Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 15, 2017 Regular Member Share Posted September 15, 2017 28th April I finally bit the bullet and did my hair transplant at Joseph Aura, Harley Street. I went through the pain stalking task of looking at options here and abroad before finally settling with Joseph Aura. Whilst Turkey was considerably cheaper, given events there, as well as the distance and the hit and miss reviews I decided to look closer to home. Joseph Aura ticked all my boxes, the doctor (surgeon) had considerable experience, a pharmacist was involved throughout, and the consultations that I had left me feeling assured that everything would be fine. I knew I realistically only had one chance so I thought I would do it properly. On my research I did consider two of the HT clinics as recommended on this site, however they were very pricy for me in comparison, I felt that whilst Joseph Aura were not known on this site they were the right choice. I arrived at the clinic for 9am, met with the doctor and technicians who immediately made me feel completely at ease and laid any final last minute concerns to rest. As expected the doctor talked me through the procedure and explained what and how I should take care after the procedure. They were relaxed, chatty and humorous, we had many laughs throughout the day which I needed! The clinic was very clean, so was not worried about Health and safety - heard some shockers about clinics abroad! The procedure itself consisted as you'd expect, morning session extracting the Donor hair, with one technician extracting and two sorting the hair and making sure it was appropriately stored. The doctor was there throughout supervising and then performed the incisions, which was followed by the technicians planting the hairs. Hats off to these ladies who were very patient, I was a fidgeter and they done well to put up with me! In total 2968 grafts were extracted which amount to almost 6000 hairs. We were expecting 2600 so I was pleasantly impressed, they did say they could have taken out more but they were very strict in the numbers to ensure that the grafts were not left out for long and not wasted. I feel this was an appropriate number for your head to go through - I have heard of some clinics in turkey where people have had 4-600 grafts in one session. I cannot imagine how they must feel! Lunch was provided, which was a nice hot meal, much needed and I wolfed this down! After the operation, I was given written instructions and again the doctor talked me through what I needed to do and provided me with all the relevant medication. The doctor provided me with his mobile number in case I needed it, and I have since been conversing with him and the guys at Joseph Aura to send them progress reports. Progress is going well, I am a few months in and I am pleased to say I am through the worst! The first few days as you'd expect I hid away due to the swelling and also the redness but this has now reduced considerably and the swelling disappeared. Family members have commented how great it looks so far and I will upload some photos in terms of progress. In summary I would highly recommend this clinic. Give them a go and feel free to ask me any questions. More than happy to share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 15, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 15, 2017 A lot less pain and scarring than I thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 15, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 15, 2017 At this point it was very exciting but scary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 15, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 15, 2017 After washing the front days 3-5 - washing consisted of making foam from.johnsons baby shampoo and then putting this all.over the scalp, leaving for 5 minutes and then repeating three times. After doing that for 2 days most of the scabs just came right off with minimal effort To get the foam right I would suggest you use an empty bottle, put a little bit of water and shampoo and then shake like mad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Baldrick101 Posted September 16, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted September 16, 2017 Was it in your Dr's post op instructions to shampoo and remove scabs at day 3? If so its certainly interesting to see the differences between various surgeons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 16, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 16, 2017 Was it in your Dr's post op instructions to shampoo and remove scabs at day 3? If so its certainly interesting to see the differences between various surgeons Hi I was advised to put foam on my head and rinse. Not scrub. Some scabs fell off naturally. I didn't scrub until after 2 weeks.! I will update more photos shortly of my journey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 16, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 16, 2017 first proper washing with shampoo and rubbing lightly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 16, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 16, 2017 Pinkness still there. Here doesn't look.full but been.told it's normal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 16, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 16, 2017 Spotted some pimples. Been told this is normal. The surgeon has suggested I use hibiscrub shampoo twice a day. Will see how this goes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 16, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 16, 2017 This was a week after using hibiscrub. Most of the pimples have disappeared now and shedding continues. Been informed this is normal. Quicker it sheds quicker it grows back. But I know what they mean by ugly duckling phase now...really self.consxious at this stage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 16, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 16, 2017 Just more photos approx day 25. Note photos are from the days Note what looks like the bruising... Very purple and.i was back at work in a few days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 16, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 16, 2017 More progress a few days later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member buzzbee Posted September 17, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted September 17, 2017 Looking great. How difficult is the upkeep of the scalp esp the first few weeks? I'm afraid of scratching out grafts in my sleep, etc. Also, assuming you have a job, how do you deal with the scabs on the head? My Hair Loss Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 17, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 17, 2017 Looking great. How difficult is the upkeep of the scalp esp the first few weeks? I'm afraid of scratching out grafts in my sleep, etc. Also, assuming you have a job, how do you deal with the scabs on the head? It's is not as bad as you think. The grafts are solid and will not go anywhere but you need to obviously make sure you rest and don't put them through any 'stress'. If you follow the instructions you will be fine. It's tempting to not do so, but I was very strict about this and followed them to the dot. In terms of sleeping, I slept on my back, with a small cushion on the back of my head, I was averaging 4 hours of sleep but it was to be expected! I do have a job, I took two weeks off which was ok but it was obvious there was something to my head! I was shaving it bold for a few months prior so I just put it down to a heat rash. My job is very public Facing and thus was the most stressful part of the whole.thing. I won't lie, I looked awful. But you just got to think long term and get on with it.... More photos to follow....you can tell me.if it's worth it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 17, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 17, 2017 Photos. All shedded and very red Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member buzzbee Posted September 18, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted September 18, 2017 It's is not as bad as you think. The grafts are solid and will not go anywhere but you need to obviously make sure you rest and don't put them through any 'stress'. If you follow the instructions you will be fine. It's tempting to not do so, but I was very strict about this and followed them to the dot. In terms of sleeping, I slept on my back, with a small cushion on the back of my head, I was averaging 4 hours of sleep but it was to be expected! I do have a job, I took two weeks off which was ok but it was obvious there was something to my head! I was shaving it bold for a few months prior so I just put it down to a heat rash. My job is very public Facing and thus was the most stressful part of the whole.thing. I won't lie, I looked awful. But you just got to think long term and get on with it.... More photos to follow....you can tell me.if it's worth it!! Thanks for the advice. I'm just worried that I'll somehow displace the grafts in my sleep before the 10 day point when they are supposed to be permanent as I tend to be a "scratcher". Did you have any concerns with that? My Hair Loss Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 18, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 18, 2017 Thanks for the advice. I'm just worried that I'll somehow displace the grafts in my sleep before the 10 day point when they are supposed to be permanent as I tend to be a "scratcher". Did you have any concerns with that? Yes it was a concern and it's perfectly normal to be worries about that. You just have to be careful and try to sleep on your back, it's pretty awkward at first but you do get used to it. But like I said, when you leave surgery everything is pretty secure, unless you do something really bad you'll be fine. With regards to scratching, it does itch, but I was given some saline to spray and that was fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 18, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 18, 2017 This was the most stressful time, everything shedded, my surgeon said that was normal. The main focus at the time was to make sure the scalp was healing, he told me.to be patient and not worry about anything else. To not use regaine, or any other medication for the scalp. To continue washing and be patient.... I was reassured it was all looking normal and in time it would grow. The worst time ever ...very subconscious and wished I could go into hiding and fast forward to month 6! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rdg1982 Posted September 25, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 25, 2017 Would appreciate any feedback! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Edsarn2017 Posted September 28, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted September 28, 2017 Could you provide some pictures? It's a bit hard to tell. You mentioned a pharmacist was involved in the surgery. What role did he/she provide? I can't think why having a pharmacist present would be beneficial. I'd never hear of you surgeon. What's his background? 9133 FUE grafts over 4 operations: 1) Dr De Reys - 3000 grafts in 2012; 2) Dr De Reys - 1800 grafts in 2014; 3) Dr Raghu Reddy - 1200 grafts in 2017; 4) Dr Arshad - 3133 grafts in 2019 https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/54899-9133-fue-grafts-3000-dr-de-reys-in-2013-1800-dr-de-reys-2014-1200-dr-reddy-2017-3133-dr-arshad-2019/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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