3150 Grafts @ Eugenix with Dr. Pradeep Sethi and Dr. Arika Bansal - Dec 2 & 3, 2021

[pb0896]

Hey Guys!

After lurking on this forum for years, I finally decided to create an account and post my hair transplant journey here. Before I go into the specific details, I want to say thank you to this forum and everyone here for providing such thorough feedback and reviews. This truly helped me a lot in terms of selecting the best HT surgeon for myself as well as helping me manage MPB all those years prior.

 

Background:

I always had a fear of losing hair/thinning since I was a kid given that half of my paternal side are NW6-7s including my dad. This made me consult a dermatologist at 19 years old and he prescribed minoxidil 5% to me (I wish I knew about finasteride by then ). Minoxidil definitely helped thicken my hair but it definitely hit a plateau but it helped maintain what I had so I was not concerned at all. When I was 21 years old, things took a turn for the worst once I started working out and incorporated creatine into my workout routine. Now while creatine helped a lot with my workout, it absolutely destroyed my hair and definitely accelerated my MPB! The amount of thinning I noticed after a few months on creatine was insane...it really felt like 60% of my hair had miniaturized and basically I started to aggressively diffuse thin over scalp except for sides and back.

Thanks to in depth research here on this forum and other places + dermatologist check up - I immediately got the prescription for Fin. Thankfully, the combo of Fin and minoxidil helped thicken my diffuse thinning hair and maintained it for 3+ years. I am now 25 years old and still on Fin 1mg/day + minoxidil 5% once a day and the combo has definitely preserved and slightly improved my hair since starting it. That said, my hairline had receded quite a bit at 21 and no improvements from meds there thus making my forehead look huge + wide and changing my entire face shape as a result. There was also still a lot of diffuse thinning visible through my hair despite being on meds for 3+ years. This is were the HT part comes in.

 

Action Plan

When I began doing my HT research - this forum was super helpful and resourceful. I had initially planned to travel to Spain or the States (where I lived for couple of years so more familiar) for my HT but once COVID happened, that was cancelled quickly. Fortunately, this allowed me to research into HT options within my own country India. For context, I work and live in Dubai but originally from India so it was really important for me to find a good HT clinic in my country as it would be the least hassle to travel to especially during COVID times. Luckily, I came across Eugenix online and I was amazed by their results. I also came to know that they were coming to Dubai for meet & greet few weeks later. This was in March 2021 where I got to meet both Dr. Arika and Dr. Pradeep and I was convinced to get my HT through them. When it comes to the surgery, I requested to work with both doctors (both are already outstanding on their own but I believe them together are the dream team). After several months of back and forth, I was finally able to get a date for Dec 2nd. Luckily, I also had family that stayed 2-3km from the main clinic itself so definitely made things quite easy. A Big shoutout to Rishabh who helped with the whole transition and scheduling process! 

 

Hair Transplant Day

• Plan & Design - This was done by Dr. Pradeep Sethi and accompanied by Dr. Vineetha (Sr.Doctor). This was very important to me as this would be the framework of the look itself so I had my questions ready. But the session did seem to end pretty quickly and I can see that how someone may feel that the session was rushed especially if they didn't know what to expect from the plan & design session or didn't come with questions prepared. My main questions were around the hairline being a bit too high and my forehead looking very wide & big. Dr.Pradeep said that the hairline I suggested (5-5.5 cm from glabella) would be too low for my face and proposed to keep it between 6 and 6.5cm. In addition, he also decided to work on my temples which would address my "wide" forehead concerns all the while keeping my donor area and future thinning in mind. The other concern was my crown - here I was not sure as I definitely wanted more hair but was also afraid of shock loss given that it still had lots of miniaturizing hairs in the area. Dr. Pradeep did say there was a risk a of shock loss but it is very rare and temporary given that I am consistent with my fin 1mg usage which I am in for the long haul. I also wanted to get my mid scalp area done but Dr. Pradeep said that there would not be enough space here and it would definitely damage the existing native hairs and is too risky to transplant there. 
  • Due to amount of grafts required (3,150) - My surgery was split across two days - Dec 2nd and 3rd.

 

Operation:

1. All Slits were done by Dr.Pradeep Sethi
2. All extractions were done by Dr.Arika Bansal
3. Hairline Implantation was done by Dr.Pradeep Sethi
4. Rest of the implantation was done by Sr. doctors & technicians

 

Grafts - 3,150

1. Around 1821 grafts for front + hairline (300 singles for hairline)
2. Around 670 grafts split between both temples
3. Around 659 grafts for crown area

 

Pre-Op Pics

- Dry hair

- Marked areas in black with wet hair

- Marked areas in black and shaved

 

 

I will soon follow up with post-op review and pics in part 2. Just need to finish uploading the post op pics to laptop

Thanks

[pb0896]

Post Op Review

The Operation went very smoothly and was pretty painless. The only parts where it hurt were some of the areas where they put anesthesia such as in the temples but it was not much of a hassle. However, the crown part was quite an inconvenience since I had to lie face down on the bed for hours but it was not painful. The doctors & technicians were very helpful and would give massages in between to help relieve the pressure. Everyone was extremely hospitable during the operation. You can tell that everyone at the clinic are like one big family and this is especially evident in their team when they performed the operation. 

Above all, I really enjoyed chatting with both Dr.Arika and Dr. Pradeep during the procedure. Dr.Arika and I would talk about upcoming hair loss meds and other prevention methods during the extraction process. She mentioned that my donor hair quality was excellent and I should have anywhere between 4,000 and 5,000 grafts remaining for a future procedure (hopefully that won't be necessary as long as I maintain fin 😄 ). I also came to know that Dr Pradeep is very talented at singing as he would belt out very nice songs during the procedure which was very relaxing. The staff was also very helpful with anything I needed including pickup and dropoff to home, and the post care op team would follow up with me consistently regarding graft care and head wash.

 

Attached below are the post op pics. Will soon post day 3/4 + post head wash + day 15 pics.

 

Thanks

 

[SLA]

You are in great hands and looking forward to seeing your growth over the coming year!

[nodono]

3 hours ago, pb0896 said:

Post Op Review

The Operation went very smoothly and was pretty painless. The only parts where it hurt were some of the areas where they put anesthesia such as in the temples but it was not much of a hassle. However, the crown part was quite an inconvenience since I had to lie face down on the bed for hours but it was not painful. The doctors & technicians were very helpful and would give massages in between to help relieve the pressure. Everyone was extremely hospitable during the operation. You can tell that everyone at the clinic are like one big family and this is especially evident in their team when they performed the operation. 

Above all, I really enjoyed chatting with both Dr.Arika and Dr. Pradeep during the procedure. Dr.Arika and I would talk about upcoming hair loss meds and other prevention methods during the extraction process. She mentioned that my donor hair quality was excellent and I should have anywhere between 4,000 and 5,000 grafts remaining for a future procedure (hopefully that won't be necessary as long as I maintain fin 😄 ). I also came to know that Dr Pradeep is very talented at singing as he would belt out very nice songs during the procedure which was very relaxing. The staff was also very helpful with anything I needed including pickup and dropoff to home, and the post care op team would follow up with me consistently regarding graft care and head wash.

 

Attached below are the post op pics. Will soon post day 3/4 + post head wash + day 15 pics.

 

Thanks

 

For some reason I can’t see your pics 

[pb0896]

22 hours ago, nodono said:

For some reason I can’t see your pics 

Re-posting the post op pics now - hopefully its visible this time

[pb0896]

Sorry for the delay as things have been bit busy due to holidays with fam.

 

As mentioned in my previous post - here are the Day 4 and Day 7 pics

Made sure to follow all the post-op instructions exactly as per given and the post op team would also send reminders for post op care everyday.

 

 

[pb0896]

Post Head Wash

I ended up doing three head washes at the clinic as all of the scabs didn't come off on the first try and since I lived near the clinic - I got it done there by the staff directly. 

Had one scab remaining. Doc told me to continue to use mild shampoo and the scab will fall off naturally in the next few days.

 

Day 11 Pics below (post 3rd wash)

[pb0896]

Hi Guys,

 

While uploading the pics - I noticed something odd in this pic below - The area in the box seems to very low density in this area - I was wondering if this is due to shock loss of my native hairs in this region? Wondering if you guys ever went through shock loss so early on after the procedure (pic is day 11 post op) - @nodono @HyderabadBlues @Berba11 @DJ40 @MazAB

Perhaps it could also just be transplanted hair shedding from the wash?

 

[Berba11]

1 hour ago, pb0896 said:

Hi Guys,

 

While uploading the pics - I noticed something odd in this pic below - The area in the box seems to very low density in this area - I was wondering if this is due to shock loss of my native hairs in this region? Wondering if you guys ever went through shock loss so early on after the procedure (pic is day 11 post op) - @nodono @HyderabadBlues @Berba11 @DJ40 @MazAB

Perhaps it could also just be transplanted hair shedding from the wash?

 

 

Could just be a little tiny bit of shock loss to nearby native hair. The hair in that area might have been undergoing a little bit of miniaturisation given its proximity to your areas of baldness/balding so might be a little weak. Probably nothing at all to worry about. The work looks outstanding.

[MazAB]

The work looks tight @pb0896!

@Berba11 is spot on. Don't sweat it man, the hairs with the weaker roots are more prone to the collateral damage of shock loss for sure. Totally normal part of the process. I experienced it myself in the right corner temple where I had the weakest of miniaturized native hairs. Minoxidil seems to have helped revive it over the last several weeks. Might be something to consider once you're at the 30 day mark and it's safe to apply minoxidil. 

[pb0896]

Thank you so much for the feedback @MazABand @Berba11

From what I gather - the shock loss is temporary and will come back later? Incorporating minoxidil would probably accelerate its revival?

 

Also for my current post op medication regimen - I am taking the following below:

- Finasteride 1 mg per day (since 3.5 years)

- Oral Minoxidil per day at 1.25 mg (I started this post op since I knew my scalp would not be handle topical min post procedure for quite some time. Will stop oral once I feel my scalp can take in topical without irritation) @Melvin- Moderator I wanted to get your feedback here - I remember you mentioned using oral min at 1.25 mg on a different thread - Wanted to ask how that experience was and if it helped with your regrowth/thickening vs topical min 2x a day? And if you experienced any side effects from the medication?

- Purchased Hair Factor multivitamin from the clinic itself but for two months only. I think here I can just get away with using regular multivitamins. @MazAB- is there any specific vitamins/supplements you recommend to incorporate for a healthy hair routine? I remember reading your thread on this but was not sure what was best for hair specifically.

- Also purchased topical Fin 0.25 from the clinic as I am thinking of introducing this once I restart topical min (probs after 2 months). But the topical fin will not replace oral fin - it will just be an addition to it as I heard the both together can slow down hair loss even more. However, please feel free to correct me here as I have little knowledge on topical Fin.

[MazAB]

I would continue with the multi and add 5000iu of D3, 1500mg of MSM, and 4000mg of fish oil daily. Also make sure you are getting enough vitamin C, E, and Biotin from your multi, otherwise supplement separately for those as well.

[DJ40]

21 hours ago, pb0896 said:

Wondering if you guys ever went through shock loss so early on after the procedure (pic is day 11 post op) - @nodono @HyderabadBlues @Berba11 @DJ40 @MazAB

Hello @pb0896,

Your HT work looks great! I think you will achieve awesome results.

I agree with @Berba11 @MazAB. Seems like temporary shock loss. I have experienced shockloss in almost similar spot where the transplanted hair ends and native hair begins. I have also have some shock loss behind my temple points as well. I will let the process play out before I get concerned with anything.

[Ronaldo18]

Looks nice work mate and

good luck with the rest of the journey! I’m due to go there next month can’t wait! Been a year since I booked! 
just hope the hairline and design consultation is longer and more detailed than yours! I booked the Arika Bansal super premium package,hope she lives up to her world class status on me! 😉 

 

Edited December 31, 2021 by Ronaldo18

[Ryan Daniel]

Im going to follow your journey carefully because this is exactly what i want for my procedure! 

[Britanium]

@pb0896Hows it looking now ? 🙏

[pb0896]

Hi @JC71 great timing - I was just about to reply to this thread haha

 

Its been over 2 months since the transplant (2.5 months to be precise) so thought about posting my progress here below.

These pics were taken at 2 months and 5 days post procedure:

I sent these to the clinic as per their 2 month follow up and they said everything looks to be on track

[Ryan Daniel]

Thanks for the update. 

I love the work they did for you because it's almost exactly what I need for myself

Happy growth sir! 😁

[Britanium]

Great to see the outlines of the hairline/temple points. This is most certainly about to kick off ! 🙏

[pb0896]

 

Thanks @Ryan Daniel and @JC71 - fingers crossed that I get an amazing result after 12 months post procedure  

Also I just took some pictures of my donor area with flash and I am a bit concerned now.

I don't know if its shock loss or the bright light that is making things appear a lot worse but I hope this is not permanent:

 

Sent these to the clinic now as well and waiting for their opinion on this. Hopefully this is normal and donor area will recover too.

 

[Britanium]

Yeh looks like a touch of shock loss. Not that unusual to be honest. It will definitely improve over the coming months. 

[Ryan Daniel]

This is shock loss in the donor area. It will get better I promise

[Kendallyy]

Looks great so far, Which package did you choose and who did the hairline Part/slits making ?

[Ryan Daniel]

3 hours ago, Mohit said:

Looks great so far, Which package did you choose and who did the hairline Part/slits making ?

It says in his Post.  Slits and implantation was done by Dr Pradeep.  Extraction was done by Dr Arika. 

This would be  the highest package

[pb0896]

Hi all,

So its been 4 months since the transplant so thought about posting some updates of hair below. For starters, it seems my donor hair has mostly recovered from the shock loss and I can slowly see the darkening of my transplanted hairs. Hopefully I am on the right track.