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The Hair Dr/ Dr Arshad - 2400 grafts

J

jimmymac1492

member
Hi all!

I'm a month post op and i just wanted to post a few words for anyone that might be nervous, apprehensive or undecided about a hair transplant.

I'm a slow diffuse thinner with a slowly receding temple and hairline, I've always had fine hair so it took me a while to notice my hairline and density was getting worse. I'm 27 now and I probably first noticed around 24, and for the last 12 months it really started to bother me. I looked at hair systems, dermarolling, pigmentation, everything basically - because let's be honest - hair transplants aren't cheap!

Ultimately after weighing up probable outcomes, price over time of hair systems, and reading lots and lots online, I decided to go for an initial consultation with a couple of HT clinics in September 2019. I chose to stay in the UK rather than go abroad as in my mind, the standards are higher, the aftercare is better and I like the ability to just make a quick appointment should i need anything. I know lots of people have had successful HTs abroad but my thought process was 'why risk it at all'? If your hair truly bothers you then you should commit to sorting it properly and give yourself the best chance of a good result.

Anyways, I had a generic consultation with a clinic in Manchester, where I was made to feel comfortable but I wasn't convinced that the Dr had my best interests or welfare at heart. I then went to the Hair Dr for an initial consultation and the thing that sold it was Dr Arshad's level of experience, and how i never once felt like I had to commit or book the procedure. I never received any sales calls asking me to book, it was left purely down to me. Dr Arshad told me I would need roughly 2500 grafts to get the result that I wanted, he talked me through the procedure and aftercare, reassured me, and even offered for me to see an HT that was going on in the clinic at the time, so I knew what to expect should I choose to proceed.

Obviously I decided to go ahead with the procedure and I agreed on a date 6 weeks later. My procedure was on the 18th December. I had another pre-op meeting to discuss in more detail what to expect, what I wanted and what aftercare looked like. On the day of the procedure, I was terrified mainly about having my hair shaved off. One thing I found was that this was slightly liberating and it's strange how quickly you, your friends and colleagues all accept what you look like. I personally didn't hide my HT and everyone was super supportive and it took any pressure off as everyone knew exactly why my head was shaved and they were also on the journey with me asking questions, excited to see it grow back etc. My advice here is just embrace it, don't make yourself feel bad, its actually enjoyable and you can pretend to be Ross Kemp or Vin Diesel!

After arrival, they shaved my hair and changed me into a gown, doused me with iodine, numbed me with some local anaesthetic and laid me face down for the extraction phase. I'm not a huge fan of needles so this bit was the worse for me, which is saying something when your surgically moving 2500 follicles on your head. Once the first 2 or 3 injections have taken effect after 5 mins, you can't feel anything from therein. More anaesthetic - nothing. Extraction - nothing, genuinely I could have fallen to sleep if I had wanted. I kept chatting to Dr Arshad who was happy to answer my questions about the technicalities of the procedure, its obviously very routine to him but so alien to the patients so i found that really interesting. After 4-5 hours of this, we broke for lunch and i was able to order anything I wanted from a local catering business. I had around half an hour for a drink and to eat - i was pretty hungry and you are encouraged to eat.

The second half you are sat upright/45 degrees. TV is available if you want it but I didn't, I chose to relax and close my eyes. I had some more anaesthetic that i couldn't feel, then Dr Arshad made the incisions in my recipient area. After this was done (1.5-2h) Dr Arshads team began implanting my new hairs which took around 4h. Obviously by this point you are tired and ready to stand up and move. At the end, your head is heavy and swollen but there is no pain at all. I was bandaged up then Dr Arshad gave me a debrief ad told me he felt the procedure was very successful and was really excited to see my results. He also walked me through my aftercare and gave me all my medications at this point.

For the first week i sprayed my scalp with water every 2h, and i took the medication as prescribed, that's antibiotics, some anti swelling meds, finasteride, and some cream for the donor area. The second day I removed my bandages which felt amazing. I followed the aftercare religiously and slept with a travel pillow at a 45 degree angle for 2 weeks after the procedure. Days 2 and 3 the scabs form and your head feels really tight and quite itchy, again i didn't experience any pain whatsoever. Around day 7 the itching began to subside and i could finally wash my head with some prescribed shampoo. I washed gently at first and i was encouraged to be a little firmer to get the scabs off. By day 9 i was scab free and all my transplanted hair was still in my head, this gives you a good (temporary) idea of what your hairline will look like. From around week 2 my hair began to shed, which i was aware would happen. Meds were all used now and I was (and still am) taking finasteride only.

3 weeks in and hair has grown enough to completely cover the donor area and no one could tell i had anything done! Each week there is a small amount of progress buts its important to be patient. More hair had shed from the transplant area as well as a small amount of shock loss, but nothing that really bother me. The only thing i would change at this point is some lingering redness, but i was told to expect this as I have a particularly light skin tone. I started applying aloe vera gel at night to encourage the redness to disappear.

Now i am 5 weeks on and redness has slightly reduced and around 80% of transplanted hair has shed. The length of my hair is around a grade 2 (which is what i had back and sides anyway). The top of my head is growing but density due to shock loss and the fact that I have fine hair and male pattern baldness means coverage isn't as strong as the back and sides at present. Finasteride will help here and i wasn't on it before the procedure so I'm looking forward to seeing the HT results and the results of finasteride.

All in all, I've had a super positive experience and i really recommend The Hair Dr. Regardless of who you choose, ensure you have all the information and you get multiple opinions so you feel confident in the clinic you choose! I'm happy to answer any questions.

James
 

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Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hi James.
Welcome to the forum and thanks for your detailed write up.
It sounds like you did plenty of research prior to going ahead which is good. The surgery went well for you and 2400 grafts is a decent amount that will make a nice difference to your appearance. The Finasteride should help with the diffuse thinning too.
Before you know it, there will be no need for the pet lip.
I`m looking forward to following your progress.
All the best.
Bm.
 
Hi @jimmymac1492, thanks for sharing your experience, especially in such great detail. We look forward to your updates and as always, you know where we are if any questions. Good healing and growth !
 
bullitnut

bullitnut

4 awesome repairs with SMG
Sounds like you had a good experience, looking at your pics and the design of your new hairline it should make a nice improvement when grown out dude......nice write up by the way, I for one enjoy reading different patients experiences especially when they go into detail during their write ups.

Please keep us updated

BN
 
J

jimmymac1492

member
Hey guys, just got back from a trip to India as I hit the 3 month mark, I got back just in time for all the madness! Anyway, a few pics here. 3 month 1 week in now.

Still needs to thicken on the top of my head, it looks thin in bright light as per the pics, but better in low light. Didn't think it had grown much or changed in the last month, but I've included a pic from exactly 1 month ago. Starting to see some regrowth now. Cant wait for the next update.
 

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Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Sorry I missed your last update, Jimmy. It would be great to see and hear how you are progressing.
 
J

jimmymac1492

member
Hi all,

Another update now as I'm coming up to 7 months post op.

I must say whilst the initial period in the first 3-4 months is difficult, once you get to month 5 you feel so positive and can really see a difference in yourself.

I would do it all again to get similar results to what I have now, that's the key measure for me. Iv received all the support I need from The Hair Dr, even though CV19 they've been just a text away.

I already feel so happy about my results and I understand it will continue to improve over the next few months.

I just had my first haircut after lockdown so here are some pics, apologies for the posing in advance!!

Can you spot the 2 before pics?
 

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Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Looking good Jimmy. No more side combover.
I bet you`re glad you don`t have to do that anymore.
 
J

jimmymac1492

member
Hi everyone, just wanted to give an update past the 12 month mark. I got to see Dr Arshad again recently and he was very pleased with how my hair has turned out too! I must say I agree and as I mentioned, the litmus test is 'Would I do it again or have another in the future?' and the answer is a definite yes!
I've adjusted now to my hairline but when I see old pictures I just go wow, how bad was my hair before haha. A few pics included for your enjoyment!
If anyone has any questions please fire away!
 

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B

Baldingman23

Valued member
Looking great Jimmy!!!! From month 7 onwards how did you feel your hair improved
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hi Jimmy, your new hairline looks good. It’s good to see you are very happy with the end result.
Thanks for the update and enjoy your new image.
All the best.
 
H

Herr Loss

member
Excellent result with a relatively low number of grafts, very happy for you!
 
alex5

alex5

member
Wow Jimmy what an incredible result, the before and after pics are life changing!!

What did it look like at month 4 and 5? Was there much progress from the month 3 pics?
 
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