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Dr Jean Devroye - 3500 FUT Grafts

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darkandcumbrian

Valued member
Hi all.
I had 3500 grafts with Dr Devroye on 9th November 2017 and I have to say that it has already proven to be a life changing experience.

My hair began receding at age 18 and I am now 49. In my 20s I tried minoxidil but was allergic to it and began taking finasteride in 2004, which has worked well. By 2011, however, I began to research surgery as the frontal section of my scalp was continuing to recede and, after a couple of false starts with other surgeons, I finally booked a procedure with Dr Devroye after visiting him for a consultation in 2015 and being impressed with his common sense advice, professional approach and willingness to answer all my questions.

I was feeling positive when I arrived in Brussels prior to my surgery as I had waited so long to finally rebuild my hairline and the pre-op consultation went well. We agreed on a new hairline which was age appropriate and Dr Devroye also suggested that the recipient area was shaved. I had originally planned to leave my hair as it was in the recipient area and ask Dr Devroye to work around it but when he explained that optimum density could only be achieved with a shaved recipient area and the practicalities of seeing where to place the incisions I decided to think it through overnight, he also gave me the option of cutting my hair short but not shaving, there was no pressure.

In the morning I decided that, for the money I was spending, it made sense to get the best result possible and so I went for the shave, it was an excellent decision in my view.

The surgery began with a large number of injections to numb the donor area but I can honestly say that I didn't feel pain during the removal of the donor strip, it was no different to being at the dentist, but much more exciting! Dr Devroye then made the incisions and this was also a largely pain free process although I did need a top up of anaesthetic at one stage. The planting of the grafts was done with military precision by his excellent team and the day flew by. I was given both lunch and an evening meal at the clinic and spent the night there with my girlfriend spraying the grafts every 30 minutes during the first night.

As I wasn't going back to the UK for another three days, Dr Devroye kindly allowed me to stay at the clinic which meant I received excellent after care and regular clean ups of my scalp, the whole team really incredibly helpful and I felt like part of their community rather than just a paying customer. The whole experience was an absolute pleasure and I would recommend Dr Devroye to anyone looking for a highly professional surgeon with a huge amount of skill in both donor removal and incision placement but most of all with patient care skills of the very highest order. I attach my photos and will post some more at the three month stage. The last four are around 1 week post surgery. I am now on the shedding phase but I am not concerned at all as everything so far has happened exactly how Dr Devroye had predicted and I am happy to trust in his instructions and experience and enjoy the growing phase rather than worry about it.



PRE OP PICTURES


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DONOR AREA SHAVED AND DONOR SCAR CLOSURE



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POST OP PICTURES


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rohitbarane

member
It looks really good. it is very clean looking too, no blood or big scabs.
 
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darkandcumbrian

Valued member
Thank you. The bottom four photos are on day six and the scabs had fallen away by then following Dr Devroye's instructions on using sweet almond oil to lightly massage the scabs to loosen them. I am now on week seven and firmly in the shedding stage but will post more photos in a few weeks.
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hi DarkandCumbrian, welcome to the forum.
That's a nice size surgery you`ve had, 3500 grafts will make a big difference to your appearance. The hairline looks good, I like the staggered design. The donor closure and day 6 pictures look nice and clean. Overall, you`ve had a very good experience with Dr Devroye and his staff.
As you`re in week 7, there`s not much happening usually, just getting back to the pre-op stage. How does the redness look?
I`m looking forward to following your progress.
All the best.
Bm.
 
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Dazzster26

Valued member
Thank you sharing your experience with us , that amount of grafts should give you a very nice result looking forward to your updates , wishing you great growth

Daz
 
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darkandcumbrian

Valued member
Hi BM
Thank you, I like the hairline too, very natural looking and mirrors what it was like around 10 years ago with a pronounced 'M' shape which is what I was looking to get back to. The redness is fading nicely at the front and on the scar and I will post more pictures at 12 weeks as I'm currently trying not to stress about my shedding and only looking in the mirror once or twice a day! As you say, though, this is just the hair going back to it's pre-transplant state before the re-growth really starts to show. I can see hairs growing on the new hairline though which is encouraging.
I am so pleased that I went ahead with the surgery after years of planning, research, putting it off and wondering how I could justify it financially. My advice to everyone is to go for it as, with a good surgeon, you will not regret it and it is a life changing experience. Also, the immediate post-op stage is not as bad as you may think, as long as you stick to your surgeon's instructions and don't spend too much time worrying about other people's experiences and results as everyone is different and every surgeon has slightly different post-op procedures, based on their own views.
Another point worth making is that other people care a lot less than you may think and, in my case, following 2.5 weeks off work, no-one thought I had undergone an HT, they just thought I'd got my hair cut very short and it suited me, which is credit to Dr Devroye for the hairline shape he gave me. Having the rest of my hair trimmed down to a grade 2 before I returned to work helped with that as there was very little contrast with my existing hair.
I can't thank Dr Devroye enough and naturally I would thoroughly recommend him to anyone looking for a high quality surgeon without having to travel too far. I'm looking forward to the growth!
DandC
 
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darkandcumbrian

Valued member
Thank you Dazzster, as per my reply to Bigmac, I'm trying not to spend too much time looking in the mirror and I'm just getting on with my life, it is great to be able to walk around town without a hat though and not worry about my hair as my new hairline is visible and looks so natural.
I will keep you updated.
D&C
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
It's definitely a life changing operation, it will boost your confidence no end and give you that feel good factor. It will create a new you.
It's good to hear no one at work noticed anything, if you're keeping it secret, it's a huge relief. With them seeing you most days, they probably won't notice your new hair growing in, they'll know there's something different about you but can't quite put their finger on it.
Take it easy and wait for that growth to flourish. Looking forward to your next updated pictures.
All the best.

Bm.
 
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darkandcumbrian

Valued member
Thanks BM. I told a couple of people at work as I'm quite happy for people to know and I thought it would be obvious, but I expected everyone else to immediately comment...but they didn't, which shows how good the work was and the benefit of getting the rest of your hair trimmed down, even if the scar did show a little bit. I figured that very few people would look at the sides and back of my head, only the front.
I'm going through the classic nervousness now of waiting for growth, trying to keep my mind off it and let it happen! I will keep you updated with photos.
Cheers
D&C
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Sounds good.
Waiting for the new growth is always hard, even after multiple transplants. You just have to be patient. Try not to look in the mirror too much, time will pass by quickly and before you know it, you'll be seeing a whole new hair line appearing. Then the excitement kicks in.

Cheers Bm.
 
SADbutTRUE

SADbutTRUE

Valued member
Welcome to the forums, the area worked on looks very clean.In a few months it will look great , look forward seeing the transformation.
 
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darkandcumbrian

Valued member
Thanks BM, I am getting better at not looking at it too much;);)
 
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darkandcumbrian

Valued member
Thanks SBT, I will keep everyone posted, now week nine post procedure.
 
bullitnut

bullitnut

4 awesome repairs with SMG
Welcome to the forum dude. You chose a superb surgeon imo so i for one can't wait to see this come through. The hairline shape i really do like and overall the work looks very refined as always from Dr Devroye. It sounds like you had a very positive experience and that they really looked after you well.

It really does make a big difference to the overall experience when a clinic bends over backwards to accommodate their patients like they have....especially overseas ones as being in a foreign country for medical treatment is scary enough without the whole stress and worry about having surgery, i know just how daunting it can be.

Thankfully like you, i was looked after extremely well by my chosen HT clinic whilst in another country.

Thanks for taking the time to post your experience with us guys....it means a lot.
Take care dude;)
 
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darkandcumbrian

Valued member
Thanks Bullitnut, that means a lot to me and I agree that having an HT in a foreign country is a daunting experience but being taken care of so well makes the world of difference.

It's great to be part of this online community and I will keep you updated with my progress and photos.
Cheers
D&C
 
bullitnut

bullitnut

4 awesome repairs with SMG
darkandcumbrian wrote:
Thanks Bullitnut,.

It's great to be part of this online community and I will keep you updated with my progress and photos.
Cheers
D&C
It's great to have you here too pal, people posting their own experiences are crucial on forums like this as they truly help people when they are deciding about whether to undergo a HT and which clinic to use. ;)
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
darkandcumbrian wrote:
Thanks BM, I am getting better at not looking at it too much;);)

It`s a killer trying not to look or touch. When you feel the stubbles coming through it`s irresistible to touch, well it was for me.
 
bullitnut

bullitnut

4 awesome repairs with SMG
Bigmac wrote:
It`s a killer trying not to look or touch. When you feel the stubbles coming through it`s irresistible to touch, well it was for me.

Haha I was like this too lol
 
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darkandcumbrian

Valued member
Hi Bigmac
I have added a couple of pics at the 3 month stage to my gallery but have a few more that are showing as too large to upload. Can you help?
I am pleased with progress so far and looking forward to some significant further improvements from months 3 - 6. I can already see the new hairline taking shape though and the photos don't really do the difference from pre-op justice.
 

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darkandcumbrian

Valued member
Here is another...
 

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