P
Philip
Valued member
I am a 35-year-old man from Dublin, Ireland, and I underwent a hair transplant with Dr. Edward Ball in The Maitland Clinic on December 18th, 2020. This was my third hair transplant surgery following two previous successful surgeries, one by FUT conducted in the United States and one by FUE conducted in Turkey. I wished to have a third surgery to create greater density in the mid-region of my scalp and obtain greater coverage and density in my crown. I was sure that I would only have surgery if it was by FUT (I found it to be much easier to recover from than FUE) and if I did not have to shave my head.
Knowing that this could be a challenging procedure, I consulted with several well known and excellent hair transplant surgeons across Europe to discuss my case. I met with Dr. Ball and David Anderson in February 2020 and I left the consultation absolutely sure that I had found the right surgeon. It was immediately obvious that Dr. Ball was not only an incredibly experienced and competent surgeon but also an extremely warm and compassionate human being. I booked in my surgery for the end of the year in the days following my consultation and the patient service I experienced throughout the process was wonderful.
In the days leading up to the surgery, I became more and more nervous. Undergoing a third hair transplant surgery, and doing so away while being away from home during the COVID-19 pandemic was extremely stressful (and I'm not one who usually stresses about things like this). I met with Dr. Ball the afternoon before my surgery and I was feeling pretty awful. I kept thinking 'why am I doing this to myself again', 'I should just go home', 'what if it all goes wrong'. Dr. Ball spent close to two hours talking to me that afternoon and discussed every element of the surgery with me in great depth. I was reminded again that I was not only in safe hands, but I was in the best hands I could hope to be in. I left the consultation excited to undergo the surgery the next day (consider how weird a thing that is to think but it's true).
The day of the surgery was terrific. Having undergone a hair transplant surgery twice previously I knew what to expect. Nevertheless, my experience in The Maitland Clinic vastly exceeded my two previous experiences. The day started at 7.30 am and I met with Gina who is one of the hair technicians. She was absolutely fantastic and made me feel incredibly welcome and safe (thank you, Gina!). Dr. Ball and the rest of the team then arrived and everyone was a delight to be around. The day flew by. The first couple of hours of surgery were spent listening to the radio and chatting away to the team. Once you are numbed up, it's all very pleasant. I said to Dr. Ball that the process of tissue removal and stitching really just felt like have a nice scalp massage. You are lying down on a comfortable chair and all you experience is your scalp being manipulated. No pain, no fuss.
After that, the process of making the incisions for the new hair follicles began. At that point, the talking stops and I watched a movie. The clinic has a great set up with loads to choose from. After a crazy few months in work, it was great to be able to sit back for a few hours and watch a movie undistracted. We then broke for lunch and the rest of the afternoon was spent placing the grafts. Every one of the team at the clinic who contributed to this process was brilliant. They were all so professional, friendly, generous, and compassionate. Again, I was absolutely certain I was in safe hands, and Dr. Ball was always there to check on progress and to top the anesthesia.
I was back in the hotel around 6pm. The first night was a little uncomfortable, as to be expected, but it is now day 6 post-op and I am amazed at how smooth the process has been. The scar is looking great - Dr. Ball's work with scars is really impressive and he was able to improve my existing scar - and the recipient area truly looks like no work has been done on it. It is a bit red, of course, and I have pale skin but you really wouldn't know by looking at me that I had undergone surgery. I flew home two days post-op and I was perfectly comfortable going through the airport with the way my head looked (quite a change from my experience coming home from Turkey with a shaved, bloodied, and bandaged head). By day 6 post-op, and unlike my prior surgeries, I have no scabs on the recipient area and I experienced no swelling in my forehand. The post-op instructions and care offered by the clinic nurse, Karen, has also been exceptional and made everything very easy and stress-free.
I'm looking forward to seeing the results of my surgery in the coming months and I am immensely thankful to Dr. Ball and his entire team for taking such good care of me. I am also a little disappointed that I didn't meet Dr. Ball sooner as although I am very happy with the results from my previous surgeries, and the surgeons were terrific, I can safely say that my experience with Dr. Ball far surpassed my previous experiences.
Let me finish by saying this. If I decide to undergo another surgery in the future, I will absolutely be going back to The Maitland Clinic, and, if a friend ever asks me where he should get his hair done, I will be sending him to Dr. Ball. If you are looking for a surgeon for your hair transplant surgery, look no further.
Best wishes,
Philip
Knowing that this could be a challenging procedure, I consulted with several well known and excellent hair transplant surgeons across Europe to discuss my case. I met with Dr. Ball and David Anderson in February 2020 and I left the consultation absolutely sure that I had found the right surgeon. It was immediately obvious that Dr. Ball was not only an incredibly experienced and competent surgeon but also an extremely warm and compassionate human being. I booked in my surgery for the end of the year in the days following my consultation and the patient service I experienced throughout the process was wonderful.
In the days leading up to the surgery, I became more and more nervous. Undergoing a third hair transplant surgery, and doing so away while being away from home during the COVID-19 pandemic was extremely stressful (and I'm not one who usually stresses about things like this). I met with Dr. Ball the afternoon before my surgery and I was feeling pretty awful. I kept thinking 'why am I doing this to myself again', 'I should just go home', 'what if it all goes wrong'. Dr. Ball spent close to two hours talking to me that afternoon and discussed every element of the surgery with me in great depth. I was reminded again that I was not only in safe hands, but I was in the best hands I could hope to be in. I left the consultation excited to undergo the surgery the next day (consider how weird a thing that is to think but it's true).
The day of the surgery was terrific. Having undergone a hair transplant surgery twice previously I knew what to expect. Nevertheless, my experience in The Maitland Clinic vastly exceeded my two previous experiences. The day started at 7.30 am and I met with Gina who is one of the hair technicians. She was absolutely fantastic and made me feel incredibly welcome and safe (thank you, Gina!). Dr. Ball and the rest of the team then arrived and everyone was a delight to be around. The day flew by. The first couple of hours of surgery were spent listening to the radio and chatting away to the team. Once you are numbed up, it's all very pleasant. I said to Dr. Ball that the process of tissue removal and stitching really just felt like have a nice scalp massage. You are lying down on a comfortable chair and all you experience is your scalp being manipulated. No pain, no fuss.
After that, the process of making the incisions for the new hair follicles began. At that point, the talking stops and I watched a movie. The clinic has a great set up with loads to choose from. After a crazy few months in work, it was great to be able to sit back for a few hours and watch a movie undistracted. We then broke for lunch and the rest of the afternoon was spent placing the grafts. Every one of the team at the clinic who contributed to this process was brilliant. They were all so professional, friendly, generous, and compassionate. Again, I was absolutely certain I was in safe hands, and Dr. Ball was always there to check on progress and to top the anesthesia.
I was back in the hotel around 6pm. The first night was a little uncomfortable, as to be expected, but it is now day 6 post-op and I am amazed at how smooth the process has been. The scar is looking great - Dr. Ball's work with scars is really impressive and he was able to improve my existing scar - and the recipient area truly looks like no work has been done on it. It is a bit red, of course, and I have pale skin but you really wouldn't know by looking at me that I had undergone surgery. I flew home two days post-op and I was perfectly comfortable going through the airport with the way my head looked (quite a change from my experience coming home from Turkey with a shaved, bloodied, and bandaged head). By day 6 post-op, and unlike my prior surgeries, I have no scabs on the recipient area and I experienced no swelling in my forehand. The post-op instructions and care offered by the clinic nurse, Karen, has also been exceptional and made everything very easy and stress-free.
I'm looking forward to seeing the results of my surgery in the coming months and I am immensely thankful to Dr. Ball and his entire team for taking such good care of me. I am also a little disappointed that I didn't meet Dr. Ball sooner as although I am very happy with the results from my previous surgeries, and the surgeons were terrific, I can safely say that my experience with Dr. Ball far surpassed my previous experiences.
Let me finish by saying this. If I decide to undergo another surgery in the future, I will absolutely be going back to The Maitland Clinic, and, if a friend ever asks me where he should get his hair done, I will be sending him to Dr. Ball. If you are looking for a surgeon for your hair transplant surgery, look no further.
Best wishes,
Philip
