Dr. Bruno Ferreira | FUE 3653 grafts | 01/04/2021

[Britanium]

Thanks so much for posting such excellent quality pics ! We can really get a sense of the evolution of both of your procedures here.. So much more to come 👍🏽

[stephcurry30]

Great progress. Are you on any medication? 

[ML488]

Thanks for sharing all those photos and I am glad you are happy with the outcome as that is what's most important. That said, maybe it's just me I really don't know, but am I the only one who thinks that frontal third is surprisingly thin and lacking of a great outcome for what was a whopping 3600 grafts?? Compared to your 10 days post op "preview phase" photos it looks like the density was going to be insane. The final result is not that and when shaved down you can see there was not full growth, no?

Edited February 27, 2022 by ML488

[JoeMan]

I agree that the 1st procedure looks a little thin to me. Did Dr. Ferreira comment on this? It doesn't look like you've added any to the front on your 2nd procedure though so I'm assuming you are happy with it. It does appear that some grafts must not have grown since post op it looked more densely packed. But I guess it's hard to tell if it's below his 90% threshold. 

[TGR46]

On 7/4/2021 at 8:53 PM, TGR46 said:

Hi guys,

I did my hair transplant 3 months ago and decided to come here to share my experience with Dr. Bruno Ferreira and show you my results since the surgery.

Since 2015 that I started to become more bald year after year and the idea to do a hair transplant started to grow more and more in my head. In 2020 my brother decided to do a hair transplant with Dr Bruno Ferreira and that was the trigger for me to do it too. We decided to do two surgeries. I did this first surgery (April 2021) in two days, totaling 3.653 grafts, with 2.55 ratio between hairs/grafts.

For me was an easy choice to do it with Dr. Bruno for a couple of reasons. My brother did his hair transplant with him a year before me and this allowed me to follow step by step his process and his recovery since day one, and I got to say that right after his first surgery (he did two) I could understand why Dr. Bruno Ferreira was the right fit for me, as I explain below:

• One important aspect for me was the guarantee that the surgeon was responsible for the two phases of the surgery (extraction and implantation), instead of an assistant/nurse. And Dr. Bruno does exactly that. He is present and executes all the way through, from the beginning til the end of the surgery;
• The hair line for me had to be the most natural as possible and for me this is another key factor that makes Dr. Bruno unique. His aesthetic sense is out of this world and I think it's a detail that separates a great hair transplant result from other not so great. He probably spent 20-30 minutes drawing in my head before the surgery so that everything was perfectly balanced and this is probably the main compliment that people gave me until now, about my transplant. We decided not to bring the line too much down because I wanted to balance a good frontline coverage (first surgery) with the rest of my crown (second surgery). I have to say, I'm very pleased with the results;
• The surgery is painless and Dr. Bruno and his team have a special attention to it. I remember that one of the first things Ricardo (Dr. Bruno's nurse) told me right after my arrival to the clinic, was that the objective of the surgery wasn't to hurt the patient in any circumstances and if I feel anything during the surgery, I should warn them right away. Dr. Bruno's way of giving the anesthesia is almost pain free, I just felt the first needlesticks. Every time I felt anything during the extraction or implantation, I warned him, and he gave me more anesthesia right away;
• Another thing that came as a surprise was the environment created by Dr. Bruno and his team during the surgery. From the music that was playing, to the funny jokes between them, a feeling of relaxation and calmness was created in the room which allowed me to be very relaxed and even fell asleep during the surgery;
• During this process I always felt accompanied by Dr. Bruno and his team. One unique feature he makes available for his patients is the possibility to talk with him and send him pictures via WhatsApp and he always tries to answer you on that same day. This is very useful because after the surgery, during the first months, you have a lot of questions and doubts, and this proximity permits that he can control the process of the air fall during the first and the second month;
• Finally, the post-op and recovery. The first two nights were strange, because you are always sleeping worried about your head and trying not to move too much. But I got to say that I was expecting a worst recovery. I didn't feel any pain, my face and forehead didn't swell and I personally didn't feel to much itch during these months. Besides this, as you can see in the pictures, Dr. Bruno's technique is so advanced that he leaves your head "very clean" after two days of surgery. Not only the implanted area, but also the donor area which was a big surprise for me. Finally, you leave the clinic with everything you need for the first crucial 15 days: they gave me shampoo, aloe vera, all kinds of products that you'll need for the first two weeks.

Below you can see my results of the first two and a half months. Right now the transplanted hair is still growing. If you have any question don't hesitate and talk to me.

Hi Guys,

 

First of all I'm sorry for this 7 month gap between posts, but in my opinion you have a stronger and clearer impact of the results this way, instead of seeing pictures of me every month, because you only have real results of the surgery 1 year after the intervention.

 

On the 1st of December I did my second intervention to cover my crown. About the surgery and Dr Bruno's (and his team) competence and brilliance, I really don't have nothing more to add beyond what I said on the first post. His aesthetic sense and his technique is unique, the surgery was painless like I was expecting (I even fell asleep) and as you can see the donor area couldn't be more clean after the surgery. The nights were better on this second surgery, because I like to sleep sideways and that's the better position to sleep after you do your crown, and all the recovery was easier because it was not the first time that I was doing it. I implanted a total of 3.188 grafts, with 2.76 ratio between hairs/grafts. 

 

About the first surgery (11 months ago) I think the results speak for themselves. Personally, I'm more than happy with my frontline but more than me, my friends and family are constantly surprised (in a good way) when they see me. The last two months, for example, I didn't see many of my friends and the last time they saw me (two months ago) I was with a shaved hair. On the last few weeks they finally saw me with my hair grown and the reaction is always amazing and everyone looks very surprised and shocked (again, in a good way) with my results because the difference is clear. And for me this is the proof that I'm reaching my goal because one thing is your perception when you look in the mirror every day. Another is when someone that only sees you from time to time, because their impact is bigger. 

 

Now we will wait another 10 to 12 months to see the final results and only after that we will decide if we do a last intervention just to cover any spot that didn't grow as we planned, but should be a small intervention because I'm reaching my limit in terms of donor area. Like I said in the first post, the objective of the pictures that Dr Bruno took is to show clearly the implanted area with a bright light and a combed hair with hairbrush or with the hair wet, which sometimes can deceive the result or the perception because as you can see on my last photos (11 months/3 months) when I'm using my daily hairstyle the frontline is almost completely covered (and will be even more on the next months).

 

Hope you enjoy!

[TGR46]

On 2/27/2022 at 1:32 AM, stephcurry30 said:

Great progress. Are you on any medication? 

The doctor strongly advises us to take Finasteride to stop the hair loss even before the first surgery and is something to be taken for the rest of our lives, because it strongly contributes for the stoppage of the hair loss. He also recommended me to take Ecophane to help the hair grow healthier and faster. 

[TGR46]

On 2/27/2022 at 1:56 AM, ML488 said:

Thanks for sharing all those photos and I am glad you are happy with the outcome as that is what's most important. That said, maybe it's just me I really don't know, but am I the only one who thinks that frontal third is surprisingly thin and lacking of a great outcome for what was a whopping 3600 grafts?? Compared to your 10 days post op "preview phase" photos it looks like the density was going to be insane. The final result is not that and when shaved down you can see there was not full growth, no?

I understand what your are saying looking at the pictures and Dr Bruno also told me that a third intervention could be a possibility to correct some spots (on the frontline or on the crown), but we should never forget that not all the grafts survive, and I'm not an exception. With that being said, right now I'm happy with the results and on a daily basis with a normal light (not this strong photoshoot kind of light right above me) the frontline looks way more covered. Besides this, I haven't done a full year yet and I think the results will be better on the months to come. On the next post I will try to take some "normal" photos to exemplify what I'm saying.

[Gasthoerer]

Thanks for sharing you report and some very honest pics.

I think the crown can be evaluated at 8-9 month earliest. But I agree with the previous posters. The expectations for the hairline/front was a little higher after this amount of grafts for this area. Was there any feedback from the clinic regarding growth? Was there a discussion to address the weak spots first before moving to the crown? How many grafts does the clinic estimates that you have left?  

[mrmane85]

Thank you for sharing. Excellent pictures. The most important aspect is that you are happy and that the result looks natural, which it does. Then you can do a little touch up later if needed. 

[Curious25]

Fantastic documentation on your behalf, with such a vast array of very honest photos. 

I will keep it short, and give my honest feedback. 

You (fortunately) have a great looking donor region. 

The first surgery of 3600 grafts for your frontal third, appears to have yielded a less than 80% growth rate in my opinion, which by todays standards, and certainly this clinics standards, is absolutely not acceptable - and I would recommend you taking this up with Dr Bruno, and asking for his evaluation. For a rough guide - have a look at other threads with a similar sized area addressed with similar graft counts, with closely matching hair calibre to yourself. 

The main thing is - you are happy. If you are happy, then I'm glad. But as a constructive critic to your surgery, my comments still stand. 

[AA1989]

It looks very natural, and it must feel amazing to have hair where you previously had bare scalp.

I agree with the comments regarding the lack of yield. We are a critical bunch on here, but given the standards attained by Dr Bruno in his previous presentation, we have high expectations. None of this should detract from your satisfaction of having your face framed by a new natural-looking hairline. With additional density, it would look even better.

[JoeMan]

Yeah I actually just had surgery with him and this has me a little worried. I'm not saying it's a total fail but I personally would expect a better yield. He guarantees 90% so I'd be curious if he's willing to add density in this case since I don't believe 90% survived. I know that in the end, you have to be happy with it though so if that's the case then I'm happy for you. 

[ML488]

1 hour ago, JoeMan said:

Yeah I actually just had surgery with him and this has me a little worried. I'm not saying it's a total fail but I personally would expect a better yield. He guarantees 90% so I'd be curious if he's willing to add density in this case since I don't believe 90% survived. I know that in the end, you have to be happy with it though so if that's the case then I'm happy for you. 

 

In my opinion at least that looks like approximately 2700 grafts if I had to guess, which would put the growth yield at around 75%. Looks extremely natural at least.

Edited March 1, 2022 by ML488

[JoeMan]

55 minutes ago, ML488 said:

In my opinion at least that looks like approximately 2700 grafts if I had to guess, which would put the growth yield at around 75%

Kind of a shame bc it looks as natural as can be. At the same time I think we should remember this IS only 7 months after all. I wouldn't make a final judgment until at least 10 months. There are often some final grafts that can pop up even as late as the 8-9 month mark many times.

It's actually 8 months in this picture if I'm not mistaken. I guess what's slightly disturbing in my eyes is that the Dr didn't address the lack of growth on his 2nd surgery. In my opinion if he added a few hundred grafts in his frontal area during his 2nd surgery then a 3rd procedure is less likely required. At 8 months it still looks thin in my opinion, but you are correct I guess that it's possible at the year mark it will look better. I'm just not sure how much better but hopefully you're right. 

[JoeMan]

But I agree it looks really natural and I think filling in the few gaps that look clearly visible on the shaved head would make this a fantastic result.

[AA1989]

6 minutes ago, JoeMan said:

It's actually 8 months in this picture if I'm not mistaken. I guess what's slightly disturbing in my eyes is that the Dr didn't address the lack of growth on his 2nd surgery. In my opinion if he added a few hundred grafts in his frontal area during his 2nd surgery then a 3rd procedure is less likely required. At 8 months it still looks thin in my opinion, but you are correct I guess that it's possible at the year mark it will look better. I'm just not sure how much better but hopefully you're right. 

We should have pretty much the final results now. The clinic photos were taken at the 8 month mark (1st Dec), although  @TGR46 is now at the 11 month mark. It would be interesting to see if the case has improved.

Regarding intervention to improve the density. This can come down to how satisfied the patient is with their result. The OP has expressed a high level of satisfaction. The old adage 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' comes to mind.

I would have requested additional grafts to fill the spaces to reach/exceed the original required 3600+ grafts.
The logic is, if the Dr says you need 3600+ grafts and, for example, only 2700 grow, then by definition, the result is sub-par.

[Curious25]

 

Edited March 3, 2022 by Curious25

[ML488]

There are a few things happening here that give the illusion of it not being natural, even though it is. First, he has VERY thick sides which throws things off when seeing the sudden appearance of less dense hair at the forelock. Second it’s the harshest lighting possible with the sun beaming in from behind him through the hair. Even though the transplant was a borderline failure, even if all 3600 grew it still wouldn’t have ever matched his natural super thick sides, but it would’ve been better.

Edited March 2, 2022 by ML488

[Curious25]

.

Edited March 3, 2022 by Curious25

[Melvin- Admin]

OP,

 I hope you’re not being turned off from posting. Understand this is a process. Hairline designs are subjective, what doesn’t look good to you, may look good to others and vice versa. No one is the overlord or overseer on hair transplants. End of the day, this is your head, and if you feel confident and happy, that is all that matters 🙏🏼

[ML488]

23 minutes ago, Curious25 said:

 

I would argue that the hairline design is far too straight for the height it has been placed - what I mean by this, is that people with ‘straight’ hairlines in nature, tend to be people unaffected by hairl loss (or diffuse losers, however the point still applies) therefore their hairline naturally sits lower, around 6cm from the glabella. This has been placed at quite a recessed height, presumably because of the level of loss presented, which is fine, however a natural looking ‘recessed’ hairline would be much more aesthetic. So for me, I think even people in the street would notice something being ‘off’ without perhaps  realising exactly what.

 

You def know what you’re talking about with regards to hairline placement but I disagree and feel they got it quite right for this case. Look at these pics instead of the awkward window pic … nothing seems unnatural here about the placement ….

 

Edited March 2, 2022 by ML488

[Curious25]

I retract my comments on the straightness - I was focusing on the 11 month frontal shot as this is what had been sent to me and what I had used for reference. 

Looking over the other pics, there seems to be a more normal shaped ‘curve’ given. 
 

I maintain comments about yield, however. 

Edited March 2, 2022 by Curious25

[mxm56]

Mate, good luck first of all. This is a bit confusing to me, but your case is interesting indeed. Would you please sumarize once your progression with a selection of few photos and some sort of timeline? cheers

[AA1989]

Revisiting this case, I think it is worth bearing in mind that the OP was a high Norwood with only light patches of diffuse hair. The cases where frontal third is transplanted are often supported by a robust forelock, which strongly contributes to the wow factor.

Although the OP says he is now on fin, there is a strong possibility that the small amount of hair in the front third may have been lost in the 8 months between transplant and presentation of the newer photos. If those hairs were already on their way out then the HT may have even hastened the process.

Let bear in mind the OP was a high Norwood. With the second transplant filling out the top and crown, the OP will have full long term coverage, albeit with modest density.

Factor in a potential 3rd touch-up procedure to the hairline, and the OP will have a result beyond his best expectations.

@TGR46Really looking forward to seeing the evolution of your 2nd procedure and props for presenting such honest, high-quality photos.

[Vann]

Any updates?