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Surgery with Dr. Suradej Pong - Chiang Mai Thailand


James6000

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  • Regular Member

Hi all,

I have been considering HT surgery for some time and weighed up the pros and cons of going through with it but finally settled on Dr Pong in Chiang Mai Thailand. I wanted to share my experience for others considering the same and in particular others considering Dr Pong as there doesn’t seem to be enough reviews on him compared to other doctors out there.

When I was assessed by Dr Pong (via email) he told me I was a Norwood 4A as can be seen in the attached pictures and suggested approx 3000 grafts to restore my hair loss. Upon a physical assessment he suggested 2500 – 3000. The actual breakdown of what I received is as follows:

1H = 255

2H = 612

3H = 617

4H = 264

2FU = 1026

TOTAL = 2774 Grafts

(6438 Hairs)

13th of August 2014 was my surgery date and I have to say I was very nervous about it having flown from Australia not knowing if I was even making the right decision or if I should just accept my hair loss and shave my head. Considering a shaved head doesn’t suit me I am glad I made the decision to go through with the surgery.

Once you enter Dr Pongs office you notice how clean and professional the facilities are and wouldn’t look out of place in any western clinic. He sits you down to discuss your procedure and explains what will be a realistic outcome for your situation and helps you design a suitable hairline for your age and shape of your face.

Before the procedure begins there are some documents to sign and questions answered after the staff conduct a HIV and blood pressure test. You are given some valium to help you relax and then you are changed into a surgical gown and it’s off to the operating room upstairs where the donor area is prepared by marking out the area and cutting the hair in preparation for the donor strip to be removed.

I was told to lay face down on a bed similar to a massage bed with a hole for my face to fit before the injections of local anesthetic begun. To be honest they were mostly completely pain free and felt a lot like someone pulling a single strand of hair out and then the anesthetic kicked in. The removal of the strip is what worried me the most and I could hear my heart beat on the heart monitor going so fast but within a few minutes it calmed down and the beeps slowed to a resting rate. Before I knew it Dr Pong had removed the strip and it was time to have a break for lunch where I was given another valium and some anti-inflammatory pills.

Back in the chair this time sitting up with my head tilted back it was time for the implanting to begin which was done by Dr Pongs staff under his instructions. There was once again minimal to no pain during this part of the operation and considering they were making over 2700 incisions it was basically a pleasurable experience. I have heard stories of people falling asleep while having this done and wondered how they could be so relaxed at a time like this but I found myself falling asleep and was occasionally woken by the staff repositioning my head as it must have tilted to one side from time to time.

The whole process took a few hours 8:30am – 3:30pm and when I left I was given a post-op treatment plan with a choice of a hat or bandanna to wear and half a pharmacy of medication which included antibiotics, mild pain killers, strong pain killers, anti-inflamatories and valium to help me sleep if needed also a souvenir CD with pictures of my process and after care instructions.

 

All in all it was a pleasant experience and I will definitely return to Dr Pong for future treatment if needed. The ultimate test will be time so I will see where I am in a year from now but so far it has been a great start.

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Day 1

After my procedure and I guess I’m lucky because I had almost no discomfort at all and had very little problems sleeping. I can see some swelling above the head band and can see why Dr Pong insisted I keep it on for the next 5-7 days. I imagine if I removed it the swelling would travel down to my forehead and eyes. I have seen some photos of people who have removed it too early so I think it is best to keep it in place.

I had my first hair wash today at Dr Pongs clinic and a large amount of the dried blood around the grafts has gone with some still remaining as can be seen in the pictures.

 

Day 2

I am still experiencing no pain at all unless I am silly enough to touch the area near the donor scar but even then it is only very minor discomfort which I am very pleased about.

I do notice the skin in the implant area becoming a bit more red as time goes on but I assume this is normal and may remain that way for a little while? Perhaps someone could verify this for me and tell me if this will be the case.

 

Day 3

Despite not removing my head band today I have some swelling moving down towards my eyes and across the tops of my ears but it is not bad at all so I’m happy with that and some swelling is obviously to be expected. Other than that I seem to be healing well.

5b32e0df1c559_Day1top.jpg.39a1f7d6e28f4a87553b55d71d255ff0.jpg

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5b32e0df474b7_Day3left.jpg.90cce049ed3ac39027fb3089a2f4f199.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • Regular Member

Hi James, seems we missed each other by about a week! I just had my crown area done on friday and am now couped up in my room waiting for the swelling to die down a bit before I venture out again. Good to hear yours went well :)

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Cheers Johnny,

I had my stitches out the same morning of your op and them flew out that afternoon. Great experience with Dr Pong and I guess you'd agree which is why you're back for op number two.

Shame I didn't catch you before I left, would have liked to see some of the docs work 12 months down the track, hopefully give me an idea what I'm in for this time next year.

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lol bad timing, oh well :P I'm sure you'll be wrapped with the results as I know I am. Before I had the crown done I could style my hair, use toppik on the crown area and you couldn't even tell and I was a norwood class 6. Looking forward to this aussie summer where I'll be able to go out for the first time n years not having to worry about a hat! :D

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • Regular Member

Well here I am 5 weeks after surgery but for some reason it seems so much longer, must be a waiting thing.

Anyway at this point I have lost pretty much all the grafts and some of the native hair in the recipient area as expected. I am noticing new growth which I wasn't expecting to see yet. I'm fairly certain its too early for the grafts to be growing and the hair seems too thick to be the grafts so I assuming it's some of the native hair making a comeback. If anyone can explain this I'd be grateful.

My donor scar is healing well and I actually have difficulty finding it, still a little bit red but otherwise healing well.

5b32e16195dc5_5weekcomparisonW.jpg.a0c15fdbf9d30b326c693e1b0b738819.jpg

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5b32e161c2c96_5WeeksDonorScar.jpg.8f10bcc78fa7860ace87921062fac29c.jpg

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  • 1 month later...
  • Regular Member

Can't believe it's been three months, feels longer.

So at this point I keep hearing that most of the worst is behind me with all the good stuff to look forward to. I'm happy with my results for three months and am trying to remain realistic about my progress to this point.

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  • 8 months later...
  • Regular Member

Ok, so here I am at 12 months after my surgery and having withheld judgement on the success or failure of the procedure for that length of time I have decided to judge it as a complete success. Not only am I happy with my new head of hair but I have a major confidence boost to go with it. Most of the transformation seemed to be over by the six month mark for me with just a bit of thickening and texture changes for the rest of the twelve months.

I'd like to thank everyone who posts on this forum because it helps so many people (myself included) to become better informed on options and treatments available.

If HT surgery is something you are considering, my advice is do your research and go for it.

0TO12MONTHSa.jpg.9fd117676b5f9670c98985e85e90bd85.jpg

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Ok, so here I am at 12 months after my surgery and having withheld judgement on the success or failure of the procedure for that length of time I have decided to judge it as a complete success. Not only am I happy with my new head of hair but I have a major confidence boost to go with it. Most of the transformation seemed to be over by the six month mark for me with just a bit of thickening and texture changes for the rest of the twelve months.

I'd like to thank everyone who posts on this forum because it helps so many people (myself included) to become better informed on options and treatments available.

If HT surgery is something you are considering, my advice is do your research and go for it.

 

This is great transformation! No wonder you have more confidence ... thanks for the update and best of luck.

 

Z

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • Regular Member

Corbyn,

 

As anyone on this forum will tell you there is no 'need' to take propecia if you absolutely don't want to but if you choose not to you must also expect your hair loss to continue as it naturally would.

I have been taking Finasteride of one brand or another for over ten years now and continued after my HT surgery because I know if I stop taking it I will very quickly begin to thin out behind my transplanted hair and into the crown area.

I know there is much debate over weather or not Finasteride is good or bad for you but from my experience it works wonders and keeps my hair growing where I want it so I'll be continuing to take it as long as it continues to work.

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  • 1 year later...

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