10 842 FUE Grafts over 5 Operations (3000 Dr De Reys in 2013; 1800 Dr De Reys 2014; 1200 Dr Reddy 2017; 3133 Dr Arshad 2019; 1709 with Seneca 2023)

[Bigmac]

Some SMP could work really well for you. I had the temporary version done a few years ago and it looked great.
I`d let your hair grow to a few cm`s, I think it will give better coverage and suit you.

 

[Edsarn]

Thanks @Bigmac for the advice. My hair is growing now and the coverage looks better. Once I get to 1 year post HT (and hopefully when we are out of lockdown), I will have SMP.

 

[Edsarn]

Is SMP painful @Bigmac? How does it compare to FUE, pain wise?

 

[Bigmac]

It depends on your pain threshold. When I had it done is was painless, a slight discomfort afterwards, a bit like a very mild case of sunburn. It only lasted a day if that for me. The needle only goes slightly in the skin, not very deep. Certain areas of your scalp may be more sensitive, such as the hairline which is located near the Supraorbital sensory nerve. Some people will take pain medications prior to having it done. It is a lot less invasive than having a regular tattoo.

Fue should be painless during the surgery, the only thing you may feel is the anaesthetic injections. Afterwards, there is the feeling of soreness for some, the contraction of the skin when healing in the donor area which is the skin pulling together closing the incision holes.

Like any wound to the surface of the skin, there may be a discomfort, soreness, itchiness and redness as the area heals.

 

[Edsarn]

I know all the doctors say FUE is painless, but I have experienced some pain and discomfort, especially if they take donor hair from an area that is not fully numb. My second FUE (12 months after my first) with Dr De Reys was excruciating!!!! Without over exaggerating, I felt every extraction, hole punched, and insertion. Really painful two days, to the point where I was close to stopping on Day 2. Others who have had surgery with Dr De Reys (on other forums) have said the same about him - it can be painful. I think he must use less anaesthetic or something. I ended up having nerve blockers injected above the bridge of my nose on Day 2 as well. He gets good results, but it can be painful during the operation. Weirdly though, although his surgeries were quite painful, I had the best recovery times with him - perhaps because he harvests only 1500 grafts per day. Once he has finished, there is no pain at all. I never had to take pain medication for any of my 4 days of surgery with him.

I think my least painful surgery was the 4th Surgery with Dr Arshad. Felt very little all day, other than the injections, but I had a much more painful recovery period. It's probably just me....

 

[Jerrysister]

Looks good.

 

[Edsarn]

Thanks @Jerrysister I went through a bit of an ugly duckling stage! I think my hair looks fine shaved down or at least 2-3 cm all over - but not in between!! I think I will grow it again. I will also post some of the pictures I had taken (on an old iPhone 3) before my very first HT.

 

[Edsarn]

2012 Pre-HT Pictures

This is what my hair looked like towards the end of 2012, before my first HT with Dr De Reys in the summer of 2013. I am fairly confident that I would be completely bald now without the surgery I have had! The picture quality is not great - they were taken on an iPhone 3, back in the day.

I was not taking any meds in this picture, and I am not currently taking them either. When I look back at these, I do think the cost and the ordeal of lying down for around 12 hours over 6 full days (across the four operations) has been worth it. Just looking forward to my hair growing out now!

 

[SeanFUE]

this has been quite a transformation- from start to what it is now. Would love to see smp updates when you get it

 

[Bigmac]

I agree with Sean, you`ve had a long journey and have achieved a good end result.

 

[Baldingman23]

Great result from your HT’s would you put all 3 surgeons at the same level skill wise ?

 

[Edsarn]

Thanks @Baldingman23 - when I look back to where I started it makes me realise what could have been.....

Good question! In terms of my results, I would not say one doctor stands out more than the others For good or bad reasons, so yes I believe they are all equal in skill level. Another thing to mention is that all three doctors are highly ethical and had my best interest in mind over money. If anyone picked any of these doctors, they are in great hands - in my opinion.

I would say that De Reys and Reddy are more conservative than Dr Arshad.Dr Reddy said I did not have many grafts left, but Dr Arshad extracted another 3,000 + in my fourth operation. That has made a big difference to my final result.

 

[Edsarn]

Thanks @SeanFUE - I plan to get SMP later this year. Will update in due course.

 

[Edsarn]

12 Month Update

It’s now 12 months since my operation with the @HairDr Clinic.

Really happy with the improvements made and will get SMP to improve the crown at some point in future.

My donor is a little thin towards the name of my neck, but I’m not bothered about that. Other than that my donor still looks pretty thick.

 

[Bigmac]

Looking good Edsam.
Your nape area looks fine, many have similar with parts that have different density levels.
The SMP should create a nice improvement on your crown if you do it. Otherwise, you could just do a light sprinkle of Nanogen or similar if it bothers you.

 

[Sammmuel]

niiiiceeeee

 

[Kevboy]

Looks great.

 

[Kevboy]

Looks great.

 

[Edsarn]

Looking good Edsam.
Your nape area looks fine, many have similar with parts that have different density levels.
The SMP should create a nice improvement on your crown if you do it. Otherwise, you could just do a light sprinkle of Nanogen or similar if it bothers you.

Thanks @Bigmac - I’ve been putting a few fibres in when going out. Does not take much though now to fill it. Once I get SMP, I will update this page.

 

[Bigmac]

Sounds good. Yes, a little sprinkle of fibers can work wonders.