My experience of surgery with Dr Wong of Hasson and Wong

[-se7en-]

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.

[1978matt]

An enjoyable read. Congratulations.

[-se7en-]

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.

[Garageland]

Se7en,

 

Welcome to the forum and thanks for such a detailed write up. It has been a long journey for you to get to this stage and I look forward to sharing it with you over the next year. Attached are some of your photos pre op that were taken before and immediately after surgery with your face blocked out as requested.

 

Please keep the forum posted of your progress.

[Garageland]

Se7en also send me this photos of his healing 7-14 days post op.

[-se7en-]

Garageland

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

[-se7en-]

Hi

I am just over 4 months from my surgery with Dr Wong from Hasson and Wong. I think I am back to where I was pre op with some improvement. Hopefully from this point it will be onwards and upwards!!!

 

I've attached some pictures as an update. Let me know your thoughts.

[Since13]

It's much better than what I saw in the pre-op pictures. I think you will have a nice result.

Keep us updated:)

Edited July 27, 2015 by Since13
typo

[Spanker]

Can you see the fue scars from where you hairline was raised?

[-se7en-]

Spanker,

I can't see the fue scars from where the hairline was raised. Dr Wong gas done a really good job although I know I'll have to go back and refine the area. However, I'll need to wait and see how it all grows out over the next 7/8 months

[mav23100gunther]

I wonder if Doug & Mike have been overwhelmed since Joe left. You should e-mail David (aka Gangland on this forum). David is much more responsive than Doug, even though he serves as UK rep. It's a pity that pure sloppiness on the consultants ruins it. dr Hasson is one of the top FUT surgeons on the planet, but no reason for you not to go with his direct competitors such as Dr Rahal or Dr Ron Shapiro. The Rahal sales team are excellent and very responsive, whilst Matt Z at Shapiro medical is outstanding. I found Doug to be lagging (compared to team Rahal and Matt Z) when I consulted with H&W, however, I did look past that when choosing my surgeon. I know it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, but Doug's unresponsiveness doesn't take away that Dr Hasson is one of the best. It's unfortunate though.

[Garageland]

Firstly Se7en I have been in contact with directly and I am pleased to see your 4 month photos things are moving in the right direction and I am keen to see your progress in person when I get back to the UK.

 

Ht soon, I am very sorry to hear this and if there is anything I can do to try to help and change your views of the clinic please let me know. I am in Vancouver for a couple of months and would be happy to help if you wanted to contact me directly. Same goes to you mav if you wish to make contact with me.

[-se7en-]

Please find attached my 7 month update

[-se7en-]

Any comments/ feedback would be appreciated. U feel I've mm add good progress as compared to my pre op pics. However Im hoping that my mid scalp area thickens up. I'm only 7 months in so hopefully the next few months will help thicken things up with any last grafts coming through now.

[-se7en-]

Any comments/ feedback would be appreciated. I feel I've made good progress as compared to my pre op pics. However Im hoping that my mid scalp area thickens up. I'm only 7 months in so hopefully the next few months will help thicken things up with any last grafts coming through now.

[Rawkerboi]

7 months and what a lovely Transformation, your hair is definitely fuller and you still have 5 more months to go, so do expect some growth and lot of thickness.

Are you on Rogaine, I hope Rogaine speed up growth especially on Mid scalp

Do keep us updated

[-se7en-]

I don't use rogaine.....prefer to just keep it to propecia

[Garageland]

Se7en,

 

I have to agree how great your hair is looking when you compare to your re ops. I am so happy for you as we have been speaking now for 4 years prior to you getting this repair. I was impressed by how many grafts Dr Wong was able to get considering all the scarring you had from your previous FUE session and taking all that into account at 7 months you have come so far.

 

I think that with some more growth and thickening of the newly transplanted hairs over the next 5 months will make the mid scalp fuller and soften the hairline.

 

Please keep us posted, it must be nice to be able to style your hair again?

[-se7en-]

Garageland- thanks for your comments. Your support has been greatly appreciated.

It's feels good to be able to grow my hair having had years of not been able to do so. I'm excited to see what further improvements the next 5 months or so will bring

[MrGio-WHTCClinic]

Thanks for sharing. Graft placement looks sufficient.

[-se7en-]

I am posting my results 10 month post op. Given from where I first started i've made a lot of progress!! Also there is no scarring visible from where Dr Wong removed grafts from the hairline, from an initial procedure I had many years ago with a different clinic.

[-se7en-]

I have also attached a close up of my hairline which highlights no visible scarring from where Dr Wong removed previously placed grafts from a different clinic. Happy days!! I do want to refine the hairline to make it more dense with a stronger shape together with ensuring that any other remaining irrelevant grafts from the hairline are removed.

[Aftermath]

I like this result, it's a really nice improvement and looks really natural. Dr Wong is a great surgeon, as a patient of H&W myself I'm curious as to how you decided which of the two surgeons was right for you? I personally think dr hasson is the best in the world at what he does but I'd happily let both work on me, the clinic as a whole is as good as it gets. Not just the doctors but the techs, reception, management and all the reps. Just a fantastic well oiled team.

[-se7en-]

Aftermath- I actually consulted with both Dr Hasson and Dr Wong prior to surgery. I met with them both over the years when they came to London. Interstingly both Dr''s had a different approach to tackling my surgery and also significantly differed on what they believed was possible in terms of available grafts. I would concur with you that both Dr''s are exceptional surgeons. However in coming to my decision I went with the Dr that was most aligned with my expectations.

[Aftermath]

Aftermath- I actually consulted with both Dr Hasson and Dr Wong prior to surgery. I met with them both over the years when they came to London. Interstingly both Dr''s had a different approach to tackling my surgery and also significantly differed on what they believed was possible in terms of available grafts. I would concur with you that both Dr''s are exceptional surgeons. However in coming to my decision I went with the Dr that was most aligned with my expectations.

 

Fair enough mate, I think you made the right decision for you and I think you look great! Can I ask what dr hasson said he would've done differently? Did dr Wong give you an idea of how many grafts are left in the bank?