M
macbeth
Member
hello... I'd like to share with you my excellent experience with Dr Devroye & his team at Clinique Grand Roi in Brussells.
I have also posted this review on another site, so you may have already read this.
I had surgery on 21/03/2012.
F.U.T
grafts - 3031
hairs - 6672
Here is my story...
I am 31 yr old male from UK & started thinning noticably from my mid 20's. Unfortuntely i've been pretty much housebound for much of the last few years due to problems with diziness. These problems have left me quite isolated & without any real social life. Over the last couple of years I've tried to push myself to get out more & try to regain some enjoyment from life.
I suffer from depression & while this is partly an effect of being housebound, my hair loss has been something that has been bringing me down on a daily basis for too long now. This is something you are reminded of everytime you look in a mirror. I've tried shaving my head, some people it suits but I really don't feel comfortable with this look so I opted for the hat.. This became part of my everyday attire which is ok on occassion but there are times where you just can't cover up such as weddings, partys etc.. In these events when I'd actually be out for what should be an enjoyable day or night, rather than feel good & smart in a suit I'd be feeling exposed without my hat. Things like seeing myself in a photographs had become very depressing. My confidence, very low.
Over the last 2 or 3 of years I've been researching what options are available & that led me to forums including hairtransplantnetwork & hairlossexperiences & most importantly introduced me to Dr Devroye. I do not have much money so transplant was always going to be very difficult for me but this year, after some help from my family & selling most of my prize posessions I had the opportunity to undergo surgery.
I knew I had to make the right choice when selecting a doctor because this was my opportunity. My big chance. The most important thing was to find a doctor who I felt I could trust & who i am confident would deliver the best result possible.
Dr Devroye was the perfect option for many reasons.
I was impressed by his profile & credits. I was very impressed by the results of patients I've seen in many photographs.
Every review I read from Dr Devroye's patients seemed to be positive - from experience now I understand why. He is highly respected & an expert in his field.
Another thing I had to take into consideration was location :
Q - how much would flights cost from UK?
A - the flights were around £200 return to UK, so that was within reach.
Q - how much would accomodation cost?
A - Dr Devroye very generously paid for 2 nights stay in a lovely hotel within walking distance from the clinic.
Q - how much would it cost to travel from the airport to the clinic?
A - again Dr Devroye generously arranged for me to be collected from the airport & chauffeured to my hotel via the clinic.
To me this is first class service.
I initiated contact with Dr Devroye last year & from my online consultation he came up with a strategic plan to cover areas shown in my photographs & gave me an approximate price. He was happy to answer any questions & I was happy with the detailed analysis which made me confident I was making the right choice.
I booked an appointment for a final consultation & surgery which really felt like I had taken a very positive step in fighting my hair loss. A deposit is requested as part of the procedure & even though I was running a little late in sending the deposit, I was never chased or rushed to hand over any money.
Again, this made me confident in my choice as clearly this was not somebody desperate to take my money. In fact the very opposite. I had read of Dr Devroye actually advising patients against surgery in favour of medication being a better option. This is the kind of honesty I was looking for.
For a couple of months I looked forward to my trip to Belgium & the weeks flew in, surprisingly quickly. Before I knew it I was flying to Brussels, on what I think is the smallest plane I've ever been on, which from the UK was a very pleasant flight at just over an hour or so.
My sister & I arrived at Brussels airport & were met by a member of Dr Devroye's team who drove us to our hotel via the Clinique Grand Roi. We had a couple of hours before the consultion so enjoyed a walk towards the clinic stopping off for a soft drink in a nice bar along the way. (To be honest I wouldn't have minded a stella artois but no alcohol is allowed before surgery).
I arrived at the clinic & was greeted at receiption by a member of Dr Devroye's team. I had a seat in the waiting area & helped myself to some water. My initial thoughts were positive. This was a nice building, the clinic looked clean & smelled clean. Surgery aside, I was in a comfortable environment.
A couple of minutes later Dr Devroye took me to his consultation room & we had a chat & discussed my surgery options. Dr Devroye was very friendly, welcoming & he knew what he was talking about. He was very open & realistic about the results which is exactly what you want in this situation. In person I thought he also looked slightly like the actor Val Kilmer, which gave me a chuckle.
Anyways, we agreed a time for surgery the following morning & I left the clinic feeling very optimistic.
My sister & I went out for dinner, there was a nice choice of restaurants to choose from close to the hotel. I'd certainly like to visit the area again at some point for a short break. I tried to have a reasonably early night to be well rested for the long day ahead.
The morning came & I was very much up for my surgery. I think my adrenaline was flowing. A short walk to the clinic & it was time to begin.
From the moment I entered the clinic, I was taken care of by Dr Devroye's team. Throughout the day I talked to most of them & all of them were very friendly & caring which really helped make a long day more comfortable. Each member seemed highly competent & I really felt I was in good hands.
Before we started, I was given a clean shirt to wear & Dr Devroye took some pictures. Dr Devroye gave me a very nice "mad scientist" haircut as he shaved the recipient area, which was quite amusing. He then drew on what he felt an appropriate hairline & asked how i felt about it. I requested it be slightly lowered if possible to which he explained the further forward the hairline be, the less density overall could be acheived. This makes perfect sense & we agreed on a hairline we were happy with.
Again, I was very impressed by the excellent clean standard of the clinic's operating room, very clean & the atmosphere was very relaxed.
Next I was prepared for the strip to be taken. The injections were a little nippy but very much tolerable & soon the area was numb for the procedure. Dr Devroye removed the strip & patched me up & the strip was taken to be prepared. At this stage I was just trying to stay as relaxed as possible & it definatley helped knowing I was in the hands of such a friendly team.
Dr Devroye made the incisions in the recipient area, around 3000 including some in the sideburns area. I requested some hairs in this area but not as priority as I was aware any which went to the sideburn would not be available for the top. The injection were more painful in the sideburn area, though a small price to pay in the long run.
Each stage I felt was very straight forward for Dr Devroye & his team & basically I'd lay there & let them work their magic. At times I was actually drifting to sleep.
I was offered a good variation of lunch options & when the time came I was taken a small kitchen area where I had a nice meal & a chat with Dr Devroye.
The procedure took most of the day with 2 team members working tirelessly to implant the large amount of grafts. There were breaks for toilet etc.. & drinks readily available.
I was relaxed & while I would not call the procedure pleasant, it is surgery after all, I don't see how it could have been made any better.
At the end of the session Dr Devroye inspected the work. I was given clear instructions on how to look after my head. which is very important on the first night. I was also given a bag which included spray, neck travel pillow, pain killers, antibiotic creme & a cuddly bear (ok, no cuddly bear). My sister had returned to the clinic by now & after a long day of around 12 hours, Dr Devroye personally drove us to our hotel which i felt was very kind.
The following morning I returned to the clinic to have my staples removed & a final inspection from Dr Devroye. With everything looking well I headed back to the UK on the mini aeroplane.
It is now just over 4 weeks since the surgery & I have since had my suture removed. The nurse was very impressed with the wound itself & hopefully it should heal very nicely. My sister, who is in the medical field, is also highly impressed with the skill in which the donor area has stitched leaving a fine scar.
The aftercare provided by Dr Devroye has been fantastic. He has frequently been in contact asking about my progress & offering advice.
So now is the waiting part, for the final result. However it is a great feeling knowing that the seeds have been planted. Hopefully this can have a positive impact on my life in general.
Overall this was a very positive experience & I cannot imagine how it could have been any better.
I cannot praise Dr Devroye & his team enough for their dedication, skill & welcoming manor.
I am confident I made the right choice in a world class doctor & if I decide on any further transplant procedure in future, I will be more than happy to return to Dr Devroye.
here are some lovely pictures
I have also posted this review on another site, so you may have already read this.
I had surgery on 21/03/2012.
F.U.T
grafts - 3031
hairs - 6672
Here is my story...
I am 31 yr old male from UK & started thinning noticably from my mid 20's. Unfortuntely i've been pretty much housebound for much of the last few years due to problems with diziness. These problems have left me quite isolated & without any real social life. Over the last couple of years I've tried to push myself to get out more & try to regain some enjoyment from life.
I suffer from depression & while this is partly an effect of being housebound, my hair loss has been something that has been bringing me down on a daily basis for too long now. This is something you are reminded of everytime you look in a mirror. I've tried shaving my head, some people it suits but I really don't feel comfortable with this look so I opted for the hat.. This became part of my everyday attire which is ok on occassion but there are times where you just can't cover up such as weddings, partys etc.. In these events when I'd actually be out for what should be an enjoyable day or night, rather than feel good & smart in a suit I'd be feeling exposed without my hat. Things like seeing myself in a photographs had become very depressing. My confidence, very low.
Over the last 2 or 3 of years I've been researching what options are available & that led me to forums including hairtransplantnetwork & hairlossexperiences & most importantly introduced me to Dr Devroye. I do not have much money so transplant was always going to be very difficult for me but this year, after some help from my family & selling most of my prize posessions I had the opportunity to undergo surgery.
I knew I had to make the right choice when selecting a doctor because this was my opportunity. My big chance. The most important thing was to find a doctor who I felt I could trust & who i am confident would deliver the best result possible.
Dr Devroye was the perfect option for many reasons.
I was impressed by his profile & credits. I was very impressed by the results of patients I've seen in many photographs.
Every review I read from Dr Devroye's patients seemed to be positive - from experience now I understand why. He is highly respected & an expert in his field.
Another thing I had to take into consideration was location :
Q - how much would flights cost from UK?
A - the flights were around £200 return to UK, so that was within reach.
Q - how much would accomodation cost?
A - Dr Devroye very generously paid for 2 nights stay in a lovely hotel within walking distance from the clinic.
Q - how much would it cost to travel from the airport to the clinic?
A - again Dr Devroye generously arranged for me to be collected from the airport & chauffeured to my hotel via the clinic.
To me this is first class service.
I initiated contact with Dr Devroye last year & from my online consultation he came up with a strategic plan to cover areas shown in my photographs & gave me an approximate price. He was happy to answer any questions & I was happy with the detailed analysis which made me confident I was making the right choice.
I booked an appointment for a final consultation & surgery which really felt like I had taken a very positive step in fighting my hair loss. A deposit is requested as part of the procedure & even though I was running a little late in sending the deposit, I was never chased or rushed to hand over any money.
Again, this made me confident in my choice as clearly this was not somebody desperate to take my money. In fact the very opposite. I had read of Dr Devroye actually advising patients against surgery in favour of medication being a better option. This is the kind of honesty I was looking for.
For a couple of months I looked forward to my trip to Belgium & the weeks flew in, surprisingly quickly. Before I knew it I was flying to Brussels, on what I think is the smallest plane I've ever been on, which from the UK was a very pleasant flight at just over an hour or so.
My sister & I arrived at Brussels airport & were met by a member of Dr Devroye's team who drove us to our hotel via the Clinique Grand Roi. We had a couple of hours before the consultion so enjoyed a walk towards the clinic stopping off for a soft drink in a nice bar along the way. (To be honest I wouldn't have minded a stella artois but no alcohol is allowed before surgery).
I arrived at the clinic & was greeted at receiption by a member of Dr Devroye's team. I had a seat in the waiting area & helped myself to some water. My initial thoughts were positive. This was a nice building, the clinic looked clean & smelled clean. Surgery aside, I was in a comfortable environment.
A couple of minutes later Dr Devroye took me to his consultation room & we had a chat & discussed my surgery options. Dr Devroye was very friendly, welcoming & he knew what he was talking about. He was very open & realistic about the results which is exactly what you want in this situation. In person I thought he also looked slightly like the actor Val Kilmer, which gave me a chuckle.
Anyways, we agreed a time for surgery the following morning & I left the clinic feeling very optimistic.
My sister & I went out for dinner, there was a nice choice of restaurants to choose from close to the hotel. I'd certainly like to visit the area again at some point for a short break. I tried to have a reasonably early night to be well rested for the long day ahead.
The morning came & I was very much up for my surgery. I think my adrenaline was flowing. A short walk to the clinic & it was time to begin.
From the moment I entered the clinic, I was taken care of by Dr Devroye's team. Throughout the day I talked to most of them & all of them were very friendly & caring which really helped make a long day more comfortable. Each member seemed highly competent & I really felt I was in good hands.
Before we started, I was given a clean shirt to wear & Dr Devroye took some pictures. Dr Devroye gave me a very nice "mad scientist" haircut as he shaved the recipient area, which was quite amusing. He then drew on what he felt an appropriate hairline & asked how i felt about it. I requested it be slightly lowered if possible to which he explained the further forward the hairline be, the less density overall could be acheived. This makes perfect sense & we agreed on a hairline we were happy with.
Again, I was very impressed by the excellent clean standard of the clinic's operating room, very clean & the atmosphere was very relaxed.
Next I was prepared for the strip to be taken. The injections were a little nippy but very much tolerable & soon the area was numb for the procedure. Dr Devroye removed the strip & patched me up & the strip was taken to be prepared. At this stage I was just trying to stay as relaxed as possible & it definatley helped knowing I was in the hands of such a friendly team.
Dr Devroye made the incisions in the recipient area, around 3000 including some in the sideburns area. I requested some hairs in this area but not as priority as I was aware any which went to the sideburn would not be available for the top. The injection were more painful in the sideburn area, though a small price to pay in the long run.
Each stage I felt was very straight forward for Dr Devroye & his team & basically I'd lay there & let them work their magic. At times I was actually drifting to sleep.
I was offered a good variation of lunch options & when the time came I was taken a small kitchen area where I had a nice meal & a chat with Dr Devroye.
The procedure took most of the day with 2 team members working tirelessly to implant the large amount of grafts. There were breaks for toilet etc.. & drinks readily available.
I was relaxed & while I would not call the procedure pleasant, it is surgery after all, I don't see how it could have been made any better.
At the end of the session Dr Devroye inspected the work. I was given clear instructions on how to look after my head. which is very important on the first night. I was also given a bag which included spray, neck travel pillow, pain killers, antibiotic creme & a cuddly bear (ok, no cuddly bear). My sister had returned to the clinic by now & after a long day of around 12 hours, Dr Devroye personally drove us to our hotel which i felt was very kind.
The following morning I returned to the clinic to have my staples removed & a final inspection from Dr Devroye. With everything looking well I headed back to the UK on the mini aeroplane.
It is now just over 4 weeks since the surgery & I have since had my suture removed. The nurse was very impressed with the wound itself & hopefully it should heal very nicely. My sister, who is in the medical field, is also highly impressed with the skill in which the donor area has stitched leaving a fine scar.
The aftercare provided by Dr Devroye has been fantastic. He has frequently been in contact asking about my progress & offering advice.
So now is the waiting part, for the final result. However it is a great feeling knowing that the seeds have been planted. Hopefully this can have a positive impact on my life in general.
Overall this was a very positive experience & I cannot imagine how it could have been any better.
I cannot praise Dr Devroye & his team enough for their dedication, skill & welcoming manor.
I am confident I made the right choice in a world class doctor & if I decide on any further transplant procedure in future, I will be more than happy to return to Dr Devroye.
here are some lovely pictures
