G
GMatthews94
member
At the age of 27, my hair was quickly thinning. I used to say that it didn’t bother me and that I would just shave my head; however, I continuously found myself wearing hats when I left the house. I was even wearing hats in the house. I was in denial and the truth was, it was starting to get me down so I decided to look into getting a hair transplant. I looked online at different clinics, reading review after review and trying to get an idea of the cost. In my search, I came across Dr Mani. I had an online video consultation with him and I was immediately put at ease. What I liked most about Dr Mani was his honesty. He has a very natural, friendly demeanour and encouraged me to make sure that this was the right decision for myself before committing to the procedure. He also explained how we would determine my "new" hairline to ensure a natural and long-lasting look, and gave me insight around what to expect during the day of surgery and after.
Surgery Day
On the day of the surgery, Dr Mani went through the procedure again and introduced me to the team that was assisting him. My wife was with me the morning of the surgery and Dr Mani included her in the pre-surgery chat to make sure she was also happy & understood everything that would be happening, which we both really appreciated and thought was really great of Dr Mani to take the time to do. After this conversation, Dr Mani invited me upstairs to theatre, where my head was shaved by one of Dr Mani's assistants and anaesthetic was administered into the areas around the treatment area (this was by far the most painful part!). Once that was finished, I laid on my front on the operating bed where the first half of the surgery took place - extraction of the follicles.
For this first half of the surgery, Dr Mani made tiny incisions across the back of my head (the donor area) in order to remove the follicles that would be transplanted. Once all of the necessary incisions were made, his assistants worked on removing the follicles and they were counted. This part of the surgery took between 3-4 hours. I was then required me to lay on my back, and Dr Mani proceeded to make the incisions in the transplant area at the front of my head which would receive the grafts. When I speak to people about the surgery, they always looked shocked when I tell them about the length of time it takes, however, time went by quite quickly (Dr Mani and I spoke a lot about football which was a great distraction). Once all the incisions had been made, the assistants started the implantation phase. This second half of the surgery again took approximately 3-4 hours. During this stage, Dr Mani felt one area of the transplant area required more follicles, so he went back to the donor area, extracted an additional couple of hundred grafts and implanted them seamlessly. This really demonstrated his attention to detail and how dedicated he is to giving his patients the best outcome, and further put me at ease that I had chosen the right surgeon.
Additionally, as the surgery took longer than expected, Dr Mani went out of his way to keep my wife updated, which I know she was grateful for.
Aftercare
Once the surgery was over, Dr Mani went through the after care routine with my wife and I. He provided me with a medical bag which included a natural sponge, baby shampoo, dressings and a travel neck pillow, and he explained what to do and how to use everything thoroughly.
The 2 weeks post-surgery are hugely important. I was not allowed to do anything strenuous and exercise was definitely off the cards. In terms of cleaning the transplant area, I couldn't just get into the shower; I needed to wet the sponge and add a bit of baby shampoo, rub the sponge until the shampoo was really foamy, then hold the sponge above my head and squeeze the soap suds so they fell onto my head. For the first few days, if I remember rightly, I just had to leave the suds on the transplant area for a short period of time and then slowly pour lukewarm water over my scalp from a jug close to my head to rinse off.
After a few days, the transplant area started to scab over. For the remainder of the two week period, I had to lightly massage the area and try to work off the scabs using my fingertips. This part was not one I enjoyed, but I was providing Dr Mani with daily progress pictures via Whatsapp and he guided me when I needed to be firmer with the massaging during the wash to get the scabs off properly.
During that first 2 weeks, you also have to sleep upright which is why a neck pillow is provided in the kit; I found this very difficult and did experience some bad nights sleep over that fortnight. The front area was quite sore over the days post surgery and there was a lot of swelling that began at the top of my forehead and slowly moved down my face over the course of about 10 days. I did feel groggy for the first week, however, with the results I have so far with my new hair I would go through it all again in a heartbeat.
After that 2 weeks post surgery, you're able to go about your life as usual as the grafts have healed into the skin, but I still exercised caution with any activities I undertook. Appearance wise, the first couple of months were quite a struggle for me personally; the transplant area starts to shed during this time, and I was rocking a rather funky hairstyle that made me look like an old man - long back and sides, very thin on top. Thankfully, that stage does not last forever - it didn't even last long in the grand scheme of things. After the first 2 months, my hair started to grow through and at a far quicker rate than expected. I am now 6 months post-op, and I am constantly getting compliments on how good my hair looks. As each week goes by, my hair is noticeably thicker and my hairline is much fuller. I really cannot wait to see the final results in a year's time.
Surgery Day
On the day of the surgery, Dr Mani went through the procedure again and introduced me to the team that was assisting him. My wife was with me the morning of the surgery and Dr Mani included her in the pre-surgery chat to make sure she was also happy & understood everything that would be happening, which we both really appreciated and thought was really great of Dr Mani to take the time to do. After this conversation, Dr Mani invited me upstairs to theatre, where my head was shaved by one of Dr Mani's assistants and anaesthetic was administered into the areas around the treatment area (this was by far the most painful part!). Once that was finished, I laid on my front on the operating bed where the first half of the surgery took place - extraction of the follicles.
For this first half of the surgery, Dr Mani made tiny incisions across the back of my head (the donor area) in order to remove the follicles that would be transplanted. Once all of the necessary incisions were made, his assistants worked on removing the follicles and they were counted. This part of the surgery took between 3-4 hours. I was then required me to lay on my back, and Dr Mani proceeded to make the incisions in the transplant area at the front of my head which would receive the grafts. When I speak to people about the surgery, they always looked shocked when I tell them about the length of time it takes, however, time went by quite quickly (Dr Mani and I spoke a lot about football which was a great distraction). Once all the incisions had been made, the assistants started the implantation phase. This second half of the surgery again took approximately 3-4 hours. During this stage, Dr Mani felt one area of the transplant area required more follicles, so he went back to the donor area, extracted an additional couple of hundred grafts and implanted them seamlessly. This really demonstrated his attention to detail and how dedicated he is to giving his patients the best outcome, and further put me at ease that I had chosen the right surgeon.
Additionally, as the surgery took longer than expected, Dr Mani went out of his way to keep my wife updated, which I know she was grateful for.
Aftercare
Once the surgery was over, Dr Mani went through the after care routine with my wife and I. He provided me with a medical bag which included a natural sponge, baby shampoo, dressings and a travel neck pillow, and he explained what to do and how to use everything thoroughly.
The 2 weeks post-surgery are hugely important. I was not allowed to do anything strenuous and exercise was definitely off the cards. In terms of cleaning the transplant area, I couldn't just get into the shower; I needed to wet the sponge and add a bit of baby shampoo, rub the sponge until the shampoo was really foamy, then hold the sponge above my head and squeeze the soap suds so they fell onto my head. For the first few days, if I remember rightly, I just had to leave the suds on the transplant area for a short period of time and then slowly pour lukewarm water over my scalp from a jug close to my head to rinse off.
After a few days, the transplant area started to scab over. For the remainder of the two week period, I had to lightly massage the area and try to work off the scabs using my fingertips. This part was not one I enjoyed, but I was providing Dr Mani with daily progress pictures via Whatsapp and he guided me when I needed to be firmer with the massaging during the wash to get the scabs off properly.
During that first 2 weeks, you also have to sleep upright which is why a neck pillow is provided in the kit; I found this very difficult and did experience some bad nights sleep over that fortnight. The front area was quite sore over the days post surgery and there was a lot of swelling that began at the top of my forehead and slowly moved down my face over the course of about 10 days. I did feel groggy for the first week, however, with the results I have so far with my new hair I would go through it all again in a heartbeat.
After that 2 weeks post surgery, you're able to go about your life as usual as the grafts have healed into the skin, but I still exercised caution with any activities I undertook. Appearance wise, the first couple of months were quite a struggle for me personally; the transplant area starts to shed during this time, and I was rocking a rather funky hairstyle that made me look like an old man - long back and sides, very thin on top. Thankfully, that stage does not last forever - it didn't even last long in the grand scheme of things. After the first 2 months, my hair started to grow through and at a far quicker rate than expected. I am now 6 months post-op, and I am constantly getting compliments on how good my hair looks. As each week goes by, my hair is noticeably thicker and my hairline is much fuller. I really cannot wait to see the final results in a year's time.
