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Brussels Hair Transplant

S

soundgrower

Valued member
I initially met Dr Lupanzula and his wife Sandra in London in January at one of his seminars which I was made aware of by Joe Tillman's bulletin on his site. I would also say that Joe Tillman has been incredibly helpful in corresponding with me over the last 18 months.
Having had my front, mid area of my scalp restored by Dr Rahal in 2007 (and a brilliant job he made of it) with almost 3000 grafts via strip. I thought it was getting high time to look into getting my crown covered as it was becoming more noticeable as well as affecting my self esteem. In 2015 I suffered a mild form of a major stroke. This came as a shock being perfectly fit and healthy but my blood pressure and cholesterol are sadly high due to hereditary. I did email Dr Lupanzula before the trip to London with my concerns about whether he would consider surgery on a stroke sufferer. Surprisingly, he still seemed willing to see me despite this setback. I had a very positive meeting with the Dr and his wife Sandra with a view to restoring the crown. I was pleased to hear that as long as I was taking my meds I should be fine for surgery. He told me that I am a good candidate for a transplant. I came away feeling positive and had a good feeling. I liked the fact that it is a small, family business with good ethics and we also share the same Christian faith.

Last week I had an offer of a cancelation 13/10 so I had to make quick arrangements for my flight. I booked a very cheap Ryanair flight from Manchester on the 12th to return on the 14th. I was kept informed by one of the team, an extremely nice person called Gianluca who was to meet me off my shuttle bus from Charleroi airport (an hour's drive into Brussels which ironically cost more than my flight at ) He also showed me to my hotel and was very obliging. Later that day I had my consultation with the Dr which went very well. In fact, there is a genuine warmth from the person who completely put me at ease having travelled into an unfamiliar country facing the prospect of surgery.
The next day I had 1995 grafts in my crown by Dr Lupanzula. The care, and professionalism from the team was above and beyond my expectations. The surgery went very well except for some bleeding which my blood thinning meds were the obvious cause. Dr Lupanzula was getting quite concerned when it was still bleeding well into the evening but he gave me some medication to counteract the flow which eventually worked. When something unexpected like that happens ( and it's a first for the dr) it's very reassuring to know how capable he is, not just as a hair surgeon. The next morning I was expecting to feel swollen and groggy. Not a bit of it ! I felt great and had a breakfast before my post op with the doc. He was very pleased the bleeding had stopped and washed and dressed my scalp. I like the fact that they give you a bag of after care products that again have a professional quality. Even a cool black bandana for wearing on the way home, something I was worried about being self conscious. I would also like to say that Gianluca was exceptional in his help with the logistics of the whole trip, right down to the small details. A lovely, patient person who is an asset to the team. I was given a usb stick with the photos Dr Lupanzula took before and after surgery of which I will share here. One week on from surgery and I am doing fine. I would say that about 4 days after surgery I started to get some pain from my donor area which lasted a couple of days and has subsided. Interestingly I had no pain the first 3 days after surgery. Perhaps the anesthetic has fully worn off ?
Anyone considering to go from the UK I would highly recommend. It was suggested that I take the Eurostar to get direct into Brussels but being based in the North West I would have the cost of getting to London by car or rail (not cheap) as well as the more expensive Eurostar. Flying out for £7.99 seemed a no brainer but if you are based in the South perhaps the Eurostar would be a better option.
Anyway, here are my first images.

 

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S

soundgrower

Valued member
Here is my before
 

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S

soundgrower

Valued member
Donor area side showing the old strip scar.
 

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S

soundgrower

Valued member
From the centre area of the scalp. You can see where the bleeding was a problem but again, this was down to my blood thinning meds.
 

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Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hi Soundgrower, welcome to the forum. The work looks very neat and tidy, that amount of grafts should make a great difference to your crown. I`ve watched Dr Lupanzulao FUE, very impressive.
7.99 for a flight, thats unreal. Good to hear Joe has been there for you.

Thanks for posting your story, looking forward to following your story.

All the best.

Bm.
 
S

soundgrower

Valued member
Thanks. My scalp looks far far better now and the healing is going well. You can hardly tell now the hair is growing. Will post an update image soon.
I forgot to add that I am 49 years old so a nice present for my 50th in Feb ;)
 
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B

Bastion

Member
An early happy birthday for February. Dr. Lupanzula`s work is impressive, your crown looks tightly packed and refined. I think you will be happy next year.
 
S

soundgrower

Valued member
Here is my crown 8 days post surgery. Healing nicely. Ignore the yellowish colour as this is the iodine shampoo I have been given.



 

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Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
That looks very good, soon you wont be able to notice anythings been done.
 
JoeTillman

JoeTillman

Valued member
Soundgrower,

Thanks for the writeup and for the kind words. It's been a pleasure helping you with your journey. What I can't get over is the fact that you pay more for a taxi from the airport in Brussels to the clinic than you do for the actual flight from England. I knew it was cheap but I had no idea it was THAT cheap!

We're all looking forward to your progress and thanks for sharing!
 
S

soundgrower

Valued member
Hi, Here is my 1 month update. As you can see the hair has started to fall out which is expected. Everything is healing well and feeling itchy. Had a bit of a worry as I bumped my head, not too bad but enough to be sore the next morning, in the crown area but hopefully 1 month on I should be in the safe zone.
 

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Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
It all looks right on track at 1 month. Bumping your head at this point in time won't damage any of the grafts, they are well and truly secure in your scalp.
 
D

Dazzster26

Valued member
Thanks for posting your experience with Dr Lupanzula the work looks excellent and should produce a very nice result wishing you great growth my friend


Daz
 
S

soundgrower

Valued member
10 weeks in and no growth to speak of. Seems like thin patches around the donor areas but this would be shock loss ?

iha-5127_orig.jpg

 
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