R
Rambling Man
member
Hi all! I had my FUE procedure with Dr. Ball at The Maitland Clinic last month on the 19th May! I am a long time lurker and found this forum to be incredibly helpful and even inspiring when I was carrying out my own research!
Consultations
I first met with Dr. Ball and David Anderson in Portsmouth back in November 2019. The consultation was somewhat eye opening, in terms of what was really needed for my hairline. There was an emphasis on giving me an appropriate hairline for my age and for the future too!
I was recommended around 1500 grafts by the FUE method. I walked away from the consultation knowing that I would be having my hair transplant procedure with The Maitland Clinic!
However, I also knew that I wanted to wait at least another six to twelve months, just to see as to how I got on with Finasteride. The original plan was to either have it done in December 2020 or March/April 2021, but neither happened as it just wasn’t the right time for me.
Fast forward to December last year and I had reached a point where I was simply fed up with the front of my hairline and didn’t want to keep delaying it any further! I put down a deposit to secure my procedure for May 2022. I should say Finasteride/propecia had worked very well for me in terms of keeping what I had. But the front needed fixing!
Pre-Op
I had a ZOOM consultation with David Anderson in April to catch up, as it had been a while since we had last met. I sent some photos over and was pleased to hear that it appeared not a great deal has changed since we last met. It was great catching up and chatting to David once again!
I then met with Dr. Ball at the clinic the night before my procedure; our meeting lasted just shy of 2 hours. Dr. Ball went through what to expect, along with a questionnaire. Everything was looking much the same besides some slight recession further back which Dr. Ball said could be sorted now. Dr. Ball even said that it was a good thing that I had waited!
One thing which put my mind at ease was being asked about if I wanted a partial head shave or a full head shave. I ended up having the sides and back shaved to the same length, with the top not being shaved or cut at this stage. Dr. Ball actually gave me a pretty good haircut!
Some of the photos from the night before which were taken at the clinic are shown below:
Procedure
The day of the procedure went by so quickly, which is strange as I was at the clinic from 7:30am to 7:40pm!
Gina was first to meet me in the morning, and it is fair to say that Gina was absolutely brilliant at helping to settle any initial nerves. I was provided with a top to wear (which would later be cut) and weighed before receiving a hair wash.
Dr. Ball then shaved the recipient areas and was incredibly kind in how he did this, leaving more than enough on top for me to brush it forward and conceal my grafts.
I was given some medication to help relax me. The injections were not really painful (I only felt a little bit of discomfort here and there which is to be expected!) and any discomfort was short-lived.
Every step was clearly explained prior to being actioned. Nothing was rushed and you can tell that everyone is working to a high level and standard to give you the best possible care on the day. Dr. Ball was reassuring throughout with his comments.
Lunch was provided with plenty of snacks, along with music and every streaming service going! The team are all friendly, kind and incredibly passionate. I liked that the team checked in at the right times to see how I was doing but equally they didn’t overdo it.
The whole day was pretty relaxing in all honesty. At the end of the procedure, photos were taken and Dr. Ball said he had “butterflies” looking at my grafts! That was a lovely thing to say and made me feel excited.
I have to be honest, I had it in my head that I would look in the mirror and think “what have I done?” … But when that moment actually arrived I felt happy and was incredibly pleased! It gave me butterflies too!
Aftercare
The aftercare package which Karen went through was simple enough to follow and I loved how it was all clearly outlined for me each day to tick off.. the bag I was sent home had everything I needed. Karen called me the following day to check in on me and I sent some photos as requested. Karen also checked in at various points of the recovery to see how I was doing!
Post Procedure Recovery
The first several days weren’t too bad at all! I had little in the way of swelling (mostly around my forehead which the massaging helped to quickly reduce) and I was off the painkillers in no time! I followed the aftercare guidance and was cautious.
My donor area immediately after the procedure:
The recipient area immediately after the procedure:
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask! I will do some replies to show how things looked several days after etc. and will try to post my progress throughout the next 12 months or so!
Consultations
I first met with Dr. Ball and David Anderson in Portsmouth back in November 2019. The consultation was somewhat eye opening, in terms of what was really needed for my hairline. There was an emphasis on giving me an appropriate hairline for my age and for the future too!
I was recommended around 1500 grafts by the FUE method. I walked away from the consultation knowing that I would be having my hair transplant procedure with The Maitland Clinic!
However, I also knew that I wanted to wait at least another six to twelve months, just to see as to how I got on with Finasteride. The original plan was to either have it done in December 2020 or March/April 2021, but neither happened as it just wasn’t the right time for me.
Fast forward to December last year and I had reached a point where I was simply fed up with the front of my hairline and didn’t want to keep delaying it any further! I put down a deposit to secure my procedure for May 2022. I should say Finasteride/propecia had worked very well for me in terms of keeping what I had. But the front needed fixing!
Pre-Op
I had a ZOOM consultation with David Anderson in April to catch up, as it had been a while since we had last met. I sent some photos over and was pleased to hear that it appeared not a great deal has changed since we last met. It was great catching up and chatting to David once again!
I then met with Dr. Ball at the clinic the night before my procedure; our meeting lasted just shy of 2 hours. Dr. Ball went through what to expect, along with a questionnaire. Everything was looking much the same besides some slight recession further back which Dr. Ball said could be sorted now. Dr. Ball even said that it was a good thing that I had waited!
One thing which put my mind at ease was being asked about if I wanted a partial head shave or a full head shave. I ended up having the sides and back shaved to the same length, with the top not being shaved or cut at this stage. Dr. Ball actually gave me a pretty good haircut!
Some of the photos from the night before which were taken at the clinic are shown below:
Procedure
The day of the procedure went by so quickly, which is strange as I was at the clinic from 7:30am to 7:40pm!
Gina was first to meet me in the morning, and it is fair to say that Gina was absolutely brilliant at helping to settle any initial nerves. I was provided with a top to wear (which would later be cut) and weighed before receiving a hair wash.
Dr. Ball then shaved the recipient areas and was incredibly kind in how he did this, leaving more than enough on top for me to brush it forward and conceal my grafts.
I was given some medication to help relax me. The injections were not really painful (I only felt a little bit of discomfort here and there which is to be expected!) and any discomfort was short-lived.
Every step was clearly explained prior to being actioned. Nothing was rushed and you can tell that everyone is working to a high level and standard to give you the best possible care on the day. Dr. Ball was reassuring throughout with his comments.
Lunch was provided with plenty of snacks, along with music and every streaming service going! The team are all friendly, kind and incredibly passionate. I liked that the team checked in at the right times to see how I was doing but equally they didn’t overdo it.
The whole day was pretty relaxing in all honesty. At the end of the procedure, photos were taken and Dr. Ball said he had “butterflies” looking at my grafts! That was a lovely thing to say and made me feel excited.
I have to be honest, I had it in my head that I would look in the mirror and think “what have I done?” … But when that moment actually arrived I felt happy and was incredibly pleased! It gave me butterflies too!
Aftercare
The aftercare package which Karen went through was simple enough to follow and I loved how it was all clearly outlined for me each day to tick off.. the bag I was sent home had everything I needed. Karen called me the following day to check in on me and I sent some photos as requested. Karen also checked in at various points of the recovery to see how I was doing!
Post Procedure Recovery
The first several days weren’t too bad at all! I had little in the way of swelling (mostly around my forehead which the massaging helped to quickly reduce) and I was off the painkillers in no time! I followed the aftercare guidance and was cautious.
My donor area immediately after the procedure:
The recipient area immediately after the procedure:
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask! I will do some replies to show how things looked several days after etc. and will try to post my progress throughout the next 12 months or so!
