Dr. Felipe Pittella FUE Transplant 10.5k grafts

[Digs49]

HRN Community,

I recently had a hair transplant (FUE) with Dr. Felipe Pittella in Brazil and wanted to share my experience. Apologies for the length but I want to ensure I cover most major aspects, especially for anyone considering a HT. The bottom line is that I could not have asked for a better experience with Dr. Pittella and his team and strongly recommend him to anyone considering a hair transplant.
 

I am 38 years old and traveled to Brazil from the United States. I was ~NW6 and had been balding since my mid-20s. My surgery consisted of two consecutive days (May 1st and 2nd) and ended up with about 10,500 grafts (3,500 from my beard).
 

Pre-Surgery: I had done pretty extensive research on many different surgeons and clinics for about 3-4 years before deciding to go through with surgery (career timing played a major role as well). In total, I contacted 4 highly reputable surgeons/clinics and ultimately decided to go with Dr. Pittella.
 

Why Dr. Pittella - I slimmed the list from 4 down to 2 and once I did my Zoom consultation with Dr. Pittella, I knew he was the surgeon I wanted working on my hair. The Zoom call coupled with his results posted on this forum and his Instagram sold me. 

 

I had a lot of nerves and even some hesitation with having to travel to Brazil for surgery. What helped with that was talking to other Pittella patients from the US and abroad. Also, I was a little hesitant with doing a larger surgical plan with back-to-back days. Dr. Pittella and his team were responsive and helped with addressing those nerves.
 

I flew to Brazil two days before my surgery, which gave me a buffer day in case of any delays. We did the final plan the day before surgery. 

 

A couple of other pre-surgery notes: I started taking Vitamin C gummies and doing 15-min/day head massages about 2 weeks prior to surgery. I also stopped minoxidil foam and finasteride 2 weeks prior, both of which I have been using for about 10 years.

 

Surgery Days:

-Day 1: I arrived to the clinic in Vitoria on Day 1 at about 6:30am and was complete around 7pm. It was a long day but I slept a significant portion of the surgery. I was comfortable the entire time and they provided bathroom breaks when needed and a very nice lunch. I’m near certain that Dr. Pittella and his entire clinic only work on 1 patient per day so I was there only focus for both days. He worked on me the entire time and had about 8 people assisting him. It’s truly all hands on deck for the patient. I stayed at a hotel very close to the clinic and had my head wrapped that night. I slept in a lounge chair in my hotel room, which kept me at a 45 degree angle without touching the recipient area at all. 
-Day 2: I showed up at the same time and was done a little earlier that day, around 6pm. It was the same treatment as Day 1 (comfortable, slept most of it, and same people working). My head was wrapped again that night so I slept the same way. In total, Dr. Pittella was able to implant about 10.5k grafts with roughly 3.5k coming from my beard; each day was split so about 5k grafts per day. 

 

Recovery Day 1: I went to the clinic the next morning to have the bandages removed and receive a very gentle wash. Dr. Pittella had another surgery that day but made time to come see me, my head, and talk about anything on my mind and post-operative care. The clinic provided everything needed for post-op care so I felt good leaving. 

 

Recovery Days 2-4: I stayed in Vitoria for these days since I had time off from work and used this to just rest. The clinic kept consistent contact with me these days, always checking in and ensuring things were going well. If you can afford these rest/recuperation days, I would do it. I focused on resting, not allowing my head to touch anything, taking the prescribed meds, and drinking tons of water these days. I had a little bit of swelling around my forehead these days but it wasn’t terrible and went down each day.

 

Recovery Day 4 and on: after leaving Vitoria, I went to Rio de Janeiro for a few days just to take advantage of being in Brazil for the first time. If you can tour Rio before surgery, definitely do it. Brazil was awesome and made the experience even better. When I got back to the US, I was strict about sticking to the post-operative routine provided by the clinic. On days 11 and 12 post-op, the scabs started to fall off, which was honestly great because it not only feels better when they’re off but it looks great. I fully recognize that these hairs will shed and it will be a rough next 6 months but it is definitely nice to see all the hair and coverage from the surgery. It’s more than I’ve had in many years.

 

The clinic schedules a two-week follow up Zoom call with Dr. Pittella, which I did yesterday. It went well and he was happy with the progress. At this point, I resumed minoxidil and finasteride and also began sleeping and showering normal. 

 

Key Highlights:

-my biggest concerns were twofold: (1) traveling to Brazil and (2) one large procedure. I already mentioned what helped with the travel and I went with a larger session given the results of his patients and really my ability to get multiple surgeries was greatly limited. I basically had one chance.

 

-I am extremely pleased with the results so far and my experience overall. My head has a decent amount of redness right now so that’s the only thing that bothers me. 
 

-I was strict on the pre and post-op guidelines. Not sure how this impacts the results, which is ultimately the only thing that matters but I figured to go all out on these since I’m not sure I’ll have the opportunity to do other surgeries.
 

-Definitely recommend taking time adequate off from work and highly suggest tourism (some advised against but I suggest doing it).

 

-Dr. Pittella doesn’t push finasteride but he isn’t opposed if the patient wants it (it’s his/her body). 
 

-Everything positive that has been said/written about Dr. Pittella is true; he is tremendous and worth every penny. As I mentioned, results are what matter and the verdict is still out on those…that said, at this point I am extremely pleased & confident with my decision to go with Dr. Pittella.
 

-I will also sing the praise of his clinic and team. Not only do they go all in and focus on the one patient they do that day, they maintain contact and care about the follow up. That helps, especially if you have questions or concerns.

 

Finally, I will use this post to track my progress & journey. Feel free to comment or DM me with any questions. Again, sorry for the lengthy post.
 

I don’t have a ton of experience (first HT) but I’d put my money on Dr. Pittella any day and support many people’s opinion that he is the top 2-3, if not the best, HT surgeon in the world right now. 

Edited May 18, 2023 by Digs49

[Digs49]

Pictures from Day 2 post-op.

Edited May 17, 2023 by Digs49

[Digs49]

Days 8 & 10 post-op

[Digs49]

Day 14 post-op

[mister_25]

Those day 10 photos are out of this world, my god

[Melvin- Admin]

Incredible write-up. I have to say that these pictures look freaking insane for being one procedure. The density looks perfect. 

 

[Fox243]

2 hours ago, Digs49 said:

HRN Community,

I recently had a hair transplant (FUE) with Dr. Felipe Pittella in Brazil and wanted to share my experience. Apologies for the length but I want to ensure I cover most major aspects, especially for anyone considering a HT. The bottom line is that I could not have asked for a better experience with Dr. Pittella and his team and strongly recommend him to anyone considering a hair transplant.
 

I am 38 years old and traveled to Brazil from the United States. I was ~NW6 and had been balding since my mid-20s. My surgery consisted of two consecutive days (May 1st and 2nd) and ended up with about 10,500 grafts (3,500 from my beard).
 

Pre-Surgery: I had done pretty extensive research on many different surgeons and clinics for about 3-4 years before deciding to go through with surgery (career timing played a major role as well). In total, I contacted 4 highly reputable surgeons/clinics and ultimately decided to go with Dr. Pittella.
 

Why Dr. Pittella - I slimmed the list from 4 down to 2 and once I did my Zoom consultation with Dr. Pittella, I knew he was the surgeon I wanted working on my hair. The Zoom call coupled with his results posted on this forum and his Instagram sold me. 

 

I had a lot of nerves and even some hesitation with having to travel to Brazil for surgery. What helped with that was talking to other Pittella patients from the US and abroad. Also, I was a little hesitant with doing a larger surgical plan with back-to-back days. Dr. Pittella and his team were responsive and helped with addressing those nerves.
 

I flew to Brazil two days before my surgery, which gave me a buffer day in case of any delays. We did the final plan the day before surgery. 

 

A couple of other pre-surgery notes: I started taking Vitamin C gummies and doing 15-min/day head massages about 2 weeks prior to surgery. I also stopped minoxidil foam and finasteride 2 weeks prior, both of which I have been using for about 10 years.

 

Surgery Days:

-Day 1: I arrived to the clinic in Vitoria on Day 1 at about 6:30am and was complete around 7pm. It was a long day but I slept a significant portion of the surgery. I was comfortable the entire time and they provided bathroom breaks when needed and a very nice lunch. I’m near certain that Dr. Pittella and his entire clinic only work on 1 patient per day so I was there only focus for both days. He worked on me the entire time and had about 8 people assisting him. It’s truly all hands on deck for the patient. I stayed at a hotel very close to the clinic and had my head wrapped that night. I slept in a lounge chair in my hotel room, which kept me at a 45 degree angle without touching the recipient area at all. 
-Day 2: I showed up at the same time and was done a little earlier that day, around 6pm. It was the same treatment as Day 1 (comfortable, slept most of it, and same people working). My head was wrapped again that night so I slept the same way. In total, Dr. Pittella was able to implant about 10.5k grafts with roughly 3.5k coming from my beard; each day was split so about 5k grafts per day. 

 

Recovery Day 1: I went to the clinic the next morning to have the bandages removed and receive a very gentle wash. Dr. Pittella had another surgery that day but made time to come see me, my head, and talk about anything on my mind and post-operative care. The clinic provides everything needed for post-op care so I felt good leaving. 

 

Recovery Days 2-4: I stayed in Vitoria for these days since I had time off from work and used this to just rest. The clinic kept consistent contact with me these days, always checking in and ensuring things were going well. If you can afford these rest/recuperation days, I would do it. I focused on resting, not allowing my head to ugh anything, taking the prescribed meds, and drinking tons of water these days. I had a little bit of swelling around my forehead these days but it wasn’t terrible and went down each day.

 

Recovery Day 4 and on: after leaving Vitoria, I went to Rio de Janeiro for a few days just to take advantage of being in Brazil for the first time. If you can tour Rio before surgery, definitely do it. Brazil was awesome and made the experience even better. When I got back to the US, I was strict about sticking to the post-operative routine provided by the clinic. On days 11 and 12 post-op, the scabs started to fall off, which was honestly great because it not only feels better when they’re off but it looks great. I fully recognize that these hairs will shed and it will be a rough next 6 months but it is definitely nice to see all the hair and coverage from the surgery. It’s more than I’ve had in many years.

 

The clinic schedules a two-week follow up Zoom call with Dr. Pittella, which I did yesterday. It went well and he was happy with the progress. At this point, I resumed minoxidil and finasteride and also began sleeping and showering normal. 

 

Key Highlights:

-my biggest concerns were twofold: (1) traveling to Brazil and (2) one large procedure. I already mentioned what helped with the travel and I went with a larger session given the results of his patients and really my ability to get multiple surgeries was greatly limited. I basically had one chance.

 

-I am extremely pleased with the results so far and my experience overall. My head has a decent amount of redness right now so that’s the only thing that bothers me. 
 

-I was strict on the pre and post-op guidelines. Not sure how this impacts the results, which is ultimately the only thing that matters but I figured to go all out on these since I’m not sure I’ll have the opportunity to do other surgeries.
 

-Definitely recommend taking time adequate off from work and highly suggest tourism (some advised against but I suggest doing it).

 

-Dr. Pittella doesn’t push finasteride but he isn’t opposed if the patient wants it (it’s his/her body). 
 

-Everything positive that has been said/written about Dr. Pittella is true; he is tremendous and worth every penny. As I mentioned, results are what matter and the verdict is still out on those…that said, at this point I am extremely pleased & confident with my decision to go with Dr. Pittella.
 

-I will also sing the praise of his clinic and team. Not only do they go all in and focus on the one patient they do that day, they maintain contact and care about the follow up. That helps, especially if you have questions or concerns.

 

Finally, I will use this post to track my progress & journey. Feel free to comment or DM me with any questions. Again, sorry for the lengthy post.
 

I don’t have a ton of experience (first HT) but I’d put my money on Dr. Pittella any day and support many people’s opinion that he is the top 2-3, if not the best, HT surgeon in the world right now. 

Looks great. Curious why you're still on meds, as I'm in a similar situation where it seems like meds didn't work and I was already a very advanced norwood, so I got off them.

[JD34]

Pittella in a league of his own for NW5+. Great write up - can’t wait to see the progress. 

[A_4_Archan]

Good write up brother....you were under one the best hands for high NW case.....another monster extraction ....around 7k grafts from that donor seems unbelievable....if you show that donor pic to any doctor most of them would say that 4.5-5k would be the max which can be extracted from that...bdw best of luck ..will be following your journey closely ....happy growing and keep updating..

[BaldGuy]

Dr Pittella is able to extract very large number of grafts in one session without any problem at all, while other clinics are not able to do it and say that is not possible etc...But Dr pittella shows that fue has been evolved and giga sessions are absolutely fine and safe and the patient does not have to suffer from mutliple surgeries...
Good luck mate...the work is really good.

[mr_peanutbutter]

how much does pittella charge per graft?

think that will be a homerun in 8-10 month

[duckling]

The extraction of this much grafts from your donor is very impressive. 
but why is hairline so pointy ? Its like a triangle.. could have added irregularities 

[Digs49]

Thanks for all of the responses, my fingers are crossed for a good result. 
 

@Fox243 the meds definitely slowed down my hair loss in the past as it was happening fats before I was on them. I decided to stick with them post transplant to hopefully maintain (ie, minimize or stop any future loss) and primarily because I didn’t have any side effect. 
 

@mr_peanutbutter I hope you’re right and will be sure to post the results in that time. For most Dr involvement, his rate is $4USD per graft. 

Edited May 18, 2023 by Digs49

[Digs49]

@duckling thanks and I agree the hairline is a bit pointy but I believe this is a method he uses often. He assured me that once grown out, it won’t look at pronounced; definitely something on my mind until then though. 

[Melvin- Admin]

It’s a widow’s peak. It actually helps draw the eyes and makes the hairline appear lower, without sacrificing a lot of grafts. Dr. Sethi does this as well. 

[BaldDude]

3 hours ago, mr_peanutbutter said:

how much does pittella charge per graft?

think that will be a homerun in 8-10 month

$2-$4 depending on who does extractions

[duckling]

4 hours ago, Digs49 said:

@duckling thanks and I agree the hairline is a bit pointy but I believe this is a method he uses often. He assured me that once grown out, it won’t look at pronounced; definitely something on my mind until then though. 

If this is something he does in most cases then no need to worry. Melvin is right that this way hairline appears lower without it using up much grafts. But i wanted slight irregularities to make it more natural. But it will be tough to figure out when hair length is more. I think because hair is short so its drawing the attention more.

happy growing and hoping for a great result !

Edited May 18, 2023 by duckling

[Bronamath123]

This should be a great result...did Pittella suggest taking any grafts from the facial area? I may need to do this, but unsure about the healing.

Strongly thinking of going to Pittella for a repair from the US, but communication with his staff has been a nightmare. Communication with him personally has been great though.

[Digs49]

@Bronamath123 I had about 3500 grafts taken from my beard (only in the neck region, not on my face/cheeks). I think he definitely would have taken from the face area if he thought I needed it but he felt he could get it done with my donor & neck beard.

My neck was by far the first place to heal and honestly rather quickly. You can see in my 14 day post-op photos that the skin healed quick there and only has a little redness. Also, I think he’s taken facial beard hair from other patients on this forum and it appears they’ve turned out fine. 
 

The language barrier with his staff is a definitely a thing but I wouldn’t let that come in the way of having Dr. Pittella work on you. For some of his admin staff, we used the Google Translate app to communicate and it was totally fine. Don’t hesitate to hit me up with any questions or concerns (I likely had the same).

[Bronamath123]

@Digs49 definitely gunna reach out, appreciate it!

[Digs49]

**UPDATE**

1-month post-op. Head feels good; definitely started shedding around week 3 and more and more hairs fall out each day. Neck feels great, I’ve been able to shave with no issues. I’ve definitely started the ugly duckling phase though…just trying to stay patient & positive. 

I’m on minox and finasteride and take a biotin supplement & multivitamin each day. Dr. Pittella and his clinic definitely keep in touch every so often to check in on me. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or comments. 

Edited June 3, 2023 by Digs49

[Melvin- Admin]

Your necks healed really well. How many beard grafts did you use?

[Digs49]

@Melvin- Moderator a little over 3,500 from the neck beard. 

[TommyVercetti]

This will look incredible, all the best 

[Britanium]

Healing up nicely, the pinkness/redness will continue to fade 👍🏽