So after deciding I might need a hair transplant, it was time for a spot of due diligence. There are some horror stories of transplants gone wrong out there – and I didn’t want to become the next one.
It was a little daunting deciding to go for a hair transplant. The only time I’ve really heard about them in the past is when Elton John had his – and then Wayne Rooney had his. I’d never heard of a trans woman having one.
So where do you start? Yep, you Google it. I watched a few YouTube videos and was amazed at the excellent results on both cis men and trans women who’d had the procedure. I was also a tad concerned about one or two cases I saw where things had gone horribly wrong.
I decided this was definitely the right road for me to go down, so then I began to search for good local surgeons. Yep, this is actual surgery, folks. It’s an operation. It involves scalpels and whatnot. It’s a big deal.
I watched one video of a chap who flew to Turkey, where the procedure is considerably cheaper than in the UK – about £2,000 for his. But I would rather pay more and know that there’s aftercare from someone down the road.
I also believe in “shopping locally” and, while this might not be the same as buying sausages from my local butcher, it’s the same theory really – my money will be going to a local surgeon, his clinic’s staff and the saleswoman.
So I Googled away, found a few clinics locally, mostly in Nottingham, and fired off a few emails asking if I could pop along for a free consultation. Some turned out not to have a clinic in Nottingham at all – only in London – and one wanted paying £50 for a consultation. No ta.
In the end, I made appointments for free consultations with two clinics. Be aware that, when making appointments online, you’re dealing with a sales representative. He or she represents a company which represents the surgery.
Sometimes, a surgery will be represented by two or more reps, as I found when I had two reps trying to make an appointment for me to see the same surgeon. Just something for you to be aware of.
Anyway, I arranged two appointments. I won’t say too much about the first clinic I went to as I didn’t choose them, but I was very impressed with them.
I was even more impressed with the second, which was Harris Hair Transplants. I was greeted on the day by the very cheerful lady manager and given a cuppa coffee while she showed me into Dr Harris’s consulting room.
It was good to meet Dr Harris, too. He seemed a friendly fellow, very chilled out and happy to talk about all aspects of the process and answer any questions. I also got the impression that, if I didn’t choose him, he would be pretty relaxed about it all – no hard sell.
So, as with the other place, he recommended the FUT process for me. FUT stands for Follicular Unit Transplantation. In a nutshell, this involves cutting out a strip of scalp from the back of the head from ear to ear, about 1cm or 1.5cm wide, 25cm long and 3mm deep.
In my case, that “donor area” will be shaved, but I won’t need to shave off all my hair as I would with the FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) procedure route. I won’t go into the ins and outs of FUE as that’s not what I’m having. Google is your friend if you want to know more about it.
So when the strip of scalp is removed, the scalp is sewn back together. This leaves a pretty long scar, but it will be forever hidden by my hair, so I’m not too concerned about that.
The follicles from that strip – about 2,500 or so on average – are then separated and implanted one by one where needed – in my case the front of my head. I’m not that clear on how the follicles are separated, but I’ll find out tomorrow.
In terms of implanting them, they’re just kinda pushed in with forceps. The whole area is numbed with local anaesthetic and so the process isn’t at all painful.
So that’s the FUT process generally. One thing that impressed me about Dr Harris over the other clinic was his idea of a female hairline, which he drew on to my head using a black marker pen. Thankfully, not a permanent one.
Whereas the first clinic drew a neat, curved line, Dr Harris pointed out that female hairlines contain three small “bumps” – one in the centre and one either side. And so that’s what he drew, referring to a study of female hairlines by Dr Robin Unger, a hair surgeon in New York. A hairline without the “bumps” could look artificial, he said.
Another thing that impressed me about him was the fact that he’s been doing hair transplants since 1996 – well over 1,000 of them in that time. The top surgeon at the first clinic, whom I didn’t meet, has only done about 100.
Dr Harris said the FUT procedure had a success rate of 97% to 98%, compared to 80% for FUE. FUT also costs half the price of FUE because the procedure takes half as much time. So a winner all round.
The first clinic showed me pictures of cis men who’d had incredible results which changed their life. But while Dr Harris showed me similar images, he was also realistic, pointing out that one square centimetre of my “new” scalp would contain about 50 follicles – far fewer than the 115-120 on a regular patch of scalp the same size.
The hair will be thinner, but then that in the centre top and back of my head is also thinner anyway and, as it’s wavy, I should be just fine. As Dr Harris said, he can’t implant 120 follicles into a square centimetre of scalp – but he can “create the illusion” that he has.
After the operation, you look a bit of a sight. You’re basically a human pincushion. Your head’s gonna look a bit like this – it ain’t pretty!
But I’m taking the next week off work and will be working from home the second. Fortunately, I have very understanding trans-ally bosses, who are 100% supportive. In fact, I think my lady boss is more excited about my transplant than me!
So what about after the op? “Swelling and scabs,” says Dr Harris. Nice! This should subside after about a week. It’s important not to cover the head with anything – so no wigs or hats for a fortnight.
After three to four weeks, the stubbly hairs in the “new” follicles will all fall out, leaving the front of my scalp as bald as before.
The “new” hairs start to emerge after three to four months, “fine and frizzy” to begin with but as thick as the rest of the other hairs after six months.
Full results will be visible after ten to 12 months, and I should be able to grow a fringe down to my eyebrows after a year.
So it’s a fairly long process but, once its done I’m good for the rest of my life and can finally start getting it styled. I can’t wait for that, as my hair’s a right mess at the mo!
I asked Dr Harris about my DVT history but he seemed unconcerned. I’ll wear my compression stockings tomorrow just to be on the safe side, though. Plenty of toe-wiggling, too.
Oh, another thing that attracted me to Dr Harris was the fact that there are so many positive reviews all over the internet from people (mainly cis men) who’ve had hair transplants from him.
During my visit, I met a cis man who works with Dr Harris and who’s had an FUT hair transplant with him. He began with far less hair than me, but the results were spectacular – and the scar virtually invisible.
The clinic also put me in touch with a trans woman and a cis woman who’d had the procedure, and they both spoke in glowing terms about the operation day itself and the results. Apparently, the trans woman got to watch Netflix all day while Dr Harris worked his magic!
So there we have it. I just need to make sure I do one more day’s worth of scalp massages (you do these for up to half an hour a day for two to three weeks before the operation). Here they are:
The clinic called today just to check I’m OK. I now need to avoid alcohol and spicy food as they thin the blood – not ideal if you’re having any kind of operation. And I have to wear a loose-fitting top tomorrow. Polo necks are out.
It’s another massive step on my transition journey, but I’m not feeling particularly nervous about it. I know the long-term results will be well worth any short-term discomfort and the money it’s costing. No hair transplants on the NHS, folks!
Andie xxx
Soupdragon says
Exciting times! Hope it went well
Andie Pas de Deux says
Better than I’d ever dare dream! xxx