Once the decision to have a transplant is taken, it is important to find the surgeon. There are numerous examples of men who have had disastrous results. Chris, who was badly scarred by a botched hair transplant procedure, says, ‘My surgeon did not understand my hair type, which is very curly. I felt like part of a conveyor belt, just another patient. The result was also artificial and looked it. He did not treat me with sensitivity or compassion’. Nick, who recently underwent a transplant, says, ‘It definitely is a big step. And one has to have a surgeon who will give you back that confidence’.
FUE, or follicular unit extraction, is a hair transplant technique that is labour-intensive and can only be successfully administered by highly skilled hair transplant surgeons. It is performed under local anaesthesia; typically over two sessions, each taking several hours. Post-operative is very painful and then it gets very itchy. Recovery takes about 10 days though the pain usually subsides after 72 hours.
Consultations are detailed and design sessions are crucial as this is where the placement of every single hair is discussed and mapped. The aim is to highlight the features of the patient taking into account race, facial dimensions, etc. ‘After all’, says Nick, ‘you can’t just add hair anywhere’.
Results are gradual as it takes 12–18 months for the hair to grow and for the full results to become apparent. Psychologically it also gives men time to adjust to the new look. It is expensive but Nick says, ‘It is worth the money. Today I look younger, feel great; and my confidence, which waned, is back’.
For people who have been bothered by hair loss, the reversal of the process is like getting a new life. Clearly going bald is no small matter. And addressing it or living with it — either way — has far-reaching consequences. In a sense, it is how you want to live the rest of your life. In hiding, in the closet or with a full mane of hair and out in the open!
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