5,140 FUT grafts with Dr Jerry Wong (29/07/2015)

[cueball16]

I'll start with my hair loss history - I started to lose my hair at the age of 11 believe it or not. When I was 13/14 I would regularly get comments from other kids at school regarding my hair. By 18 it was mostly gone on top. I used to use a great deal or nanogen fibres from the age of 17 but by 20/21 the fibres didn't even any hair to attach themselves to. Just black fibres sitting on my scalp. I looked ridiculous and would always feel uncomfortable when talking to people as their eyes spent the majority of the time on my hair, or lack thereof.

 

I knew I wanted to sort my hair problem out. I spent a few years planning it in my head. My research in the early days was more about me looking at clinics websites looking at images that I wanted to believe were the results I would end up with. Eventually I started looking at the forums and a friend of a friend suggested Hasson & Wong. After further research, many many hours reading up on peoples experiences I came to the conclusion that they were the best. I did consider a few others, and even seriously considered some cheaper options in the East but in my heart I always knew it had to be H&W.

 

I had a consultation with them in London with Dr Wong and David Anderson. We decided that I should start on Finasteride and we'd re-evaluate in 12 months. The following year, summer 2013, I met David again in London. He and Dr Wong said I was a good candidate for a hair transplant. It took me a while to get the money together, but in the summer of 2015, I told David I was ready to go ahead. He got back to me with a date in late July.

 

I flew out the morning before the procedure. Vancouver is a beautiful city. Be sure to spend some time out there if you choose H&W, it really is a great place.

 

Everything from the moment I walked into the clinic, to the moment I left it 2 days post-op was perfect, I couldn't find a single fault. The staff were superb, the care was exemplary, I cannot recommend these guys enough. David Anderson was out there for a few months too, so David, Dr Wong and I had a meeting the day before surgery. We were aiming for 4,000 grafts. Dr Wong drew on a hairline which I was happy with. I was told that we would build a new hairline, higher than my native one. It was unlikely that there would be enough grafts to address the crown area.

 

Dr Wong cut out the strip and sealed the wound up with staples. The process was totally painless. He then started making the slits and I relaxed watching TV shows on Netflix. In the end we hit a scarcely believable 5,140 grafts! 1,746 singles, 2,732 doubles and 662 multiples. It took Dr Wong and his team 16 and a half hours. I was totally comfortable the whole time, regular breaks to stretch my legs, lunch and dinner of my choosing, no pain at all - I even fell asleep for a little while! So, after arriving at 0600, I finally left for my hotel at 2230 with a goodie bag including an inflatable neck pillow, a pillow cover so I didn’t get any blood on my pillow in my hotel room, special shampoo, cream for the scar, painkillers, sleeping tablets, staple remover and a large baseball cap. They had thought of everything I could possibly need.

 

I went back to the clinic the next 2 days to have my hair washed, and also so they could show me how to wash it for the first couple of weeks without damaging any grafts. Dr Wong said everything was looking good. David was also there, and I have to give special thanks to him for everything he has done - he has always been there when needed and always reliable.

 

I am writing this 7 months post op. The first couple of weeks of recovery were pain free and pretty easy. Lots of sleeping, lots of meals. Was good to go back to work within a week of surgery.

 

I am really happy with how things went, I really couldn't have asked for more. Dr Wong is a great and generous man, his Golden Follicle award was truly deserved. My case was a difficult one as there was such a large area to cover, my hair loss was pretty bad, there was very little left on top and the density in my donor area was below average. I was actually told by a couple of clinics that they wouldn't take me on and they suggested SMP as an alternative. I believe it is challenging cases like mine that separates the men from the boys in this industry.

 

I have a blog on the Hasson and Wong website. If you want to read more about my experience, please do check it out as I went into a lot more detail in that. When I was researching into having a hair transplant, I found that the long, in depth write ups with lots of details were what I really enjoyed reading and gave me invaluable information...so check it out under the blog section on their official site!

 

Thank you for reading and I welcome all comments and opinions, good or bad. Looking forward to hearing what you guys have to say.

[cueball16]

Photos taken the day after surgery

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One month post op. The scar probably looks worse than it really is because of shock loss around it. At this point I started to use regaine again. Healed nicely, no tightness. Obviously above the scar it was numb.

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I kept my head shaved for the first few months. This is about as long as I let it get. For the first few weeks when I felt any irritation in the recipient area I would massage my scalp with a few drops of Vitamin E oil mixed with some almond oil which would help calm it. Within a month there was no irritation at all.

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These were the first signs of real growth. I did keep my head shaved, this was as long as I would let it get. After month 4 I let it grow out.

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This is where things really kicked off - noticeable changes by the week. Feeling above the scar was pretty much back to how it was, probably completely back by around month 5.

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This was the first time I had allowed my hair to grow long enough to cover the scar. As you can see it is still pretty short here.

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At the half way point to what is generally regarded as the 'final result'. At this point I couldn't really have asked for more. I would have taken this as a final result pre op - a complete transformation in 6 months.

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I don't really expect any new hair to grow. I think they have all grown. I'm just hoping they mature and thicken. Really happy with how it's gone. I use MSM, Hair-Force, Regaine and Finasteride. I think these things helped my grafts to grow quicker, hence the good result at only 6 months.

 

What do you guys think?

[chris39]

From where you started out , this is a great result , with more to come ! Website is really painfully slow tonight so can't get all the photo's at the moment .

 

I'll check out your blog when I get a chance .

 

Happy growing !

[Spidey]

looking at your pre op pics, it seems like you were pretty much slick bald on the top minus a few hairs here and there... IMO, it probably isn't much benefit to take FIN or even rogaine since the vast majority of the hair on your head now is transplanted hair.. just my 2 cents

[HairsGone]

Overall a very good improvement from pre-op. It probably won't be really dense as there was a lot of area to cover but you will still notice an improvement in the next few months.

 

I would continue Finasteride as there is still the possibility of losing hair on the lateral humps or below the crown, which hopefully Finasteride may prevent.

[thisguy1]

Big jump btw month 4 and 6. When one looks at oneself at month 2 you cannot imagine that in 120 days it can be so different. Here is to hoping.

 

Congrats on the big jump from where you started - you came a long way.

[cueball16]

Thank you for your comments.

 

Chris39, thanks for your comment, the blog is probably worth taking a look at for a more detailed account if you're interested.

 

Spidey, I have to agree with HairsGone, although I was basically slick bald on top, the last

thing I need is to start losing hair below the crown and on the sides! For the cost of regaine/finasteride and the small amount of time it takes of my day, it's totally worth it.

 

 

HairsGone, yes, you are quite right about the density, it's pretty strong at the hairline, but that number of grafts covering such a large area...I'm still amazed at the level of coverage but yes I intend on another procedure later this year to add some density for sure.

 

thisguy1, thanks for the congratulations and I couldn't agree more with your '120 days' comment. Spot on

[JON86]

I read your blog on the website and wow you have come a long way. For such a bald scalp the transformation is fantastic. I am one of those people that highly believe in the meds. I think of them as an insurance policy on your investment. Why spend so much money without some kind of insurance policy? It also seems doctors vary on what a safe zone is or if there is one so better to be safe than sorry. I am happy for you that you got such good results that will only improve in the coming months.

[cueball16]

JON86, thank you for your kind words and for reading my blog. I like that you termed it 'an insurance policy on your investment'. It just makes sense to use the meds, right? For the 2 minutes of my day and the small amount it costs, it would be crazy not to bother with them. I have read that some people have had procedures and never been on any meds. I know some people start meds after their procedures - surely it makes sense to stabilise the loss first so you can plan it all better.

 

I must say, I have a great deal of sympathy for those few who have tried Finasteride and had to discontinue due to side effects. We all know what it can do for us. I actually read one guys thread earlier and he couldn't even stick with Regaine because his face would swell up, poor guy.

[Garageland]

Cueball- Thanks for posting your story and photos it was great being part of your journey and at the clinic when you were there. You have been an absolute pleasure to deal with. I am so glad things worked out for you. I think there will still be improvements to be seen over the coming months in terms of hair maturity and thickening.

 

Please keep us all posted and we should meet up soon.

[cueball16]

Thank you for that message, and thank your for all of your help the last 3 and a half years. Looking forward to meeting up soon hopefully!

[KevinC]

Cue,

 

I am still a bit naive when it comes to hair loss, but why are you contending there won't be anymore growth after month 7? I thought people had to wait the full year. I'm probably wrong haha.

 

Also, how much do you have left to add in density and do you think you'll be able to hit that mark? How long will you have to wait to do a density procedure?

 

I ask these questions because I am a Norwood VI and I am waiting to hear back from H&W about my online consultation. They are wizards for guys like us and your result brings me hope. The nice thing about us is since we are completely bald we won't have to worry about additional surgeries for existing hair vacating our heads haha.

 

I thought I had the sob story for losing most my hair by 19 to 21, but man, you take the cake and that work is just fantastic for what you had. Definitely going to read your blog.

[Dutchie]

Wow!!!! Amazing job by one of the H&W geniuses.

 

Were you a Norwood 6 or a 7??

It looks to my untrained eye you were at least a NW6 bordering on a 7

[cueball16]

KevinC, it's just my opinion really, to me it just looks as if they have all grown. Maybe there are a few around the crown which haven't come through yet. As a general rule they do take longer in that area. I try not to look at how it 'should' look at a certain point in time. Some people have all of their grafts grow by 6 months, some people find new ones coming through after 12 months. I am basing this on what I have read in these forums. Some people say they notice that the overall appearance improves all the way up to 18 months due to the hair maturing and thickening. It's different for everyone, and for this reason, I try not to look at timescales some people have posted in the past. Yes, they are a good guide, but if someone who is a slow grower starts panicking and stressing themselves out, it will take even longer. I may be wrong! But yes, you should wait at least a year before judging the results really. I'm not judging mine, I've just accepted that I probably have no more/maybe very few grafts to grow and I'm just hoping for the hair to thicken! I will judge at 12 months.

 

 

As for adding density - the density in my donor area was low to start with, which is unfortunate considering the large area I need to cover. If Dr Wong comes to London this summer, I will hopefully meet up with him and see if he thinks we can get another strip, even if it's only 2,000 grafts. There is no point worrying too much about it until he gives his judgement on it - he might say we can get 2,500, he might say we should take some FUE grafts instead. Depends on how the scar has healed, laxity etc. I would love to be able to get another strip. Maybe some FUE at a later time and I am also considering beard grafts. I sound a little hair greedy now !!! I would love to be a 10,000 graft man but it's highly unlikely with my donor density. I would consider body hair grafts but I worry about a low yield.

 

 

You being a Norwood VI, a strip surgery with H&W is, in my opinion, the way to go. Covering a large area, extracting a large amount of grafts, achieving a high yield, H&W are as good as it gets. Have you been on Regaine? Or Finasteride?

 

 

Definitely read the blog if you get a chance - I'm sure you'll be able to relate to a lot of it.

 

 

Sorry for the essay!

[cueball16]

Dutchie, thank you for the comment - you're right, they did do an amazing job, I feel very fortunate to have been in such good hands.

 

I would say Norwood VI is about right, maybe slightly worse but not quite a VII.

[KevinC]

I appreciate the essay. I've had to learn a lot over the last week since I started posting and you seem to be the go-to guy for the place I want to operate on me as well as a similar Norwood level.

 

I hope they like what they saw in the photographs and I also hope they would be willing to take beard hair because I have more than enough haha.

 

No, I'm not on any meds. I never saw the point given how fast my air receded. If I were to do a transplant I definitely would jump on them

[cueball16]

Beard hair can be used but I imagine that would be down the line. I think meds are important. Even though it's been a while since your hair loss stopped, it could regrow some hair I think. It's worth doing but get some professional advice on that. You could start regaine now I guess. Feel free to send me a private message if you want to chat about anything mate

[n00b]

Hi cueball16,

 

First, congrats on your hair transplant journey.

 

I see that you were given some cream for the scar after your transplant. Can you please shed some light on it and share how you took care of your scar from day 1 ?

 

Thanks in advance