Stephen Mason was just 22 years old when he first began to lose his hair. By the age of 28 his hairline had receded noticeably, and by age 30 he was starting to experience thinning throughout his frontal region, mid-scalp and crown. As is the case with many young men in his situation, Stephen’s hair loss dealt a significant blow to his confidence, prompting him to look for ways to address – and hopefully even reverse – the situation.

It wasn’t long before the concept of hair restoration surgery caught his attention. Looking to gain more information on the subject, Stephen approached Hasson & Wong for an initial consultation in December of 2016. During the consultation, Dr. Hasson confirmed what Stephen already suspected: that he was indeed experiencing male pattern hair loss, and that the sooner he sought treatment for it the better. He recommended a 3500-graft FUE surgery to the frontal zone of his scalp, as well as Proscar to prevent further hair loss in his mid-scalp and crown.

Unfortunately, Stephen found the cost of the hair transplant at Hasson & Wong to be somewhat prohibitive and decided instead to pursue his options abroad. He travelled to Istanbul, Turkey in March of 2017, where he underwent a 3500-graft FUE procedure at what he considered a much more reasonable price. Having failed to conduct proper research before selecting a clinic, however, he fell victim to the idea that all hair transplant surgeries are created equal. While there are a select few capable surgeons in Turkey, Stephen had unluckily found himself at a less reputable establishment – with the results to prove it.

Dissatisfied with the outcome of his procedure in Turkey, Stephen approached Hasson & Wong for advice. Upon evaluation of the work done in Istanbul, Dr. Hasson noted that the hairline and tissue exhibited ridging, cobblestoning, misdirected hairs, multi-hair grafts and low overall density. In addition, his temporal angles had been blunted – resulting in the unnaturally-shaped and ‘pluggy’ hairline characteristic of a poorly performed procedure. A well-executed modern hair transplant should never present any of these characteristics, as they are unnatural and thus prone to drawing the wrong type of attention.

Thankfully, Dr. Hasson agreed to perform a second procedure on Stephen in order to repair the damage incurred in Turkey. Shortly after his consultation, he returned to the clinic to have 95 misdirected grafts in the temporal angles removed – a sacrifice necessary for the creation of the masculine, natural-looking hairline he has today. Dr. Hasson and his team then went on to rebuild his hairline and frontal zone by means of a 2000-graft FUE procedure. Of these grafts, 343 were single-hair grafts, 1329 were doubles and 328 were 3-4 – hair grafts. A year later, he now boasts a full, dense and entirely natural-looking head of hair.

In the final video of this three part series, Stephen shares his final results one year after his surgery. You can clearly see the difference in density when you compare Dr Hasson’s work with the work of the clinic in Turkey, where Stephen had his first surgery.

Summary

Sadly, Stephen’s story is not an uncommon one, and it should serve as a warning to all: when it comes to cosmetic procedures of this nature, you truly do get what you pay for. As Stephen himself remarked, ‘if you’re trying to get a hair transplant for the best price, then you shouldn’t get a hair transplant at all’. Fortunately for Stephen, we were able to salvage his result – but this is not always the case. So whether you elect to have surgery at Hasson & Wong or a reputable clinic abroad, it’s best to do your research and get it right the first-time round.

Listen to what Dr. Hasson has to say about Stephen’s case!