P
Phil M
member
Hi everyone,
I had a 1420 graft FUE hair transplant 14 months ago at the Maitland Clinic in Portsmouth (UK) and thought it would be good to share the experience and also the before/after photos here which might help somebody in the future. I've taken lots of pictures throughout the process so you can know what to expect if it is something that you are thinking about having done.
Story
I'm 32 years old and my hair has been thinning and receding for around 7 years. I first went to see Dr Ball at the Maitland clinic when I was 28 and was first advised to start with topical and/or oral medication, although shortly after starting with finasteride I discontinued after experiencing some side effects. I decided to stick with PRP and LLLT.
Eventually after a few years I decided to make another consultation with Dr Ball as my hair was still thinning and receding and thought that it might be time to go for a hair transplant if he was happy to do so.
I had a few concerns in the beginning which I had spoken about with their Senior Patient Advisor, David Anderson, who was really helpful in answering all my questions and making me feel at ease. I was worried that people would be able to tell that I had had a hair transplant and that it would be a permanent feature as there is no going back, but he told me that a you should never notice a good hair transplant, and that is exactly the result that I now have.
Once I had decided to go for the hair transplant, there was a 5 month wait which I think was due to the government restrictions at the time, but this worked out well for me as my hair had continued to thin during those 5 months.
Operation
On the night before the operation, I checked in to the hotel which is just a few minute walk away from the clinic, ready for a good nights sleep and to arrive at the clinic for 7.30am.
The team were really friendly, talked me through everything and made me feel very relaxed. Dr Ball explained everything thoroughly and he also shuts the clinic on the day of surgery so that the patient gets his full attention.
As for the day itself, I didn't really feel anything uncomfortable throughout the whole process, the injections were fine and I actually had a really relaxed day watching Netflix and chatting to the team.
Timeline after surgery
Day 0 - Arriving home in the evening: This was the only time I felt pain, before going to sleep but had some codeine to hand.
Day 1-3: Sleeping in 45degree angle and not touching head, also using the energy spray that was supplied.
Day 6: First shower
Day 7: Scabs are drying and falling off head
Day 8: Shedding started, scabs continue to fall off
Day 10: Shedding continued, Scabs mainly gone
Day 13: Back to 'normalish' hairline, thin areas showing more or less the same as before the hair transplant
Day 14: Started with minoxidil
Day 17/18: Noticed small black dots on scalp and can feel stubble on head
Notes: I think after 2 weeks had passed, you couldn't really tell that I had surgery on my head, there was still redness on the transplant area but you wouldn't have really noticed.
Conclusion
I started for the first time using minoxidil topically 2 weeks after the hair transplant, and have now been using it for 12 months and have noticed that my hair has thickened a lot, my hair actually appears darker now. I'm now also using a topical finasteride too which seems to be going well with no side effects.
Dr Ball has such a great team and they have done such an amazing job in restoring my hair and answering all my questions. All of my previous anxieties have gone and Dr Ball also did a great job in preserving the hair in my donor area for future transplants if needed. I would certainly recommend The Maitland Clinic to anyone thinking of getting a hair transplant and would definitely go back in the future. Thank you to everyone involved!
Before
After
Pre-Op Photos
Post-Op Photos
Day 10 Photos
3 Weeks
2 Months
I had a 1420 graft FUE hair transplant 14 months ago at the Maitland Clinic in Portsmouth (UK) and thought it would be good to share the experience and also the before/after photos here which might help somebody in the future. I've taken lots of pictures throughout the process so you can know what to expect if it is something that you are thinking about having done.
Story
I'm 32 years old and my hair has been thinning and receding for around 7 years. I first went to see Dr Ball at the Maitland clinic when I was 28 and was first advised to start with topical and/or oral medication, although shortly after starting with finasteride I discontinued after experiencing some side effects. I decided to stick with PRP and LLLT.
Eventually after a few years I decided to make another consultation with Dr Ball as my hair was still thinning and receding and thought that it might be time to go for a hair transplant if he was happy to do so.
I had a few concerns in the beginning which I had spoken about with their Senior Patient Advisor, David Anderson, who was really helpful in answering all my questions and making me feel at ease. I was worried that people would be able to tell that I had had a hair transplant and that it would be a permanent feature as there is no going back, but he told me that a you should never notice a good hair transplant, and that is exactly the result that I now have.
Once I had decided to go for the hair transplant, there was a 5 month wait which I think was due to the government restrictions at the time, but this worked out well for me as my hair had continued to thin during those 5 months.
Operation
On the night before the operation, I checked in to the hotel which is just a few minute walk away from the clinic, ready for a good nights sleep and to arrive at the clinic for 7.30am.
The team were really friendly, talked me through everything and made me feel very relaxed. Dr Ball explained everything thoroughly and he also shuts the clinic on the day of surgery so that the patient gets his full attention.
As for the day itself, I didn't really feel anything uncomfortable throughout the whole process, the injections were fine and I actually had a really relaxed day watching Netflix and chatting to the team.
Timeline after surgery
Day 0 - Arriving home in the evening: This was the only time I felt pain, before going to sleep but had some codeine to hand.
Day 1-3: Sleeping in 45degree angle and not touching head, also using the energy spray that was supplied.
Day 6: First shower
Day 7: Scabs are drying and falling off head
Day 8: Shedding started, scabs continue to fall off
Day 10: Shedding continued, Scabs mainly gone
Day 13: Back to 'normalish' hairline, thin areas showing more or less the same as before the hair transplant
Day 14: Started with minoxidil
Day 17/18: Noticed small black dots on scalp and can feel stubble on head
Notes: I think after 2 weeks had passed, you couldn't really tell that I had surgery on my head, there was still redness on the transplant area but you wouldn't have really noticed.
Conclusion
I started for the first time using minoxidil topically 2 weeks after the hair transplant, and have now been using it for 12 months and have noticed that my hair has thickened a lot, my hair actually appears darker now. I'm now also using a topical finasteride too which seems to be going well with no side effects.
Dr Ball has such a great team and they have done such an amazing job in restoring my hair and answering all my questions. All of my previous anxieties have gone and Dr Ball also did a great job in preserving the hair in my donor area for future transplants if needed. I would certainly recommend The Maitland Clinic to anyone thinking of getting a hair transplant and would definitely go back in the future. Thank you to everyone involved!
Before
After
Pre-Op Photos
Post-Op Photos
Day 10 Photos
3 Weeks
2 Months
