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3,528 Grafts Dr. Bruno Ferreira Jan 11 & 12

J

JoeMan

member
Hello everyone,

A little information about me:

44 years old always had a widows peak with a rather high forehead. Slowly lost hair till about 30. Stabilized some by 35, I'd say then it started slowly again. Hard to tell but the rate never seemed rapid.

I thought I would post something today since I just got back to my apartment from day 1 of 2, and I am bored. I'll likely update tomorrow about the full surgery.

Several years ago I looked into a hair transplant in my local area but just didn't get a good vibe, so I held off. Wasn't taking medicine because apparently I live under a rock and had no clue it existed, so I continued to lose hair but at a rather slow rate. In March of 2021, I contacted several Dr's about my case and ultimately chose Dr. Bruno Ferreira mainly based on Rowlandos experience. Dr Ferreira asked me to try fin and I've been on it since. 1mg 3x week. Not seeing any difference but maybe it's keeping the hair I have.

Surgery date was set for Jan 11/12 3500+ planned in frontal area.

Surgery day, I arrived at the clinic around 7:15am and immediately changed into hospital shirt and pants. I was offered water and snacks but I had already eaten.

By 8am the Dr came in the room to go over a few things like what medication I was taking and preop postoperative paperwork.

I was then escorted to the camera room. Many pictures were taken and then we discussed the hairline. The Dr suggested that I don't get exactly symmetrical HL due to the fact that my head is slightly off. He advised me to keep it this way. I still wanted symmetry and we both agreed to meet in the middle. Slightly off symmetry but not as far off as his original line. After this we took more pictures.

I was then given a pill to relax me and surgery began soon afterwards. I don't have any issues with needles, so I'm probably not the best to describe the pain, but it was minimal when injecting the anesthesia.

Once he started, 1st round of extractions took about an hr. Then he Implanted front row of hair line.

By 2pm it was time for lunch and I really was ready for a break myself. We started again on the second round by 3pm and finished around 530pm. I left around 6pm.



Below are before pictures

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J

JoeMan

member
After shaved and post surgery day 1. Really hard to get pictures of the back of my head.

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J

JoeMan

member
Also, hair was 52 caliber average and here is my breakdown for day 1.

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J

JoeMan

member
Day 2 completed. I have to say that Dr. Bruno Ferreira and his team seem to be a well oiled machine. They work in harmony and everyone knows what to do. The Dr. Sings along to many of the songs which made me feel like he was very comfortable performing this surgery.

Everyone was joking and laughing throughout. I couldn't understand what they were saying but it was clear that he provides a good work environment for his staff.

In total I had 3,528 grafts. He used .8 punch size, added about 100 grafts to the right temple, and about 50 to the left temple. 200 grafts in crown area.

Here are additional pictures.

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J

JoeMan

member
I should also add that I fell asleep several times throughout the surgery. They offered for me to watch TV but the medicine to relax me, along with Dr. Bruno's choice of music was quite relaxing. Any time I sensed a little pain, he could immediately tell. I told him not to worry about it and keep going but he insisted on making it pain free.

Anyone looking to book a session with him may have quite a wait. He's booked solid a year out now and I asked him about his Fast Track consultation showing up "Out of Stock". He replied that he's been meaning to open it back up but figured, what's the point right now. If I had to guess, he'll open it back up in a month or two but these are my words, not his.

1st day post op. Just after washing the doner area. Some swelling and mild pain on forehead. Ice and massage is helping.

Sorry if pictures are not the best. Does anyone have information on easiest way to take pictures of the back?

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Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hi Joe. It’s a shame you never knew about the hair loss meds years ago, they could have really helped you retain your hair but it is what it is. At least you’re on them now. With your crown thinning they should help maintain and hopefully make an improvement. Finasteride has been great for my crown.

It’s good to hear your surgery went well with no issues and the whole experience was very relaxed for you. I think the hairline design looks good and shows Dr Ferreira treats every patient as a unique case, not just doing a one fits all design. The extractions and placement looks very good with both areas looking very clean. I see one side was harvested a little more than the other. I highly doubt there’ll be any noticeable difference once the area is healed. Then if you do go back for a crown procedure, more will be taken from the left side. Your hair caliber was good and the hair to graft ratio has provided you with an excellent hair count. Those 3,528 grafts are going to make a massive difference to your appearance.
Your swelling is starting early, the ice packs should help reduce it.
When we chatted on private message you were considering staying longer because of the long distance you had to travel. Did you extend your stay?
Taking pictures of the back. Stand with your back to the mirror, use the phone timer, prop the phone up to give yourself 10 seconds to get in place or use a selfie stick.
Thanks for sharing your story.
I`m going to block your name from your hair graft charts.
 
J

JoeMan

member
Yes, I decided to stay longer. I'll fly out on Tuesday now as this will be post op day 6. I did notice that my left side was harvested much less and I'm a little concerned about the hair being thicker once grown out, but I've used thinning sheers before on my hair and I guess it should work to hide it.

Thanks, I didn't realize my name was on it!
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
No problem regarding your name, I’m very observant.
The numbers harvested from sides should not be visible or noticeable when your hair is back to normal. You have good density across your whole donor zone. You’ll be more relaxed flying back on Tuesday, no anxieties about banging your head and losing grafts, obviously, still be careful though. The grafts will be well secured by then.
With you having a large amount of grafts in the frontal zone does the doctor provide anti-inflammatory meds or just the ice packs?
 
J

JoeMan

member
He provides a steroid for inflammation for just a couple of days and something similar to tylenol for pain. Virtually no pain though so I've only taken the steroids.
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Not taking the pain meds I assume you have a high pain tolerance. I’m the same, no pain meds after surgery. Hopefully, the steroid will help with swelling. Are you going into the clinic for hair washes?
 
J

JoeMan

member
Supposed to go tomorrow for doner wash. I'm not sure it's necessary though because I have very few scabs on doner area. Unfortunately the recipient wash falls on Sunday so I'm on my own for that.
 
J

JoeMan

member
I'm just praying for a good result in 4-6 months I know sometimes it takes longer but in general I see people at least getting results by then.
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Don`t worry about washing your hair yourself, it’s easy to do. Just lather the shampoo in your hand and gently pat it on your head, then with a cup just pour lukewarm water over it. Having your donor washed by the clinic will give them a chance to see it is healing ok which I see no reason why it wouldn’t.
4-6 months is the usual timeframes for people to see decent growth. Some will be earlier and other may be later. All you can do now is trust in the process and wait for the growth.
 
L

lightmare

member
Impressive work, best of luck with your journey. You chose an excellent Doctor and look like you've been well taken care of. I like the temple point connection. Looking forward to following your progress.
 
Kevboy

Kevboy

Valued member
Looks brilliant so far, Dr. Ferreira is slowly building up a portfolio of patient results on here. Emerging from the shadows of Dr Lorenzo which i suppose his work at that clinic is listed under the clinic name.
 
J

JoeMan

member
So day 2 post op. Hopefully everything looks OK. I thought my doner would be less noticeable by now. This is just after a somewhat aggressive wash of doner area but I was a little hesitant as I didn't want to mess with the recipient. Let me know if I just need to wash it better or if it just needs more time. Doesn't hurt or anything, maybe just feels weird. Sleeping is annoying for sure. I can't wait to sleep normally again which I'm guessing is around day 10? Other than sleeping, I've been spraying every hour if not more often but now I'm afraid I'll run out lol. Guess I'll back off a little.

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janna

janna

Valuable Member
Hi JoeMan,

No need to wash the donor any better, it's looking very clean. Can I ask what you're spraying hourly on the recipient area and were you advised to apply any ointments in the donor? - Just curious.

The donor and recipient areas look great. I suspect you'll have a very nice results. Best wishes!!
 
J

JoeMan

member
Spraying saline solution hourly I guess to keep it moist. Thanks for replying!
 
Last edited:
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Spraying the saline solution on the recipient area does help it heal quicker and reduce the redness. Your donor area looks fine, no need to do anything else other than the gentle washing. It usually heals quickly without much intervention from you.
It`s good that it’s not hurting. The weird feeling is the healing process. Your scalp could feel tight and may become a little sore but that’s quite normal. At day 5 you should be fine sleeping on your back, the grafts are secure by then but always follow your doctors post op instructions. They do vary.
 
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