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Hi all,
I'm currently three days post-op after my procedure and wanted to provide a write up of my experience. I read so many of these that helped me during my researching phase, so felt I needed to give something back.
Dr Ball
Firstly, Dr Ball himself is fantastic. Extremely easy to talk with, superb bedside manner and during my experience with him, was more than happy to spend time on FaceTime/Skype and email/phone before I made the trip down (I don't live locally to the clinic). I did end up driving down for a consultation face2face, and that's when I knew he was the doctor for me. He's honest, very straight forward, very likeable and very much believes in the bigger picture of hair restoration. It's easy to see why he has such a brilliant reputation. Both myself and my father, who accompanied me for the procedure, were equally blown away by just how much time and effort he put into every aspect of the experience. From the pre-op communication and preparations the day before, everything about the procedure and even his follow up over the past few days. Stunning all around.
A wonderful group of people who were so kind and caring with me throughout the day. I'm not sure if it's the done thing to name them individually, so shan't, but the four ladies who assisted Dr Ball were spectacular. Very kind, attentive and themselves very keen to achieve the best result.
Special mention to Janna Schafer too - many of you will know her from the forums and her wealth of experience in the field. Dr Ball and Janna were both on hand from first contact to even yesterday, checking up on me, fielding questions. Excellent care from them.
The op
I had the luxury of staying near the clinic for a few nights, so the night before the op, Dr Ball spent a few hours with me. Finalising the design, shaving my head down and going through all the necessary paperwork. This way we could make the day all about the procedure.
When the day finally came, everything went wonderfully. By my count it was roughly an 11 hour day, starting at 8.30/9 and finally leaving the clinic at around 7.30 or maybe a touch later. For what must have been a very tiring day for Dr Ball and his team, they didn't show it at all. Upbeat, positive and very attentive throughout.
The anaesthetic was no problem at all, not nearly as bad as getting a filling or the like - though my high blood pressure meant I needed a few top ups throughout the day. The team were more than happy to oblige and did everything in their power to keep me happy and calm all through the day.
More snacks, drinks and lunch than you could shake a stick at was all provided, as was a huge TV with the ability to watch movies, Apple TV, the Euros, etc. I was more than happy with the radio for the most part, as it seemed to create a nice atmosphere in the room.
Site creation was the first order of the day, and Dr Ball spent a few hours getting it all completely right before I flipped onto my front and the extraction began. I believe it was around 4 hours for the extraction, but it seemed to fly by, as I was very relaxed and I think even nodded off at one point. The positive comments from Dr Ball and his techs about how well the grafts were coming out was very encouraging - made for a far nicer experience.
Last part was placing the grafts, and again, the techs at Maitland were very precise, communicated very well between each other and this part went by really quite quickly. Few hours and I was all done. Once I got out of the chair and had a look, I was stunned with how clean the work was, and how well placed all the grafts looked. I can't help but smile when I look at my new hairline, even now.
The last part was getting cleaned up, running through the post-op care with Dr Ball and Janna, then getting me back to the hotel for some food and a night resting up.
My feedback
I am simply ecstatic with the level of care I received from start to finish, and of course with my result so far. I've had zero pain, virtually no swelling and I can't wait for my new hair to grow in.
Cheers
N
ps. Once I get my act together, I'll start adding some anonymous snaps so you can see how I'm getting on.
I'm currently three days post-op after my procedure and wanted to provide a write up of my experience. I read so many of these that helped me during my researching phase, so felt I needed to give something back.
Dr Ball
Firstly, Dr Ball himself is fantastic. Extremely easy to talk with, superb bedside manner and during my experience with him, was more than happy to spend time on FaceTime/Skype and email/phone before I made the trip down (I don't live locally to the clinic). I did end up driving down for a consultation face2face, and that's when I knew he was the doctor for me. He's honest, very straight forward, very likeable and very much believes in the bigger picture of hair restoration. It's easy to see why he has such a brilliant reputation. Both myself and my father, who accompanied me for the procedure, were equally blown away by just how much time and effort he put into every aspect of the experience. From the pre-op communication and preparations the day before, everything about the procedure and even his follow up over the past few days. Stunning all around.
A wonderful group of people who were so kind and caring with me throughout the day. I'm not sure if it's the done thing to name them individually, so shan't, but the four ladies who assisted Dr Ball were spectacular. Very kind, attentive and themselves very keen to achieve the best result.
Special mention to Janna Schafer too - many of you will know her from the forums and her wealth of experience in the field. Dr Ball and Janna were both on hand from first contact to even yesterday, checking up on me, fielding questions. Excellent care from them.
The op
I had the luxury of staying near the clinic for a few nights, so the night before the op, Dr Ball spent a few hours with me. Finalising the design, shaving my head down and going through all the necessary paperwork. This way we could make the day all about the procedure.
When the day finally came, everything went wonderfully. By my count it was roughly an 11 hour day, starting at 8.30/9 and finally leaving the clinic at around 7.30 or maybe a touch later. For what must have been a very tiring day for Dr Ball and his team, they didn't show it at all. Upbeat, positive and very attentive throughout.
The anaesthetic was no problem at all, not nearly as bad as getting a filling or the like - though my high blood pressure meant I needed a few top ups throughout the day. The team were more than happy to oblige and did everything in their power to keep me happy and calm all through the day.
More snacks, drinks and lunch than you could shake a stick at was all provided, as was a huge TV with the ability to watch movies, Apple TV, the Euros, etc. I was more than happy with the radio for the most part, as it seemed to create a nice atmosphere in the room.
Site creation was the first order of the day, and Dr Ball spent a few hours getting it all completely right before I flipped onto my front and the extraction began. I believe it was around 4 hours for the extraction, but it seemed to fly by, as I was very relaxed and I think even nodded off at one point. The positive comments from Dr Ball and his techs about how well the grafts were coming out was very encouraging - made for a far nicer experience.
Last part was placing the grafts, and again, the techs at Maitland were very precise, communicated very well between each other and this part went by really quite quickly. Few hours and I was all done. Once I got out of the chair and had a look, I was stunned with how clean the work was, and how well placed all the grafts looked. I can't help but smile when I look at my new hairline, even now.
The last part was getting cleaned up, running through the post-op care with Dr Ball and Janna, then getting me back to the hotel for some food and a night resting up.
My feedback
I am simply ecstatic with the level of care I received from start to finish, and of course with my result so far. I've had zero pain, virtually no swelling and I can't wait for my new hair to grow in.
Cheers
N
ps. Once I get my act together, I'll start adding some anonymous snaps so you can see how I'm getting on.
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