HT procedure with Dr Humayun Mohmand - 29th May 2012

[aramis69]

After just a few months of deciding whether to address my gradual hair thinning around my hairline and midscalp, I finally, got around to consider HT with Dr Humayun of the HTI in Islamabad.

 

I am in my mid forties and my thinning has been slow process, inherited from both my mother and late father's side, although, my father had a full head of lustrous hair throughout his life. The miniturisation of hairs has been most noticeable in the past two years.

 

My choice for Dr Humayun was based on his expertise in restoring a natural hairline with minimal scar visibility using the latest closure techniques and having seen the results of two of my friends who had surgery performed by him. These factors really helped me decide in choosing Humayun. At nine months my friend's scar was totally undetectable, even at close range and hairs were growing through the scar line.

 

I sent a number of photos by email to Shahid, who is Dr Humayun's chief consultant to establish what scale I was on the Norwood chart. Shahid informed me I was a Norwood 4 going onto 5 and that I would need between 2500 to 3000 grafts to be placed on my frontal region and midscalp and that a second HT would be required to address my crown area in later stages. Shahid, I found to be quite responsive and addressed ALL concerns that I had.

 

I booked my HT to be performed on 29th May 2012. I reached Islamabad via Dubai - Birmingham on the 28th May 2012 and used this day to chillout and put my mind at ease for the operation to be performed the next day.

 

I booked into a very secure and clean Guesthouse that was recommended on Trip Advisor (New Cape Grace) and frequented by people having cosmetic surgery performed in Islamabad, especially foreigners. I hired the hotel's trusty driver for the day, who was of an enormous assistance in obtaining a sim card for my Android, exchanging currency, taking me for my consultation with Shahid and driving me to the scenic views of Margalla Hills in Islamabad in the late afternoon and indulging in a BBQ served with freshly pulped mango juice at an altitude of about a 1000 meters high (a must do!).

 

The clinic itself is set in the heart of the business hub of Islamabad (Blue area) surrounded by other clinics and diagnostic centers.

 

I was directed upstairs to the main reception area where the receptionists were expecting me. The clinic itself is very modern, clean and has a relaxing environment. The staff were all courteous and friendly. They constantly offered me refreshments. Half an hour later Shahid called me in to his office. Shahid is a very friendly and likeable guy who thorougly examines your scalp, laxity and density. He will explain the procedure and will answer in detail any questions you may have and what you can realistically expect out of your HT. At the end of the consultation, I had to sign some papers and then have a blood test.

 

The following day (HT), I had a hearty breakfast. I reached the clinic at 8.20am, the security guard directed me upstairs and to my surprise, only one staff member reached there, she was quick to offer me refreshments. All other staff arrived within 5 minutes. I don't think there was any other patient at the time for a HT, although, I was informed there was only one other patient who arrived later.

 

I was ushered into the surgery room at about 8.45am, where I was introduced to a team of friendly technicians, two females and two males. Between them they had about 20 years of grafting experience with the main tech at 12 years. I was given an intravenous injection on both arms, a painkiller and a sedative. The effects of the medication started right away. I never felt such a heavy head in my life!

 

If I remember correctly, one of the techs started to place needles around my donor area. I hardly felt anything at all. I do possess a high pain threshold. The pricks were more akin to a mosquito bite. Soon the area became numb. Techs kept asking me if I was o'kay and whether I felt anything. They were quite meticulous and ensured all the area was covered. There were one or two areas that I did feel a sensation when pricked so they injected those areas too.

 

Once the donor area was covered, I had to wait about 5 minutes for the surgeon to come and slice the donor area. Boy, did I feel giddy! I have hardly taken any medications in my life due to leading a very active and healthy lifestyle and so I had not built up any toleration to these medications. Seemed they had a strong effect on me. Whilst waiting for the surgeon, I had small banter with the techs. They really made you feel at ease.

 

Dr Humayun came in and I exchanged very brief pleasantries. A simple 'hello' and that's it. He lined me up against the mirror took some photos at different angles and then marked me up with a couple of revisions. He kept stepping back like a rennaissance artist adding the finishing touches to create a perfect template markup according to my facial structure.

 

Next, I was made to lie face down and then the slicing of the donor area began. Did not feel a thing! Dr Humayun had to tug hard to peel off my donor area. This was done fairly quickly. Next, the closure of the donor area was performed. Dr Humayun took his time in suturing me. The donor area was sliced in 4 parts, each one given to a tech member where they started to dissect the grafts.

 

Dr Humayun, then started making the incisions for the grafts. He works extremely fast. Though, I was unimpressed by his demeanour as he did not communicate with me at all. It would have been nice and reassuring, having flown thousands of miles to Islamabad from the UK not knowing anyone and having a surgical procedure for the first time to engage in some small talk, not necessarily a lengthy conversation. I was conscious at the time. When the incisions were completed, Dr Humayun left the room quickly.

 

I asked to see my scalp on a mirror. It was not a pretty sight! I was very 'oozy'. I could see a lot of blood, compared to most photos I have seen on this site, mine was perhaps the bloodiest! The tech did a good job in trying to clean up the area. I then had lunch, juice and Green tea. When I was ready, the graft planting session began by the two female techs. I had a ten minute nap.

 

My wife called me on my cell phone during the grafting session and the main technician really assured her that everything was going smoothly and not to worry.

 

By 3.30pm, my HT was finished. The techs did not seemed to be tired at all and we really enjoyed each other's company and small talk. Dr Humayun came in to have a look at the final results and quickly disappeared.

 

With my head bandaged and wearing a sterilised cap. I was taken to another room where a female consultant went through the aftercare regimen and provided me post operative instructions.

 

Finally, I was escorted into Shahid's room where I finalised my bill for the HT treatment. I believe my total grafts were about 2670, I was hoping for more. But my laxity and density was about middle of the road and there is only so much you can extract. I paid in pounds sterling at the prevailing rate and got a great deal with plenty of loose change left over.

 

Feeling giddy and still sedated, Shahid did not want me to wait for a taxi, so he was kind enough to escort and drop me off to my hotel in his private car.

 

I had extensive swelling around the top part of my head and was advised to use icepacks for about 5 - 10 minutes for every hour for the next two days.

 

The hotel's manager went out of his way to ensure that icepacks were delivered to me every hour. I stayed in my room for the remaining part of the day.

 

At about 7.30pm, the pain around my donor area started to kick in, but let me tell you it was quite minimal, just a couple of places around the sutured area. I did feel stiff necked trying to avoid jerky movements. I took my painkillers, antibiotics and valium as directed on time. Felt very sleepy, so I setup my upright sleeping position with the extra pillows provided by the hotel, I also had my own travelling pillow (from Ebay). See attached photos. Within 10 minutes, I nodded off and I slept like a baby, I mean really deep sleep. Woke up about 1am in the middle of the night, because my stomach was growling and so I ordered a subway sandwich and then went back to sleep. Continuous sleep without interruption.

 

Next, morning, I woke up early, but still had considerable swelling on my forehead. Spent all day in the Hotel's lobby and my room. By evening time, pain had subsided and the tightness around my neck relaxed to allow me to start packing my bags for the next day's flight. Shahid provided me extra surgical caps and swabs. I wore a very loose hat over the surgical cap.

 

At Islamabad airport I was asked politely to remove my cap, but informed them that I had a surgical operation, although the security were curious they allowed me to proceed without fuss. Same thing happened at Dubai and Birmingham airport. Security staff were pretty understanding, I did not have to take my hat off. They saw that I had a surgical cap underneath my hat.

Reached Birmingham on 31st May 2012.

 

I have no pain, but lots of swelling which has travelled down to the lower part of my forehead. Dark Scabs have already formed. I have to wash my donor area gently for the next ten days and then on the tenth day I can wash my grafted area. The sutures will be removed by my local surgery on the tenth day.

Edited August 9, 2012 by aramis69

[aramis69]

Here's an update of my HT at 4 months.

 

After my HT, I experienced very significant shockloss in the frontal and midscalp region for the first 4 weeks until it stabilised. I believe this might have been due to fact that many of the grafts placed in the frontal region were inserted between existing native hairs and some of them were weak, causing trauma around the surrounding tissue and hence the shedding.

 

I also experienced redness and irritation which was caused by pimples, so I used lots of distilled witchhazel for relief. The redness in my recipient area lasted for about two and a half months. The scar line at 4 months is still quite pink, a little bumpy in some areas and I still get scabs forming.

 

About 5% of grafts did not fall off, especially on the hairline. Growth kicked off around the 3 month mark, but most of this growth was from the existing shockloss hairs. What's interesting is that I used my old Hairmax lasercomb to speedup the healing process of the recipient area, not to regrow hair. Once the redness and soreness was gone, I started seeing early signs of growth. I also took a daily regimen of MSM, Biotin, B Complex and Omega Oil supplements.

 

I have attached some photos taken in normal and lighted instances that I took on exactly the 4th month mark. But as of writing the hairs have darkened and I can see tiny faint hairs growing if I look very closely.

 

I do have a couple of concerns:

 

1. I feel that my hairline could have been lowered a tad little further. I do look quite young for my age and can pass off for a young 30 year old rather than a mid 40 year old guy. All my family members do not look their ages (Genetics). Unfortunately, Dr Humayun did not allow me the opportunity to review the drawnup hairline as everything was done rather quickly by him.

 

2. I usually have a left parting when I comb my hair, however, the hair that is growing on the left-hand side of my hairine seems to be growing at a wrong angle. See attached photo with circle around the area in question.

 

I have voiced my concerns with Dr Humayun/s consultant who has assured me that the angle of the hairs will change during the course of time. Let's wait and see.

 

I would welcome any comments or feedback.

[Nize]

Hi Aramis69,

 

Thanks a trillion for this great post. I am about to book my HT with Dr. Humayun and in the process of applying for visa. I have planned to get this done at the HTI Karachi clinic and the communication I had with Faisal - a senior official at HTI Karachi was extremely and very extremely helpful, friendly, understanding as well as professional. Similar to you, I am also going alone to Karachi but not from the UK - from another South Asian country. I am planning to do about 3000 grafts as they have suggested and hope things would go well for me too. I am 30 years and having experiencing hair loss for about 5 years now. Your post is immensely useful for people like me. Much appreciated and request you to keep this post updated. Thanks again.

[aramis69]

Hi Nize,

 

It's a pleasure! I will continue to update my website monthly.

 

When are you hoping to have your HT done? Is Dr Humayun going to be present at the Karachi clinic to create the hairline mark and make the incisions?

[Nize]

Hi Aramis69,

 

Glad to hear from you I plan to do it next month (December) if the God willing. Faisal said Dr. Humayun would perform the surgery. So I think he'd create hairline, isn't it ?

[bash]

Nize, how much have you been quoted for the 3000 grafts? I'm thinking of going with Dr Humayan in December or maybe early next year.

 

Thanks

[Nize]

Dear Bash,

 

I think it is not good to mention about the price quotation in a public forum. You may contact them and request a quote. They may request you to send them your latest photos taken from different angels. Anyways, as far as I have searched around in Google, Dr. Humayun Mahmond seems to be offering very affordable charges and they are extremely professional & ethical. Never asks anyone to pay them without proper invoices and maintains registered company bank accounts in a clear manner. HTI pricing seems affordable than Indian HT surgeons and HTI has offered its services to many V.I.Ps than any other HT facility in the region, if not the world. Hope this helps.

[bash]

Hmmm, theres been many other members here who've mentioned the price they've paid with their Dr's so I dont agree with you about mentioning price quotations. If you have a problem with stating how much you've been quoted PERSONALLY than fair enough, I can accept that.

 

I'm fully aware of how HTI operates as I have been in contact with them also.

[Nize]

Dear Bash,

 

Many other members doing the same thing can not be a scale to come to a conclusion that a particular practice is good or bad. Even if 100K other members shared price quotation publicly, still just I think disclosing the price quotation is not that good in a public forum. Apart from it, I have no personal reason to avoid sharing price quotation here as I am a tax payer in my country as well as pay taxes to the US Government for my business bank accounts maintained in the US. Plus, I can not have personal hesitation to disclose what I spend on HT as I am not using my real name here and it is virtually not viable for any authority to trace me through IP for this amount of money

[bash]

Ok, too much information dude. If you have no personal reason to avoid sharing price quotation then could you send me a private message instead?

 

Thanks

[Nize]

Ha ha It's just my habit Please do not mind. Yes, could you also share with me the price quotation you got from HTI via a private message please ?

[aramis69]

You can PM me and I will tell you how much I paid. I did not have to make any advance or deposit payment. I made my payment for the HT right after surgery. You don't even have to convert your US or pound sterling currency. Shahid accepted pounds at the current exchange rate prevailing at the time. I got a great deal, much better than I would have picked up here in the UK.

 

I gave the techs a little gift picked up from Dubai.

[Nize]

Hi Aramis69,

 

Are you serious ? They informed me that I wanted to make an advance to book the dates and it seemed logical too. How they allowed you to book a surgery date without making a single penny ? (Assuming you are not a cousin brother to Dr. Humayun LOL! )

[aramis69]

Yes, I am serious. I guess anyone travelling thousands of miles to get a HT, is not going to be a 'timewaster'. The Karachi clinic might have a different policy. I have no relation to Dr Humayun or any of his staff whatsoever (lol).

[aramis69]

Here are update photos at the 11 month mark.

 

I would like to say at this point, I don't feel that I am pleased with the results achieved, thus far. Perhaps my expectations were higher.

 

I still have a couple scabs forming along the scar line and they reappear when they fall off. I am not happy with this as it can become a little painful when I am sleeping at night. It's always in the same area.

 

Density is lacking considering I was told by the HT consultant that they would add density in the frontal zone and then work towards the back with less density as I still had some hair in the midscalp region. During my consultation prior to my HT, I specifically stated that I did not want a pushed back type of hairline. I had a natural parting that fell from left to right side. The grafts in my left temple area do seem to be wrongly angled and makes my hairline look pushed back and not form a side parting correctly as you can see in the attached photos.

 

I did point this out to the surgery months ago and they responded by stating that the angle would correct itself once the hairs would mature over time. This has not been the case. Density on my left temple was especially lacking and what is concerning is the fact that last week the hairs in this region suddenly started to shed, with only a few hairs remaining. It now looks like almost bald area. I do hope that it's just a shed.

 

I'm going to wait one more month before I contact the doctor.

Edited May 6, 2013 by aramis69

[aramis69]

First of all apologies for the delay in providing an update. I have updated my Hair Loss website with 12 month photos taken outdoors. For a broader perspective, I have included below, photos taken indoors.

 

There are 3 main areas to give you an update on the 12th month mark:

 

1. Scar line

2. Density

3. Graft angles at left side temple.

 

1. The couple of scabs I have on my scar line have still not healed. When they drop off, new ones appear in the exact same location. This situation has been ongoing for 12 months now.

 

2. Density remains low. My mid region appears more dense than my hairline. This is because I still had native hair in this region. 2600 + grafts should have given me a decent hairline as this was discussed with the consultant prior to my HT, who assured me that they would work with greatest density in the hairline.

 

3. The angle of grafts in the left temple area do not seem to fall natural from a left to right parting. A few are literally pointing down and looks completely unnatural.

 

The few friends and family who know I had a transplant have candidly stated that there has been little improvement since my HT. I feel deflated.

 

This has not been a satisfactory HT result for me.

[agenteye]

Aramis-

 

I would agree with your assessment that it was not a satisfactory result for you. I really empathize with you, because getting a hair restoration is such a huge financial, mental/emotional, and time commitment. With that said, I think your plan to contact the surgeon is a good start. Maybe he will make an effort to help you out with repair work in the areas you are not satisfied. Thank you so much for updating the forums with your year progress, and for updating your Hair Loss Website.......it is great to see consistent updates of your progress.....I'm really sorry it was an unfavorable result. Wishing you all the best in the future, and please keep us posted as to what your surgeon says about your result!

 

Best,

 

Mike

[TakingThePlunge]

aramis69,

 

I'm very sorry to hear that your hair transplant has not not grown as expected. I agree that at this point, you should have seen much more growth given the number of grafts placed.

 

You mentioned that you would be contacting Dr. Mohmand. Have you reached out to the clinic yet to discuss your concerns? If so, please share with us his assessment of your result.

 

I have also reached out to Dr. Mohmand and requested that he respond publicly to this thread and also contact you privately.

 

I know how deflating it can be when a hair transplant does not meet your expectations. Please keep us posted on your communications with Dr. Mohmand.

[hairshopeing]

I'm sorry this turned out the way it has!! Do much time, worry,sacrifices and money go into this whole thing and to come away with very little change from pre op must be very difficult!! I really feel for you!! If your dr has a shread if decency he should give you a FULL refund and allow you to else where to try and rectify this!!! I hope things turn out well for you!!!

[greatjob]

I feel for you buddy. It appears that you have had little to no growth, hopefully things will get sorted out.

[aramis69]

Thankyou all for your comments.

 

To be honest having looked at the Doctor's prior patient photo submissions on this site I was not expecting high density anyway and a second operation would be required in future. I understood this very clearly from the outset. I kept my expectations realistic, albeit optimistic considering the reputation of the surgeon. My main emphasis was on restoring a 'natural hairline'. However, results have been below par in the areas I have pointed out and I am being conservative here, when I state that.

 

Although, the camera is not able to show it clearly, the donor scar area is a little raw and pink.

 

The whole experience and results have put me off FUT, not withstanding there are some great accomplished strip method surgeons with consistent results.

 

I'm sure the doctor will try to address my disappointment, but at this stage I don't feel confident in travelling all the way to Islamabad away from my family and having strip surgery performed by the same doctor. This is especially, not an option for me as my only sister was diagnosed with cancer last year and I have to accompany her for treatment in Surrey and Chelsea.

 

I would much prefer a refund of the HT surgery and then when I am ready, have less, invasive, high density FUE done by a doctor who is more hands on and involved in the procedure, somewhere closer to home like Turkey.

 

I have sent the surgeon a PM.

[DASKA]

Dear Aramis69

 

Thank you very much for your posts 11 months and 12 months.

 

We do agree that your result is not satisfactory and we do hereby stand with you to correct it free of cost whenever you are coming to Pakistan.

 

As our 98% to more clients are happy and generally 1 to 2% clients can have less than satisfactory results, as there can be many factors behind it. We can Assure you All the SOPs were followed and you are not smoker as well. So It could be X factor where you do not have the control on nature or it can very well be a human factor, in other words some thing that might have happened at the time of plantation. Too much of dryness of grafts or holding the grafts a bit tighter that usually can happen if the skin is tight or if there is popping of the grafts. irrespective of the reason we take full responsibility of the results and cannot blame things.

 

The other issues like the angle of few grafts and acne on donor area can also be resolved in next session. Usually, once there is growth of all hair. The hair tends to get mold with the parting style as you had to comb them from left to right.

 

One of the complications of Tricophytic scar closure is that some hair can get trapped. They usually make small pimple which once burst the hair shaft comes out of skin, But sometimes if it does not come out and become a minor cyst and usually appear again and again. So we have to guide the hair out and then it does not happen again. We do here free of cost but it you want to get it done from there. They may charge you around 100 pounds or so. If they are charging you we will reimburse up to 200 pound sterling or $s. Please send us your account details and we shall transfer the money to your account.

 

We can also ask some of our colleagues to look at you in their clinic and may be they do not charge you.

 

No matter what we will stand by you till you become happy.

 

Regards,

[Jinglealltheway]

To the OP, thank you so much for sharing your story and letting us see your progress. This is extremely educational, and useful for prospective HT patients.

 

Why is the hair transplant network standing behind a clinic that produces these results?

[AdamBrunswick]

Dear Aramis69, I am very sorry to read about the negative experience you have had with Dr. Humayun Mohmand and his HTI clinic in Islamabad, Pakistan. I have been following Dr. Mohmand's forums and feedback on the HTN for 2 years.

 

Until now I have been impressed with Dr. Mohmand's reputation and credentials listed on The Hair Transplant Network website. It is truly disappointing to finally see post-operation pictures of his work done on a former patient.

 

I was planning on getting my hair transplant surgery performed by Dr. Mohmand soon, but this has completely changed my mind.

 

The fact that a consultant of Dr. Humayun Mohmand is leaving feedback and replying to this thread is in my opinion unprofessional.

 

Dr. Humayun Mohmand should address what went wrong with your surgery and why. He has been replying and leaving his feedback in many forums and should definitely show his concern on this forum.

 

I just have one question to ask please. Was your hair transplant surgery performed using FUE method?

[aramis69]

Hi Adam,

 

Although, his consultant has been professional and courteous at all times, Dr Humayun has not been responsive and communicative.

 

When I contacted Dr Humayun via PM and by email, his 6 word response was a curt, 'ask my consultant to answer you". If he was busy during that time, I certainly have the patience to wait until his professional advice was available.

 

The consultant who I originally was dealt with prior to the HT and after did reply back quickly and offered to correct my issues next time round.

 

Most likely, I will decline as I will consider FUE closer to home and not FUT. I am not willing to risk having another strip surgery, by the same surgeon. I may have been unlucky, who knows. I did ask for a refund, let's see.

 

I had FUT strip surgery at the HTI.

 

Right now there are other priorities to deal with and I just have to move on.

 

Thankyou David and Bill for your support.