M
Megasesh
Valued member
Brief History
I first noticed that my hair was starting to thin when I was around 24 years old (currently 36) and immediately arranged a visit to the Belgravia Centre in Victoria, London. I was prescribed a combination of Propecia and Minoxidil and after a few months noticed a significant improvement in my hair. However, I also noticed some unwanted sexual and psychological side effects so discontinued Propecia. The side effects eventually diminished and over the years I have tried experimenting with different dosages of Propecia but the side effects would present themselves again so unfortunately I reached the conclusion that oral Propecia was not for me. I continued with Minoxidil and have had some success with this but my hair loss gradually continued.
Towards the end of 2011 I started looking into the possibility of having a hair transplant and started browsing on this forum, as well as others and also arranged some consultations with surgeons or their representatives. I spent the last 4-5 years agonising over making a decision and in the end it was my girlfriend (who had had enough of my dithering!) as well as David Andersons advice and encouragement, not to mention the amazing and consistent results that Hassan and Wong have kept producing that made me finally build up the courage to pay the deposit and book the procedure.
I had several consultations with David Anderson over the years and met with Dr. Wong in London who advised me that we would be aiming for circa 4,500 grafts to mainly the frontal third to increase density. My surgery was booked for the 2nd March 2015... I paid the deposit and booked the flights... no turning back now!!!
A trip to Vancouver
I booked a direct flight from Heathrow to Vancouver with Air Canada and flew out on Saturday 28th March. I would highly recommend Air Canada. In flight service was amazing and their staff were very friendly and efficient. I stayed at the Sheraton hotel in Vancouver which was kindly arranged by Christina from H&W. I stayed for 4 nights and H&W agreed to pay for 2 nights. The hotel was lovely. The rooms were very clean and quiet and the food was excellent. I would also recommend taking an extra few days beforehand to see a bit of this beautiful city.
Surgery day
I arrived at Hassan and Wong's offices at 6am to begin my procedure. After a few pictures I was greeted by Dr. Wong who shaved my hair down and drew on, and showed me where my new hairline would be. I give Dr. Wong the green light to 'max out' and transplant as many grafts as possible. I was filled with excitement and trepidation and looking forward to getting the procedure out of the way as I wasn't sure what to expect!
The first part of the procedure involves harvesting the donor strip which I have to admit I really wasn't looking forward to. The first few anaesthetic injections hurt a little bit (on par with dental anaesthetic) but after that the process of removing the strip was pain free and with little discomfort. I was advised by Dr. Wong during the surgery that I had amazing scalp laxity (I started scalp stretching exercises from about 3 months pre-surgery)
Once the strip had been harvested Dr. Wong's large team set about preparing the follicles for transplantation and after a quick break and some further anaesthetic to the scalp (again, slightly painful at first but suitably numbed thereafter) Dr. Wong and his team began the lengthy and labour intensive process of planting the grafts in the recipient area.
At 10pm and after 16 hours in the chair, my transplant was complete.
Strip 31.5 x 2 cms
7589 grafts
1h - 1527 - 0.61
2h - 4338 - 0.88
3-4h - 1724 - 1.00
I was amazed by the number of grafts yielded and very happy that Dr. Wong managed full scalp coverage. My bank balance was not as happy but I am sure will recover in time!
I should also add that I have started applying topical finasteride prescribed by Dr. Wong. Hopefully this will help maintain, with no/minimal systematic sides.
The pictures taken are pre-procedure and the last one is 24 hours post procedure. Will keep you all updated as I progress.
Fingers crossed and looking forward to harvest time!
I first noticed that my hair was starting to thin when I was around 24 years old (currently 36) and immediately arranged a visit to the Belgravia Centre in Victoria, London. I was prescribed a combination of Propecia and Minoxidil and after a few months noticed a significant improvement in my hair. However, I also noticed some unwanted sexual and psychological side effects so discontinued Propecia. The side effects eventually diminished and over the years I have tried experimenting with different dosages of Propecia but the side effects would present themselves again so unfortunately I reached the conclusion that oral Propecia was not for me. I continued with Minoxidil and have had some success with this but my hair loss gradually continued.
Towards the end of 2011 I started looking into the possibility of having a hair transplant and started browsing on this forum, as well as others and also arranged some consultations with surgeons or their representatives. I spent the last 4-5 years agonising over making a decision and in the end it was my girlfriend (who had had enough of my dithering!) as well as David Andersons advice and encouragement, not to mention the amazing and consistent results that Hassan and Wong have kept producing that made me finally build up the courage to pay the deposit and book the procedure.
I had several consultations with David Anderson over the years and met with Dr. Wong in London who advised me that we would be aiming for circa 4,500 grafts to mainly the frontal third to increase density. My surgery was booked for the 2nd March 2015... I paid the deposit and booked the flights... no turning back now!!!
A trip to Vancouver
I booked a direct flight from Heathrow to Vancouver with Air Canada and flew out on Saturday 28th March. I would highly recommend Air Canada. In flight service was amazing and their staff were very friendly and efficient. I stayed at the Sheraton hotel in Vancouver which was kindly arranged by Christina from H&W. I stayed for 4 nights and H&W agreed to pay for 2 nights. The hotel was lovely. The rooms were very clean and quiet and the food was excellent. I would also recommend taking an extra few days beforehand to see a bit of this beautiful city.
Surgery day
I arrived at Hassan and Wong's offices at 6am to begin my procedure. After a few pictures I was greeted by Dr. Wong who shaved my hair down and drew on, and showed me where my new hairline would be. I give Dr. Wong the green light to 'max out' and transplant as many grafts as possible. I was filled with excitement and trepidation and looking forward to getting the procedure out of the way as I wasn't sure what to expect!
The first part of the procedure involves harvesting the donor strip which I have to admit I really wasn't looking forward to. The first few anaesthetic injections hurt a little bit (on par with dental anaesthetic) but after that the process of removing the strip was pain free and with little discomfort. I was advised by Dr. Wong during the surgery that I had amazing scalp laxity (I started scalp stretching exercises from about 3 months pre-surgery)
Once the strip had been harvested Dr. Wong's large team set about preparing the follicles for transplantation and after a quick break and some further anaesthetic to the scalp (again, slightly painful at first but suitably numbed thereafter) Dr. Wong and his team began the lengthy and labour intensive process of planting the grafts in the recipient area.
At 10pm and after 16 hours in the chair, my transplant was complete.
Strip 31.5 x 2 cms
7589 grafts
1h - 1527 - 0.61
2h - 4338 - 0.88
3-4h - 1724 - 1.00
I was amazed by the number of grafts yielded and very happy that Dr. Wong managed full scalp coverage. My bank balance was not as happy but I am sure will recover in time!
I should also add that I have started applying topical finasteride prescribed by Dr. Wong. Hopefully this will help maintain, with no/minimal systematic sides.
The pictures taken are pre-procedure and the last one is 24 hours post procedure. Will keep you all updated as I progress.
Fingers crossed and looking forward to harvest time!