6 Months on after great results under Dr Meshkin
Entry posted by chris1
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This review is a little late as I’ve been meaning to write about the great experience I had with Dr Meshkin back in January 2011. I wanted to wait until the 6 month period after my Hair transplant to give an honest reflection and to show some real results. Before I do this I should probably explain how I came to have the HT.
Back two years ago, I started to notice my hair getting thinner. At first it was just the odd glimpse of more of my scalp than I had seen before, when I looked in the mirror and the bathroom light happened to be shinning down on my head. At first I took no real notice and put it down to me just hitting the 30’s and a natural thinning of the hair. However, after some time I started to notice a lot of hair appearing on my pillow and more noticeable patches of my head.
At first I doubted myself a lot and though it was just me being paranoid, until I caught some people pointing to the back of my head in work and whispering. Needless to say, my confidence was a bit knocked and I became a bit obsessive, looking in the mirror, brushing my hair back and constantly asking my wife if I was going bold.
I also started to take pictures and could see why people were pointing. The back of my crown was quite noticeable and my hair had started to thin on the sides. I also noticed that when I ran my hand through my hair it was really thin and I could feel the top of my scalp which was smooth in certain areas. With a full head of hair though I still doubted the obvious signs and thought maybe I could just get some products to strengthen or slow down the hair loss.
I researched products on the internet and couldn’t wait to get my new bottle of Nissim Shampoo which apparently would stop the hair loss and grow it much thicker. Needless to say that dream didn’t last long, as although it was a good shampoo, it did nothing for my thinning hair other than to make it smell nice! I also tried other products but none of them worked.
I then started to take Proscar, 5mg tablets every other day but soon developed an ache in my testicals and headaches. Again after reading on different forums for some advice, I started chopping the tablet up into 4 pieces and took a quarter every day. This didn’t really improve the situation and the problem of no sex drive and a dulling headache constantly continued.
By this time I was pretty desperate and the Proscar didn’t seem to agree with me. It was around this time that I started to read invaluable information on various forums and contacting hair specialist regarding the procedure.
The first people I made contact with were the Health Group in the UK. At first I just wanted to go along for an appointment hoping the doctor would say, ‘don’t worry, its just your age, your not going bald’. Although by this time I was pretty serious about having a HT, I needed further information and some reassurance about the whole thing. However, when I turned up I was met by a guy who was wearing a suit and worked for the company, more of a salesman type. I was pretty disappointed not to actually meet the doctor who would have preformed the surgery although they were quick to tell me how trained they were and the best in the UK.
It was a rushed appointment and soon I was told I had lost about 30% of my hair and 1300 graths would sort it out. The total price was 3500 pounds with a deposit of 500 upfront. Being desperate I soon signed up after a few days, booking my appointment. For some reason though, I had a niggling feeling everything wasn’t right and it wouldn’t go away.
After I received their information pack I then learned that my head would have to be shaved and my surgery would be in Birmingham, some distance from my home. I was really annoyed at this, given none of these details were explained before I signed on the dotted line. The sale rep even told me that I’d be able to drive home after surgery (some 150 miles) and that it was no more of an operation than having a tooth extracted!!
Thinking back now to the day when I did have surgery with Dr Meshkin, the pain killers and meds from the operation, (just like any meds that would have been prescribed by a doctor) made me totally out of it. How I would have driven if I’d had gone through with the Hospital Group I don’t know!
After some research again (which in my rush, desperation and naivety, I forgot to do for this company) I found lots of people complaining about them as a group, really bad scars and terrible after care. I then decided to pull out and had to wait weeks of constant arguing over the phone (my happy sales rep, soon changed his tone of voice and wasn’t so friendly anymore) before getting my deposit back.
I knew that although there was a good surgeon in Manchester (he was fully booked for months) that I’d have to go abroad to the USA. With this in mind, I contacted a number of surgeons, all recommended and highly qualified; I received mixed suggestions of how many graths I’d need from between 2500-4000, with Hasson and Wong suggesting surgery over a two day period.
The one thing that stood out with all these companies was the fact that never once did I speak to anyone other than a sales person trying to charge me what I considered very high prices, just because they had a good name. Obviously they have a business to run and I was realistic that the procedure would cost a few thousand but one Doctor operating out of Dubai asked for 30, 000 pound!!!
I became quite down at this period. It was quite obvious by now that I was going bald and with no real prospect of being able to afford the prices they were asking, I was thinking of just accepting the fact I was going to go bald and live with it.
The problem is, your hair is more important than you realise. My confidence was incredible knocked and after seeing my brother go bald in his early 20’s the thought was giving me sleepless nights. I also felt annoyed that those trained to restore hair didn’t seem to care much about restoring hair and the confidence to those affected but just making a quick buck!
It was then that I found Dr Meshkin’s website and researched his reviews. At first I couldn’t find many, which again brought doubt into my mind and after visiting his website, at first I wasn’t (if I am going to be totally honest) overly impressed in comparison to the other websites I’d visited. It seemed a bit dated. However, what I came to realise was that those flash websites had all led to a sale rep pushing for an appointment and thousands of dollars, so I thought that maybe appearance wasn’t everything. Also, when actually guiding through the website, it was actually really straight forward and I could find a lot of answer easy to find about various procedures etc.
It was when I read about Dr Meshkin’s personal care of his clients and how he genuinely cared about restoring people’s hair that I made contact through an email.
I sent an email that day and was surprised when within a few hours I had a personal email back from Dr Meshkin himself. It wasn’t a representative of the clinic but actually from the man himself. He introduced himself and answered the few basic questions I’d asked. He ended the email by stating that if he could help further, to get in touch. Nothing more and no sales pitch.
I then decided to email him some pictures of my hair and again very quickly he emailed back, giving a really professional response that I had been looking for, from those previously contacted clinics. He outlined the various procedures and treatments available, the amount of hair loss he felt I’d experienced and then left it up to me again to think about what was the best way forward.
After a week or two to think carefully this time, I decided I wanted to proceed with having the hair transplant and when emailing him once again about possible surgery he recommended 2500 graths and offered a discount because of the distance I was prepared to travel. This I thought was very generous as most other clinics only offer a night or two in a hotel. I was then handed over to his secretary who dealt with the bookings. She was a really genuine and friendly lady (Farrah) who answered further questions as well as Dr Meskin through various emails, as the time came closer to having it done. I think I probably asked too many questions due to nerves but I was always answered straight away and politely. This reinforced my gut feeling that he was the right person for me.
Before I knew it, the time had come and I was catching a flight to LA, arriving late on the Thursday evening with surgery booked for Friday morning. I was really quite nervous but again was put at ease by Dr Meshkin and his secretary Farrah. She explained that all the pre-op medication would be waiting for me on the day and explained any more questions I had. I had received quite a detailed pack of information prior to arriving in LA from the surgery so I felt quite confident by the time I walked into their office.
I was met by Farrah at reception and it felt like after so many conversations and emails that I had known her for years. She was extremely polite and chatty, asking about my journey, family and really making me relax as I sat in the front reception. This was of course an immaculate area which again inspired confidence that I was at the right place. Farrah offered freshly baked cookies (really great cookies, worth the journey just to taste those) and tea as I did some paperwork. I then took the pre op meds whilst waiting for Dr Meskin to arrive.
I couldn’t have been waiting more than 10 minutes before Dr Meshkin appeared to invite me into his office. My first impression was how immaculate he was, and very friendly, not formal or stuffy like a lot of the doctors in the UK. I mean here was a guy with a practice in Newport Beach, one of the trendiest and expensive places in LA, and you would never have thought it. He was really down to earth and relaxed but spoke with real confidence when explaining the hair loss I’d suffered. He also listened and answered all of those questions that had been on my mind on the flight, not seeming fazed at all. Again I knew I’d made the right choice.
If I ever did have any doubts about weather I was really going bald, the machine he had (which can only be explained as a microscopic lens that was rolled around on my head to show the different density’s of hair), were gone. The back of my head looked like a thick forest, whereas the top of my head was like branches on a tree with massive gaps in between. I was shocked and when my hair was actually shaved off, I could fully see the extent of how bald I really was.
At this point I was shown into the room where the procedure would take place. Again I was impressed by how clean and professional it looked. The nurses greeted me, putting me at ease and were really friendly. Dr Meshkin also talked to them as family, which you may think is strange that I reflect upon, but actually shows his true nature, I feel anybody can act polite, but you only have to see how he/she might be with others to understand their true nature.
At this stage I was asked to wear a surgical gown and Dr Meshkin asked if I would mind having before pictures taken for his records. This was done quickly with my hair shaved carefully in the areas where he felt the 2500 graths should be imbedded. I sat on what looked like a dentists chair and started to watch TV, and with the meds kicking in by this time felt pretty relaxed, relaxed and relieved to finally having it done.
I was then placed on an IV drip and asked to face down. The first needle was placed in the back of my head and I can’t lie, it wasn’t the most comfortable experience. It was quite painful, but by the third one you’re starting to feel really numb and the drugs were in full force. To be honest, after this, much of the rest of the surgery was a blur. I remember being sat up and drifting in and out of consciousness (the jetlag had certainly kicked in), having a snack to eat, falling asleep again and then just being totally spaced out.
I did remember one thing though that is probably one of the main reasons why I am writing so much in favour of Dr Meshkin. Obviously I am really happy with my results and his care and professionalism, but what really stands out in my mind was when half way through the procedure my legs started to jump and get twitchy. I think this was partly jetlag and tiredness as I get it all the time. Given that I’m having someone do quite skilful surgery on my head, to have a patient twitching and jumpy wasn’t probably the best. But Dr Meshkin was really patient, stopping for a few minutes to allow me to stretch my legs and walk around, going to toilet, which helped the jumpy legs.
The next thing I knew I was having my head bandaged and some final injections in the front of my forehead, for what I believe was to stop swelling and me looking like the Elephant man. These did work well, as I only suffered minimal swelling but these ones really bloody hurt!
After this I was given time to come around, helped to dress and given a drink. They didn’t rush me at all and took me through to another room to monitor me for a while. A taxi was then called with Farrah actually walking me to it and helping me inside. Although I was still a bit spaced out, I didn’t feel any pain and was coming around to my normal surroundings. I guess it was like the feeling you have when you’ve had a massage and you’ve been lying face down on the table and when you open your eyes, you’re just not with it completely.
By the time I got back to the hotel, my wife was there to meet me and I just went straight to bed. The tablets prescribed over the next few days were taken to the proper instructions and they really helped with the pain. It wasn’t horrendous as I’d imagined and if I slept on my side, was conscious of putting my hat on carefully, it was just uncomfortable. That night when I woke around 8pm, Dr Meshkin phoned me personally at my hotel to see how I was and if I had any questions! Again I was shocked as I don’t expect this but very pleased and reassured by the gesture. He’d explained that the procedure went well and that my donor hair was good, so in a few months I would start to see the results.
For the next few days, I wore as instructed, the hair bandage, then removed it carefully and started to bathe my head by gently pouring water over it. I was a bit shocked at first, as the top of my head looked like it had been attacked by small sharp knife and then I got a reality check and thought, yes, it has been attacked by a small sharp knife and that’s exactly what I paid for, and quite skilfully done!
After a days the blood spots started to disappear, with scabs appearing on my head and the transplanted hair sticking up. I could see exactly the area he’d covered and was really pleased. The headaches only really lasted a few days and soon I was walking around as if nothing had happened. It was still pretty obvious as every time I took my hat off, I resembled Fryer Tuck or a monk but I knew with time my hair would start to grow. As for the scar, this was (as to be expected) quite tender and sore. I applied Witch Hazel and Nirozol, as instructed every day, which really helped with the scarring, but my head was still very numb.
Soon I was on a plane heading home and within a few weeks I awaited the hair to shred. I’m not sure if I experienced any shredding. Every morning I would check my pillow expecting to see all the transplanted hair, but actually, my hair just started to grow as normal. For me, it was an easier stage, as I went with a full head of hair. Well- not exactly, a full head of hair disguised with 60% hair loss underneath, and very noticeable patches!
By month two my original hair had grown back. I knew that I had another month or two before the transplanted hair would grow, so now it was just a waiting game. As for the scar, it went through stages of first, stinging and soreness (1-6 days) then a period of healing with the line being quite raised and then you could hardly feel it or see it.
Now I’m coming up to the 6 month period. Although the new hair hasn’t grown back completely, just running my hand through my hair fills me with the confidence that I’m never going to loose it!
It’s thicker now than in my twenties and I can see real developments on my crown and frontal areas. I generally need a hair cut every two-three weeks as it grows that quick and there is no raised areas where the scar is, or any clue I had this area cut. The only numbness now is the very top of my crown, but I also realise that it maybe a few more months before I see the full extent of the operation and the numbness to completely go. You really don’t notice it.
So, the moral of the story- if you are loosing your hair, in my opinion, forget the products and shampoos; they either mess with your hormones, or just make your hair smell nice, and the inevitable is going to happen.
If you really want a surgeon who is highly skilled and has excellent care attitude towards his patients, then Dr Meshkin is the person for you. He just one of those doctors I think, that doesn’t really need to have some flash website with a team of sales people to advertise his great work. He just does a fantastic job. He’s like the school teacher that you remembered for the right reasons, the ones who makes a difference every day, but never really takes any credit, just happily gets on with his job.
Seriously, he’s really one of the good guys that does a great job!
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