Amanda picked me up at 10.30 and we went to the hospital, got booked in, signed the waivers and stuff, then I was shown to the hospital room. I had an emotional breakdown at that point, the fear, the anticipation, and Amanda was great in helping me. I changed to the gown, slippers and hair net ready. It's a hospital so they wheel you everywhere, though in a chair at this stage, which felt slightly better than in a bed as I was when I had my tonsils out in Livingston! The only daunting thing about this though, is that it means you enter the theatre yourself and need to climb onto the table, rather than being anesthetised before had. That was the most daunting thing, but the surgery team were nice and friendly, the assistant surgeon was telling me how much he liked Edinburgh, then the last thing I remember was the gas mask.

I was brought round in the theatre as planned, everything was fine, but the trip back to the room was hazy! I didn't have any pain, and as I became more aware I was relieved I could breath through my nose, in fact, though I hadn't felt particularly stuffy in life I'm sure it felt, and continues to do so, clearer than normal! T Change has two English speaking carers Ines and I've forgotten the second person's name (both Portuguese!) who then stay with you through the first night. It's was OK, a bit awkward sleeping elevated, and with like a foam helmet, but I still didn't have any pain. In the morning the surgeon came for the cinematic unwinding of the bandages! Already I felt good despite the swelling. I had staples along the cut line (which for me were the most offputting bit of the recovery, just their metalliness!) and a cast on the bridge of the nose. Rossi's position is actually to wash your hair in the interests of healing and cleanliness of the cut line, but you have to kiwi the nose cast dry, which is a bit tricky! Over the week I got most swollen and bruised about day 3 to 4. Two black eyes, and even though I didn't have jaw work done the swelling reached all the way down by left cheek.

I went for the hair implants 7 days later, at a nice clinic nearby that does all sorts of cosmetic hair work too. I'd had an apt the day before to have everything explained. It was hospital robes again, and you start off face down on a massage table for the collection of the follicles. They shave a collection area, but it's was small enough that my hair hide it, then local anaesthetic and they offer a sedation tablet because it's like 2 hours for collection. The only surprise was the collection tool sounds like a dremel! But there was no discomfort and I fell asleep. I was woken up to roll over then for implantation this was something like another two hours, there was a music channel up on a TV in sight as a distraction, but again a local anaesthetic and no pain. After it was done they provided lunch and Amanda picked me up again to go back to the flat. This felt a bit more precarious because you've got to avoid anything touching it, but as mentioned on this server, it is something of an (understandable) precaution, and the implants to settle in pretty quickly. At day three you start to gently wash the area with a shaving brush and baby shampoo the clinic provide. At day 5 you wash it a bit more intensely, and you can shower your hair by bending forward so the shower only hits the back of your head and the water trickles over the implant sight. The scabs have to be left to gently wash away with the daily washes so there's no force on the follicles, it all seems to have gone to plan. Some implanted hairs still haven't fallen out, but the ones that have are starting to grow already

Actually during the hair recovery I saw Rossi for the follow up, I met another patient a 19 year old from Poland there for a last check before flight. She was 7 days ahead of me and she looked great, her bruising had already gone, and not having the hair implant recovery she really looked all better! The hair clinic had taken out the staples in their way and now Rossi took the remaining ones, and I didn't feel a thing! This was day 8 and when the nose cast was removed. It was an amazing moment, probably the biggest unveiling of the trip! The swelling was down and even though the cast was small it inevitably hid the lines of the results. Seven days after the hair process my fringe could come down again, which felt so good! (even though I couldn't wash it properly still!) Then the following day I flew out I had brow reduction, rhinoplasty, tracheal shave and the hair implants, it all went smoothly, and only pain of the trip was when I got indigestion from one of the restaurants I went to near the end!

Thank you, this was very informative. You mention the price - would you mind mentioning a ballpark figure? I'm trying to decide between Cardenas and Rossi at the moment, and only the former has prices on their website (as far as I can see).

Hi, sorry to ask questions on such an old post but at the moment I’m scouring the internet for information about Dr Rossi.

If you don’t mind me asking, how much did flights and accommodation cost you? I’m living in NI so hopefully they’d be priced similarly to flights from Scotland. It’s just I’m on a bit of a budget so I’m trying to work out whether Rossi or Cardenas are cheaper.

Also you wouldn’t happen to know what the deal is with his free consultations? Getting a free consultation sounds too good to be true when other surgeons charge up to £200 for one, but if it is true that would be really great as I’m not completely sure what I want yet.