J
Jacobk
member
Hi there!
I have been lurking hair transplant forums for a few years now and finally decided to give it a go! When I was researching which clinic to go for and in general what to expect from the hair transplant procedure, I found it extremely useful and informative to read the write ups posted by the folks who went through the entire process. Therefore, I wanted to share with you guys my experience which, hopefully, at least some of you will find useful.
A few words about me: I am 28 years old from Eastern Europe (I am not an English native so please excuse any errors or typos). In high school I used to have a lot of hair and extreme density, and until now I remember that I didn’t like it too much because I couldn’t style it as I wanted! Fast forward to when I was 21-ish. It's when I probably noticed hair loss for the first time. In general, my temples became a little bit bigger. At first I wasn’t worried too much as I still had a lot of hair but this idea of being bald struck me for the first time. I should also mentioned at this point that my dad does not have hair at the top. But given that his hair is different - black and curly - I hoped that I might not in the end be as bald as he is. I was wrong.. but we’ll get to that.
Over the next few years, I slowly started to lose more and more hair. Starting from the front with again temples becoming bigger and bigger. When I was 24-26 I tried mesotherapy (injections with some ‚magic’ fluid that prevents hair loss), which probably had more placebo like effect. I did a few months of minoxidil here and there but lacked consistency and commitment. Finally, when I was 26-27 my hair became really thin. Huge temples, poor density up front and first signs of crown losing density too. What then brings me to late 2020, I am 28 now, and I lost a lot of hair. I still can’t style it as I want but now because of the different reasons. I style it just to hide as much scalp as possible to be honest. I tried fibers which are truly impressive, but can only use them in the perfect circumstances i.e. no rain, no wind, lots of hair spray etc. At that pointI was either going to shave my head off or have a hair transplant. I felt that being bald wouldn't suit me due to my head shape so there was one option left.
I first started researching hair transplant topics like 1.5-2 years ago. And quite frankly I was completely lost. On one hand, I was impressed by hair transplant results of some folks. But on the other, terrified by stories of other ones. Pictures of completely destroyed and over-harvested donors really scared me off. Yet still at first I looked towards Turkey. It was the cheapest, and results seemed quite fine except for those extreme cases. However, I completely axed the very cheapest clinics from the list (1800 euro or so all in packages just seemed as scam to me). I also axed the most expensive ones (prices almost like in Western Europe). So then I started a research on the ones I felt were reasonably priced and reasonably trustworthy. After some time I again reached a point when I was rather lost. Many good results, but also some not so great. I reached out to a few clinics but just didn’t feel like it. I was going to restore my hairline, which is the most important and most difficult area to make looking natural and knowing that donor is limited I thought that this is too important to cheap out.
So finally knowing my priorities clearly which were: restore the hairline, make it look natural, protect the donor, have confidence that I am the center of attention (not get me wrong here. It’s not my egocentric ego, I just mean that I would be much calmer that the procedure is under control when I am the only patient that day rather that one of 5-10). In other words, I wanted to minimize the risks and just be in peace with myself that I did all I could do to make sure that this process was successful.
I shortlisted a few clinics in Western Europe (primarily Spain and Belgium). After a quite intensive research my favorite become dr Feriduni in Belgium. I was impressed by his natural hairline designs and great donor management which, again, were my priorities.
I submitted my photos and filled in the questionnaire with some background info and expectations online. I got a response with a treatment plan, price quote on the next day. The clinic also shared some additional info on design principles and details on what to expect before and after the procedure. One detail, that I found interesting is that the clinic didn’t advise the second transplant (for the crown) anytime soon, which seemed like a different approach compared to some other places that I reached out to, which said second transplant was necessary within 8-12 months. I guess, this detail might suggest that dr Feriduni thinks about the long term of the patients rather than just pushes for the highest revenues asap.
I asked a few clarifying questions about the procedure and possible dates by email. Also reached out by phone. The clinic was helpful to provide answers.
After years of thinning hair, months of research and many doubts along the way I was finally ready to make this decision.
I confirmed the surgery date for mid-December 2020.
Big decision, but I was happy that I finally made it. And I was happy with my choice of clinic.
There’s a personal consultation required ahead of procedure but due to many restrictions related to COVID and based on my photos, dr Feriduni agreed to have this meeting on the day before the surgery. I payed in advance and was ready to travel to Belgium.
I arrived in Hasselt by train. (16.5 euro from Brussels airport and there’s a direct one) I stayed at HasHotel in Hasselt which is very modern and rooms are nice with balcony. I checked in and went to the clinic, which was a 25-min walk.
First impressions at the clinic - very professional. I was asked to fill in the questionnaire on an iPad and then waited a few mins for the meeting with dr Feriduni.
When I met dr Feriduni I quickly realized that I made a right choice. He is a warm person, great knowledge. He asked about my hair loss journey, hair loss in family, previous treatments etc. After 20-30 min talk, he started to design my new hairline. He advised to be more conservative as this has to be adequate for a 28-year old and for a 50-year old. And in my case, as I am still losing hair at my crown there will be likely need for a second transplant at some point in the future. Obviously, one would like to have a hairline like 18-years old has, with no temples and super low but I guess, let’s face it, this might not be the right choice considering all the factors.. Dr Feriduni drew the line a few times to make sure that it looked natural and then he took a few ‚before’ pictures.
After the consultation, I was happy and relaxed. Went back to the hotel and was ready for the 7:20 taxi pick up on the next day.
I arrived at the clinic 7:30am. The clinic staff showed me my room for the day, asked me what I wanted for lunch (they pay and order it for you) and told me to change. (FYI clinic provides clothes and slippers for the procedure. It’s important to wear a shirt or something with zipper afterwards). Dr Feriduni came to greet me in my room, asked how I was feeling and if I was ready to start.
The first thing was to wash and then cut my hair. For the first time in my life, I had such short (no) hair. Not surprisingly, it was quite a shock. Then I went to the operation room when I was told to lay on my stomach for the extraction procedure. There’s an oval shaped pillow on which I rested my head and I was able to breathe easily. This procedure was performed by the two extremely experienced staff members (24 & 18 years of years of experience if I recall correctly). Dr Feriduni did the anesthesia injections and then instructed them what types of FU he needed and they started the procedure with the clear guidelines. My observations for this part: not painful, but rather uncomfortable. The entire procedure took 2hr or so which was apparently very fast for the number of grafts extracted (slightly over 3900).
After that procedure, I went to my room for a 15 min or so just to rest a little bit and then was ready to start a second phase.
Second phase is done by dr Feriduni. This is a phase when dr does the incisions. I laid on my back and dr was designing my new hairline and the rest of the recipient area. It is possible to watch Netflix, listen to a music etc. during this phase. Again it started with local anesthesia done by dr Feriduni and then the incisions with the 0.85 mm punch. He many times stepped away for 1m or 2m just to look at this from the perspective to make sure that it all looked well. We chatted a bit and the entire phase was completed after 1hr and 30 min
After this phase, again 15 min or so to rest in my room and then the third phase.
Third phase was performed by the same staff members as the extraction phase. During this phase grafts were placed into the holes prepared by dr Feriduni. Again it is possible to watch Netflix etc. I fell asleep a few times so it was rather not painful and took I think close to 2 and half hours.
After this phase I had lunch, my head was washed off and I went to see dr Feriduni for the post-surgery consultation. Dr walked my through the entire process. He told me that for a such large procedure, everything went smoothly and in fact from cutting my hair in the morning to that conversation only 8 hours have passed. During this consultation, I also saw the donor area with basically no bleeding. Recipient area was also looking nice. In general, it was all very clean. After that, dr took a few pictures and we agreed to meet the next day for the post-surgery consultation.
Before heading out, I received medicaments and was instructed how to use them. The clinic also provided a bedding and a neck pillow to use in the hotel. Furthermore, clinic sent me a link to an iPhone or Android app which then helps with the entire post surgery process.
When I came back to the hotel I was very happy. I felt some sort of accomplishment. It was a good feeling. I had a minor headache and swelling but it wasn’t that bad and didn’t have to take any painkillers. First night was better than expected. I slept on my back for 8 hours.
On the next day, taxi took me to the clinic. First I had my washed off again and I was instructed how to do it myself. Afterwards, I went to see dr Feriduni. We were both pleased. I with the experience so far, he with how well this all went. We chatted a bit, he told what to do and what not to do in the coming days (FYI the very detailed list and FAQ is also provided) and suggested regular check ins by email or by phone if needed to monitor the progress.
I am now 3 weeks after the procedure. Swelling was gone after day 4. Scabs were removed around day 14. The only problem I had was an uncomfortable feeling in the donor area. Waves of itching, burning sensation and some sort of electric waves between day 6-10, with the worst being days 7-9. The clinic mentioned that this discomfort is linked to the hyperesthesia which I apparently is very common after a FUE procedure. I had to take painkillers to deal with it. Anyway by now, it's no longer happening. As for the donor itself, it has been healing very nicely. Hair grew back rapidly and now it's hard to notice any sings of hair transplant. Overall, aftercare was not as difficult and painful as I imagined it to be.
Wrapping up, at this stage it is obviously rather impossible to say if I am satisfied with the results as it is still too soon, but I can say that until this point I’ve beed very satisfied with the process.
It’s a massive decision to make but I am glad I finally made it!
Hopefully, this will be helpful for you guys. I’ll plan to post more or less monthly updates. In the meantime, hit me up with any questions you might have.
Cheers
I have been lurking hair transplant forums for a few years now and finally decided to give it a go! When I was researching which clinic to go for and in general what to expect from the hair transplant procedure, I found it extremely useful and informative to read the write ups posted by the folks who went through the entire process. Therefore, I wanted to share with you guys my experience which, hopefully, at least some of you will find useful.
A few words about me: I am 28 years old from Eastern Europe (I am not an English native so please excuse any errors or typos). In high school I used to have a lot of hair and extreme density, and until now I remember that I didn’t like it too much because I couldn’t style it as I wanted! Fast forward to when I was 21-ish. It's when I probably noticed hair loss for the first time. In general, my temples became a little bit bigger. At first I wasn’t worried too much as I still had a lot of hair but this idea of being bald struck me for the first time. I should also mentioned at this point that my dad does not have hair at the top. But given that his hair is different - black and curly - I hoped that I might not in the end be as bald as he is. I was wrong.. but we’ll get to that.
Over the next few years, I slowly started to lose more and more hair. Starting from the front with again temples becoming bigger and bigger. When I was 24-26 I tried mesotherapy (injections with some ‚magic’ fluid that prevents hair loss), which probably had more placebo like effect. I did a few months of minoxidil here and there but lacked consistency and commitment. Finally, when I was 26-27 my hair became really thin. Huge temples, poor density up front and first signs of crown losing density too. What then brings me to late 2020, I am 28 now, and I lost a lot of hair. I still can’t style it as I want but now because of the different reasons. I style it just to hide as much scalp as possible to be honest. I tried fibers which are truly impressive, but can only use them in the perfect circumstances i.e. no rain, no wind, lots of hair spray etc. At that pointI was either going to shave my head off or have a hair transplant. I felt that being bald wouldn't suit me due to my head shape so there was one option left.
I first started researching hair transplant topics like 1.5-2 years ago. And quite frankly I was completely lost. On one hand, I was impressed by hair transplant results of some folks. But on the other, terrified by stories of other ones. Pictures of completely destroyed and over-harvested donors really scared me off. Yet still at first I looked towards Turkey. It was the cheapest, and results seemed quite fine except for those extreme cases. However, I completely axed the very cheapest clinics from the list (1800 euro or so all in packages just seemed as scam to me). I also axed the most expensive ones (prices almost like in Western Europe). So then I started a research on the ones I felt were reasonably priced and reasonably trustworthy. After some time I again reached a point when I was rather lost. Many good results, but also some not so great. I reached out to a few clinics but just didn’t feel like it. I was going to restore my hairline, which is the most important and most difficult area to make looking natural and knowing that donor is limited I thought that this is too important to cheap out.
So finally knowing my priorities clearly which were: restore the hairline, make it look natural, protect the donor, have confidence that I am the center of attention (not get me wrong here. It’s not my egocentric ego, I just mean that I would be much calmer that the procedure is under control when I am the only patient that day rather that one of 5-10). In other words, I wanted to minimize the risks and just be in peace with myself that I did all I could do to make sure that this process was successful.
I shortlisted a few clinics in Western Europe (primarily Spain and Belgium). After a quite intensive research my favorite become dr Feriduni in Belgium. I was impressed by his natural hairline designs and great donor management which, again, were my priorities.
I submitted my photos and filled in the questionnaire with some background info and expectations online. I got a response with a treatment plan, price quote on the next day. The clinic also shared some additional info on design principles and details on what to expect before and after the procedure. One detail, that I found interesting is that the clinic didn’t advise the second transplant (for the crown) anytime soon, which seemed like a different approach compared to some other places that I reached out to, which said second transplant was necessary within 8-12 months. I guess, this detail might suggest that dr Feriduni thinks about the long term of the patients rather than just pushes for the highest revenues asap.
I asked a few clarifying questions about the procedure and possible dates by email. Also reached out by phone. The clinic was helpful to provide answers.
After years of thinning hair, months of research and many doubts along the way I was finally ready to make this decision.
I confirmed the surgery date for mid-December 2020.
Big decision, but I was happy that I finally made it. And I was happy with my choice of clinic.
There’s a personal consultation required ahead of procedure but due to many restrictions related to COVID and based on my photos, dr Feriduni agreed to have this meeting on the day before the surgery. I payed in advance and was ready to travel to Belgium.
I arrived in Hasselt by train. (16.5 euro from Brussels airport and there’s a direct one) I stayed at HasHotel in Hasselt which is very modern and rooms are nice with balcony. I checked in and went to the clinic, which was a 25-min walk.
First impressions at the clinic - very professional. I was asked to fill in the questionnaire on an iPad and then waited a few mins for the meeting with dr Feriduni.
When I met dr Feriduni I quickly realized that I made a right choice. He is a warm person, great knowledge. He asked about my hair loss journey, hair loss in family, previous treatments etc. After 20-30 min talk, he started to design my new hairline. He advised to be more conservative as this has to be adequate for a 28-year old and for a 50-year old. And in my case, as I am still losing hair at my crown there will be likely need for a second transplant at some point in the future. Obviously, one would like to have a hairline like 18-years old has, with no temples and super low but I guess, let’s face it, this might not be the right choice considering all the factors.. Dr Feriduni drew the line a few times to make sure that it looked natural and then he took a few ‚before’ pictures.
After the consultation, I was happy and relaxed. Went back to the hotel and was ready for the 7:20 taxi pick up on the next day.
I arrived at the clinic 7:30am. The clinic staff showed me my room for the day, asked me what I wanted for lunch (they pay and order it for you) and told me to change. (FYI clinic provides clothes and slippers for the procedure. It’s important to wear a shirt or something with zipper afterwards). Dr Feriduni came to greet me in my room, asked how I was feeling and if I was ready to start.
The first thing was to wash and then cut my hair. For the first time in my life, I had such short (no) hair. Not surprisingly, it was quite a shock. Then I went to the operation room when I was told to lay on my stomach for the extraction procedure. There’s an oval shaped pillow on which I rested my head and I was able to breathe easily. This procedure was performed by the two extremely experienced staff members (24 & 18 years of years of experience if I recall correctly). Dr Feriduni did the anesthesia injections and then instructed them what types of FU he needed and they started the procedure with the clear guidelines. My observations for this part: not painful, but rather uncomfortable. The entire procedure took 2hr or so which was apparently very fast for the number of grafts extracted (slightly over 3900).
After that procedure, I went to my room for a 15 min or so just to rest a little bit and then was ready to start a second phase.
Second phase is done by dr Feriduni. This is a phase when dr does the incisions. I laid on my back and dr was designing my new hairline and the rest of the recipient area. It is possible to watch Netflix, listen to a music etc. during this phase. Again it started with local anesthesia done by dr Feriduni and then the incisions with the 0.85 mm punch. He many times stepped away for 1m or 2m just to look at this from the perspective to make sure that it all looked well. We chatted a bit and the entire phase was completed after 1hr and 30 min
After this phase, again 15 min or so to rest in my room and then the third phase.
Third phase was performed by the same staff members as the extraction phase. During this phase grafts were placed into the holes prepared by dr Feriduni. Again it is possible to watch Netflix etc. I fell asleep a few times so it was rather not painful and took I think close to 2 and half hours.
After this phase I had lunch, my head was washed off and I went to see dr Feriduni for the post-surgery consultation. Dr walked my through the entire process. He told me that for a such large procedure, everything went smoothly and in fact from cutting my hair in the morning to that conversation only 8 hours have passed. During this consultation, I also saw the donor area with basically no bleeding. Recipient area was also looking nice. In general, it was all very clean. After that, dr took a few pictures and we agreed to meet the next day for the post-surgery consultation.
Before heading out, I received medicaments and was instructed how to use them. The clinic also provided a bedding and a neck pillow to use in the hotel. Furthermore, clinic sent me a link to an iPhone or Android app which then helps with the entire post surgery process.
When I came back to the hotel I was very happy. I felt some sort of accomplishment. It was a good feeling. I had a minor headache and swelling but it wasn’t that bad and didn’t have to take any painkillers. First night was better than expected. I slept on my back for 8 hours.
On the next day, taxi took me to the clinic. First I had my washed off again and I was instructed how to do it myself. Afterwards, I went to see dr Feriduni. We were both pleased. I with the experience so far, he with how well this all went. We chatted a bit, he told what to do and what not to do in the coming days (FYI the very detailed list and FAQ is also provided) and suggested regular check ins by email or by phone if needed to monitor the progress.
I am now 3 weeks after the procedure. Swelling was gone after day 4. Scabs were removed around day 14. The only problem I had was an uncomfortable feeling in the donor area. Waves of itching, burning sensation and some sort of electric waves between day 6-10, with the worst being days 7-9. The clinic mentioned that this discomfort is linked to the hyperesthesia which I apparently is very common after a FUE procedure. I had to take painkillers to deal with it. Anyway by now, it's no longer happening. As for the donor itself, it has been healing very nicely. Hair grew back rapidly and now it's hard to notice any sings of hair transplant. Overall, aftercare was not as difficult and painful as I imagined it to be.
Wrapping up, at this stage it is obviously rather impossible to say if I am satisfied with the results as it is still too soon, but I can say that until this point I’ve beed very satisfied with the process.
It’s a massive decision to make but I am glad I finally made it!
Hopefully, this will be helpful for you guys. I’ll plan to post more or less monthly updates. In the meantime, hit me up with any questions you might have.
Cheers
