WSR9351
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Posts posted by WSR9351
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Aaron ManleyFri 07/06/2024 12:47Firstly, a little background about me;
My name is Aaron, I'm currently 31 and in a strange position of being anywhere between a 'strong' Norwood 5 and potentially an early 7, so lets just say a comfortable 6. I've suffered with MPB since my very early twenties but, that was back when I had the density and length to play with hair products (sound familiar, anyone ?). Inevitably it's become progressively harder and more stressful to manage. I'd previously found it very difficult to discuss and accept my destiny regarding my follicular appearance and so would just recoil at the slightest discussion of hair and bury my head in the sand. I would bat away gentle comments and 'banter' and never show anyone just how much it really affected me emotionally and mentally.
I'd always had the possibility of medication and/or procedures in the very back of my mind, but again took the well-trodden path of leaving it for 'another time' and only putting serious consideration to it once the situation had well progressed and was no longer bearable/manageable.
At the beginning of this year, I finally decided that it was time to make the change, face up to the reality of my situation and begin the long road to researching and understanding this incredibly complex and varied subject. Oh, how little I knew back then !
Research & Consultation;
I spent some very long evenings and nights staying until the early hours watching countless YouTube videos and reading forum threads about medications, types of procedures, particular surgeons, pricing etc. I learnt a great deal over many hundreds of hours but my overarching feeling was that the industry can be a bit of a minefield and that price doesn't necessarily equate to quality and vice versa, so I would have to be very careful in making my next choices. I knew early on that going abroad wasn't something I wanted to even entertain (putting the additional risks of overharvesting etc aside, travelling Turkish Hairlines just did not appeal) and so began my research clinics in the South of England, preferably within a few hours of where I'm based in Devon. I found a reputable company in Cardiff, Wales where their reviews were extremely positive and this is where I first came across recommendations for Dr Ted Miln who was repeatedly mentioned as being the patients preferred doctors.
Long story short, I discovered that Ted had actually very recently left that particular clinic and was in the process of going 'solo', so thought he would be a good starting point in terms of a video consultation back in early February. I was extremely nervous at that point as I had almost never discussed my hair woes with anyone, but he very quickly put my at ease, asked all the right questions and was an extremely good listener before giving honest feedback on what he felt my options were (we discussed a variety of graft numbers, coverage, my expectations, FUT, FUE etc). I certainly left our initial conversation feeling the right 'vibe' based on what I had learnt online about the subject and could relate to the comments I'd already seen. I allowed myself time to consider what we'd discussed and he was then very happy to follow up with a further video conversation where he comprehensively answered all of my queries and totally put my mind totally at rest. I should also mention that around this time I began taking oral Dutasteride and Minoxidil daily (0.5mg & 2.5mg respectively). Prior to the actual procedure I had been taking the medication for just shy of five months and the pictures below from February and my head shave clearly show that the meds were starting to show real results which has further added to my excitement going forward.Controversially perhaps, and against general advice, I decided at that point that I didn't want to spend months pursuing consultations and going down the rabbit hole of exhaustive research because Ted had already been able to put me at total ease. We decided upon a two day FUE procedure of in the region of 5,000 grafts to recreate a natural hairline and add density to my mid-scalp and crown which would then assist the medication which had already begun to do a lot of heavy lifting in those areas compared with previously. I felt extremely comfortable that he was the right man for the job and that he would be able to help me achieve the outcome that I want. I think this played a big part in enabling me to just sit back, relax and just consider the exciting elements of what was to come until the procedure which we scheduled for the 3rd June to fit around my work and holiday commitments. I thoroughly enjoyed a two week holiday just prior to the procedure and hardly ever felt anxious or nervous about what was just around the corner. In addition, Ted and his team were on hand at a moments notice via email, phone or WhatsApp whenever I had any queries and nothing was too much trouble so all I had to do was turn up ...Now for the interesting part ... the procedure !Day one began at 8am where I met with Ted at his lovely clinic in the secluded and rural setting within the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. We ran through the important information, disclaimers, patient information and most excitingly agreed the positioning of my new hairline before the dreaded shaving of my head. I should also say that despite having never been through any form of medical procedure before, my trust in Ted was such that the only genuine anxiety was around having my head shaved for the first time ever. Sometimes in life you have to go backwards to go forwards I suppose ... 😬I met with the rest of Ted's team who were all very welcoming and lovely; nothing was too much trouble and the operation there is very organised and slick. The first morning's session consisted of several thousand incisions to my frontal portion in preparation for creating the new hairline. Ted performed this himself and there was a casual and friendly atmosphere with no pressure whilst he sneakily enquired about my favourite genre of music before playing my favourite Queen album on YouTube (I genuinely didn't see that one coming because of the the drugs !). After a toilet break and top up of drinks and snacks Ted then began the extraction process of 2992 grafts from the very central rear section of my head and I was very quickly reassured that my follicles were of good quality and contained a lot of 2's and 3's ! (I'll post a breakdown at the end for the nerdier people who haven't fallen asleep yet).Following a lunch break the process of re-inserting the grafts to the recipient area began and Ted's experienced and well-established team of technicians worked in pairs and took it in turns. I can imagine this can be very tedious and laborious work but they remained totally focussed throughout. Between them and Ted I was regularly checked in on me to make sure I was feeling okay, if I needed to move, take a break etc. I then left the clinic feeling surprisingly chipper at around 6.30pm.Day two was a very similar format except I now knew what to expect and we cracked straight on following a light wash of the completed portion. Again, Ted performed further extractions (2,675 equally from both sides of my head this time yielding around 6,800 hairs !) and incisions during the morning with the team reinserting under his watchful eye during the afternoon session. I must admit to feeling rather drowsy, sick and uncomfortable at times beyond lunch as the size and scale of the procedure caught up with me; 4 hours began to feel like 4 days ! Again, the whole team were superb and couldn't do enough to try and make the situation as bearable as possible. We were so close at that stage !After finishing at around 6.30pm and being given lots of encouraging comments, information, advice and medication I returned the next day for a full head wash and my wife and I were given a detailed demonstration of how to do this ourselves in addition to all of the written instructions. I also very briefly bumped in to Ryan from the Hair Restoration Network (Sorry Ryan, I don't know your username) who was conducting a visit to check out the clinic.Conclusion;I'm now only at day four post-op (hence the free time to write all of this), but so far I'm feeling very excited and optimistic about what is to come, the foundations are now well and truly in place to help me achieve my end goal. In terms of Ted, his staff and Clinic I can highly recommend their service because of their professionalism, experience and manner; I could literally not have asked for any more and I will be forever grateful to them for looking after me so well during something which had the potential be extremely traumatic for me. Without prompt or expectation, I've already been exchanging many messages, pictures and calls with Ted himself since I've been home just so as we can satisfy one another that all is progressing as expected. His passion and enthusiasm for his craft and care for patients is second to none (I promise he hasn't asked or paid me to write this, it's an absolutely true and accurate representation of how I found things). Oh, I should also mention that the guys also accommodated my wife to set up her remote working station in the patient room and fed her just so as she could be nearby to support me. Just fantastic.Thank you a million times to Ted, Chesley, Jordan, Rhi, Mihi and Fern; you've been a breath of fresh air and an absolute credit to the Hair Restoration Industry, so I wish you all every success.Follicle/hair breakdown:Because of the way I've recorded the information I'll share the overall numbers for both days:- 1 hair grafts: 583 (583 hairs)
- 2 hair grafts: 2233 (4466 hairs)
- 3 hair grafts: 2684 (8052 hairs)
- 4 hair grafts: 257 (1082 hairs)
Total procedure: 5757 Grafts & 14,129 hairs.
Feb 2024: Prior to starting any medication.
Early May 2024 after several months of Oral Dut and Min.
Just prior to the procedure. The horrible toupee 'style' that had developed between myself and my barber to hide my balding head.
Just prior to the procedure. Hair line designed and hair pushed back to show the difference starting medication in February. These comparisons stun me the most.
First time seeing my shaved head. It's not a great look, but did consider consider asking for my money back and just paying for the hair cut. What a relief that moment was; it could have been so, so much worse and I'd never been brave enough to do this myself.
More design work to outline the areas for attention.
Our patient room for the two days.
Conclusion of day one. Bit sore and tired but feeling happy.
Concluson of day two; job done to 'top up' the mid scalp and crown.
Day one post op and now at home.
Day two post op.
Day four post op and looking/feeling much more back to normal and looking forward to the scabs coming off fully.
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I've only recently in the last couple of months decided to start considering treatments and possibly a transplant procedure for my continued hair loss. Having now spent a great deal of time browsing the Internet, YouTube and these forums my knowledge has grown very quickly and I only wish I'd started this journey sooner and not procrastinated about it for so long !!
Quite early on I decided that whilst I didn't want to spend mega money on a procedure, I also wasn't prepared to go abroad as from my research appears to be an absolute minefield to navigate and the results are frankly pot luck. Not the sort of situation I want to put myself in when my health, remaining hair and finances are being put on the line.
Why have I taken the plunge, finally signed up to the forum and replied to this thread specifically ? Well, pretty early on whilst naively searching the Internet for UK clinics I came across HQ in Cardiff which is only a couple of hours from me and their website contained some pretty enlightening information. I didn't feel as though I was in a position to book a consultation at that stage beacuse of my own ignorance but continued to carry out some due diligence in anticipation. Their reviews were pretty consistent; nothing but high praise for the work, attention to detail and after care from "Dr Ted". A little more research showed that Ted was actually in the process of leaving HQ to start up his own clinic in South Wales so I decided to get in touch and arrange a consultation.
I've now had two 30 minutes consultations with Ted and we've exchanged several messages over time (there was no time limit or window but rather each discussion just naturally came to a conclusion at around the 30 min mark). Nothing is too much bother and he's always keen to impress that I can get in touch at any time and if necessary we can arrange further calls when convenient for us both. My only surprise has been that such a highly qualified and experienced doctor is willing to give his time and advice at no cost - I think that just speaks to the genuine care that is provided rather than some which appear to be a quick sales pitch which reeks of a cash grab and leaves you feeling uncomfortable. I've seen a lot of his social media posts and combined with my learnings online, and now first hand experiences have come to the conclusion that his work is of excellent quality (appreciate/accept that surgeons tend to post their best and most successful results). I haven't spoken with any other HT surgeons in the UK but such is my experience so far that I have now booked and paid a deposit for a procedure at his new clinic later this year.
Having spoken at length with Ted I'm feeling quite confident in his ability to undertake the procedure and ensure I'm sporting a comfortable head of hair for many years to come. Back to the question above; as many have pointed out here, there seem to he relatively few posts relating to 'Dr Ted' so I'll be happy to document my experience and post an honest review with all the details of my history, the procedure etc so watch this space 🙂
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Dr Ted Miln - 5,757 FUE Procedure - June 2024
in Hair Transplant Reviews
Posted · Edited by WSR9351
Thank you Ryan, will do 😊 I hope you had an interesting visit ... it's a neat little set up there isn't it !
I was planning on killing some time at home with my guitar, but decided that at even half volume the amps have the potential to blow some of my grafts out 😜😂