-se7en-

Hi there Have you been in contact with the clinic to address you concerns and to discuss progress?

Garageland Thanks for posting my pics. All appears to be healing well!

1978matt Thanks for your comments. Hopefully before and after pictures will be posted soon which will give visualisation to the surgery and the targeted area.

Hi I would suggest that you give careful consideration to the choice of surgeon before a HT. What you don't want is to compromise the quality due to financial restraints. This will only cause more distress especially if the outcome is a poor result and wasted grafts.

Back story In 2001, I was getting my hair cut in hair salon when the barber pointed out that my hair was thinning and receding. Thus began my obsession about how to stop this from progressing and how to return my hair back to its glory days. For the next 6 years I tried all potions and lotions that I was told would halt my hairloss and result in a full head of hair. I tried all sorts of oils in my hair, all sorts of vitamins, all sorts of shampoos and even shaved my hair off as I was told it would grow back thicker and fuller. Obvious to say nothing worked and my hair continued to recede and thin in the crown area. I was becoming more desperate and even went to my GP to discuss my hairloss. He pointed me to his bald head and told me I was doomed and that in time I would become bald. He told me there was nothing he could advise. I went to advanced hair studio and they discussed options of essentially a wig!! Nope not for me. In 2007 I came across a medical group who had an office in London and conducted procedures in Greece. I saw picture of patients who had FUE and this appeared to be my saving grace. Following this, I had*2 procedures in 2007 of FUE. I was reassured that I would not need any further work and that my hair would look like that of Salman Khan (Bollywood Actor). Yes it made a difference but not how I had imagined it to be and no my hair looked nothing like Salman Khan’s. Still a lot of gaps in the hairline and placement of hairs in hairline didn’t appear natural, crown appeared thin. However, I could get away with a short haircut with my hair brushed forward. It didn’t look too bad but I knew that my I needed to do something about it. I was told that altogether 1500 grafts were removed and placed into the recipient area. It didn’t look like it to me! Nevertheless, over the next**8 years my obsession in hair increased. I started researching with a passion, something I should off done in the first place. I came across hair restoration network and became a silent reader of posts and time and time again saw reference to the same clinics and Doctors. I went through a process of elimination in respect of Doctors. I consulted several well renowned clinics in America and Canada. However, there was one individual whose results to me appeared phenomenal…Joetronic aka Joe Tillman. Over the years I have had many telephone discussions with Joe and met with him on numerous occasions when he has come to London to represent the clinic. It was during these discussions/ meetings with Joe that the FDA approved medication propecia was brought up in conversation. I was aware of propecia, no thanks to my GP who told me I was doomed, but always thought against it due to sexual reported side effects. However, after discussion with Joe, Dr Wong and other GP’s in the UK I felt it was time to give it a go. As per recommendation from Dr Wong I take a 1mg tablet 3 times per week. I’m happy to report that I have only seen the benefits of propecia and no side effects. The clinic have confirmed that since I have started taking propeica they have noticed an improvement in hair and this is something that I would agree with.* *I have had approximately 3 face to face consultations with Dr Wong. I also came across David (UK patient advisor for Hasson and Wong) and if I wasn’t meeting with him for the purpose of a consultation I would be speaking or texting him with questions and queries. I finally made a decision in 2014, following another consultation in with Dr Wong, following many phone calls to Joe and David. The eureka moment came when I was on the phone to Joe and I said, ‘Joe, I want my hair to look like yours.’ We both went silent and after a moment we both started laughing because Joe reminded me that I although I wanted hair like him I was considering another doctor alongside Dr Wong and that the person responsible for his hair was Dr Wong not the other doctor. The penny finally dropped!! Although, I knew that everyone’s results are individual based on their hair characteristics, donor hair, laxity etc I knew that the Dr who would give me what I am looking for is Dr Wong. Important to note that all my interaction with Joe, David and Dr Wong was positive, they were always patient with me although I probably asked the same question on numerous occasions, they always returned calls or emails, they provided me with a wealth of knowledge and they were never forceful in making me commit to a HT. In fact they always attempted to educate me and advise what they believed would be realistic and achievable. In 2014 I paid my deposit and booked my procedure to take place on the*11 March 2015. Day of surgery-*11/03/2015 Prior to the surgery I had a lot of interaction with David who went over what was to be expected. I also read up on information from his website which documents the whole process before and after the procedure, very helpful.* I arrived at the clinic at 6.15am*and was met by Carmen Pope (nurse), a familiar face, who I had met at a consultation in London. It was nice to meet someone that I was familiar with as it enabled cordial chit chat whilst I was completing paper work. Dr Wong arrived at approx. 6.30am. I was in awe of Dr Wong given the powerhouse that he is in the hair transplant industry and felt privileged to be having a HT by the great Dr Wong. Dr Wong presented as a very humble, quietly spoken individual who was more than happy to answer my questions.**We discussed hairlines and after measurement Dr Wong indicated that he felt it is in my best interests to raise the hairline from where it is currently placed (due to my previous fue procedure) as it is too low and given my hairloss it would be a waste of grafts to leave the hairline where it is. Dr Wong outlined my new hairline with his pen and stated that the grafts below would be removed via fue. I was happy with this as my goal is the end game and I wanted to plan carefully taking into consideration any future hairloss and wanted to approach my HT carefully and sensibly. We discussed the procedure and Dr Wong reported that he would go as far back as the crown and touch up the temple points. Sounded good to me!! I had paid for 4000 grafts, however, what was humbling was that Dr Wong said that he would go for as many as practically possible (inclusive in the price). This demonstrated to me that Dr Wong is not money orientated and that he actually wanted to do the best thing for me even if it means going over the agreed number of grafts just because he wanted to help me achieve the desired result.* Following this, my hair was all shaved and*12 hours later I had approx. 4600 grafts removed and placed as*per the zones discussed above. Needless to say I was happy with the graft count and the placement of the grafts. However, Dr Wong was unable to remove all the grafts below the hairline he created and I will have to return to refine this area in a year or so. Experience of procedure/ clinic I have no criticism of the surgery or facilities. Dr Wong and Carmen were conscious of the potential discomfort of surgery and would regularly ask me how I was feeling and whether I needed a break. Following surgery I stayed in Vancouver for 7 days and went for a hair wash every day other than Sunday as the Clinic is closed. Dr Wong would spend time with me following my hair wash to ensure everything was progressing as it should. Furthermore, all the staff/ nurses at the clinic presented as very hospitable. I had a bit of panic when my forehead and eyes swelled up approx. 2 days after surgery. However, this is to be expected following a large procedure. The swelling reduced within 2 days and by the time I was returning to the UK this wasn’t an issue. The hair wash, provided by Carmen, allowed me to go over any queries or questions that I had following the procedure and Carmen was very patient, answered all my questions and was reassuring when my face had swelled up!!! Following surgery At the time of writing I am 14 days post surgery. My staples are now removed and I have noticed some hair has fallen out whilst washing. However, I am aware that the most of the recipient hair will fall out over the weeks and months and although this is does raise my anxieties (as my hair looks really good now and I don’t want to lose the implanted hair in case it never grows back) it is part of the process. I do question whether the transplanted hair will grow but I know this is my paranoia and there is no reason why I should not achieve the desired result Dr Wong and I have discussed. I have contacted Carmen a few times since my return to the UK and she has reassured me that my hair falling out is all part of the process and it will take a number of months for growth to me to start seeing the benefit. I knew this before I went for surgery but the waiting and anticipation is going to be an issue for me!!* Summary I have no regrets about my choice of surgeon. Dr Wong remains a force to be reckoned with in the hair transplant world and he has overachieved my expectations of surgery. He is a giant in the world of hair restoration and exudes a quality of humbleness and genuine concern for his patients. Sometimes the word ‘thank you’ does not encapsulate ones gratitude and therefore I wanted to express my gratitude in a public post as I feel it is important that the world continue to be aware of the great work by Dr Wong from Hasson and Wong. Thank you Dr Wong, Joe, David, Carmen, all the nurses who assisted in my surgery.* Thank you to Daria and Christina for their speedy response whenever I contact the Hasson and Wong clinic. Pictures The clinic have before and after pictures and I will ask David from Hasson and Wong if he can post them on this thread.