C
cs149
member
Hello. I have just undergone a two-day procedure with Dr Raghu Reddy and will share my recovery and results here as time goes on. I forgot to ask for the final number of grafts and will update you when I find out.
Background
Until age 32 I had no hair loss at all. In 2018 I lost a bit of hair during a period of intense stress. It wasn't so much that anyone would have really noticed. In any case, one year later, it hadn't got any worse.
In late 2019, on a whim, I tried using minoxidil (since it was such a cheap and easy thing to have a go with) and quickly my hair shed so much that after 6 months I simply couldn't continue with it, as my hair had got so thin I was compelled to shave my head. Members considering the use of this product; beware. You are told that the initial shedding is "normal" and it will grow back stronger, so you have to stick with it for 6 months, which I did. Of course, proponents can always say that if I had just kept going for a little longer maybe it would have grown back. I find it doubtful, but it can't be proven either way.
Two years since I stopped minoxidil I had experienced no further hair loss whatsoever, but sadly no regrowth of the hair it knocked out. I decided to have a hair transplant and, after meeting with five other clinics/doctors in London I settled on Dr Reddy.
I will end this section by repeating that, considering the timeframes and coincidences involved I believe that had I never touched minoxidil, my hair would have still been in fine condition to this day. Who knows, maybe if I had kept going for another 6 months it would have grown back, or maybe I would have lost even more by that point. I couldn't take the risk. With that water now far under the bridge, I will go on to describe my hair transplant.
Dr Reddy
I won't say too much in this section because everyone needs to visit a few different places themselves and come to their own decision about who they like. It's important to note two things that will have made my decision different to others: 1) I live in central London so Harley Street was pretty much the only place I looked and 2) price was no object whatsoever. Dr Reddy is, I gather, slightly on the more expensive end of the market, so if you are on a very tight budget it might not be a perfect fit.
My initial consultation with Dr Reddy was among the more relaxed that I had, we were able to have a bit of a chat to get to know him aside from details of the procedure (which we've all learned about anyway by the time we're meeting prospective surgeons). His premises are very spacious, bright and comfortable and it felt a lot nicer than others I viewed. Large rooms with high ceilings, all very clean and tidy, and set within a nice building on Harley Street. Some consultations at other places either felt very rushed, or - in the worst cases - were carried out by a sales guy and you couldn't meet (or even know the name of) your surgeon.
The main downside was his waiting list was (and probably still is) about three months long; but, like a queue for a nightclub, I took this as a good sign and decided to wait rather than accept some other offers that could have fit me in within a couple of weeks. I was offered either a one or two day procedure, but Dr Reddy having explained his approach (he does almost all of the on-scalp work with his own hands) I was persuaded that two days would be better, and allow for a more relaxed pace and better result.
Dr Reddy has had his own journey of hair restoration as well, which he may tell you about.
Second consultation
Since a few months had passed since our first meeting, I went into the clinic last Monday (23rd) so that Dr Reddy and I could remind each other of the job at hand, and go over any last details. This was just a brief chat but it was good to see the place again and I found myself with no worries about the upcoming procedure.
Procedure Day 1
One of the attractions of Dr Reddy was that he starts his days at 9/9.30 instead of the 7am arrival requested by some other clinics. This was much better for me as I have significant sleep trouble and early starts mean sleepless nights. Despite this civilised appointment time I ended up arriving late (!), but never mind. First of all I met Dr Reddy and we spoke a little, then I was invited to remove my shirt and shoes (wearing shorts or trackies are a good idea for your bottom half) and put on the gown and slippers provided. My head was buzzed by an assistant, and I went into the procedure room to begin.
I suspect everyone knows roughly how the process of FUE works so I won't talk about that except where necessary, but on day 1 we did the following:
Morning - Extraction from back of head (~800 grafts)
Afternoon - Implantation
Lunch was provided, everything went fairly smoothly. I felt no pain except for the administration of local anaesthetic but this is no big deal at all, just a few quick injections into the scalp. The rest of the time you can just feel some pulling and pushing and in fact it can be quite relaxing. The time passes with some talking, or they had the TV on for some of the day.
I declined the valiums offered to me throughout the day but I understand most patients do accept these (certainly my friends who had undergone HTs did) and I imagine this would make the day pass very pleasantly, but it was fine being sober and awake.
The only discomfort on day 1 was my lower back and neck which became quite tight and aching from sitting/lying in sometimes uncomfortable positions for hours at a time. Breaks were afforded to me to get up and stretch when required. I had a headache that evening but it felt like from the neck tension more than anything else, and a massage and a couple of paracetamol sorted it out.
I slept no worse than usual - able to lie on my side comfortably.
Procedure Day 2
With less prep required we got started slightly earlier:
Morning - Extraction from right side of head, and implantation of 90% of these grafts
Afternoon - Extraction from left side of head, and implantation of all remaining grafts
The morning was similar to day 1, however the afternoon turned out to be - I think it's fair to say - a little uncomfortable. For whatever reason* the lidocaine local anaesthetic was having a much reduced, and much shorter-lasting effect. I experienced I think a few hundred implants and a few dozen extractions with what felt like almost no pain relief. I don't believe there was much Dr Reddy could have done to improve the situation and on my request we pressed on, me trying to stay still on the bed with my knuckles white from gripping, and sweat running off me. The pain was very considerable - most of the time I was able to stay tensely quiet but on a few occasions I couldn't help but gasp. I was left quite exhausted by this experience.
Afterwards, my scalp was hurting a lot ("distracting" level of pain) and each step on the way home caused a pulse of pain. As soon as I was through my front door I resorted to everyone's favourite pain killer and got myself drunk. When I sobered up later I found myself with a twitching/shaking leg and some degree of anxiety, which I suppressed with clonazepam. I feel a bit frazzled today - the memory of the pain and sensations has, I think, left me a little "traumatised" as it was a very uncomfortable experience for a few hours. I am confident that this will pass in the coming days, however.
*possible explanations include:
> the amount of fluid by then in my scalp from the morning session, and repeated anaesthetic attempts, meant additional lidocaine was immediately too diluted to work
> I had some tolerance to the anaesthetic from having been administered it the previous day (I don't know if this is possible)
> I had some tolerance to the anaesthetic from it having been administered that morning (I don't know if this is possible)
This may reveal a flaw in the three-part process (i.e. back extract/implant, side extract/implant, side extract/implant) which most clinics of course do not use. Getting it all crammed in during one day would not give a chance for tolerance to build (if that is possible) and so on.
I include this part of the story for completeness - it's unfortunate that the afternoon session went that way as the rest was really very easy and comfortable with essentially no discomfort. Has anyone else found themselves resistant to anaesthetic part way through a procedure? What are your thoughts on how it happened?
Additional details
90% of the time, Dr Reddy had his own hands on my head. He alone operated the punch, but then handed over to an assistant to pluck out most of the severed grafts. His assistants of course did the sorting of the grafts and so on. Dr Reddy then did all of the implanting himself. You will find that this is not often the case; the doctors tend to have a much more supervisory role and allow technicians to do most of the scalp time, although one or two other clinics did purport to have a similar surgeon-led approach. It certainly seemed advantageous to me to have the surgeon himself doing basically all of the work.
Recovery Day 1
I slept ok last night - the extraction areas are really only very slightly sore to the touch, it's quite easy to lie on your back or side in bed as normal. I'm impressed by how little I can feel on them. I have taken no further painkillers today. The implanted area feels a little weird and - as mentioned above - my nerves feel slightly fried from yesterday afternoon.
I will post pictures below and update as time passes.
Background
Until age 32 I had no hair loss at all. In 2018 I lost a bit of hair during a period of intense stress. It wasn't so much that anyone would have really noticed. In any case, one year later, it hadn't got any worse.
In late 2019, on a whim, I tried using minoxidil (since it was such a cheap and easy thing to have a go with) and quickly my hair shed so much that after 6 months I simply couldn't continue with it, as my hair had got so thin I was compelled to shave my head. Members considering the use of this product; beware. You are told that the initial shedding is "normal" and it will grow back stronger, so you have to stick with it for 6 months, which I did. Of course, proponents can always say that if I had just kept going for a little longer maybe it would have grown back. I find it doubtful, but it can't be proven either way.
Two years since I stopped minoxidil I had experienced no further hair loss whatsoever, but sadly no regrowth of the hair it knocked out. I decided to have a hair transplant and, after meeting with five other clinics/doctors in London I settled on Dr Reddy.
I will end this section by repeating that, considering the timeframes and coincidences involved I believe that had I never touched minoxidil, my hair would have still been in fine condition to this day. Who knows, maybe if I had kept going for another 6 months it would have grown back, or maybe I would have lost even more by that point. I couldn't take the risk. With that water now far under the bridge, I will go on to describe my hair transplant.
Dr Reddy
I won't say too much in this section because everyone needs to visit a few different places themselves and come to their own decision about who they like. It's important to note two things that will have made my decision different to others: 1) I live in central London so Harley Street was pretty much the only place I looked and 2) price was no object whatsoever. Dr Reddy is, I gather, slightly on the more expensive end of the market, so if you are on a very tight budget it might not be a perfect fit.
My initial consultation with Dr Reddy was among the more relaxed that I had, we were able to have a bit of a chat to get to know him aside from details of the procedure (which we've all learned about anyway by the time we're meeting prospective surgeons). His premises are very spacious, bright and comfortable and it felt a lot nicer than others I viewed. Large rooms with high ceilings, all very clean and tidy, and set within a nice building on Harley Street. Some consultations at other places either felt very rushed, or - in the worst cases - were carried out by a sales guy and you couldn't meet (or even know the name of) your surgeon.
The main downside was his waiting list was (and probably still is) about three months long; but, like a queue for a nightclub, I took this as a good sign and decided to wait rather than accept some other offers that could have fit me in within a couple of weeks. I was offered either a one or two day procedure, but Dr Reddy having explained his approach (he does almost all of the on-scalp work with his own hands) I was persuaded that two days would be better, and allow for a more relaxed pace and better result.
Dr Reddy has had his own journey of hair restoration as well, which he may tell you about.
Second consultation
Since a few months had passed since our first meeting, I went into the clinic last Monday (23rd) so that Dr Reddy and I could remind each other of the job at hand, and go over any last details. This was just a brief chat but it was good to see the place again and I found myself with no worries about the upcoming procedure.
Procedure Day 1
One of the attractions of Dr Reddy was that he starts his days at 9/9.30 instead of the 7am arrival requested by some other clinics. This was much better for me as I have significant sleep trouble and early starts mean sleepless nights. Despite this civilised appointment time I ended up arriving late (!), but never mind. First of all I met Dr Reddy and we spoke a little, then I was invited to remove my shirt and shoes (wearing shorts or trackies are a good idea for your bottom half) and put on the gown and slippers provided. My head was buzzed by an assistant, and I went into the procedure room to begin.
I suspect everyone knows roughly how the process of FUE works so I won't talk about that except where necessary, but on day 1 we did the following:
Morning - Extraction from back of head (~800 grafts)
Afternoon - Implantation
Lunch was provided, everything went fairly smoothly. I felt no pain except for the administration of local anaesthetic but this is no big deal at all, just a few quick injections into the scalp. The rest of the time you can just feel some pulling and pushing and in fact it can be quite relaxing. The time passes with some talking, or they had the TV on for some of the day.
I declined the valiums offered to me throughout the day but I understand most patients do accept these (certainly my friends who had undergone HTs did) and I imagine this would make the day pass very pleasantly, but it was fine being sober and awake.
The only discomfort on day 1 was my lower back and neck which became quite tight and aching from sitting/lying in sometimes uncomfortable positions for hours at a time. Breaks were afforded to me to get up and stretch when required. I had a headache that evening but it felt like from the neck tension more than anything else, and a massage and a couple of paracetamol sorted it out.
I slept no worse than usual - able to lie on my side comfortably.
Procedure Day 2
With less prep required we got started slightly earlier:
Morning - Extraction from right side of head, and implantation of 90% of these grafts
Afternoon - Extraction from left side of head, and implantation of all remaining grafts
The morning was similar to day 1, however the afternoon turned out to be - I think it's fair to say - a little uncomfortable. For whatever reason* the lidocaine local anaesthetic was having a much reduced, and much shorter-lasting effect. I experienced I think a few hundred implants and a few dozen extractions with what felt like almost no pain relief. I don't believe there was much Dr Reddy could have done to improve the situation and on my request we pressed on, me trying to stay still on the bed with my knuckles white from gripping, and sweat running off me. The pain was very considerable - most of the time I was able to stay tensely quiet but on a few occasions I couldn't help but gasp. I was left quite exhausted by this experience.
Afterwards, my scalp was hurting a lot ("distracting" level of pain) and each step on the way home caused a pulse of pain. As soon as I was through my front door I resorted to everyone's favourite pain killer and got myself drunk. When I sobered up later I found myself with a twitching/shaking leg and some degree of anxiety, which I suppressed with clonazepam. I feel a bit frazzled today - the memory of the pain and sensations has, I think, left me a little "traumatised" as it was a very uncomfortable experience for a few hours. I am confident that this will pass in the coming days, however.
*possible explanations include:
> the amount of fluid by then in my scalp from the morning session, and repeated anaesthetic attempts, meant additional lidocaine was immediately too diluted to work
> I had some tolerance to the anaesthetic from having been administered it the previous day (I don't know if this is possible)
> I had some tolerance to the anaesthetic from it having been administered that morning (I don't know if this is possible)
This may reveal a flaw in the three-part process (i.e. back extract/implant, side extract/implant, side extract/implant) which most clinics of course do not use. Getting it all crammed in during one day would not give a chance for tolerance to build (if that is possible) and so on.
I include this part of the story for completeness - it's unfortunate that the afternoon session went that way as the rest was really very easy and comfortable with essentially no discomfort. Has anyone else found themselves resistant to anaesthetic part way through a procedure? What are your thoughts on how it happened?
Additional details
90% of the time, Dr Reddy had his own hands on my head. He alone operated the punch, but then handed over to an assistant to pluck out most of the severed grafts. His assistants of course did the sorting of the grafts and so on. Dr Reddy then did all of the implanting himself. You will find that this is not often the case; the doctors tend to have a much more supervisory role and allow technicians to do most of the scalp time, although one or two other clinics did purport to have a similar surgeon-led approach. It certainly seemed advantageous to me to have the surgeon himself doing basically all of the work.
Recovery Day 1
I slept ok last night - the extraction areas are really only very slightly sore to the touch, it's quite easy to lie on your back or side in bed as normal. I'm impressed by how little I can feel on them. I have taken no further painkillers today. The implanted area feels a little weird and - as mentioned above - my nerves feel slightly fried from yesterday afternoon.
I will post pictures below and update as time passes.
