I am a 38 year old White male, Norwood 3 Vertex. I have been experiencing male pattern baldness since my early 20’s. I had 2519 grafts with Dr Lupanzula in my crown area in April 2022.
Before I begin i would like to thank all of the incredible contributions to this site that have led me to making this decision.
So let’s get to it!
Brief backstory - I’ve been using Regaine 5% foam since 2015 (7 years) after many years of gradual hair loss. It had secretly affected my confidence and i was keen to do something about it. It worked well for the first 2 years then I noticed male pattern baldness was catching up with me. I received quotes from various places in both the UK and Belgium but non has been as communicative or organised as the Medikemos Team.
London Meeting w/ Dr Lupanzula
I arranged to meet him in person in London in December 2018 and found him to be very charming, helpful and knowledgable. He advise that I start taking propecia ASAP as to not loose further hair, so I began in early 2019.
Due to personal reasons and a pandemic (where cutting my own hair certainly couldn’t hide the male pattern baldness!), we fast forward 2.5 years and I get back in touch to continue the conversation. At this point Scott is the representative and customer liaison who helped me with the process of securing a date, what to expect and easing any worries. I paid my deposit in the August 2021. In March I made my second payment after which I was sent a list of what to arrange, recommended hotels and instructions for pre and post surgery.
Arriving in Brussels
I arrived in Belgium two days before the procedure to enjoy the sites. What can I say? Brussels is a very beautiful city with some of the best architecture and culture in Europe! I must do recommendation ha the Magritte museum & grand place.
I couldn’t drink the incredible beer (pre procedure instructions advice no alcohol 7 days before). I was glad to discover that most places have some amazing non-alcoholic beers. I stayed at the ibis Brussels Centre Châtelain which was comfortable and well positioned between the centre and the clinic (10 minute taxi).
Day of the procedure
1.) I arrived at the clinic early at 06:45am
I was emailed a code the day before so I could be let into the porch area / mail boxes and waited for someone to let me in main building.
2.) I was met by one of Medkemos assistants and she asked me to antibac my hands, swap my face mask and took me through to a locker / chill out room.
3.) She told be the doctor would be there soon and that she would test my blood pressure as well as sedate me with some medication.
4.) I got changed into some Medikemos scrubs and relax on a seat to pull my thoughts together. I put my items in a locker and was told that I couldn’t take my phone in the operating room (it was foolish of me not to think of this being a an option as it could be a total distraction). I texted my loved ones and said I would be in touch. Strangely at this I felt very relaxed and any thoughts of fear or running away were quashed. I was asked what sandwich I wanted for lunch on a menu that was given to me. I am vegetarian and love Greek food so went for the Zorba.
Pre procedure consultation w/ Dr Lupanzula
5.) Next step was for a consultation with the doctor. He arrived chipper and friendly and took me into his office. He photographed my head, went through the notes on my procedure and made measurements. I felt relaxed and happy with what was discussed.
6.) Buzz cut time! The next step was for me to shave my head! This was something I was personally dreading. As a NW3 vortex I have released on my longer hair to cover the receding on the crown and temples. Once this happened it felt like I was buckled in the seat and ready to go on the FUE ride….
This happened quickly and was purely for the operation and performed by an assistant. She washed my hair with cold water after.
7.) I had blood tests for Hep B, HIV etc and these were sent off to a lab with results arriving later that day. After the procedure.
The FUE procedure
8.) After this it was time to lie on my front on the patient table and have my donor grid drawn together. This is so Dr Lupanzula can extract donor hairs evenly form across the back of the head to place in the recipient area. My recipient area was the crown. This is were I would imagine many other less skilled surgeons fall short in ensuring there is the right variances of hair and spacing between what will be scars.
9.) Dr Lupanzula explained to me how he was going to Anaesthetise me in different sections. I had heard from reviews that this can be perhaps the most painful bit. I don’t have needle phobia but I certainly don’t like having them in me. His assistant gave me two soft balls to hold that i could squeeze to indicate my pain threshold. I have to be honest - my pain threshold isn’t the best but I felt pretty quickly on that I didn’t use them or need them.
This is something that had previously caused concern for me, but was not actually a big a deal as I thought it would be. Once I could feel the numbness stepping in it was time for extraction!
10.) Dr Luoanzula had said that “I wouldn’t feel anything” and perhaps it would just be the vibration. As I lay on front - face facing the floor I was thinking - “really? I doubt it.” It felt like a classic comment before going to a dentist and they say “this won’t hurt”. Surprisingly… It don’t hurt at all. This was a point where I think most people could easily drift off to sleep. I choose to stay awake and listen to the ambience of Belgian radio in the background. This lasted for about two - 3 hours - at one point the pain was slightly felt and I notified the doctor. He said it was important to tell him if I was experiencing pain as it could caused me to bleed more - which makes the procedure more difficult. This was the only time I felt the slight let amount of pain and it was only similar to an very light scratching feeling.
After a while a theme on my right side facing left - I could see a machine which was counting the grafts - climbing up to 1990! The the other side I could see the technicians who I heard arriving early say diligently at their desks picking apart and analysing the grafts (I, II, III, IV, V, VI counts) so they can be repositioned back in the scalp in the recipients area. At this point I had stopped a couple of times to get some water which the team was totally fine with. I had a short toilet break too.
Just to add that it was a pleasure being in the company of such a talented doctor and his surgically assistants. Everything I’m talking about is on such a micro level that you can really miss it if you want to just switch off. Also throughout the procedure the cleaning of the surgical area was so incredibly ept I forgot how many times this happened.
11.) After this point it was time to sit up in the operating chair and for details Dr Lupanzula to make some incisions. This was most bizarre aspect of the whole procedure. They put in BBC (I’m English!) and I happily watch twee programs whilst he made these incisions. Again, I felt nothing. My head felt dry and brittle like cardboard to I could hear the micro sounds of this. These are tiny little slits made of which the round grafts are placed within. This took about 45mims I would say.
12.) Time for planting those grafts!
This was the longest part and easily took about 4 - 5 hours. The doctor left me in the hands of his technicians who appeared to implant the grafts in rotation.
In all honesty, I didn’t feel a thing at all. Perhaps they gave me one last dose of local anaesthetic but it didn’t feel much of anything. Only them resting their hand on my outer head to gently place the grafts. This is where the craft and the detail come into play. I was truly appreciative of the detailed level of this. I must say it’s really important to keep as still as possible for this but becomes they need to have micro attention. In all my relaxed state and watching traditional British tv i began to shake and move my foot which made the chair rock and wasn’t great for them.
For the final 300 grafts I was asked to lie on my front again for the last 30 mins / and hour so they could impact the final ones. Once completed I say up, although not to steady on my feed and the doctor Photographed the result. He told me there was a Sandwich waiting for me after I had my post operative consultation. I was told I didn’t need to come back tomorrow and that my total graft amount was 2519, the bottom end of my estimate. They bandaged up my donor area for the first night.
I went back to the chill our room / changing room and got dressed slowly. This is where I got to update my partner, friends and family on how the day went.
13.) The final consultation was with the doctor. I was told the procedure was a success and that the full amount was achieved to a good standard and no need to continue tomorrow (it was originally 1.5 days estimate 2500-2800 grafts which is the most the doctor will do in one day and often needs two?).
He has all my files prepared on a usb stick (the slots into a Medikemos pen) to give to me to take away. He told me the level of hair density is 1/15 which is quite high. The majority of grafts were triple hairs so It should be an optimum effect. He went through the painkillers I had to take in the evening, and the following two days, how to apply my complimentary bandana so it avoid the recipient area. Most importantly he told me about the cleaning regimen over the next two weeks of both donors and recipient area. This was really simple and straightforward but he assured if I had any questions I could ask Scott. I was asked to come back to the clinic at 11am the next day for a check up and to be shown how to bath / clean the area.
14.) I had my lunch and thanked the team before leaving. Ready to see them the next day.
15.) I got home and called all my friends and told my partner about the day. I took a neck pillow to help me sleep but I’m a bad sleeper so it took a little while for me to drift off.
I will add the next 6 months journey and progress once this thread is posted.
Before I begin i would like to thank all of the incredible contributions to this site that have led me to making this decision.
So let’s get to it!
Brief backstory - I’ve been using Regaine 5% foam since 2015 (7 years) after many years of gradual hair loss. It had secretly affected my confidence and i was keen to do something about it. It worked well for the first 2 years then I noticed male pattern baldness was catching up with me. I received quotes from various places in both the UK and Belgium but non has been as communicative or organised as the Medikemos Team.
London Meeting w/ Dr Lupanzula
I arranged to meet him in person in London in December 2018 and found him to be very charming, helpful and knowledgable. He advise that I start taking propecia ASAP as to not loose further hair, so I began in early 2019.
Due to personal reasons and a pandemic (where cutting my own hair certainly couldn’t hide the male pattern baldness!), we fast forward 2.5 years and I get back in touch to continue the conversation. At this point Scott is the representative and customer liaison who helped me with the process of securing a date, what to expect and easing any worries. I paid my deposit in the August 2021. In March I made my second payment after which I was sent a list of what to arrange, recommended hotels and instructions for pre and post surgery.
Arriving in Brussels
I arrived in Belgium two days before the procedure to enjoy the sites. What can I say? Brussels is a very beautiful city with some of the best architecture and culture in Europe! I must do recommendation ha the Magritte museum & grand place.
I couldn’t drink the incredible beer (pre procedure instructions advice no alcohol 7 days before). I was glad to discover that most places have some amazing non-alcoholic beers. I stayed at the ibis Brussels Centre Châtelain which was comfortable and well positioned between the centre and the clinic (10 minute taxi).
Day of the procedure
1.) I arrived at the clinic early at 06:45am
I was emailed a code the day before so I could be let into the porch area / mail boxes and waited for someone to let me in main building.
2.) I was met by one of Medkemos assistants and she asked me to antibac my hands, swap my face mask and took me through to a locker / chill out room.
3.) She told be the doctor would be there soon and that she would test my blood pressure as well as sedate me with some medication.
4.) I got changed into some Medikemos scrubs and relax on a seat to pull my thoughts together. I put my items in a locker and was told that I couldn’t take my phone in the operating room (it was foolish of me not to think of this being a an option as it could be a total distraction). I texted my loved ones and said I would be in touch. Strangely at this I felt very relaxed and any thoughts of fear or running away were quashed. I was asked what sandwich I wanted for lunch on a menu that was given to me. I am vegetarian and love Greek food so went for the Zorba.
Pre procedure consultation w/ Dr Lupanzula
5.) Next step was for a consultation with the doctor. He arrived chipper and friendly and took me into his office. He photographed my head, went through the notes on my procedure and made measurements. I felt relaxed and happy with what was discussed.
6.) Buzz cut time! The next step was for me to shave my head! This was something I was personally dreading. As a NW3 vortex I have released on my longer hair to cover the receding on the crown and temples. Once this happened it felt like I was buckled in the seat and ready to go on the FUE ride….
This happened quickly and was purely for the operation and performed by an assistant. She washed my hair with cold water after.
7.) I had blood tests for Hep B, HIV etc and these were sent off to a lab with results arriving later that day. After the procedure.
The FUE procedure
8.) After this it was time to lie on my front on the patient table and have my donor grid drawn together. This is so Dr Lupanzula can extract donor hairs evenly form across the back of the head to place in the recipient area. My recipient area was the crown. This is were I would imagine many other less skilled surgeons fall short in ensuring there is the right variances of hair and spacing between what will be scars.
9.) Dr Lupanzula explained to me how he was going to Anaesthetise me in different sections. I had heard from reviews that this can be perhaps the most painful bit. I don’t have needle phobia but I certainly don’t like having them in me. His assistant gave me two soft balls to hold that i could squeeze to indicate my pain threshold. I have to be honest - my pain threshold isn’t the best but I felt pretty quickly on that I didn’t use them or need them.
This is something that had previously caused concern for me, but was not actually a big a deal as I thought it would be. Once I could feel the numbness stepping in it was time for extraction!
10.) Dr Luoanzula had said that “I wouldn’t feel anything” and perhaps it would just be the vibration. As I lay on front - face facing the floor I was thinking - “really? I doubt it.” It felt like a classic comment before going to a dentist and they say “this won’t hurt”. Surprisingly… It don’t hurt at all. This was a point where I think most people could easily drift off to sleep. I choose to stay awake and listen to the ambience of Belgian radio in the background. This lasted for about two - 3 hours - at one point the pain was slightly felt and I notified the doctor. He said it was important to tell him if I was experiencing pain as it could caused me to bleed more - which makes the procedure more difficult. This was the only time I felt the slight let amount of pain and it was only similar to an very light scratching feeling.
After a while a theme on my right side facing left - I could see a machine which was counting the grafts - climbing up to 1990! The the other side I could see the technicians who I heard arriving early say diligently at their desks picking apart and analysing the grafts (I, II, III, IV, V, VI counts) so they can be repositioned back in the scalp in the recipients area. At this point I had stopped a couple of times to get some water which the team was totally fine with. I had a short toilet break too.
Just to add that it was a pleasure being in the company of such a talented doctor and his surgically assistants. Everything I’m talking about is on such a micro level that you can really miss it if you want to just switch off. Also throughout the procedure the cleaning of the surgical area was so incredibly ept I forgot how many times this happened.
11.) After this point it was time to sit up in the operating chair and for details Dr Lupanzula to make some incisions. This was most bizarre aspect of the whole procedure. They put in BBC (I’m English!) and I happily watch twee programs whilst he made these incisions. Again, I felt nothing. My head felt dry and brittle like cardboard to I could hear the micro sounds of this. These are tiny little slits made of which the round grafts are placed within. This took about 45mims I would say.
12.) Time for planting those grafts!
This was the longest part and easily took about 4 - 5 hours. The doctor left me in the hands of his technicians who appeared to implant the grafts in rotation.
In all honesty, I didn’t feel a thing at all. Perhaps they gave me one last dose of local anaesthetic but it didn’t feel much of anything. Only them resting their hand on my outer head to gently place the grafts. This is where the craft and the detail come into play. I was truly appreciative of the detailed level of this. I must say it’s really important to keep as still as possible for this but becomes they need to have micro attention. In all my relaxed state and watching traditional British tv i began to shake and move my foot which made the chair rock and wasn’t great for them.
For the final 300 grafts I was asked to lie on my front again for the last 30 mins / and hour so they could impact the final ones. Once completed I say up, although not to steady on my feed and the doctor Photographed the result. He told me there was a Sandwich waiting for me after I had my post operative consultation. I was told I didn’t need to come back tomorrow and that my total graft amount was 2519, the bottom end of my estimate. They bandaged up my donor area for the first night.
I went back to the chill our room / changing room and got dressed slowly. This is where I got to update my partner, friends and family on how the day went.
13.) The final consultation was with the doctor. I was told the procedure was a success and that the full amount was achieved to a good standard and no need to continue tomorrow (it was originally 1.5 days estimate 2500-2800 grafts which is the most the doctor will do in one day and often needs two?).
He has all my files prepared on a usb stick (the slots into a Medikemos pen) to give to me to take away. He told me the level of hair density is 1/15 which is quite high. The majority of grafts were triple hairs so It should be an optimum effect. He went through the painkillers I had to take in the evening, and the following two days, how to apply my complimentary bandana so it avoid the recipient area. Most importantly he told me about the cleaning regimen over the next two weeks of both donors and recipient area. This was really simple and straightforward but he assured if I had any questions I could ask Scott. I was asked to come back to the clinic at 11am the next day for a check up and to be shown how to bath / clean the area.
14.) I had my lunch and thanked the team before leaving. Ready to see them the next day.
15.) I got home and called all my friends and told my partner about the day. I took a neck pillow to help me sleep but I’m a bad sleeper so it took a little while for me to drift off.
I will add the next 6 months journey and progress once this thread is posted.
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