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Dr Bruno Ferreira - 3217 Grafts - October 21'

S

SHart19

member
I finally had my hair transplant with Dr Bruno Ferreira done on the 7th October 2021 as a two day surgery after having had my original surgery postponed from March due to Covid-19. I’d been extremely paranoid about my hairloss for the past 10 years and now that I’m nearly hitting 30 I decided to do something about it, I instantly felt relieved when I left after the second day that I’d finally had it done after many years of hating my hair!

My case:

I was a NW 3A and I had a total of 3217 grafts Implanted to reconstruct my hairline, frontal third and 100 grafts in each temple peak to reinforce them. I think the average was 2.8 per graft. My Hair diameter varied in certain places from 50-60 and doner was around 8000 according to the doctor. I have been on 1.25mg Fin every other day for a year now and this really saved my midscalp and crown. Once I’ve received my post op report and figures on numbers of FU grafts il update the post and the professional photos he took.

Days leading up to surgery whilst in Espinho:

So, I arrived in Espinho two days prior to my surgery as I had my blood tests done at the partner clinic and I wanted a day to explore Porto (highly recommend!) before my actual surgery, the train station was literally outside the hotel and took only 40 minutes into central Porto. I stayed in the Solverde Apartmentos which was ideal in a studio with its own kitchen, living room, TV so I could set up a movie room for the down time, it was also right next to the beach so on the first day I spent hours relaxing next to the ocean watching the sunset to ease my nerves.

Day 1 Surgery:

I walked to the clinic from my hotel (20 minutes) and arrived on time at 730am to be greeted by the legend that is Ricardo (Lead Nurse) who instantly put me at ease, showing me to my room, helping me undress and dress into the surgical gown. He kindly bought me some breakfast which consisted of fruits, breakfasts bars and juices. He spoke so highly of Dr F stating that they’d worked together for 5 years, and that I was with one of the best.

After around 10 minutes Dr F came into the room, we had a quick chat regarding how my stay was so far, gave me some paperwork to have a read through on the disclaimer and pre/ post op instructions. At around 8ish Ricardo took me to the prep room where I spent around one hour at least discussing my case, having Dr F draw my hairline based on my main aim to have the most natural looking hairline as possible that will look great when I age, hence maybe more “mature”. The original hairline I thought was slightly too high in the temples, so we closed them off and decided to reinforce the temple peaks with ultra fine single and some thicker double FUs. Dr F stated that one side of my forehead was wider so it would be advisable to have it asymmetric, I fully trusted that he knew best and agreed. We then took numerous photos, shaved the hair off, cleaned it and then went into the OR.

I had my blood pressure taken and they were high, Bruno and Ricardo both made a slight joke asking if I was nervous which actually settled me down. They were all so approachable including the nurses and down to earth. I then had a 10mg Valium to relax me, had my first round of extractions done which was around 600 (I think) that were then implanted in my hairline, Dr F stated that I had a very hard scalp so he had to really push into my head. He also joked that he asked the nurses to ensure the blades were sharp, of which they clearly were haha

We then stopped for a delicious steak lunch at 1pm and went back into OR for the second round of extractions and implantation. I was very impressed that nothing came across rushed from Dr F he really took his time with everything, and I could tell he was a perfectionist. We finished at around 4pm, I grabbed an uber and went back to my apartment.

Day 2 Surgery

I arrived back at the clinic for 730 to be met by Nurse Ricardo again, offered and supplied breakfast. I was taken back to the prep room for a doner hair wash and demonstration on the technique required for the full hair wash in detail. He again, said that so far, the hair transplant is looking amazing which was nice to hear!

Once this was done, I was back in the OR, 10mg Valium and having my extractions taken from the sides to work on each temporal peak. I think he took this from right at the bottom of my neck on the “borderline” (his words) as they were the finest singles he could find. Once extracted, they were then implanted. On day 3 we had three rounds of extraction and implantation. The final implantation stage was the longest and biggest as he was implanting within my native hair to add as much density as possible. Luckily, I had lots of 4s and 5s so I am hoping for a good dense result as I had a lot of native hair there too. Once the surgery was finished, I was supplied with the bag of goodies, aloe vera gel (3), Saline (3), absorbent pads, medication, tablet holder, travel pillow, gauze ice pack and some other bits. After a final chat with Dr F and a goodbye from the whole team who came into my room (which was a lovely touch!) I decided to walk back to the hotel, with my umbrella up of course to avoid the sun.

Post-Surgery

Once back at my apartment I was advised to spray saline every hour, take the required tablets, use the ice packs for the swelling and chill out. I was also given another Valium to help me sleep which did the job!

Day 1 post surgery I had no issues, religiously spraying with saline every 45 minutes to an hour, ice 4 times a day and eating lots of healthy food. I went for a walk back to the clinic with my umbrella up feeling very silly as it was 22 degrees. One of the nurses kindly came in on her day off to give my doner a through wash which was much appreciated!

Day 2 Post surgery: Grabbed an uber to the airport flew to the UK. Once home I noticed my scalp had excessively excreted yellow liquid (Fibrin) which I was very concerned about as I hadn’t had any yet. I emailed Dr F of whom replied instantly saying this is normal and to keep using the saline solution to try and wash it off. Hopefully, after my first full head wash this go away which will be tomorrow!

My overall experience of the trip to Portugal, organisation, the surgeon and his team of nurses was explementary. I now can’t wait until I can see the results! Il post again in a few weeks before the shedding stage and then again at six months once I hopefully have some growth!

Many apologies, for the long-winded review but I know there isn’t many of these on here from Dr Ferreira yet! Happy to answer any questions and would love some feedback on what you think of the hairline and overall surgery?

Various photos are below, sorry im too lazy to format them within the text and had a good video in UHD but wasn't sure how to embed!

Il update the post when Dr F sends through my post op photos and report :)

Post op hair
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After 1st session of implantation on hairline

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After second implantation on day 1

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Day 1 extraction zone

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After day 2 surgery

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1 day post op

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Day 2 post op before flying home

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Cheers to this forum again as it really helped when I was doing my research, hopefully this post and ones moving forward can help others.
 
Last edited:
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Everything sounds like you had a great time in Portugal and all the surgery aspects went very smoothly, except your slight high blood pressure due to being nervous. The Valium is a good relaxer. You had a good hair to graft ratio that provided 3 and 4 hair follicular units that will add nice density. The finer single hairs he extracted should produce a nice natural hairline. Overall, the the extractions and placement looks very good. Having no issues after surgery is great, well except for the fibrin that seeped out which is nothing to worry about, just keep spraying to keep moist.

It’s good to hear the Finasteride has helped in maintaining your native hair. With some luck this will be a one off hair transplant. You did a good job at concealing the thinning hair further back, this will be bolstered up with those 3 and 4 haired units.

In your day 2 section, you write on day 3. Is this a typo? If so, I’ll correct it.

Thanks for sharing your journey with us and for providing lots of details. It surely will help others who are busy researching, I’ll look forward to seeing the clinic pictures/ surgery data once you have them and following your journey.

I’m pleased the forum helped you too. Videos can’t be embedded, they need uploading to YouTube or Vimeo and then added.

All the best.
Bm.
 
Techno1

Techno1

member
Thanks for a great review. Would it be possible to add an image showing the fibrin? I do not think it has any effect on the grafts or the transplanted area, just unsightly.
 
S

SHart19

member
Thanks for a great review. Would it be possible to add an image showing the fibrin? I do not think it has any effect on the grafts or the transplanted area, just unsightly.
Yeah no worries, It looks disgusting and literally happened as soon as i walked in the door after flying back to the UK. The last photo on my post was around 40 minutes before leaving for the airport then the below was 9 hours later. I tried my best to rinse it off with saline solution but clearly didn't do a great job as i've now got one huge scab on my head haha Dr F has assured me it shouldn't cause any issues with the grafts though and i washed it today thoroughly with none coming out




fibrin 2.jpg
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
The scabbing that forms from the fibrin is nothing to worry about. The crusting will come off when it’s ready. Once you’re at the stage of massaging your scalp a bit firmer, usually around 8 days, it’s good to let the shampoo soak on your scalp for 5 minutes to soften any crusts.
 
Techno1

Techno1

member
Seen a lot worse looking transplanted zones than yours. The fibrin is part of the anti clotting process that the body produces as it heals the wounds. I am thinking once your scalp is clean, it will look as no nothing has been done.
 
S

SHart19

member
Seen a lot worse looking transplanted zones than yours. The fibrin is part of the anti clotting process that the body produces as it heals the wounds. I am thinking once your scalp is clean, it will look as no nothing has been done.
That's reassuring as im day 6 post op now and my head looks like one really big thick scab. Also, the itching in the donor is unbearable!
 
S

SHart19

member
Scabs are a sign of healing and will not harm the grafts which are firmly anchored in the scalp.
Thanks the link to that aftercare sheet. I am definitely experiencing this "Hyperesthesia of the scalp, i.e. an enhanced sensibility of the scalp/an irritation of the nerve tissue, is a rather common side effect caused by the extraction of the follicular units" as i constantly have a itch/ weird feeling in the donor area and it even has woken me each night around 3/4am!
 
Techno1

Techno1

member
Itching in the donor area is normal after follicles have been extracted. Nizoral shampoo could be an option.
 
S

SHart19

member
I am now 9 days post surgery. I had a nightmare with thick scabbing, itchy burning donor area and swelling but i'm finally feeling back to normal and the scabs are going away!! Being able to sleep normally again has made a huge difference too.

As a note, Dr Ferreira has messaged daily to see how I am and for new photos with detailed on advice on how to safely reduce the thick scabs. This was been very reassuring as I was getting concerned with the super thick scabbing from the Fibrin, I am not entirely sure if you'd get the same level of service from all surgeons/ clinics. Moving forward he has requested I upload daily high quality photos to google drive so he can observe progress up to day 30. I've attached a couple of photos taken this afternoon. How does my donor, hairline and overall head look for 9 days post op? I am very pleased with it and I really can't wait for the swelling in the recipient area to go down so i can see a realistic view of my new hairline.

9 days post surgery photos:

PA170113 (2).jpg
PA170118 (2).jpg
PA170119 (2).jpg
PA170117 (2).jpg
 
bullitnut

bullitnut

4 awesome repairs with SMG
Nice clean looking work and those scabs have practically cleared up.
 
S

smokeybacon

member
Healing almost done, looking good. Nice to hear Dr Ferreira was checking on you daily. Very good picture quality by the way
 
S

SHart19

member
What do you think of the hairline and density in the frontal third? My head is probably still swelled up around 1cm so looking forward to actually seeing my new hairline!
 
S

SHart19

member
Nice clean looking work and those scabs have practically cleared up.
A few of the scabs when washing left a bit of blood on the left which was concerning but fingers crossed no damage to the grafts!
 
S

smokeybacon

member
What do you think of the hairline and density in the frontal third? My head is probably still swelled up around 1cm so looking forward to actually seeing my new hairline!
I like your hairline design, not too low, should look nice when grown. Hard to say density wise now, after the healing, and you have probably lost a little. but looks good.
 
S

SHart19

member
I like your hairline design, not too low, should look nice when grown. Hard to say density wise now, after the healing, and you have probably lost a little. but looks good.
Fingers crossed haven't lost too many as there was around 9000 hairs put in that area !
 
S

smokeybacon

member
I did not mean lost lost, just the hair had fallen out as normal for this time.
 
S

SHart19

member
t
I did not mean lost lost, just the hair had fallen out as normal for this time.
Okay i understand now! One section definitely looks less dense with hair but i guess it's from the thick scab so the hairs could be underneath the thick skin? How long did the "Bump" last for people? Between native & transplanted hair.
 
Techno1

Techno1

member
What do you think of the hairline and density in the frontal third? My head is probably still swelled up around 1cm so looking forward to actually seeing my new hairline!

I would have to say both are looking good.
 
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