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2339 FUE with Dr Edward Ball at the Maitland Clinic

S

SDB78

Valued member
Hi all,

This is my first time posting on the website. I found these forums most useful when researching a hair transplant and hope others find my review of use. I am 9 days post-op with Dr Ball at the Maitland Clinic in Portsmouth. My experience with Dr Ball and his team has exceeded my expectations and to date, I am thrilled with how things are progressing. I know it is early days and that the acid test is months away but so far everything has been very positive.

Background

I have been losing my hair slowly since my mid-20`s and I am now in my late 30`s. I have been slowly taking the pain of seeing my hairline recede and look worse year after year. In recent years it had dawned on me that I really could do something to rectify this issue and feel better about myself. I spent much time on the internet and on forums like this looking into hair transplants and knew it was the solution I was looking for. The only thing left to do was to go for it!

I narrowed my search down to a few surgeons in the UK. In May, I spoke to David Anderson (Senior Patient Advisor) at the Maitland Clinic and arranged to meet with him and Dr Ball. I found them both to be very professional and easy to talk to. There was no sales push and a clear emphasis was placed on the ideal long-term solution for my hair
restoration. We discussed my goals and what was a realistic objective and Dr Ball drew a hairline which I was happy with. I was really excited leaving the clinic and knew I had to go ahead with a procedure.

After meeting with Dr Ball, I contacted a number of his previous clients and read more online reviews. What was clear to me was that the quality of his work stood out and that he really is an ethical Doctor who had the best interests of his clients at heart. These were my reasons for choosing Dr Ball. I have also had numerous conversations with David Anderson along the way and found him to be a great sounding board for someone considering surgery.

Pre-op

Surgery day commenced at 7am for me. My over-riding emotion was excitement but I was also quite anxious. After getting weighed and my blood pressure checked I met with Dr Ball. He went through some forms I needed to fill out and then we discussed the procedure. The main goal of my surgery was to lower my hairline and to fill in my frontal area into the mid scalp where the hair is much denser. Dr Ball was also to add coverage into the top left/right areas. We chatted through the design of the hairline which was most helpful. Dr Ball took his time drawing and re-drawing things until we were both happy with it. This really put me at ease as I had read other reviews where people were given hairlines that they did not have any say in and were unhappy with the end result. The next step was the buzz cut! I was shaven down with no clip. Looking in the mirror with no hair and with lines drawn on your head is when you know its game on! Here are my pre-ops pics:

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After my head was shaved, I was taken into the operating room! It hardly had the feel of an operating room though as there was a big screen TV on display and a very nice view out of the window. After a hair wash I was all set to go!

Surgery

Surgery was very smooth and without complications. Dr Ball began removing a few grafts to see what they looked like. He was most happy with them so he then began the incisions while I watched a film. I felt a little prick from the anaesthetic but it was not painful. The next step was the extraction of the grafts. I lay on my stomach for most of this. This became a bit uncomfortable for me as I have lower back issues. However, after mentioning this to the team I was given more pillows to make myself comfortable again. This was the most discomfort I was in all day. The whole procedure is easy to get through and is not something one should be concerned about. After the grafts were extracted, I was given lunch (at the start of the day you place your lunch order). Soon afterwards, the team got to work inserting the graphs while I watched another film. I didn`t see much of it though as I feel asleep during it. After surgery, I was surprised at how clean the work was. I was really impressed with Dr Ball and his team. They are meticulous in their work and a friendly, collaborative group. Dr Ball was heavily involved throughout the day, performing all incisions and extractions. The graphs were placed by Janna Shafer with the help of 2 technicians. I was given my post-op instructions after surgery and was on my way home at 6.30pm. My final graft numbers were as follows:

1 hair: 516 grafts

2 hairs: 1316 grafts

3 hairs: 507 grafts

Total: 2339 grafts

Post-op pics:


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Post-op

I stayed indoors for the first 3-4 days post-op. Spraying your hair every 30 minutes with saline solution can become a bit monotonous but I wanted to stick to the post-op instructions to a tee. I was pain free after surgery. My donor area was very tender to the touch but I think because of the anaesthetic and my excitement that I didn`t notice it. My forehead did swell up the day after surgery and the swelling lingered until day 5. On that day I noticed my donor area, woke up and was a bit tingly/itchy. I believe this is due to the numbness wearing off. This made wearing a hat somewhat uncomfortable for a couple days so I`ve opted for the buzzed look in public. Within a few days post-op no one could tell my donor area had underwent a procedure and my recipient area has healed very nicely. I`m so pleased about this as I was concerned about redness in the recipient area post-surgery. Pic 7 days post op:



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Apart from still being a bit sensitive in the donor area I`m feeling fine and very much looking forward to the months ahead. If anyone has any questions, please message me. If you are considering a hair transplant, then I would highly recommend you contact the Maitland Clinic.
 
janna

janna

Valuable Member
Hi SDB78,
Thanks so much for posting about your experience with The Maitland Clinic. The 7 days post op looks nice and clean. You are healing up very well. We look forward to following your progress!!

 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Welcome to the forum. It`s good to hear you had a good HT experience with The Maitland Clinic. The work looks nice and clean that's healing well. The tenderness in the donor area will be gone soon enough.
Thanks for sharing your story, I'll look forward to following your progress.
All the best.
BM.
 
J

jawanhlli

valued member
The work coming out the Maitland clinic is exceptionally good, looks very clean and precise. I'll be ready for a hair transplant in the foreseeable future, this will be my clinic of choice.
Good luck with your result SDB78
 
Bongo

Bongo

Member
Great write up. Your day sounded almost identical to mine (although you had double the grafts I did). Good luck and happy growing, you should get a great result.
 
D

Dazzster26

Valued member
Thanks for sharing your experience with us am sure your going to have a nice result the graft placement looks excellent wishing you great recovery and growth

Cheers
Daz
 
S

SDB78

Valued member
Thank you for your comments. 30 days post-op now and I've shed most of my new grafts. I'm more or less back to where I started pre-op but with shorter hair. No one has had any idea that I've had a procedure. I'm feeling good and the only effect from surgery is that my recipient area is slightly numb to the touch but is not a bother. I will post again when things get a bit more exciting!


 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Good to hear everything is near enough back to normal with the exception of some slight tenderness. Also, when you want to keep it a secret and no one notices, it feels good.
 
bullitnut

bullitnut

4 awesome repairs with SMG
SDB78 wrote:
30 days post-op now and I've shed most of my new grafts.
Welcome to the forum pal, the work looks exceptionally clean and i like the hair line shape.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience on here with us. You chose an excellent clinic and i can't wait to see this grow when the time comes.
It's a real bummer when the hair sheds isn't it, but they will return before you know it.....you just need something to take your mind of the waiting game until it starts to happen. The ugly duckling phase as it's regularly referred to can be a real bummer for some but trust me pal things will happen before you no it.
Looking forward to future updates, best wishes BN;)
 
David Anderson

David Anderson

Valued member
Hi SDB78,
Thanks for your write up on your experience and posting the photos. The work looks immaculate post op as always and you have healed very well. Always tough to lose those grafts but the sooner they are gone the sooner the new hairs will appear.
It was a pleasure to deal with you and glad I could help with your questions.
Please keep us all posted.
 
S

SDB78

Valued member
Hi all,

Quick update for you. I'm almost 5 months post op and couldn't be happier with my results to date. I started to see growth from around 10 weeks and by 3-3.5 months had noticeable improvement in my hairline. I've been meaning to post a reply for some time but I'm no longer thinking much about my hair and I feel as though I've had mission accomplished. There's still some time to go for some more growth although I'm not fussing about that at all. I'm really pleased with my whole experience at the Maitland Clinic and would highly recommend Dr Ball to anyone browsing this site looking for some options. Happy New Year everybody!
 

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S

SDB78

Valued member
second pic..pics are post shower with no product used
 

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Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Your hair is looking good at 5 months. The hairline has filled in nicely to frame your face. Plenty time left for it to look even better.
Thanks for the update.
All the best.
Bm.
 
SADbutTRUE

SADbutTRUE

Valued member
Looking good at 5 months, and it will continue to improve,plus a modest amount of grafts used, good job by doc and staff.
 
janna

janna

Valuable Member
Your hair is coming along nicely at 5 months post op. Love that you €™re not fussed about your hair anymore. You definitely have more growth and thickening of hairs to look forward to in the next 6-8 months. Thanks so much for keeping us all updated of your progress.
Happy 2018!!
 
D

Dazzster26

Valued member
Thanks for posting your updates looking good at 5 months mate
 
D

Dazzster26

Valued member
Hi Friend
Hope all is going well would be good to see an update if you have the time all the very best

Cheers

Daz
 
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