I just had my hair transplant with Dr bisanga

[Hah6788887]

My experience is mixed. Tbh anytime you walk away feeling disappointed by a lack of focus on the things detailed, it's unfortunate. I will share my exact journey and everything that took place and share some pics and you can all decide on your own what you think. A few of the things right off the top that bother me are that I had some slight temple work done. I detailed to the dr my right temple is the one I need most work done on and maybe a few hairs in a certain spot in my left one. He put more hairs further into my left temple that make 0 sense and didnt even addess the part there that needed some work.. my right one has much less work on it when it was the one I wanted to targeted.. Tbh it's very disappointing. I paid 7 euros a graft for a repair case and was very particular on the things I wanted. 

The second thing that stands out to me is when I came in the day pre surgery for the consultation,  my hair was grown and we drew lines on my head that I approved of, being the hairline and the areas in thr crown I wanted work on. It was a 2 day surgery.  

 

During day 1, when my head was shaved, the lined were not traced and faded away and the dr drew lines that I did not agree too.

I contacted my adviser Ian after the first day of surgery as I was unhappy. In the morning the dr allowed me to show him where I wanted the line. I did my best to get it back to where it was in the back crown as I knew the one he made was way too far up. Unfortunately,  I moved it too down as my hair was shaved and I could no longer tell exactly where the weak area started. I thought the purpose of the pre op line drawing was that it would be traced and followed. 

 

Tbh idk what the results will be but I walk away feeling like a high number of grafted were wasted in areas that were not an issue for me. I feel as if he had just traced the lines the way I'd expect most clinics too, and followed the plan we both agreed to during consultation this all could've been avoided. I have some target areas that could've used those wasted grafts.

The patient advisors and techs and everyone were very nice and helpful. No complaints there. My complaint is in the lack of focus by Dr bisanga. He was always fairly dismissive when I asked him stuff and felt like he was just in a rush to get the work done.

Like I said before, it's not a knock on his skill as a surgeon and I'm not taking that for granted but for me to be paying 7 euros per graft and basic mistakes that show a lack of focus on the things we discussed is beyond disappointing.

 

I will share photos in a later post. And I understood my case was difficult but i came in with very specific target areas that I very clearly detailed and outlined to the dr and he drew lines in them pre op and those lines were not traced 

 

Overall very disappointed. Not in the result as its too early to tell but in the lack of focus and wasted grafts in areas that were not an issue for me. I still haven't gotten a good explanation on the temple work and honestly, whatever it may be won't be satisfying as my goal was the right temple as I comb my hair to the left but most of the grafts were put in my left temple and further into them into an area that was not an issue for me.

I'm a diffuse thinner so I understand the explain of future loss and stuff but that's not good enough when I already outlined to the dr I know exactly what may happen in the future and detailed everything to him and he was okay with it.

 

Will post updates 

[asterix0]

Dang sorry to hear that. So, I thought the order of operations is, before they shave your head the line is drawn. It is just easier to see visually where it should be that way.

As for the grafts in the temples, well it is difficult to understand without pictures exactly what you mean. But generally the recession in the temples is symmetrical, so before seeing any pictures, it would make sense that the doctor would have to add close to an equal number of grafts to the left temple as to the right one. 

[shiba1985]

13 minutes ago, asterix0 said:

Dang sorry to hear that. So, I thought the order of operations is, before they shave your head the line is drawn. It is just easier to see visually where it should be that way.

As for the grafts in the temples, well it is difficult to understand without pictures exactly what you mean. But generally the recession in the temples is symmetrical, so before seeing any pictures, it would make sense that the doctor would have to add close to an equal number of grafts to the left temple as to the right one. 

recession in temple is rarely symmetrical. 

Since hair transplant cant get you back to native density, working with patients styling helps with graft efficiency. the OP mentions he styles his hair right to left. 

[Belve]

1 hour ago, Hah6788887 said:

My experience is mixed. Tbh anytime you walk away feeling disappointed by a lack of focus on the things detailed, it's unfortunate. I will share my exact journey and everything that took place and share some pics and you can all decide on your own what you think. A few of the things right off the top that bother me are that I had some slight temple work done. I detailed to the dr my right temple is the one I need most work done on and maybe a few hairs in a certain spot in my left one. He put more hairs further into my left temple that make 0 sense and didnt even addess the part there that needed some work.. my right one has much less work on it when it was the one I wanted to targeted.. Tbh it's very disappointing. I paid 7 euros a graft for a repair case and was very particular on the things I wanted. 

The second thing that stands out to me is when I came in the day pre surgery for the consultation,  my hair was grown and we drew lines on my head that I approved of, being the hairline and the areas in thr crown I wanted work on. It was a 2 day surgery.  

 

During day 1, when my head was shaved, the lined were not traced and faded away and the dr drew lines that I did not agree too.

I contacted my adviser Ian after the first day of surgery as I was unhappy. In the morning the dr allowed me to show him where I wanted the line. I did my best to get it back to where it was in the back crown as I knew the one he made was way too far up. Unfortunately,  I moved it too down as my hair was shaved and I could no longer tell exactly where the weak area started. I thought the purpose of the pre op line drawing was that it would be traced and followed. 

 

Tbh idk what the results will be but I walk away feeling like a high number of grafted were wasted in areas that were not an issue for me. I feel as if he had just traced the lines the way I'd expect most clinics too, and followed the plan we both agreed to during consultation this all could've been avoided. I have some target areas that could've used those wasted grafts.

The patient advisors and techs and everyone were very nice and helpful. No complaints there. My complaint is in the lack of focus by Dr bisanga. He was always fairly dismissive when I asked him stuff and felt like he was just in a rush to get the work done.

Like I said before, it's not a knock on his skill as a surgeon and I'm not taking that for granted but for me to be paying 7 euros per graft and basic mistakes that show a lack of focus on the things we discussed is beyond disappointing.

 

I will share photos in a later post. And I understood my case was difficult but i came in with very specific target areas that I very clearly detailed and outlined to the dr and he drew lines in them pre op and those lines were not traced 

 

Overall very disappointed. Not in the result as its too early to tell but in the lack of focus and wasted grafts in areas that were not an issue for me. I still haven't gotten a good explanation on the temple work and honestly, whatever it may be won't be satisfying as my goal was the right temple as I comb my hair to the left but most of the grafts were put in my left temple and further into them into an area that was not an issue for me.

I'm a diffuse thinner so I understand the explain of future loss and stuff but that's not good enough when I already outlined to the dr I know exactly what may happen in the future and detailed everything to him and he was okay with it.

 

Will post updates 

I believe it’s totally unacceptable to pay so much money to a doctor and the doctor won’t give the attention that is needed to satisfy your needs and be in a rush just to finish the work no matter if you agree or not…

[HappyMan2021]

@Hah6788887 1) Can you clarify specifically why you are a repair patient in the first place? Repairs often require multiple procedures to correct

Based on the info you provided, it does seem like Bisanga should have focused more on your primary pain point (right temple). But perhaps his plan this whole time was for you to revisit him again in the future to be fully completed?

2) Elite doctors do indeed mess up from time to time. But Dr. Bisanga is one of the best repair doctors in the world, and I guarantee he knows 1000x more than you in this field, and you may just have to put blind faith/trust that whatever his actions were, they were all logical and for your own best interest. 

I am not at all saying an error potentially wasn't made, just that you really did go to one of the best repair docs on the planet, you should be confident in his work.

I would say most people pay top dollar for elite doctors not so they can micromanage the surgery, but rather so they can have utmost confidence in the surgeon and his skills and surgical decisions. 

3) Can you please provide pictures? Pre-op, post-op, whatever. This situation is all a bit murky still without pictures. 

4) Unrelated Question: I am a former repair patient myself who was considering Bisanga, but decided not to go with him because his advisor said he requires in-person consults for all repair patients (regardless of issue or severity), and it was unrealistic and unfeasible for me to fly from the US to Brussels solely for a consult. This was ridiculously frustrating to me. 

I am curious, what country do you live in and did Bisanga make you fly to Brussels for a consult before deciding to take you on as a patient?

Thanks. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by HappyMan2021

[asterix0]

1 hour ago, shiba1985 said:

recession in temple is rarely symmetrical. 

Since hair transplant cant get you back to native density, working with patients styling helps with graft efficiency. the OP mentions he styles his hair right to left. 

Hmm well I have never really seen before one temple much different/receded than the other, can you show me an example?

Of course for the top, especially for diffuse thinners, there can be significant asymmetry in the hairline diffusion. But for the temples I haven't seen such cases.

[Hah6788887]

3 hours ago, asterix0 said:

Hmm well I have never really seen before one temple much different/receded than the other, can you show me an example?

Of course for the top, especially for diffuse thinners, there can be significant asymmetry in the hairline diffusion. But for the temples I haven't seen such cases.

The two patterns worked are completely different.  I wanted some reinforcement on my right, much less on my left. I told the dr I'm not really interested in using more than 50 or so grafts to reinforce the temples as I have other areas to target and he said that was fine. 

[Hah6788887]

3 hours ago, HappyMan2021 said:

@Hah6788887 1) Can you clarify specifically why you are a repair patient in the first place? Repairs often require multiple procedures to correct

Based on the info you provided, it does seem like Bisanga should have focused more on your primary pain point (right temple). But perhaps his plan this whole time was for you to revisit him again in the future to be fully completed?

2) Elite doctors do indeed mess up from time to time. But Dr. Bisanga is one of the best repair doctors in the world, and I guarantee he knows 1000x more than you in this field, and you may just have to put blind faith/trust that whatever his actions were, they were all logical and for your own best interest. 

I am not at all saying an error potentially wasn't made, just that you really did go to one of the best repair docs on the planet, you should be confident in his work.

I would say most people pay top dollar for elite doctors not so they can micromanage the surgery, but rather so they can have utmost confidence in the surgeon and his skills and surgical decisions. 

3) Can you please provide pictures? Pre-op, post-op, whatever. This situation is all a bit murky still without pictures. 

4) Unrelated Question: I am a former repair patient myself who was considering Bisanga, but decided not to go with him because his advisor said he requires in-person consults for all repair patients (regardless of issue or severity), and it was unrealistic and unfeasible for me to fly from the US to Brussels solely for a consult. This was ridiculously frustrating to me. 

I am curious, what country do you live in and did Bisanga make you fly to Brussels for a consult before deciding to take you on as a patient?

Thanks. 

No he came to the US and I went to him in Maryland. And no I don't think you're correct with your assessment as he basically took most of what was left of my donor I'd say and my beard and chest thst were also harvested before. He even used some leg grafts at my request.  So I don't think you thinking he thinks I'll come back in the future would be the reason he did what he did.

 

My question to you is, if me and him discussed something pre op and he made lines in areas I asked him to, would you not assume those lines should be retraced the day of surgery. 

 

Honestly, I'm not here to say the operation wasn't a success or failure. I'm simply here to share my experience and the frustration as well because I believe a good amount of grafts were wasted on areas that were not important to me.

 

With my limited grafts remaining,  it's even more frustrating. 

The plan that was built by me and him  that we went over the day of consultation. I pointed out the areas, he drew the lines. He just didn't retrace them so they were gone the day of surgery other than the hairline. The temples I discussed in detail with him too and he said it was fine. 

 

I'm still hoping things turn out great. And if they do, I will be happy

[Mike10]

In the pre consultation, it should be agreed what will done during surgery and the surgeon should generally stick to that during surgery. It is important there is good communication between the surgeon and the patient.

Edited January 15, 2023 by Mike10

[Hah6788887]

5 hours ago, Mike10 said:

In the pre consultation, it should be agreed what will done during surgery and the surgeon should generally stick to that during surgery. It is important there is good communication between the surgeon and the patient.

That's really my reason for being upset. It's one thing if an area takes more grafts than needed but if I tell the surgeon which areas are most important to me with my hair grown, those lines and that plan should be followed to the best of their ability. The fact that the pre op lines were traced in the crown has me more upset than anything. It's very hard for me to know exactly where my problem area starts when my head is fully shaved. Especially in the crown. The temples on the other hand I also discussed with him. I was very precise about what I wanted as I know my weak areas when my hair is grown. It's just one of those things where idk how to react as there is nothing I can do now unfortunately 

[Hah6788887]

Just now, Hah6788887 said:

That's really my reason for being upset. It's one thing if an area takes more grafts than needed but if I tell the surgeon which areas are most important to me with my hair grown, those lines and that plan should be followed to the best of their ability. The fact that the pre op lines were traced in the crown has me more upset than anything. It's very hard for me to know exactly where my problem area starts when my head is fully shaved. Especially in the crown. The temples on the other hand I also discussed with him. I was very precise about what I wanted as I know my weak areas when my hair is grown. It's just one of those things where idk how to react as there is nothing I can do now unfortunately 

Pre op lines weren't traced*

[mavigo]

Sorry to hear this? Do you have pictures to post so we can have a better understanding of what's going on?

Thanks. 

[JD Jones]

Definitely a patient should feel like they were listened to but I'd trust the doctor,especially someone of Bisangas stature to know where the weak areas are more than you the patient.

Can you put up some pics so we have more of an idea what you're talking about?

[New_Barnet_Please]

Hmm weird, my head was shaved at the clinic the day before surgery and when the lines for the HT plan were put on my head the day before surgery by Dr Bisanga they were done in some kind of marker pen that definetely wasn't going to fade away or go anywhere.

[SecondHT]

Sorry to hear that. I hope at least that you will have good growth.

I'm going to do the procedure with Dr. Bisanga on 30th of January (after two weeks). I'm feeling a bit worried now because I am also a repair case and I also would like to thicken my right temple because it is a bit thinner and because I wear my hair on the other side. I have also booked the procedure with only Dr. Bisanga.

[Hah6788887]

23 minutes ago, SecondHT said:

Sorry to hear that. I hope at least that you will have good growth.

I'm going to do the procedure with Dr. Bisanga on 30th of January (after two weeks). I'm feeling a bit worried now because I am also a repair case and I also would like to thicken my right temple because it is a bit thinner and because I wear my hair on the other side. I have also booked the procedure with only Dr. Bisanga.

I wouldn't be too worried. I think he's an excellent surgeon. I just wish there was a tad bit better communication.  I'm just hoping for good growth. What's done is done

[Hah6788887]

Whatever you say man. Perhaps it was the fact my surgery was over 2 days. First day was only hairline so that was traced. And the crown wasn't and all the spray and stuff probably washed it off. I'm not sure. But I know the lines were gone and regrown

[HappyMan2021]

this is all still a bit hazy without any pictures. You don't have any pictures at all of any of this?

Even now, you could take pictures of the grafts (or lack thereof) They should still be visible in all the areas you mentioned. 

Edited January 16, 2023 by HappyMan2021

[Hairy Henderson]

On 1/14/2023 at 4:08 PM, asterix0 said:

Hmm well I have never really seen before one temple much different/receded than the other, can you show me an example?

Of course for the top, especially for diffuse thinners, there can be significant asymmetry in the hairline diffusion. But for the temples I haven't seen such cases.

My temples are totally different.  Right is much more receded than left

[Golfnut66]

would be great if you could upload some pictures

[Melvin- Admin]

Sorry to hear you’re not happy. I will echo what others have said, sharing some pictures would help us understand your situation.

[Curious25]

On 1/15/2023 at 2:30 AM, asterix0 said:

But generally the recession in the temples is symmetrical,

It’s actually the complete opposite, temple recession is usually always asymmetrical, with the right hand side more commonly found to recess at a quicker rate. 
 

OP - pre op and post op pics are required for anyone to really understand what’s going on here. 

But what can be said, is that communication and mutual understanding between surgeon and patient are fundamental - if your wants weren’t feasible or appropriate for whatever reason, this should have been clearly communicated to you as to why, and then back to the drawing board together to come up with a plan B compromise that suits both.

Bedside manner is a bit more of a tricky area to address, however if I felt a surgeon wasn’t as focused or attentive as I would expect, I think we can all agree it would be an underwhelming feeling. Hard to address though, because perception is subjective. 

At the end of the day goal of surgery is to achieve good growth within a natural design. I would rather achieve that with the rudest surgeon on the planet, than walk away after having the friendliest experience ever, only to look in the mirror 12 months later with zero hairs on my head.

I’m not suggesting he was rude, I’m just trying to cast things into perspective. Cosmetic surgery patients can often times be a hard calibre of patient for Dr’s to work with, and I don’t doubt for one minute there are quite a few erratic HT patients out there in the world that would quite literally want the Dr to hold their hand the whole way through surgery, so I can sit on the fence and empathise with both parties in this sense. 

It sounds as though the main gripe you have is that you feel you weren’t heard or listened to - so in this case hopefully you can reach out and request feedback from the clinic as to why what happened, happened - and then perhaps they can also take on this feedback to make sure communication between patient and surgeon is fully established moving forward. 
 

Wishing you a great result ! 

[Hah6788887]

Update. I've spoken to my patient advisor ian. He's offered me an explanation. I will not rush to judgement now and will wait to see the results before further commenting on the situation.

 

I'm not comfortable as yet to show images but I may do so in the future.

 

I'm sure bhr will comment and offer more transparency on the situation. It's difficult to get the nature of the situation without images but I'm not ready to share as of yet.

 

Since I'm still in my basic recovery phase, I will just wait and see before commenting futher..

 

I would not say I regret choosing bhr. Only the results will dictate that. 

 

 

[Raphael84]

Congratulations for completing your surgery @Hah6788887

I know that any two days of surgery can be tiring and take a lot and I know that there was anxiety coming into the surgery which is common, especially with patients who present a repair status and have had negative experiences previously.

We encourage all patients to share their cases and experience and this is the very value of the community and this presents a platform to then be able to discuss and allow users to educate and understand the challenges and realities that various case types may present.

As has been requested throughout the thread, to present any real context to your case and some of your concerns, I feel that photos really would be a valuable addition whilst explaining some further background in terms of limitations and challenges that were in place as your surgery was not a typical or straightforward repair surgery as such based on specific objectives, donor limitations and donor sources.

The great thing with the HTN community is that it is active and you will no doubt receive the support that was the motivation for your post, but to allow more specific and honest support, then I believe that your photos will answer many of the above questions and present some clarity and context.

I will avoid sharing any specifics because naturally that is between yourself and the clinic, but would encourage you to share as much as possible and the clinic can then add comment that can help to potentially better understand some concerns or further detail.

As detailed in my correspondence to you -

As we have discussed, a surgery of such complexity isnt as straight forward as one may imagine, and as specific graft numbers were not known at the time of pre operative consultation as the doctor was not aware of the integrity or quality of grafts from other requested sources, then as there was a flexibility with graft numbers, that then extends into surgical approach as different options and understanding of graft and hair numbers become known as surgery proceeds.

Day 2 presented a review and further discussion prior to surgery between yourself and the doctor as was requested to better understand the days approach.

In terms of temple placing, I was personally hesitant regarding this as you will recall and explained that oftentimes it isnt as simple as stating that you would only like to place 50 grafts into the temple. Graft requirements are often higher and when miniaturisation is present, then to reinforce further behind is often necessary to avoid native hair becoming disconnected from transplanted hair with progressive loss, especially considering your pattern of loss and undoubted progressive loss.

I recall our conversations explaining that I would not recommend touching your temples with the extent of your loss and graft demands throughout the scalp.

One very significant point that I believe is being overlooked is that as was discussed and as you explained, your intentions in the future as loss evolved is to shave down and that one objective of many was that shaving down would present a natural head of hair, albeit with thinning. 

Considering this key element and the likelihood that it will at some point become reality, to not allow the doctor to restore into areas (such as deeper into the temple and some parts of the crown), that you do not consider priority at current, but would clearly become problematic in the future as loss progresses if these areas are not reinforced. This is a matter of ethics and can not be overlooked by preferred styling options today.

As we discussed, if there are areas that become disconnected (the temple is a perfect example), this will not appear natural and so this must be taken into account and explains why the doctor felt the need to reinforce some areas more than you may have prioritised based on your current status and therefore why some flexibility once surgery began was needed and that trust in the doctor in utilising his experience to make such decisions based on the patients best interests is paramount in any surgery and the responsibility of the doctor.

It is very early days post surgery and at this stage, your head and scalp is swollen and will have some scabbing and presents quite a different reality to that of pre surgery.

Hopefully this presents some of the challenges and initial explanations without going into real specifics or personal details.

It is unfortunate that you have these concerns and of course as a clinic it is our intention for all patients to leave the clinic feeling completely satisfied, but such cases are rarely straightforward and there are many emotions during surgery dates, and it would be encouraged to discuss such details with the clinic for better clarity and understanding and to receive some reasoning to avoid any confusion.

As said within our communication, you have the full support of the clinic, it is just a few days post surgery and you have much to be positive about over the next 12+ months.

I look forward to following up with you.

[Marko7t4]

Can we see some photos please?  Dr Bisanga is usually spot on and obviously knows what he’s doing. You might need to just have faith in his work and wait for the results.