeing your results. Happy growing. 3,425 FUT grafts with Dr Raymond Konior - Nov 2013 1,600 FUE grafts with Dr Raymond Konior - Dec 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member wheretogo Posted January 19, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted January 19, 2019 Looks great for 4 months, right on track, just stay patience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MarshallUK Posted January 19, 2019 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 19, 2019 Thanks guys, patience is the key. Still can't walk past any mirrors without checking it out haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Ftothe Posted January 19, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted January 19, 2019 Hi Marshall, looking good. 🙂 By fringe line do you mean a line at the frontal hairline? Are you talking about a line on the skin or about the growing direction of the hair? Sorry, I couldn't understand. If you are talking about the growing direction, I can follow what you mean. Especially in the morning its looking funny sometimes. I can image that the new hair will "adjust" to their new position after some time and will probably change the growing direction into a more natural one. However, my skin color in the recipient is still a bit different compared to my normal skin tone. Thats why, when looking from different angles, I see a more or less "harsh" transition between recipient and non-recipient area. As you said ,patience is important, because I think this will get better with time. Do you see little dots on you skin, which are probably simply growing hairs? Cu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MarshallUK Posted January 22, 2019 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 22, 2019 Hi Ftothe hope all is well, yes the front of my hair known as the fringe the hair grows up and is different to my normal hair. I agree with you that hopefully once the hairs mature they will be more natural and blend in. I do not notice any colour difference on the skin maybe still a little pink but not really noticeable. Again not any bumps I've noticed but to I don't over analysis it just hope it grows haha. I am thinking about taking fin as my crown now looks weak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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