On January 11, 2010 I am scheduled to start my journey towards an attempted repair using the fue method of hair transplantation. I have been graciously offered pro bono work by the BHR clinic in Brussels, Belgium. I will also be testing body and beard hair at the same time. Since I am very limited as far as available scalp donor hair I am hoping body and beard hair can help greatly in improving my present situation.

I have been on the forums for well over 10 years. After being what I have been through, choosing a doctor and clinic is probably one of the most difficult choices I have ever had to make. Even with my present condition, it’s been easier to do just nothing, then to take the chance and make the wrong choice one more time.

My first choice would be not to have to travel. It’s difficult enough to have to deal with this situation in daily life. Having to go through airports and security while having had surgery on my head is going to be quite an ordeal. I wish that I could go to someone local or at least someone here in the USA. But I have to be extremely cautious in my choice. I need a clinic that is highly experienced in fue. They also have to have extensive experience in body and beard hair. A bonus would be that the doctor has a natural artistic talent. Dr. Bisanga happens to be highly gifted in this area, one only need view his work to agree. But most important of all, the doctor and clinic need to be caring, compassionate and have my best interests at heart. Over the last 10 years I have finally narrowed down my choice to one clinic, the BHR clinic in Belgium. The BHR clinic meets each and everyone of these points.

I came to this conclusion about 1 year ago. Even though I knew it was the only clinic that I really felt comfortable with, I was still hesitant in taking the leap. Read my blog and view my pictures and I think you can understand why. It was only recently when the pro bono offer was made to forum members that I thought I really need to get this process started and maybe this offer was my one chance in a lifetime.

There are so many individuals out there that are in need of repair I wasn’t sure that I would even have a hope of winning, but still I had to at least try. Well you can imagine my elation when I found out I had gotten the most votes from the members of hairlossexperiences.com and I was chosen to have the repair work done for free. The clinic phoned me that same night and congratulated me. I was so excited I could hardly believe it.

The voting was so close that the BHR clinic offered the next to two runners up to also have pro bono work done. What does this tell you about this clinic? It’s the same conclusion I came to 1 year ago when I first spoke to Phil B over at BHR. I had already consulted with at least a dozen clinics here in the USA and abroad. I have spoken to at least a dozen repair patients that have had work done by other doctors. It was only after I spoke to Phil along with seeing the artistry of Dr. Bisanga’s work that I knew I had found what I was looking for in a clinic.

My expectations are realistic. More then likely I will always be forced to use a concealer until HM or something similar comes along. My main goal is to not make my situation worse then it already is at this point. I don’t expect the BHR clinic to perform magic. But I do know that they are caring and they will do their best to help me.

I am hoping I have enough scalp donor on the sides of my head, especially near the top where it was pulled up from the scalp lifts to make a difference. My main concern is the frontal 1/3 approximately 1-2 cm behind the hair line. If body hair works, I would love to soften up the hairline sometime in the future. If beard hair is a viable source, then I would like to work my way progressively back towards the crown and maybe work on that vertical scar. The strips scars that run horizontal are the least of my concerns. I will go with Dr Bisanga’s recommendations, he is the expert, and this is how it should be. A patient should feel comfortable enough to say the doctor is an expert, he has my best interest at heart, and I feel complete confidence in letting him make the right decisions.

If you are wondering if I am nervous the answer is of course I’m nervous. My whole experience with hair transplantation has taken a very heavy toll on my life. This is only something another repair patient can understand. I have spoken personally to many of the repair patients you have seen post on the forums over the years. It always feels good to have the support of others that are in a similar situation. Sometimes we can even laugh at what we have to go through in daily life, but sometimes it’s also a reminder of the personal emotional pain we have had to endure. It can completely change you as a person.

Well I have my fingers crossed and I am hoping for the best. I will keep all the forum members informed with both pictures and posts so that you can see my progress. It’s the only way for others to learn, and make informed decisions.

Please visit my blog to view pictures.

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