I’m sure all men want to have
thicker, fuller and healthier hair. However, more often than not, it is not
within our control, and male pattern hair loss is something that we fear!
I am currently in my 30s and have noticed that my hairline is receding
and my hair is thinning. I went online and did some research and found out that
receding hairline can occur in both men and women as early as in their 20s,
though it is more common in men.
Apart from affecting your appearance, hair loss can also take a huge
toll on your confidence. Whenever my friends ask to take a wefie or a group
photo together, I will look in the mirror to adjust my hair first to make sure
it does not look too “empty” in front.
Well, it can be frustrating and
demoralising when the photo did not come out well just because your hair looked
empty in front.
A couple of months ago, I was
introduced to Clifford Clinic for a hair assessment. After checking my hair
condition, Dr. Chow Yuen Ho recommended a hairline hair transplant for me. The first
thought that came to my mind was whether there will be a very long down-time because
my work requires me to meet people all the time and I am pretty worried that I
will scare them during the recovery period.

Fortunately for me, Clifford Clinic has
a No Downtime Hair Transplant treatment which is perfect for me.
Dr. Chow Yuen Ho is very friendly and
assuring, and he even showed me his hair transplant which looked really nice
and natural. Dr Chow patiently explained the whole process of my hair
transplant to me and I feel safe and well taken care of with him.
What is the No Downtime Hair
Transplant?
No Downtime Hair Transplant is a
groundbreaking way to restore hair for mild to moderate hair loss. This
involves extracting healthy donor hair from the back of the head and placing it
on the front of the head to the balding areas. The treatment is done within
a day with no downtime so that the patient can return to work immediately. This
is possible thanks to the doctor’s experience in performing hair transplants, along
with knowledge of robotics, technology and styling,
However, this technique is not for
those with huge shiny spot on the top of their head, as they will need a
proper, full hair transplant, which will involve some downtime.
Therefore, if you are like me, suffering
from an M-shaped hairline with hair loss at the temples area, or if your hair
is thinning at the top of your head, this technique is great for you. If you
are not sure, it is best to visit the clinic and let the doctor assess your
hair condition.
How is the No Downtime Hair
Transplant done?
Stage 1
Have you ever seen gardeners move
plants by uprooting it from the ground and planting it at the new location with
the roots buried in the soil? Simplistically-speaking, the No Downtime Hair
Transplant follows the same principle. The treatment involves highly strategic
extraction of donor hair follicles (ie, roots of the hair). Using the FUE
(follicular unit extraction) technique, hair follicles are extracted one by
one, without excessive shaving of the hair on the back of the head.

These hairs are harvested from the
back of the head, where the hairs are more resistant to falling. This technique
ensures that there is minimal shaving of the hair on the back of the head, and
that means that the donor site will be concealed.
Stage 2
In the second stage of the procedure,
hairs are planted into the front of the hairline New grafts are concealed
by the existing hairstyle. Using this technique, the appearance of the new
grafts is minimized.
Local anesthesia will be applied to numb the areas of surgery, so while you can
expect slight discomfort, the process of extraction and implantation is generally
painless.
My procedure took about 8 hours but the same doesn’t apply to all as the duration
depends on the number of grafts you require. After the surgery, I went back
home to rest. The next day, I went back to work as per normal and no one
realized that I’ve gotten a hair transplant done.
How I felt after my Hair Transplant?
Initially, I thought that there will be swelling but there wasn't much
for me. I was given pain killers and antibiotic to alleviate the condition.
I was also given saline to spray on the donor area to keep the area
hydrated which would help ensure the survival of the transplanted grafts. To
encourage new tissues growth, I was also given a Stem Cell Serum to apply on my
donor area.
During the healing process, you may feel some itchiness at the donor
area. Don’t worry if you see some crust forming too as they will fall off by the
second week. During the first 2 weeks, it is best to avoid sports and stay away
from the sun.
I was also given Johnson’s® Baby Shampoo | Gentle & Mild Baby
Shampoo to wash my hair.