Dr De Freitas 05/22/23 (3233 Grafts)

[Will_the_way]

Hello everyone! 
 

I wanted to start by saying thank you to everyone who contributes to this forum. I have been a silent reader for a few years now, and have gained so much knowledge that as we all know is so necessary to have when going into this experience. With that being said I’d like to share my HT journey with you all. 
 

I chose Dr De Freitas based on his experience with hairline reconstruction. I would say I had a bit of thinning at the front of my hairline, but was not losing hair. The reason I wanted a HT was due to my large forehead which has always made me extremely self conscious and has had a major impact on my mental health. 
 

I reached out to the clinic in January and heard back within a few days. Dr De Freitas estimated 2800 grafts to the frontal area via FUE. I booked the appointment for April 2024 but was asked if I would be able to reschedule, should someone cancel their appointment and an availability opened up sooner, to which I said yes. A short time later the clinic reached out to me to let me know a cancellation had come up in may and if I’d like to reschedule. I was more than happy to. 
 

I was a little nervous going into the procedure but to be honest, it was something I had been waiting to do for so long that it was a bit euphoric and the nerves subsided very quickly. Dr De Freitas and his team are incredible. They put me at ease immediately and I knew I was in good hands. Previous posts have discussed the fact that he doesn’t speak English, but in my experience, he definitely made an effort and most of the things that needed to be communicated, we were able to do so without someone from his team translating. 
 

The procedure was 2 days with the first day lasting about 12 hours, and the second day taking about 5. He ended up using 3,233 grafts to cover the area, higher than originally quoted, which he said was because I have a big head, which we had a good laugh about, as this was the reason I was there in the first place. 
 

Following the procedure I was sent home with all of the necessary post op care. I was to spray the recipient area with saline once an hour and sleep upright (which I had started doing a few weeks prior to the surgery so it didn’t seem so foreign. I highly recommend doing this). I had really bad swelling and was supposed to leave 4 days after the procedure, but was not comfortable getting on a plane and ended up staying in Valencia an extra 5 days. This ended up working out in my favor as the clinic was able to do my first wash on day 8, which I was very nervous to do myself. 
 

anyways, healing went great and I am now 2 weeks post op and feeling really good about everything. Obviously I am dreading the ugly duckling phase but as I’ve learned, it’s a part of the process and to try and stress as little as possible, as it will not benefit growth. 
 

below are my photos. I have attached photos ranging from pre op to today. 
 

Any feedback is appreciated and I’m happy to answer any questions you may have! Thanks for reading  

pre op

Pre op

 

donor

pre op shave

immediately post op day 2

post op day 8

Day 8 following scab removal

day 8 also

 

day 10

day 15 ( have noticed some shedding) 

 

dim lighting day 14 (this is my favorite lighting to take pics cause it just looks like I got a buzz cut 😂)

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by Will_the_way

[GAT]

Congrats and nice write up, everything is looking good.  I am 2 weeks ahead of you with a very similar situation, also with De Freitas. I couldn’t agree more regarding the amazing group that works with him. 
The whole experience was very positive.

Wishing you all the best and happy growing Will_the _way!
 

[TheGreatPretender]

Good nice up and congratulations for your surgery and taking the steps for a better life. I will there in 3 weeks and its always reassuring to hear people having great experiences at the clinic. In my case I am portuguese so I should have no problem comunicating with the doctor but there is always that pre op anxiety I guess. 

I hope you get the results you are looking for and a great recovery in the next few months!

Edited June 7, 2023 by TheGreatPretender

[Will_the_way]

1 hour ago, GAT said:

Congrats and nice write up, everything is looking good.  I am 2 weeks ahead of you with a very similar situation, also with De Freitas. I couldn’t agree more regarding the amazing group that works with him. 
The whole experience was very positive.

Wishing you all the best and happy growing Will_the _way!
 

Thank you! Happy growing to you as well! 

[Will_the_way]

1 hour ago, TheGreatPretender said:

Good nice up and congratulations for your surgery and taking the steps for a better life. I will there in 3 weeks and its always reassuring to hear people having great experiences at the clinic. In my case I am portuguese so I should have no problem comunicating with the doctor but there is always that pre op anxiety I guess. 

I hope you get the results you are looking for and a great recovery in the next few months!

I hope so too man! Good luck with your procedure! I was so so pleased with the team and the experience, as I’m sure you will be too, and speaking the drs native language will only make it that much better for you. I look forward to your updates next month! 

[Britanium]

Work looks Impeccable, great write up and some really good pics ! One to follow 👍🏽

[Gramatik]

happy growing...Dr freitas is a great surgeon...i wish you all the best...can you tell us the cost of your hair transplant? thanks.

[Will_the_way]

Just wanted to note that I’m 27 and have been on finasteride and topical minoxidil pretty regularly for the last 4-5 years. I have switched to oral minoxidil following the procedure as this is what Dr De Freitas recommends. He also prescribes a ketoconozole shampoo and clobetasol as well. I have been using these as instructed. 
 

below is a picture of my donor as of today, day 16. 
 

[Will_the_way]

3 hours ago, Gramatik said:

happy growing...Dr freitas is a great surgeon...i wish you all the best...can you tell us the cost of your hair transplant? thanks.

Thank you! The cost of the procedure was €8400 for the originally quoted 2800 grafts, which comes out to €3 a graft. I was not charged for the extra 433 grafts that were used. 

[andrus]

4 hours ago, Will_the_way said:

clobetasol

Any idea why clobetasol propionate? That's a pretty powerful steroid...

[Will_the_way]

6 minutes ago, andrus said:

Any idea why clobetasol propionate? That's a pretty powerful steroid...

Regrowth and inflammation from my understanding. He only instructs using for 20 days before taking a 20 day break, and then again for 20 days.

[Spring15]

Surprised he doesn't speak English, I thought everyone in Western Europe spoke English. Anyway he delivers amazing results

[Will_the_way]

5 hours ago, Spring15 said:

I thought everyone in Western Europe spoke English.

This definitely was not my experience, and like I said, he speaks enough English to communicate what is needed. We weren’t having in depth conversations about our lives, families, etc.. but that’s not what I was there for so I had no problem with that. 

[TheGreatPretender]

3 hours ago, Will_the_way said:

This definitely was not my experience, and like I said, he speaks enough English to communicate what is needed. We weren’t having in depth conversations about our lives, families, etc.. but that’s not what I was there for so I had no problem with that. 

First thing is always the results and as long as the doctor delivers it will be worth every second you spent in there but I may be curious enough to go into his mind a bit more. 

I was told he was a big F1 fan and since he is brazilian maybe he does have a bit of taste for football. Upon checking on his linkedin profile I also noticed he was a surgeon in a Portuguese hairmill a long time ago in which he spent 2 years so he must be familiar enough with my country aswell. 

[A_4_Archan]

Donor is healing really well...good that your are on proper medication since long... you were under one of the best hands..his hairline work is amazing and you will get a pretty good outcome ..will follow your journey ..wish you all the best ..Happy growing and keep updating ..

[Met]

Did he suggest you to fill your temples? to work on your temples? I think there is a lot of potential there? did you talk about it if so, can you please elaborate on that?

[Will_the_way]

8 minutes ago, Met said:

Did he suggest you to fill your temples? to work on your temples? I think there is a lot of potential there? did you talk about it if so, can you please elaborate on that?

It’s not something that was discussed or mentioned. My temple hair is extremely fine, and always has been, and I did not want thick grafts mixed in as I personally have seen way too many temple points that looked very  unnatural. I plan to have skin fades where the temples are shaved down so it was not something I personally considered. 

[Met]

1. did you talk to the doctor about the density? How much was transplanted per cm2? 
2. after how many days is the surgery invisible - i mean how long do i have to hide or take time off from work?
3. what did you do for so many days in valencia, how did you spend your time?
4. what is the capacity of your donor? does the doctor measure this?

I wish you all the best and a good recovery :)

[Will_the_way]

2 minutes ago, Met said:

1. did you talk to the doctor about the density? How much was transplanted per cm2? 
2. after how many days is the surgery invisible - i mean how long do i have to hide or take time off from work?
3. what did you do for so many days in valencia, how did you spend your time?
4. what is the capacity of your donor? does the doctor measure this?

I wish you all the best and a good recovery :)

1. He did not tell me exactly what was transplanted per cm2 but I can ask the clinic and get back to you! 
2. I don’t think the surgery is “invisible” until hair starts to grow back within 4-8 months depending on growth. I will say that by day 8, when scabs are washed off, it begins to look more “normal” but still evident that something happened. Keep in mind that my HT was pretty aggressive and went well below my natural hairline so redness inevitably will be visible. I am currently shedding a lot and while I don’t think an uneducated person would think I got a HT, they’d definitely think I’m balding/thinning. 
3. I was planning on leaving 4 days after surgery but my swelling was extreme, and getting on a pressurized plane was not something I was willing to do, and ended up staying the extra 5 days. For the first few days I kept it super low key and just stayed in the hotel. Lots of movies and tv shows were watched lol. After the wash on day 8, I was comfortable going out and exploring, and the city is absolutely beautiful so I highly recommend this. 
5. The doctor did not inspect donor capacity in my case. With someone much higher on the NW scale who will clearly need multiple procedures, he might. But im hoping this is one and done for me, and based on conversation with him and staff, they believed the same. 
 

I hope this helps and thank you for the kind words! 

[Will_the_way]

Day 21 update:

Shedding is in full effect at this point.  I am losing what seems like a few hundred hairs a day although some appear to be more stubborn than others, so I’m not sure how long before all will be gone, or if some just won’t shed at all. 
 

I wanted to see if anyone else experienced these little stubbles popping up right behind the shedding hair. Is this growth? I always assumed hair would not appear for a few weeks/months and skin would just be smooth during that time so I’m interested to hear others experience. I have attached the photos below for you guys to have a look.

Day 21

stubble 

Edited June 13, 2023 by Will_the_way

[Will_the_way]

Here’s the graft breakdown for those that are curious. Still waiting on the official photos from the clinic but will post those as soon as I have them! 
 

 

[MPBdestroyer]

Good to see another De Freitas patient. Do you know when you're able to wear hats again?

[TheGreatPretender]

9 minutes ago, MPBdestroyer said:

Good to see another De Freitas patient. Do you know when you're able to wear hats again?

Starting day 10 you should be able to wear hats easily, this was at least what they told me in my pre op docs, I suspect the same applies for OP. 

[Will_the_way]

40 minutes ago, MPBdestroyer said:

Good to see another De Freitas patient. Do you know when you're able to wear hats again?

Yea I think the clinic advises 10 days. Everywhere seems to have a different opinion on this, and really the only fear is the hat catching on a graft and pulling it out. A tall trucker hat that isn’t touching the grafts, and one that can be taken off from the snap back very carefully, should be fine after a week. I think clinics just like to be extremely safe with these recommendations. 

[Jtoorrees]

On 6/10/2023 at 10:10 AM, Will_the_way said:

1. He did not tell me exactly what was transplanted per cm2 but I can ask the clinic and get back to you! 
2. I don’t think the surgery is “invisible” until hair starts to grow back within 4-8 months depending on growth. I will say that by day 8, when scabs are washed off, it begins to look more “normal” but still evident that something happened. Keep in mind that my HT was pretty aggressive and went well below my natural hairline so redness inevitably will be visible. I am currently shedding a lot and while I don’t think an uneducated person would think I got a HT, they’d definitely think I’m balding/thinning. 
3. I was planning on leaving 4 days after surgery but my swelling was extreme, and getting on a pressurized plane was not something I was willing to do, and ended up staying the extra 5 days. For the first few days I kept it super low key and just stayed in the hotel. Lots of movies and tv shows were watched lol. After the wash on day 8, I was comfortable going out and exploring, and the city is absolutely beautiful so I highly recommend this. 
5. The doctor did not inspect donor capacity in my case. With someone much higher on the NW scale who will clearly need multiple procedures, he might. But im hoping this is one and done for me, and based on conversation with him and staff, they believed the same. 
 

I hope this helps and thank you for the kind words! 

Might be a dumb question but what happens if you get on a plane with swelling? Asking because I plan on leaving back to the US the day after.