Dr Bruno Ferreira - 3000 grafts. September 2021

[Homesteader]

Dr Bruno Ferreira  FUE 3000 grafts.  September 2021. 

 

I’m 32, from Liverpool.  This is my first post but this forum has been an invaluable resource for me for a couple of years now. 

Hair Loss History

First noticed hairline recession in my early 20’s.  

By late 20’s my degrading hairline wasn’t my only problem, my hair had started to thin and it really began to get me down.  I’d wear a hat most days such was the embarrassment and found myself dreading nights out or anywhere windy. 

I’ve always had a high hairline and relatively fine hair but it was now recession in the hairline that I was most self conscious about and so started the ball rolling with looking into FUE. 

I first came across Dr Ferreira on a Joe Tillman YouTube video admiring his work. I seen his name come up more and more on different forums and so he made my shortlist. 

I contacted a few different clinics in my research phase, both home and abroad, some expensive and some relatively cheap.  I also reached out other more famous names in Europe. 

At this point I had already decided I wanted a predominately surgeon lead experience. 

I wanted single hair grafts to build a natural looking hairline and I wanted a clinic that used good microscopes. 

I first made contact with Dr Ferreira in 2019.

I got a pretty fast reply and he made a really thorough assessment of my case with me providing photos from all angles both wet and dry. 

Apart from the loss in the hairline I was now obviously thinning in the crown.  

He recommended I start Finasteride if I wanted to stop my hair loss progressing, which I was definitely hesitant to do due to fear of side effects. 

For this reason I deliberated for a long time, probably longer than I should have. 

Medication

I had previously tried minoxidil for a stint of 8 months around 2016 and although I saw results I just couldn’t keep up the twice daily routine and packed it in.

 From there I would say my hair returned to its previous state only now the recession in my hairline was more obvious and less hideable. . 

Towards the end, the only legitimate reason I had for delaying fin any longer was that Me and my Mrs had decided to try for a second baby and I was fearful that sides could prevent this.  We got pregnant really quickly and so In November 2020 I made the leap and began Finasteride at 1mg per day.

In terms of side effects, First couple of weeks I experienced watery semen and bit of a drop in sex drive.  I also got the occasional head ache but it’s fair to say that was all short lived and I responded well. Sides really were not a conscious thing from 4 months in and although I’d say the semen is still on the watery side, everything else has been normal since. 

After around 3 months there was a noticeable drop in hair fall and from around 6 months a noticeable difference to my crown and general weight of my hair, so much so that friends and family passed comment on the difference. As it seemed that Fin was working, I finally made the appointment with Dr Ferreira’s assistant Alexandra in March 2021. I paid a deposit to hold my dates and planned for mid September 2021. 

Day 1 Surgey  

I travelled to Porto on a Wednesday evening, flying in from Manchester.

The hotel I booked was on recommendation from Alexandra and was a 15 minute walk to the clinic. Plenty of bars and restaurants around and right near the beach.

I arrived at the clinic at 07:30am on the Thursday morning. 

Dr Ferreira spent around 45 mins taking photographs and designing the hairline.  

I was particularly impressed by his attention to detail at this stage. 

As I had responded well to Finasteride the decision was made not touch the crown 

He identified that my donor had finer hair towards the bottom and so the plan was to harvest higher up.  In addition to this my overall density and hair caliber was on the lower side so more time would be taken harvesting the right hair from the right place. 

The final design was a asymmetrical to mirror my natural hairline and I was happy with the plan. 

The actual surgery was a lot smoother than I expected.  I didn’t feel much at all for a lot of time. When I felt pain Dr Ferreira would address it immediately with more anaesthetic and for the most part I could feel very little.  

I actually fell asleep more than once, each time nodding off to and waking up to the sounds of John Mayer on repeat.  I’m now a fan. 

Dr Ferreira executed every step and his 3 nurses were constantly busy preparing the grafts. 

Although I couldn’t understand a word they were saying, there was a good vibe amongst them and they all seemed really happy to be there,  which put me at ease.  The whole operation was clearly a well oiled machine. 

The nursing team were great. Ricardo in particular went over and above.

There was a screen next to the bed that had real-time info like how many grafts, hairs etc and a picture of my hair pre-op.

I will post the official clinic report with with the exact number of grafts, when I receive them.  To my knowledge it was just over 3000. 

I left the clinic around. 17:30. Picked up some food to take back to my hotel.  Felt like a bit of a divvy and received a few odd looks but I embraced the embarrassment.

Within a couple of hours I had some very obvious swelling on my forehead and looked like a beluga whale.  The fact that Dr Ferreira gave an instant ice pack in my goody bag was a godsend. 

Day 2 Surgey

To my surprise I actually slept well and on close inspection the next morning the swelling had subsided a bit and everything looked good. 

I made it to the clinic on time and after a quick chat and a wash we cracked on.  
 

There was a time I had to be out by and so Dr Ferreira had finished and I was washed and ready to leave at 4pm.  

Post Op

After care was easy to understand. I got a goody bag of shampoos and gels and spray, a travel pillow, instructions about when and what to do. 

I know this will be an unpopular decision but my flight home was in the evening of the day 2nd day of surgery. 

I would of loved to stay an extra few days to recover but it just wasn’t an option being self employed and with 2 young kids at home. 

I had to block out the worries about grafts failing and my head exploding from swelling in the cabin and someone’s carry on luggage falling on my head. 

I made it home with out a problem and again had a good nights sleep.

Day 2/3 the swelling around my face was worse then I’d anticipated, Id gone from looking like a beluga whale to a barn owl The recipient and donor always looked clean and I was keeping up with the saline spray and wash regime religiously. 

By day 5 the swelling was gone.
 

I noticed scabs falling  from day 9 and by day 11 they were all almost gone. 

At 14 days my recipient area is about as red as I expected and my donor area is healing well, but occasionally tender.   It’s a strange sensation your scalp waking up. 

It’s also the first time in my life I’ve had a skinhead so it’s a look that’s taken a bit of getting used to.

Dreading the shed and ugly duckling phase but also cannot wait for the 6,9,12  month milestones and hopefully getting the result I’m after. 

It feels surreal  now to look in the mirror and I still cannot believe it’s all done and dusted after so many years of talking about it. 

My overall opinion -

Dr Ferreira deserves his reputation.

He seemed a genuinely nice fella and I’m glad I went with him. 

The whole experience was great and exceeded my expectations in  every way.

This forum been a great help in my decision making process and so I’ll update this post every few months with my progress  

I’ve waffled on - but that was the short version

[Britanium]

Absolutely stunning work by one of the best 👌 And thanks for writing such a detailed write up ! Much appreciated 🙏

[Gatsby]

I have to agree that's an excellent write up and an excellent surgeon you chose. His results on this forum speak for themselves. I hope you keep updating your journey here and thanks for sharing!

[ML488]

Nice! Impressive how he was able to go in between all the native hair so well, it seems. I love how the very front has the super thin hairs. Any idea where those came from? I'm assuming above the ears from your retrograde area?

Edited September 30, 2021 by ML488

[SD1984]

Sharp looking work. I'm sure you will have a great result. A tad too red/purple for my liking right now, but hopefully that goes down rather soon. Do you have a post op/day after donor photo you could share?

[Homesteader]

39 minutes ago, ML488 said:

Nice! Impressive how he was able to go in between all the native hair so well, it seems. I love how the very front has the super thin hairs. Any idea where those came from? I'm assuming above the ears from your retrograde area?

Cheers, I don’t know but I will find out.
Im looking forward to seeing the report and breakdown of my case.  I’m sure it was discussed on the day but I’ve got a shocking memory and wasn’t inquisitive enough to make a notes. 

[Homesteader]

33 minutes ago, SD1984 said:

Sharp looking work. I'm sure you will have a great result. A tad too red/purple for my liking right now, but hopefully that goes down rather soon. Do you have a post op/day after donor photo you could share?

Thanks. The aloe gel seems to be helping with the colour at the minute I’m hoping it’s not angry for too long. 

These are photos taken 1 day post op, the day after my flight home. 
 

 

[mustang]

Bruno is the man!!

Wonderful surgeon and guy, terrific results, super friendly and professional staff

You will have an amazing result, enjoy the ride!!

[Min12]

Nice write up!

I’m for the UK too and was considering dr Ferreira for a while now, just some questions.

- Did the anaesthetic hurt? If so what out out of 10 would you say?

- After paying the deposit we’re you able to take the rest of the payment in cash or are they ok with a card payment, I understand some clinics charge a 3% card payment fee.

[Homesteader]

21 hours ago, Min12 said:

Nice write up!

I’m for the UK too and was considering dr Ferreira for a while now, just some questions.

- Did the anaesthetic hurt? If so what out out of 10 would you say?

- After paying the deposit we’re you able to take the rest of the payment in cash or are they ok with a card payment, I understand some clinics charge a 3% card payment fee.

I’m a bit of a wuss where needles are concerned and can honestly say it didn’t hurt, Dr Ferreira would massage the area he was about to inject so apart from the occasional pinch it didn’t bother me. 
 

I wouldn’t of felt comfortable travelling with that amount of cash, both deposit  and balance were paid via bank transfer. 

Edited October 7, 2021 by Homesteader

[Homesteader]

Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since my procedure was complete. 

I’m starting to notice a small amount of shedding, but happy with the overall growth up to this point.  I’ll be sad to see it go but I know it’s part of the process. 

Ive got the odd pimple both in donor and recipient and I’d say half way through the day I can see my scalp is a little dry. 

I feel that the redness is reduced each day, I’m still using Aloe Vera gel post wash. 
 

The lighting isn’t great in my photos and taking a picture of the back of your own head is easier said then done, but hope these help. 

[Britanium]

Healing well 👍🏽 Looks like your donor is recovering extremely quickly too. Thanks for the update 🙏

[Melvin- Admin]

Healing nicely, looks like @Dr. Bruno Ferreira did a fantastic job 👏🏼

[Homesteader]

Now 5 weeks post op and well and truly in the ugly duckling phase. 

The shedding began by the start of week 4 and by the end of the week I’d lost a considerable amount of transplanted hair.

I knew this stage was inevitable but if I’m honest it’s been harder than I expected.  Now so much of the hair from recipient area has left the redness seems more obvious. 

Donor seems to of healed well.
Still the odd pimple but they come and go.  I had my back and sides shaved yesterday as the over all look was starting to look a bit fluffy.

I would say I’ve experienced moderate shock loss and in general Its looking a bit sparse in places but I’m hoping this all improves with time. 
 

I’m still waiting for the pre and post surgery photos from the clinical along with the official case report but will post it here when I receive it. 
 

I’ll try my best to check in monthly. 

[ML488]

To have your hair cut that short and not notice much of anything in the donor region that’s amazing 

[SD1984]

Still seems quite red for 5 weeks. Unless it's the camera picking up more of the color? This is the one drawback I see with regards to some transplants. Amazing work but the redness seems to stay a while. Maybe it's something to do with the DHI method? How long did he tell you the redness will last? I hear you in the sense that it's unfortunate enough to have to go through the bald ugly duckling phase but having that redness on top of it is another hassle. Perhaps some flesh colored makeup could help.

Edited October 23, 2021 by SD1984

[Fego]

11 minutes ago, SD1984 said:

Still seems quite red for 5 weeks. Unless it's the camera picking up more of the color? This is the one drawback I've seen from Ferreira. Amazing work but the redness seems to stay a while. Maybe it's something to do with the DHI method? How long did he tell you the redness will last? I hear you in the sense that it's unfortunate enough to have to go through the bald ugly duckling phase but having that redness on top of it is another hassle. Perhaps some flesh colored makeup could help.

Which doctors you recommend for fue for price range between 2 to 3 euro? 

[SD1984]

2 minutes ago, Fego said:

Which doctors you recommend for fue for price range between 2 to 3 euro? 

Pekiner, HLC, Demirsoy

[Sitries1]

1 hour ago, SD1984 said:

Still seems quite red for 5 weeks. Unless it's the camera picking up more of the color? This is the one drawback I've seen from Ferreira. Amazing work but the redness seems to stay a while. Maybe it's something to do with the DHI method? How long did he tell you the redness will last? I hear you in the sense that it's unfortunate enough to have to go through the bald ugly duckling phase but having that redness on top of it is another hassle. Perhaps some flesh colored makeup could help.

Redness varies from person to person depending on skin type. It’s nothing to do with the surgeon or method. A little redness for a while would not bother me in the slightest - it’s the end result that counts! 

[kirkland]

1 hour ago, SD1984 said:

Still seems quite red for 5 weeks. Unless it's the camera picking up more of the color? This is the one drawback I've seen from Ferreira. Amazing work but the redness seems to stay a while. Maybe it's something to do with the DHI method? How long did he tell you the redness will last? I hear you in the sense that it's unfortunate enough to have to go through the bald ugly duckling phase but having that redness on top of it is another hassle. Perhaps some flesh colored makeup could help.

The redness is due to personal skin characteristics. If you are fair-skinned and prone to redness from other sources (say, taking a hot shower or working out and your skin gets visibly flush) then the redness will be more pronounced post-op HT. The redness is the erythema caused from the trauma of the HT - the blood vessels in the area have widened to allow for greater blood flow as an inflammatory response to the wound. You can buy tinted moisturizers which can reduce the contrast.  

[SD1984]

 

3 hours ago, kirkland said:

The redness is due to personal skin characteristics. If you are fair-skinned and prone to redness from other sources (say, taking a hot shower or working out and your skin gets visibly flush) then the redness will be more pronounced post-op HT. The redness is the erythema caused from the trauma of the HT - the blood vessels in the area have widened to allow for greater blood flow as an inflammatory response to the wound. You can buy tinted moisturizers which can reduce the contrast.  

Thanks for the info

[Homesteader]

Hi All

2 months now since my FUT with Dr Bruno Ferreira. 

Not much to report. I have days where I think the redness moving in the right direction and other days that I think it’s worse. 

Pimples still presenting sporadically. 

Fine hairs starting to emerge in the recipient area, mixed with the odd really thick dark hair. 

 Photos attached taken today in various different light indoor and outdoor 

Let’s see what next month brings.

[Homesteader]

Forgot to add this, for those that were interested.  319 more than I stated, I knew it was around 3000 but could not remember the exact amount.

[mustang]

You will have a great result!!

[Homesteader]

50 minutes ago, mustang said:

You will have a great result!!

Fingers crossed 🤞🏻