T
TomTom
Valued member
I wanted to share my recent experiences having just had a procedure at The Maitland clinic in Portsmouth, in the last few weeks with Dr Edward Ball & his team.
I had done a lot of research prior to deciding last year that I thought an HT would be the best choice for me, having lost hair for some years but was more or less stable. I went to meet several different doctors in as many clinics as possible in order to decide what I felt was best for me. I went through quite a list, but once I met Dr Ball I was quite sure he was the right person, I felt very early when I met him that he really cares about what he does, and how he does it, & that extends to the team he has. I really considered it important to focus on the fact someone will undertake a procedure on me that will be visible to everyone & define how I will look for the rest of my life, so the doctors ability, artistry & confidence was paramount to me, having met Dr Ball on two occasions prior to my procedure, I did not have one seconds apprehension before - during - or after the procedure, and I am so happy I made the decision I did.
The only thing that I wrestled with for a while was FUT or FUE, I opted for FUE & am very glad I did, in my case it was the better choice.
The Maitland clinic carry out procedures in London or Portsmouth, for me Portsmouth made a lot of sense. I would recommend that location to anyone, the clinic is in a very modern building & is discreetly located inside, it's stress free. The Portsmouth clinic is easy to get to & is less than 1 mile from the M27 as well as easy access to trains & an airport.
So a little of how my procedure went.
On the day:
I found the whole day fairly relaxing, I arrived at 8am and we spent some time planning the hairline - then my head was shaved (first time ever) then my head was washed, I met the rest of the team, who were all really cool. I took a relaxant, my head was numbed & the day progressed from there, it was pain free. The day was long, but no one was in a hurry, which was extremely reassuring. I can genuinely say to anyone thinking of doing this, it is virtually painless- you spend most of your day watching films & the day seems to go quickly, my procedure lasted near on 12 hours, but did not feel that long at all. There was always time for a break, and to have some lunch. I was really well looked after, can't fault it.
Next 48 hours:
Again quite straight forward, I needed to get used to sleeping with my head raised for a few days, and not touch the top of my head for any reason & generally just take it easy. In my case whilst it was a little sore, there was no real pain or irritation to note - my head felt like there was a small mount of pressure applied to it for a couple of days, not unpleasant though - mostly not even noticeable. As far as the donor area is concerned, unless I leaned back on a surface like a chair headrest I totally forgot about it. Ointment is supplied for the back of your head which really help those little tiny dots shrink even further - to produce really mini dots, as well as keeping your donor area feeling quite relaxed, this was applied during the first seven days. I stayed at home for 3 days, to avoid wearing hats early on & risking displacing any grafts, in fact for me staying in & doing nothing was the most difficult part of the whole first week - I am not used to that at all, but once you start watching a film or two - it's all good.
The next week or so:
By day 4 many of the little scabs on the back of my head were gone & by day 6 or 7 they had all gone. In the recipient area, by day 9 all the crusts were gone - the colour of my skin is still a little pinker than usual (even now), I guess that is to be expected & will slowly fade over time, I had some meetings I could not avoid on day 9, & no one noticed a thing - I was pretty impressed with that.
I have read other comments and posts about itchiness - I have not experienced this very much (yet). I think maybe getting rid of the scabs as early as possible probably helps as there is less to irritate the skin, time will tell if this becomes an issue for me or not.
So far all has gone very well, & I can't speak highly enough of Dr Ball & his whole team, I am really excited to see how this progresses, of course it will be sometime before any results are going to show, so I'm going to try to concentrate on other things & just let the time slip by & see where we are in a few months. I have included a few photos, pre-op, straight after, & a few during the first 10 to 14 days after.
Still early days, I will update this post in the coming months.
I had done a lot of research prior to deciding last year that I thought an HT would be the best choice for me, having lost hair for some years but was more or less stable. I went to meet several different doctors in as many clinics as possible in order to decide what I felt was best for me. I went through quite a list, but once I met Dr Ball I was quite sure he was the right person, I felt very early when I met him that he really cares about what he does, and how he does it, & that extends to the team he has. I really considered it important to focus on the fact someone will undertake a procedure on me that will be visible to everyone & define how I will look for the rest of my life, so the doctors ability, artistry & confidence was paramount to me, having met Dr Ball on two occasions prior to my procedure, I did not have one seconds apprehension before - during - or after the procedure, and I am so happy I made the decision I did.
The only thing that I wrestled with for a while was FUT or FUE, I opted for FUE & am very glad I did, in my case it was the better choice.
The Maitland clinic carry out procedures in London or Portsmouth, for me Portsmouth made a lot of sense. I would recommend that location to anyone, the clinic is in a very modern building & is discreetly located inside, it's stress free. The Portsmouth clinic is easy to get to & is less than 1 mile from the M27 as well as easy access to trains & an airport.
So a little of how my procedure went.
On the day:
I found the whole day fairly relaxing, I arrived at 8am and we spent some time planning the hairline - then my head was shaved (first time ever) then my head was washed, I met the rest of the team, who were all really cool. I took a relaxant, my head was numbed & the day progressed from there, it was pain free. The day was long, but no one was in a hurry, which was extremely reassuring. I can genuinely say to anyone thinking of doing this, it is virtually painless- you spend most of your day watching films & the day seems to go quickly, my procedure lasted near on 12 hours, but did not feel that long at all. There was always time for a break, and to have some lunch. I was really well looked after, can't fault it.
Next 48 hours:
Again quite straight forward, I needed to get used to sleeping with my head raised for a few days, and not touch the top of my head for any reason & generally just take it easy. In my case whilst it was a little sore, there was no real pain or irritation to note - my head felt like there was a small mount of pressure applied to it for a couple of days, not unpleasant though - mostly not even noticeable. As far as the donor area is concerned, unless I leaned back on a surface like a chair headrest I totally forgot about it. Ointment is supplied for the back of your head which really help those little tiny dots shrink even further - to produce really mini dots, as well as keeping your donor area feeling quite relaxed, this was applied during the first seven days. I stayed at home for 3 days, to avoid wearing hats early on & risking displacing any grafts, in fact for me staying in & doing nothing was the most difficult part of the whole first week - I am not used to that at all, but once you start watching a film or two - it's all good.
The next week or so:
By day 4 many of the little scabs on the back of my head were gone & by day 6 or 7 they had all gone. In the recipient area, by day 9 all the crusts were gone - the colour of my skin is still a little pinker than usual (even now), I guess that is to be expected & will slowly fade over time, I had some meetings I could not avoid on day 9, & no one noticed a thing - I was pretty impressed with that.
I have read other comments and posts about itchiness - I have not experienced this very much (yet). I think maybe getting rid of the scabs as early as possible probably helps as there is less to irritate the skin, time will tell if this becomes an issue for me or not.
So far all has gone very well, & I can't speak highly enough of Dr Ball & his whole team, I am really excited to see how this progresses, of course it will be sometime before any results are going to show, so I'm going to try to concentrate on other things & just let the time slip by & see where we are in a few months. I have included a few photos, pre-op, straight after, & a few during the first 10 to 14 days after.
Still early days, I will update this post in the coming months.