Hair Transplant by Dr Tam 03/11/2020

[John2704]

Hi I have booked my hair transplant with Dr Tam, Harley Street, London. The procedure is booked for November 3rd. I'll be updating my progress here.

The Consultation
My consultation began at 11am. The clinic is very nice and clean. Dr. Tam welcomed me with a smile and offered me a coffee. He is very nice and friendly. We made some small talk and he asked some questions relating to my family history and why I want a hair transplant. He was very detail oriented and not at all in a rush, which gave me a lot of confidence he really cares about his patients.

He showed me extensive photos of his work and he explained how hair transplants look with various hairlines and hair styles. This was important because I had not really considered the type of hairstyle which would look best with a hair transplant. I felt really at ease with Dr. Tam and as the consultation progressed I knew he was the doctor for the job. I really liked that he honestly managed my expectations, which were grounded anyway. He also took measurements and his fees are very transparent. He has them on his website and calculates the cost by cm of coverage which in my opinion is better. This is because when you are having a hair transplant you want a space filled and the cost per graft should not be main cost factor rather the quality of the density with proper blending of the surrounding area. This way the doctor is more focused on ensuring the area is transplanted correctly rather than if he is going over an agreed volume of grafts/hairs.

Dr Tam also took various photos and measurements and we agreed on a hairline design. He also magnified my scalp and analysed my hair on various regions of my scalp. My hair density was pretty much even all over. In total my consultation lasted 1hr and 45minutes.

Another thing I really appreciated was that I had a question relating to Finasteride and I fired over an email with a couple of questions. He called me back personally and we had a chat. I thought this was the type of service you need when getting a procedure such as this.

I will post progress here. Overall I am very excited I have chosen Dr Tam to do my hairline restoration and look forward to seeing the results. Any questions let me know.

 

[John2704]

I had my hairline restoration with Dr Tam yesterday. I must say the day was long but there was very little pain and discomfort, which was great. I arrived at the clinic slightly early and we had a chat and moved on to taking measurements and drawing the hairline design. We then proceeded with the extractions from the donor area. This involved local anaesthesia and then Dr Tam extracting the grafts, he mentioned he uses devices which are 0.8mm and below to prevent damage to the donor area, where possible. While this was happening his team were dealing with the grafts. In total Dr Tam used 3 technicians. I liked the fact that Dr Tam has been working with his team for years so I felt in safe hands. They were all very friendly and clearly worked well together.

After this we moved on to the recipient area and Dr Tam applied more injections and began making the incisions. This flew by as I was watching TV at this point. Dr Tam provided a nice lunch, which I ate and then his team of technicians began placing the grafts. Once that was done they cleaned me up and made sure I looked presentable. What I really liked is that Dr Tam supervised his technicians while they were placing the grafts as he knew I had some concerns from horror stories I had read online. So he was constantly checking and making sure I was fine.

Also Dr Tam has a specially designed cap which hides the treatment. This really helped and I felt totally fine going outside with this on. Other things I like are that he offers a hairdresser and car service if you need it. But I think the best part is that he does not shave your entire head. He only does the donor area which is great because you can still look relatively normal. This was a big plus for me personally

Before I left he gave me his personal mobile number and my goody bag of post-op care. Overall the experience was very good and surprisingly easy.
After I came home I felt tired but felt much better after I ate. I didn't have to take any pain meds and fell asleep quite easily.

I woke up this morning, showered and took the gauze off from the donor area. There were some spots of blood but not too much. My wife said she could not see that I had anything done to the donor area, which is surprising.

I have attached some photos below.

 

[Bigmac]

Hi John, thanks for sharing your story with Dr Tam. It`s great that more of his patients are posting about their experience as it helps others who are busy researching.
The work looks very clean and refined. I`m sure this will produce an amazing hairline for you.
How many grafts did you end up having?
Did you or were you already taking Finasteride?

 

[John2704]

Thanks. I think approx 1600. I will check with him. I will begin Finasteride in a few days.

 

[John2704]

Here is a photo of the donor area. I think it looks good.

 

[Bigmac]

1600 is a nice amount of grafts for your hairline. Your donor area looks very good.

 

[John2704]

Here is the breakdown of the grafts given to me by Dr Tam:
1/607
2/1031
3//283
Total grafts: 1921
Total hairs: 3518

So more than I initially thought. This should give me a good amount of coverage with decent softness at the front.

 

[Kevboy]

Looks really good even though it`s only been a few days.

 

[Bigmac]

Yes, your graft count is decent. A good amount of singles for the hairline that will create a natural look.

 

[John2704]

So it's just over a week since my hair transplant and I thought I would give you an update. I did not have much swelling at all, which was great and no pain on the donor area or recipient. I sprayed a lot and had virtually no scabbing by the 3rd day. All in all no issues after the procedure. The only difficult thing was sleeping in the recliner. I started washing my hair at the weekend, very gently. I haven't noticed any shedding yet although I'm sure that will begin in the next couple of weeks.

Here are a couple of pics.

 

[Bigmac]

You look to be healng very well. The more you spray in the early days really helps with preventing scabs to form and keeps the area looking clean.
Sleeping is awkward for the first few days but it soon passes and then forgotten about.
You may be one of the lucky ones who don't shed but don't build your hopes up.

 

[John2704]

I just want to add a few details relating to my procedure that I may have missed. My procedure took about 9 hours, this includes breaks and lunch. Dr Tam has been working with his technicians for years and they came across as very professional and knowledgeable. The aftercare was great. Dr Tam gave me his personal mobile number and called me the morning after to check everything was OK. We have also been Whatsapping too. My follow-up is booked for 2 weeks after the procedure.

 

[Bigmac]

That`s good to hear Dr Tam is there for you for any aftercare support you may need.

 

[Jack1988]

I just want to add a few details relating to my procedure that I may have missed. My procedure took about 9 hours, this includes breaks and lunch. Dr Tam has been working with his technicians for years and they came across as very professional and knowledgeable. The aftercare was great. Dr Tam gave me his personal mobile number and called me the morning after to check everything was OK. We have also been Whatsapping too. My follow-up is booked for 2 weeks after the procedure.

Hi John, great to hear all went well with your HT. Can I DM you regarding the price?

 

[John2704]

Sure

 

[Jack1988]

Sure

thanks, I have just DM'd you!

 

[Bigmac]

How's everything looking John?

 

[SearchingMan]

Any update?

 

[MrGaga15]

I have been looking into DR Tam myself recently. Though slightly concerned there is no update from the OP! unless hes just stopped using the site....

 

[John2704]

Here is an update. Had mine done in early November 2020. I did not lose all of it post op. Some sprouts starting to show.