History From Before My Hair Transplant Surgery
I first noticed my hair loss at the age of 19, I began to notice my hairline receding and thinning a little bit. It knocked my confidence massively and I always felt self-conscious in public. I naturally have very fine blonde hair which has always made it a challenge to cover up my receding thinner areas.
The Next Steps And Why I Chose Hasson & Wong
As my early 20s went on my hairline got gradually worse and thinner. After trying the numerous different shampoos and products available on the market with no improvement, I started researching the possibility of a hair transplant. After a long process of narrowing down physicians by reading through websites, forums etc. I couldn’t stop noticing that Hasson and Wong had the best reputation of the lot.
By the time I reached 26 years of age I took the plunge and contacted H&W.
After speaking to David Anderson who was part of the Hasson and Wong team at the time, I felt confident that deciding to book my surgery with Dr Wong was the perfect choice. I decided to book in September 2015. David suggested that I might need around 2500 grafts by the FUT method of extraction.
Experience In The H&W Clinic
When I arrived the day before my surgery the staff showed me the excellent clinic facilities. The view in itself was worth the trip over to Vancouver! When I spoke with Dr Wong the day before my surgery he decided that around 2000 grafts would help me achieve the result I wanted. He talked me through the process, what he was going to do, he then drew my new hairline and we talked about my expectations and my hair loss story. He also informed me that after my surgery I should take Finasteride in the form of Proscar cut in quarters taken 3 times a week to help my native hair. Everyone I spoke to at the clinic gave me the feeling I was at the right place.
The day of the operation had finally arrived, I had to be there at 6:15am and was taken care of by Carmen one of the hair technicians. She gave me some medication to prevent infections and to help with the anesthetic. Dr Wong arrived around half an hour later to redraw my hair line in preparation, it amazed me how he drew it all by hand exactly the same as the day before, his skills really do live up to his reputation!
During the procedure I felt no pain at all and was amazed how comfortable and relaxed I was. After a short while I remember having to turn around and sit in an upright position similar to being in a dentist chair and thinking it was just like going the dentist pain free and stress free watching all my favorite shows on Netflix. We had a few breaks in between and lunch was supplied from an incredible sushi spot nearby, by 1pm around 6 hours later my procedure was complete. I received 1969 grafts in the end; 813 single hair grafts, 1060 doubles and 96 three to four hair grafts. I was sent on my way with a post-op pack which included antibiotics, painkillers and shampoo.
The next day I visited the clinic for a checkup where the staff washed my hair and checked over everything to make sure it looked good.
POST-OP
The first 8-9 days of recovery were rough. I had pain along the sides of the donor area, which were covered in dark scabs (dried blood) for the first 12 days. I also had moderate pain at the top of my crown. I slept sitting up for the first week, and I babied my scalp 24/7. I had some facial swelling from day 3 to day 5.
The implanted hairs began to fall out on day 15. I had shed probably two-thirds of the newly implanted hairs by week 5. I also experienced a good bit of shock loss at the donor site above the ears, but I made sure to keep the hair on the sides longer to make it less conspicuous. The hair in the shock loss area began to regrow around month 4, after which the scar became less noticeable by the week.
The Journey Post Op
After the surgery I waited what felt like the longest 3 months before I started to see any progress.
By the end of the first month the redness in my scalp started to fade and the numbness in my scalp had started to wear off. I went through a small amount of shock loss of my existing hair (which is common) and the transplanted hair had all but shed, but I was happy knowing the first tough month was out the way.
Month 2 and 3 I looked the same as I did pre hair transplant and I was excited to start seeing results but knew I had to be patient. It was not until between month 3 and 4 that I started to feel the excitement that new hairs were sprouting through. Although other people wouldn’t notice, it already felt like a massive step forward.
It wasn’t until month 4 and 5 when I really started to feel the hairs grow and thicken as you can see in my pictures. As I got to month 6 I remember speaking to David from the clinic and said I would even be happy if it stopped there.
Well, I was wrong to think it was done growing!
By month 9 my new hairline was looking great and the most important part for me was that it looked natural. I was told by Dr Wong that the secret of a good hair transplant is one that no one notices.
Looking back 18 months later my results at 9 months were great and what I felt was natural at the time, but it took the whole 18 months to bed in and for the transplanted hairs to really soften, feel and grow similar to my own native hair.
I cannot put in to words how happy I am with my results! Choosing to go to Hasson and Wong has been the best decision and investment I have ever made, it has given me my confidence back and made me feel so much happier about myself.
Thank you to the H&W team.
