Regular Member janosch Posted July 6, 2020 Regular Member Share Posted July 6, 2020 (edited) Hello everyone !I am 40 and I lose my hair since I'm 25. Very discrete at the beginning, I managed to hide it for several years using a concealer, but lately it became very difficult to conceal it any further, which pushed me to do that surgery.I’m posting this testimony about my hair transplant, which I will feed with updates until M+12.It’s almost 2 years now that I took the decision of having a surgery, but didn’t find the time to do it until now.I chose Hattingen clinic in Switzerland, because I saw their results, which I found excellent and really impressive. I also live in Switzerland, and it was also more convenient and reassuring for me.My previous consultations (in person, skype and telephone) with Dr Muresanu only comforted me in my choice. He’s friendly and always attentive to one’s needs. The clinic has a lot of experience with very large sessions.I have a Norwood 5-6 baldness on a rather important surface, and it was decided to go for a FUT (for budget and efficiency reasons) of 5500 FUs.The surgery took place on the Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 of May, over 2 days. The reasons they switched to doing large surgeries over 2 days are that they do not want to be under any time stress, and want to concentrate on every detailed aspect of the surgery. Dr.Muresanu said that after years of doing 2 large surgeries per day, he realized that at some point everyone on the team gets tired and that hair transplant surgeries are not the domain where speed and maximum number of patients are the main objective. He compared it to fine craftmanship, artisan slow food, basically something that requires time.First day:I’m arriving by train at 7:00AM. I took the train since I live at 40 minutes away. However, to be more comfortable, I would recommend taking a hotel nearby, it’s much less stress.I’m being taken to the operating room, where pictures are taken, then I’m being given a sedative and paracetamol.And here we go : I get lidocaine injections on the back of the head in order to anesthetize the donor area. I hate injections normally, but it was quite tolerable. Dr Sever & Laura Muresanu then take the first sample. I didn’t feel anything, neither the cut, nor the suture. They mentioned how amazing my laxity is and that we would probably get more then expected.The assistants then remove the prepare the grafts under microscopes. Meanwhile, Dr Muresanu anesthetize the recipient area and starts with the preparation of the recipient sites. As soon as the recipient sites are finished the implanting of the grafts start.Some small breaks, one lunch break, and round 2 of the implanting. I don’t feel anything and the sedative is very efficient, I think I slept most of the time.End of the day, and we get the verdict : 3800 grafts in the first sample !I’m going home the same day by train. We’ll start again tomorrow at 7am.First night :The lidocaine is still effective a few hours after the surgery, and I fall asleep without any major problem. However, around midnight the anesthesia vanishes gradually but quickly, and the pain becomes stronger, a pulsating pain. I’m taking the Tramadol all the paracetamol that was left, but it has little effect. Sleeping is difficult, but at least I can keep the transplanted area moist and I pass the walk in circles the apartment.Second day :I’m arriving at the clinic for 7am. Dr Muresanu enquires about the night. He suggests that I stay in Schaffhausen the next night and not to hesitate to call him if necessary.Same as the day before, sedative and paracetamol, and then lidocaine injections, which help immediately, all the pain disappears, it is a huge relief! I couldn’t sleep the night before, so it doesn’t take long until I fall asleep. I’m waking up a few moments later, while the suture is being done. No pain whatsoever.Later in the afternoon, the lidocaine effect vanishes during the surgery and new injections are necessary. As I can’t feel the pain anymore, I fall asleep again, while the surgery goes on.End of the day, I’m really tired but it’s finished. Verdict: 4300 additional grafts today !I’m heading to the hotel that Dr Muresanu booked for me and try to sleep. Before I leave the clinic, I get a few lidocaine injections so I can sleep.Second night :I fall asleep without pain. Around midnight however, I’m woken up by a pain in the back of the head, which intensify. I’m trying to find a position comfortable enough to be able to sleep, but it’s impossible. I’m taking the Tramadol. No effect at all. I’m taking the rest of the paracetamol but it’s useless.I’ll hesitate for a few minutes, but, a bit before 1am, I’m calling Dr Muresanu. He suggests meeting at the clinic in a few minutes. 20 minutes later we are at the clinic and I get new injections to help me sleep. This time I get Bupivacaine, which is supposed to last longer.I’m going back to the hotel and get back to bed and fall asleep. A while later the discomfort slowly starts to reappear, it is better then the night before but still not a great night.Third day :No surgery today, but the scars will be cleaned today. Dr.Muresanu asked if I want to do new injections, which I’m very glad to do. A few moments later I’m free from pain again. Dr. Muresanu comments that I am one of very few, extremely rare patients that seems to metabolise anesthetics very fast.Both donor and recipient areas are cleaned up thoroughly. Dr Muresanu suggests to use paracetamol + ibuprofen simultaneously, and gives me bromazepam to sleep at night.I have a big oedema that starts to appear, which will go away after 4 days.I’m having a walk in the city before leaving, the pain slowly reappears but the walk helps focusing on something else. As I go back home by train, the pain starts to vanish gradually, and won’t come back.The next 2 nights will be difficult, mostly discomfort because of the sleeping position (on the back). It will then only get better and better.Wrap-up :Haircount: FUTGrafts: Hairs:1. 895 8952. 3583 71663. 3142 94264. 523 2092Total: 8143 19579Rate 2,40What I liked particularly :- As soon as we arrive, we are taken care of in a personalized manner. We have the impression that the whole staff is taking care only of us on that day (they only do one case per day, or over 2 days) and is there for you.- Dr Muresanu consistently makes the extra mile to provide the best service and find solutions if something doesn’t work as desired.- I could call Dr Muresanu in the middle of the night and got lidocaine injections at 1:30am to relieve the pain !- The steady follow-up allowed to ensure everything works as expectedIn summary, a very experienced medical team, and high-level service. You really feel considered.If someday I need to do another hair transplant, I won’t look further.I always heard very good things about Hattingen and I wasn’t disappointed at all.The pictures : Pre-op 1st day post-op 3 days post-op 6 days post-op (after removal of the scabs) 3 weeks post-op (starting to going back to initial situation 😒) Edited July 6, 2020 by janosch formatting 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Curious25 Posted July 6, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted July 6, 2020 Surgery looks clean and well planned, I’m sure you will have fantastic results with a HGI of 2.4, combined with Hattingen being the European masters of FUT. Please keep us updated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Tbcruz Posted July 6, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted July 6, 2020 (edited) This was 2 fut procedures back to back ? Two stripes taken out 1 each day ? Edited July 6, 2020 by Tbcruz 1st procedure (8-4-17) - Dr. Luís Nader FUE 1551 grafts. https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/49351-1551-grafts-with-luis-nader/?tab=comments#comment-455985 2nd procedure (2-4-20) - Dr. Blake Bloxham FUT 1986 grafts https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/55933-dr-blake-bloxham-fut/?tab=comments#comment-529401 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member janosch Posted July 6, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 6, 2020 3 minutes ago, Tbcruz said: This was 2 fut procedures back to back ? Two stripes taken out 1 each day ? Exactly, one surgery on 2 days : first day with first stripe taken out & first half transplanted, and second stripe & second half transplanted the day after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member giegnosiganoe Posted July 6, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted July 6, 2020 Wow, that is crazy. Can't wait to see the results. I did an online consultation with Hattingen and they strike me as one of the most ethical clinics in the field, so I have a lot of respect for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member home1212 Posted July 8, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted July 8, 2020 never even heard of a back to back FUT, incredible! best wishes on your healing and growth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HmDiars Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 I have never heard before!Amazing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member janosch Posted September 29, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 29, 2020 Hey guys, Little M+4 update: Nothing relevant to see really. I'm still waiting for the new hair to come out, I see little black spots but I hope it's going to grow soon, it looks like it's still "asleep"... I went to the hairdresser today, and she tried not to cut my hair too short, but we still can see the scar in direct light. In normal light it's not noticeable though. On the top of the head I still have more hair than before though (I used to have alost nothing anymore before the surgery) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Britanium Posted September 29, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted September 29, 2020 Very interesting 🧐 should all kick off from here on out! Must be one of the largest FUT cases done in this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Curious25 Posted September 29, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted September 29, 2020 You appear to already be considerably better off than where you first started (albeit perhaps with more favourable lighting than your pre op pics). From here is when all the fun begins, those black dots will turn into nice and thick hairs gradually over the next 4-8 months, hopefully making you ready for hollywood! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member janosch Posted November 2, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 2, 2020 Hey everyone!M+5 update :The hair gets thicker. I can't notice any additional growth since last update, but the hair is clearly getting thicker.The top of the head starts to be covered, whereas the vertex zone is a bit slower to grow. To be honest I'm not quite sure until which depth they've been. The vertex wasn't the highest priority anyway; I'm sure that it might be covered anyway with the according hair length.Anyway! I'm not bald anymore! I'm now waiting for the hair to get some volume.The scar is barely noticeable, and I'm sure it will be invisible after the next fresh haircut. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Britanium Posted November 2, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted November 2, 2020 I can see a big difference. And yes the crown does usually take longer to see any changes. Like you say your no longer bald that’s for sure 🤩 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member T95good Posted November 2, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted November 2, 2020 Are you on finasteride? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted November 2, 2020 Administrators Share Posted November 2, 2020 Everything is looking fantastic, very happy for you. Dr. Muresanu is an excellent doc! I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Curious25 Posted November 2, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted November 2, 2020 Excellent progress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member janosch Posted November 2, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 2, 2020 3 hours ago, T95good said: Are you on finasteride? No I'm not. I know I maybe should, but I'm not comfortable with a medication that heavily modifies the concentration of hormones in the body. I mean, it's just hair 😅 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member longjonsilver Posted November 2, 2020 Regular Member Share Posted November 2, 2020 Two strip surgeries in two days? Wow - you must have some amazing scalp laxity going on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Mycroft Posted November 3, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted November 3, 2020 This is an interesting case. I'm shocked at how good your donor looks after a double FUT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TommyLucchese Posted November 23, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted November 23, 2020 Huge improvement already - looking forward to seeing how this progresses. 2,000 grafts FUT Dr. Feller, July 27th 2012. 23 years old at the time. Excellent result. Need crown sorted eventually but concealer works well for now. Propecia and minoxidil since 2010. Fine for 8 years - bad sides after switching to Aindeem in 2018. Switched to topical fin/minox combo from Minoxidil Max in October 2020, along with dermarolling 1x a week. Wrote a book for newbies called Beating Hair Loss, available on Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member janosch Posted November 28, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 28, 2020 Hi everyone!Quick M+6 update(Sorry for the pictures but I wasn't able to take clear ones)I'm taking Finasteride since a couple of weeks now.The hair is growing, but I don't think I should expect much more regrowth from now on, it looks pretty much like M+5. However, I feel a little bit everywhere on my scalp some very short hair, as if I just had shaved: Are these future hair, or just broken ones? Anyhow, there are few of these, it might not considerably change the result.Regarding the midscalp, I'm satisfied, I didn't have much left anyway. From that point of view, I don't have a complex anymore, an it's already a win.However, it looks like the hair is grouping into "tufts", giving the illusion that some areas are well covered, while others aren't.As for the vertex, there is no regrowth yet. The back of the head is a quite thinning area.In general, I think the density isn't crazy for 8000+ grafts. I saw it from the beginning though, the grafts were transplanted kind of spaced (if I compare to some other cases here),but even if I wasn't expecting a miracle, I had hoped for a better result. Maybe my expectations were quite unrealistic.Anyway, I'm still waiting -still have at least 6 months to go-, an improvement is always possible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TorontoMan Posted November 28, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted November 28, 2020 Lmao what made you rethink finasteride? In the post previous you said it was just hair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Steeeve Posted November 28, 2020 Valued Contributor Share Posted November 28, 2020 (edited) Curb those expectations, my friend. You’re not done yet. 🙂 Those hairs are sprouts that are going to grow longer and thicken up. You’ll definitely continue to see improvement probably beyond the 12 month mark and into 18 months. I had them up until 11 months and continued to see improvement past 18 months. That’s not to say it would happen the same way for you but you’re definitely going to continue to see some growth as long as you can feel some stubble in there. And congratulations! For 6 months this is already a stellar result but I do understand that you’re waiting for more. Totally fascinating case! Edited November 28, 2020 by Steeeve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member janosch Posted November 28, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 28, 2020 Yeah I talked with a friend who takes it too and said there are no studies that show it causes health issues, and made some research and I guess my problem with fina is mainly psychological... I'm still not 100% confident but I thought I'd give it a shot though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member BjornBorg Posted November 29, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted November 29, 2020 Looking at your pics at 6 months and then reading you are kinda down makes me wonder. Can you show the situation in bad lighting conditions? Because in those pics it looks like a good final result and you are only at 6 months. My results - 2486 grafts FUE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Gasthoerer Posted November 29, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted November 29, 2020 Vertex takes longer - no one knows why, and I did not believe it myself...until it happened to me too. Anyway: Already on your month 4 pic you were far (!) above baseline and you comment was "Nothing relevant to see really." If this was "nothing" for month 4 for you, than you are doomed from your own expectations. Everything is right on track. Trust the process. By the way: The short thick hairs are IMO broken ones...new hair sprouts tiny, wispy and with a fine tip usually. 400+ grafts in 2018 and 2900 grafts in 2020 via FUE with Feriduni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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