Hi all,
First off I’d like to express my thanks to everyone who has taken the time to document their journeys so far, I definitely wouldn’t have had the confidence to pull the trigger on booking a HT without the wealth of knowledge available on here. Below write up may be a bit long winded but I thought I'd get all the info down while it's still in my head.
I’ve been very self conscious of my receding hairline for a few years now. I usually keep the back and sides relatively short, with the top a bit longer and I use hairspray to ensure the fringe covers my forehead recession. My anxiety spikes if it rains or there is significant wind to ‘expose’ me.
I’m currently on a career break to do some travelling and try out a different career path, and so I decided to explore the option of a HT during this period as I’d be away from the people I usually spend the most time with and could therefore avoid the anxiety of the shaved head and ugly duckling phase.
I had a few consultations in the UK and Ireland, and then began to research online including using hairrestorationnetwork. This led me to discover Eugenix which seemed to have excellent reviews. I sent an enquiry to Eugenix along with pictures of my current hair and that began the process. I was sufficiently impressed with the reviews I had seen online and decided to go with the exclusive package with Eugenix (where planning, designing and slits are done by a senior doctor, with senior technicians performing the extraction and implantation of grafts). The initial proposal was for 2500-2700 grafts.
I’ve been taking 1mg finasteride for c.6 weeks, and arguably I should have waited longer to see the results of this before deciding on a transplant but with the timing of the career break I just felt it made sense to go ahead with the procedure while I have this opportunity to spend time away from home.
The Eugenix staff were very attentive from the get go with whatsapp communication and calls. Honestly, it felt like if I had a query I could send a whatsapp message and I’d have a call back within 30 minutes.
As part of the pre op checklist, I was required to get a set of blood tests done. I had to get these done privately as the wait time at my GP surgery was too long. The doctor who did the tests for me said it seemed a bit overkill to get all these tests for a HT procedure, but it likely meant they had excellent clinical standards because it meant they were getting all patients to do this.
As part of the exclusive package, Eugenix provide complementary 2 nights in the 5* Hilton hotel very close to the clinic and return airport transfers.
I attended a pre-op appointment at Eugenix on Sunday 11th June and Eugenix provided a chauffeur to take me to and from the clinic. At the pre-op meeting, I was made to change into a pair of crocs upon entry to the clinic. I had my blood pressure taken, was administered two local anaesthetics in my arm to test for a reaction, and asked to sign a consent form. The final advice from Eugenix staff was to await a text advising my reporting time for Monday morning and to get a good night’s sleep.
On the day of the surgery, a fairly luxurious car was sent to pick me up from the hotel.
I arrived to Eugenix just before 0930. I changed into scrubs and had pictures taken of my ‘before’ hair. I then met with Dr Somesh for the hairline design session. I was impressed with Dr Somesh from the get go, he was very friendly and immediately displayed attention to detail. Dr Somesh used a range of tools to propose a hairline and then asked me for my feedback and whether I wanted to make any adjustments. I asked if I could take some time to review the hairline in a full mirror because it was difficult to see the angles in the small mirror provided during the hairline design stage. I was then taken to have photos taken of the proposed hairline, and these photos were then presented on a HD tv for me to review in detail.
Once I was happy with the proposed hairline, I was taken to have my head shaved and further pictures taken with the hairline drawn on.
Dr Somesh also pointed out that I had two small alopecia spots in the beard on my neck that I had always just assumed were due to my genetics. He advised that he would write a prescription to treat these.
Following the final photographs, it was time to head for the operating room. In the room I was given the choice of music to be played in the room for the duration of the surgery.
I had blood taken from my left arm for PRP, and then it was time to administer the local anaesthetic.
Once the initial local anaesthetic was applied, Dr Somesh began making the slits. Again, I found Dr Somesh to be very friendly and professional throughout this. We had some good chats about various topics. When Dr Somesh had finished making the slits, he advised that I would only require 2350 grafts for coverage.
Following the slit completion, it was time for the PRP to be injected. I was very impressed with the attentiveness of all staff in the operating room – I was constantly asked whether I was in any pain or required top up of anaesthesia, as well as if I was comfortable or needed to change position.
Following the PRP, the graft extraction commenced. I must say the sound of the tool used to extract grafts was very unnerving but at no point did I feel any pain. 760 grafts were extracted and then it was time for lunch.
I had been asked in the morning what I would like for lunch and so I tucked into a tomato based chicken pasta dish that had been ordered from Zomato. As soon as I had finished eating, I was asked whether I was ready to return to the operating room.
The final grafts were taken and implanted by the senior technicians. Dr Somesh returned towards the end of the surgery to review the graft implantation. I heard him conversing with the senior technicians and he explained to me that he had asked for some more grafts to be taken (more doubles I think), and that he requested the direction be changed on some grafts near the corner of my hairline so that they would fall more naturally compared to the direction of my temple hairs.
In terms the overall surgery, I have no complaints and can only express my gratitude to all the staff. Due to the anaesthesia I could only vaguely feel the pressure of the graft implantation, and I had a bit of anxiety because I thought I could feel grafts being placed halfway down my forehead! But these worries were quickly cleared when I looked in the mirror post surgery.
I thanked all the operating staff and was taken to another room for post-op pictures and a post op briefing on medicines and post-op care, where I was given the following:
Medicines (for week following surgery)
Painkillers
Probiotics
Antibiotics
Antacid
Fit to fly certificate
Post op care materials including gauzes, betadine, saline spray, surgical caps, sheet to protect pillows from oozing etc
Copy of 'Autobiography of a Yogi'
I was asked whether I would be willing to do an interview on camera for the media team at Eugenix but I opted not to for privacy reasons. I gave consent to Eugenix to use my pre and post op photos with my face blurred.
I was then taken back to my hotel in a luxury car and relaxed for the evening. The next morning at breakfast I noticed another hotel guest with a surgical cap on so we shared a nod and smile of acknowledgement. I returned to Eugenix on Tuesday morning to get my donor area washed and saw the same mystery man in the waiting room. We had a brief chat there and it turned out to be @Shadman, and his surgery was also done on the same day by Dr Somesh. At Eugenix on Tuesday, I also had a brief conversation with a friendly gentleman from USA who had just had surgery on a high Norwood case (although I never got to ask his name). Myself and Shadman shared a car back to the hotel and chatted again at breakfast the next morning. It was great to have met someone so friendly and knowledgeable, and I’m looking forward to seeing how Dr Somesh has performed on both of us!
I purchased a year’s supply of finasteride and 6 months supply of hair vitamins/supplements from Eugenix.
Overall, I am very happy with my overall experience with Eugenix and I’m hoping the results will match the service.
Please let me know if you have any queries or comments on the above.
Pictures from day 4 post-op are below, I would welcome comments on how things are looking e.g. density, graft placement etc. I know it's early days but some reassurance from the community would be great!
