F
Follicly_challenged
member
So, it finally happened!
I'm documenting this for others thinking of having a HT as this forum has been, and will likely continue to be, a great source of information and often reassurance to what can be quite a daunting process.
The Hair Dr.
My reasoning for choosing the Hair Dr was primarily due to the positive feedback that I had seen on this forum and other FB groups. I never considered travelling abroad as for me personally, I would not have been comfortable with any potential trips to a 'less regulated' part of the world. That's not saying those whom chose that route are wrong, it just wasn't for me. I had a friend went to Turkey and they had a good experience, but if it had not been, what safeguards are in place...
I'd been looking into a HT for a number of years, but genuinely never thought I'd have the bottle to go through with it. Finally in August I contacted a number of UK clinics, finally deciding to go with the Hair Dr. - Dr Arshad.
My first video consult was with Sommiya and I was taken aback by the total transparency provided. I was genuinely expecting a hard sell, but was greeted with honesty in respect to what the pros/cons are for a procedure. She even recommended speaking to other clinics to gain their views too, which I did, but I think my mind was made up from the outset.
I travelled up to Dewsbury the day before the procedure and had asked to see Dr Arshad for a face-to-face consult before I had agreed to proceed. For me personally, this was the right approach. It was a 5 hour drive and if at any point I wasn't happy, I was fully prepared to return home (without my deposit, minus hotel/travel costs). But thankfully Dr Arshad put me at complete ease and we discussed at length what he thought was reasonable and my own thoughts on what I'd like to achieve. I was very conscious regarding over harvesting as I wasn't sure what quality my donor area was. Dr Arshad was happy with 3,000-3,500 grafts which would leave ample for any future top-ups, but also giving a good, dense coverage to my hairline and mid scalp.
Day of Procedure
After going to the clinic the previous day, I was much more relaxed that I thought I'd be. Had a big breakfast at the Holiday Inn (Hair Dr Discount code provided) and arrived by taxi at 7am.
Greeted by Adam at the door and straight away he was chatty and doing his utmost to take my mind off the day ahead and make me feel as relaxed as possible. In hindsight, he done a bloody good job!
Hairline drawn and head clippered. I'd never had my head clippered before and wasn't that upset to be honest, but that may have been the Diazepam kicking in..
I must admit, the day is a little hazy, but I wanted to give an honest review to those thinking getting a HT.
Extracting Grafts
The injections - I 'think' I had around 30-40 injections across the course of the day (please feel free to correct me here). I'd be lying if I said they didn't hurt, but most didn't. Out of all the injections, I'd say 5 did hurt and even then I'd say it was a 7 out of 10 on a pain scale. I'd just accepted that I needed them prior and just wanted to get on with it! Dr. Arshad was very good in making sure all was bearable.
Laying face down for 3 hours while extracting the grafts wasn't the most pleasant experience, but it was mainly just uncomfortable. This was conducted by Dr. Arshad with the technicians removing the grafts thereafter. Throughout the extraction process, one of the technicians was counting the incisions made and I was shown regularly how we were progressing.
After the grafts were extracted I was a bit wobbly when I tried to get up, which I wasn't really expecting - I'd say this was the worst part of the day for me, but it passed in 10 minutes and I was soon tucking into a lunch. Everyone recommends eating as much as possible as it helps with the day (getting rid of the anesthetic etc), so do try to take the advice on board.
After Lunch was much better, sat up, talking with Dr. Arshad and the technicians.
Dr. Arshad made the incisions, which was a really unusual experience, which I had not read about previously. It sounded like paper being pierced by a scalpel, not at all unpleasant, just unexpected!
Once the incisions were completed, Dr. Arshad gave the instructions to the Hair Technicians and they went to work for another 3 hours (I think), with regular supervision by the Dr.
I wanted to give a special mention to all the technicians, Ameila, Abbie, Daisy & Katie, thank you for being so kind during the day, it made the experience so much more bearable.
Sleeping
So my research led me to buying a travel pillow for the neck and more importantly, a 'V' shaped pillow to help prop me up at night. 7 nights in and it has been worth it's weight in gold, so if you take anything from this, I'd massively recommend the 'V' Pillow.
Pics are below along with the graft count. I had recurring dreams/thoughts prior that all of my grafts would be poor quality or singles, I was wrong thankfully.
Just had my first hairwash, I think I went too gentle, but I'm sure that's everyone's approach to start!
I'll keep updating this with my progress - but again, I'd like to thank everyone at the Hair Dr. for such a great experience so far. If the end result matches the level of customer service I'm going to be extremely happy with the result.
Pre-pics
Post Pics
Graft Count
Day 7 - Post Wash
I'm documenting this for others thinking of having a HT as this forum has been, and will likely continue to be, a great source of information and often reassurance to what can be quite a daunting process.
The Hair Dr.
My reasoning for choosing the Hair Dr was primarily due to the positive feedback that I had seen on this forum and other FB groups. I never considered travelling abroad as for me personally, I would not have been comfortable with any potential trips to a 'less regulated' part of the world. That's not saying those whom chose that route are wrong, it just wasn't for me. I had a friend went to Turkey and they had a good experience, but if it had not been, what safeguards are in place...
I'd been looking into a HT for a number of years, but genuinely never thought I'd have the bottle to go through with it. Finally in August I contacted a number of UK clinics, finally deciding to go with the Hair Dr. - Dr Arshad.
My first video consult was with Sommiya and I was taken aback by the total transparency provided. I was genuinely expecting a hard sell, but was greeted with honesty in respect to what the pros/cons are for a procedure. She even recommended speaking to other clinics to gain their views too, which I did, but I think my mind was made up from the outset.
I travelled up to Dewsbury the day before the procedure and had asked to see Dr Arshad for a face-to-face consult before I had agreed to proceed. For me personally, this was the right approach. It was a 5 hour drive and if at any point I wasn't happy, I was fully prepared to return home (without my deposit, minus hotel/travel costs). But thankfully Dr Arshad put me at complete ease and we discussed at length what he thought was reasonable and my own thoughts on what I'd like to achieve. I was very conscious regarding over harvesting as I wasn't sure what quality my donor area was. Dr Arshad was happy with 3,000-3,500 grafts which would leave ample for any future top-ups, but also giving a good, dense coverage to my hairline and mid scalp.
Day of Procedure
After going to the clinic the previous day, I was much more relaxed that I thought I'd be. Had a big breakfast at the Holiday Inn (Hair Dr Discount code provided) and arrived by taxi at 7am.
Greeted by Adam at the door and straight away he was chatty and doing his utmost to take my mind off the day ahead and make me feel as relaxed as possible. In hindsight, he done a bloody good job!
Hairline drawn and head clippered. I'd never had my head clippered before and wasn't that upset to be honest, but that may have been the Diazepam kicking in..
I must admit, the day is a little hazy, but I wanted to give an honest review to those thinking getting a HT.
Extracting Grafts
The injections - I 'think' I had around 30-40 injections across the course of the day (please feel free to correct me here). I'd be lying if I said they didn't hurt, but most didn't. Out of all the injections, I'd say 5 did hurt and even then I'd say it was a 7 out of 10 on a pain scale. I'd just accepted that I needed them prior and just wanted to get on with it! Dr. Arshad was very good in making sure all was bearable.
Laying face down for 3 hours while extracting the grafts wasn't the most pleasant experience, but it was mainly just uncomfortable. This was conducted by Dr. Arshad with the technicians removing the grafts thereafter. Throughout the extraction process, one of the technicians was counting the incisions made and I was shown regularly how we were progressing.
After the grafts were extracted I was a bit wobbly when I tried to get up, which I wasn't really expecting - I'd say this was the worst part of the day for me, but it passed in 10 minutes and I was soon tucking into a lunch. Everyone recommends eating as much as possible as it helps with the day (getting rid of the anesthetic etc), so do try to take the advice on board.
After Lunch was much better, sat up, talking with Dr. Arshad and the technicians.
Dr. Arshad made the incisions, which was a really unusual experience, which I had not read about previously. It sounded like paper being pierced by a scalpel, not at all unpleasant, just unexpected!
Once the incisions were completed, Dr. Arshad gave the instructions to the Hair Technicians and they went to work for another 3 hours (I think), with regular supervision by the Dr.
I wanted to give a special mention to all the technicians, Ameila, Abbie, Daisy & Katie, thank you for being so kind during the day, it made the experience so much more bearable.
Sleeping
So my research led me to buying a travel pillow for the neck and more importantly, a 'V' shaped pillow to help prop me up at night. 7 nights in and it has been worth it's weight in gold, so if you take anything from this, I'd massively recommend the 'V' Pillow.
Pics are below along with the graft count. I had recurring dreams/thoughts prior that all of my grafts would be poor quality or singles, I was wrong thankfully.
Just had my first hairwash, I think I went too gentle, but I'm sure that's everyone's approach to start!
I'll keep updating this with my progress - but again, I'd like to thank everyone at the Hair Dr. for such a great experience so far. If the end result matches the level of customer service I'm going to be extremely happy with the result.
Pre-pics
Post Pics
Graft Count
Day 7 - Post Wash
