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my experience with BHR

R

raines3031

Valued member
Hello Gents,
Let me start by saying that ive been reading posts on these forums for a couple of years. I dont feel comfortable giving my input unless i am 100 percent confident in what im saying. Thus when i do contribute it is genuine and i do so because in a sense we are all in this together, and i feel a sense of obligation to relay my experience hoping that it may help others in the same boat.


I decided in october that i was going to have a transplant. My dad had his first of 4 ht's 10 years ago ( he looks great for his age might i add). My brother had his first of 3 when he was 26. Thus it seemed inevitable that my day would come. Thankfully, at 26, my progression of thinning and recession is much milder than that of my brother and father at comparable age, however my hairline was not something i was happy with. Beyond my hairline i had a dense head of hair, but i felt that my face wasnt framed how i wanted it to be.


I realize a lot of people in this community are not proponents of creating aggressive hairlines as the wise thing to do seems to be plan for the future. I however dont necessarily prescribe to this notion. I think for some people a conservative approach is more practical and looks better while for others who have more to begin with, i think the desire to create a more youthful look is a matter of personal prerogative. I dont quite understand why some posters get so upset when they see aggressive transplants. I think its incredible that some doctors are able to achieve these results.

I can certainly understand the perspective and rational of not building too low, but i can also see why one would want to build a bit lower. Im more of a live in the moment kind of guy. Im still young and quite frankly i want to enjoy my youth to its fullest, plus in my line of work which admittedly is rather superficial, a full head of hair is very important. Lack of wisdom...maybe, but at least ill be naive and handsome :) I started researching prospective clinics in proximity and after a lot of research i narrowed down my choice to Armani. I was tentatively scheduled to have a procedure done with Dr Sara Armani in December. However in November i was notified that my procedure was cancelled because the pricing structure had changed as the amount i was initially quoted was no longer adequate.


Rather dejected i began to mull over my options. There were no other docs in North America that i felt comfortable with. Nothing personal, I think most of the doctors discussed on these forums are phenomenal surgeons, but after numerous conversation and emails things just didnt feel right with any of them. In the end, you want to have one of the best surgeons, but sometimes that isnt enough. I think its equally as important to feel comfortable with your decision, and sometimes you just have to go with your gut.


I had never entertained the idea of traveling abroad but at this point i became open to the idea as im a bit of a perfectionist and decided distance would not be an issue if it meant feeling comfortable with my decision. After seeing numerous posted results of Dr Bisangas work i began to consider the option. It is my opinion that his work is consistently excellent and consistently natural. After reading many of your comments on his work, it seems many of you agree. His work showed a wide range of hairlines both liberal and conservative, but all done in an exemplary manner.


Upon sending my first email to the clinic i received a response from phil within the hour (he runs the business end of things and works in conjunction with Dr. B). This immediately caught my attention as every other clinic was hardly what i would call timely in their correspondence. Phil is a wealth of knowledge and one of the more patient individuals i have met, which in this business is a breath of fresh air. I had a ton of questions and he took the time to answer every one of them promptly and in depth. I wasnt treated like i was just one of many potential patients...but rather i was treated like i was the only potential patient, which in retrospect is even more commendable after seeing first hand how busy the clinic actually is.


It turns out Dr. Bisanga was going to be in south florida (right near where i live) for a couple days so Phil asked if I would like to meet Dr B. face to face for a proper evaluation. I was thrilled that he would offer to take time during his time off to see me. My visit with Dr. B was great. I even got the impression that meeting with me for a consult was part of the motivation for his trip. He asked what i would like to achieve and after listening advised me on perhaps being a bit less aggressive. We spoke at length about it and in the end we compromised on a preliminary design. I felt assured that he could help me achieve what i wanted. Thus instead of shelling out more money for Armani (nothing against them, i think they do great work), i decided to travel to Brussels, get to see a bit of Europe, and get a world class HT from Dr. B (whose work is arguably as good if not better than anyones IMO) all for well less than the price that i would have paid for perhaps any FUE back in the states. BHR charges 4 Euros a graft which depending on the day converts to around 5 dollars. Flight to Brussels are also rather cheap if booked a bit in advance and only abut 7 hours and change. Perhaps most importantly, they stressed the not over harvesting my donor due to risk of transection, and Dr B uses a manual .75 millimeter punch, which later on in the process became more and more important to me. I felt assured that my donor would be left in pristine condition.


Deciding to to travel to Brussels wasn't the easiest decision i have ever made, however after my procedure this past week i am confident that it is one of the best. Granted I am only a few days out but I love the design, and if the yield looks anything like i think it will based upon what i see, an what i have seen from other patients, i will be a very happy young man. Further, im not even a week out and there is already almost zero evidence that anything was taken from the back of my head.


Bottom line...Dr. B is the man...hes clearly great at what he does and he couldnt be a nicer guy. The clinic is run beautifully, is immaculate, and the staff is more accommodating than the Ritz, they took care of everything from day one including my hotel stay (which is about a 2 minute walk from the clinic). Even after my surgery, Phil still checks in on me frequently and all my questions about my post op care are answered immediately. Phil is a wealth of information and he loves to share it. (You can see that just from reading his posts on these forums.) Thus, I am writing this simply out of gratitude and further to let those of you in the process of making this very important decision know that while it may require a bit of travel, it is a first class option and in my opinion the best deal in the business. One of the worlds best docs and undoubtedly best staff for the best price. Plus you get a vacation out of it. You just cant beat that.

Pics soon to follow
 
Shang

Shang

Sheepish Member
Great write-up raines3031, really looking forward to viewing your piki's, congrats. It's nice to view a write-up from BHR as i've never read one before and it will be good to follow your progress. It's Interesting that you chose Europe when you live in the states.

Shang
 
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Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Welcome to the forum Raines3031.

Thanks for a great write up,i`m pleased your experience with Dr Bisanga went extremely well.I`m looking forward to seeing your pictures.

It would be most useful if you could post your flight/hotel details in the travel section to give others an idea of how easy it is to travel from the US to Belgium.

Phil is indeed a wealth of knowledge and takes time out to post very helpful informative posts which i`m sure help lots of people researching hair transplants.

Heal and grow well.

Cheers bm.
 
R

raines3031

Valued member
Thanks for the kind words. As promised here are some pics immediately pre and post op. I am about a week out now. Th pics taken post op are pretty high resolution. Unfortunately the only camera i have here at home is the one on my computer which isnt the clearest, but if any of you would like i will be happy to post some of those as well to show you how the healing is going.


BEFORE BHR
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IMG_2515.jpg


IMG_2516.jpg


IMG_2517.jpg



POST OP BHR

IMG_2554.jpg


IMG_2556.jpg


IMG_2558.jpg


IMG_2562.jpg


IMG_2563.jpg


IMG_2565.jpg
 
Nervousnelly

Nervousnelly

The Coolest Member
Very nice looking work. Excellent blend to native hair. The work is clean and will yield one hell of a beautiful hairline for you. Thanks for the very informative post. This will indeed help others that are considering the same.

NN
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Thanks for posting those pictures raines,this should produce a great outcome.

If you can post more pictures ,even though from your pc it would be appreciated.

Thanks bm.
 
B

beardywierdy

What a Tool
Good write up, works looks good, hope you are healing well- welcome to the most exclusive club in the world!! It is good to see someone from over the pond coming to Europe- it's normally the other way around.

I also went to Belgium and like you suffered a bit re the strong Euro but it was worth it. I am fond of Belgium beer too so it was a good trip!!!!! (None of that Newcastle Brown stuff that Bigmac drinks.)

cheers
 
Shang

Shang

Sheepish Member
How many grafts did you recieve raines3031?, I dont think it's mentioned in your write-up, correct me if i'm wrong.


 
R

raines3031

Valued member
Thank you everyone for the remarks.

I received round about 2000 grafts, however i feel that this number is somewhat misleading. I say this because approximately 1/3 of those grafts were single hair grafts placed very strategically in the hair line in order to create a soft and natural appearance.

The majority of the rest were two hair grafts placed just behind the hairline in the temple regions. I also had a few grafts placed in the very center of my hairline where i have a nasty "cowlick" that creates a rather noticeable parting of my hair directly in the front and center of my hairline. My natural native hair in my donor region is rather thick and my donor density is rather above average. Further, Dr. Bisanga harvested hair not just from the back, but also from the sides of my head, where most of the finer one hair grafts reside.

It is my understanding that the grafts on the sides of the head are bit tougher to extract without transection, but a skilled doctor can do so both safely and effectively. Thus when you consider all of these factors, the 2000 grafts have barely put a dent in my donor region. In fact it is now day 6, my hair is just over a millimeter long, and i think it is safe to say that any extraction marks are almost completely undetectable. As a result Dr. Bisanga was able to place the grafts both densely and wisely, while allowing me approximately 4000 more fUE grafts for the future if need be before my FUE donor becomes tapped out.
I will get more pics up very shortly.
-Raines
 
timuk

timuk

My member is cooler than NN's
Raines...

Nice write up and great to see another quality HT surgeon in Europe... I must admit that the work look very good... I am also impressed by what you have written about Dr Bisanga's approach to your HT... I guess he is a very thorough surgeon in all aspects...

Congrats mate for what looks like some very nice work..

Tim
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
beardywierdy wrote:
I also went to Belgium and like you suffered a bit re the strong Euro but it was worth it. I am fond of Belgium beer too so it was a good trip!!!!! (None of that Newcastle Brown stuff that Bigmac drinks.)

cheers

Lol

BW i just saw this,brown ale is good for you in moderation.

10 or more bottles in a session.


 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hi Raines

Do you have any pictures from about a week post op to see how you healed.

Also any chance you could get your hair/graft count from Phil.

Thanks bm.
 
the B spot

the B spot

Pick your Poison!
Perhaps he could get a graft/hair breakdown as well ---I see he mentioned Dr. B used only the .75mm so I am wondering if he cherry picked 500-600 1 hair grafts and then got 2 hair grafts for some density behind the hairline---which is exactly the approach one should use in this situation.

Nice result---thanks for sharing with us,
Jason
 
P

Philb

Member
the B spot wrote:
Perhaps he could get a graft/hair breakdown as well ---I see he mentioned Dr. B used only the .75mm so I am wondering if he cherry picked 500-600 1 hair grafts and then got 2 hair grafts for some density behind the hairline---which is exactly the approach one should use in this situation.

Nice result---thanks for sharing with us,
Jason

Hi all,

Graft to hair count as requested:

1 Hair: 692 2 Hair: 960 3 Hair: 391 4 Hair: 23

Hope all is well mon amis, all the best
 
janna

janna

Valuable Member
Great documentation. The work looks very nice as well. I'm a fan of Dr. Bisanga's work and all of Phil's posts. You were definately in great hands.

Thanks for posting such thorough write up - helpful to many I'm sure.
 
R

raines3031

Valued member
Thanks Phil.

Im a bit tied up this week..its winter music conference here in Miami, and i work 18 hour days. I promise i will get new pics up as soon as its over. Hope everyone is well.
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Thanks Phil for the data.

Raines it will be great to see more pictures when you have the time,working 18 hours a day.;ss;
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hi Jorman

Welcome to the forum.

I`ve looked at your account and theres no problem with it,the photos posted are from Photobucket so the only explanation i can think of is it has something to do with your pc that is not allowing you to view the pictures.

Feel free to pm me if you if you need to.

Thanks bm.
 
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