The Patient’s Perspective: From the Chair

Well, you may ask yourself, why have they written about the patient’s perspective? I’ll find out exactly what that is myself, if I decide to have a hair transplant; I’ll be in the chair myself, experiencing it first hand. I don’t need anyone else to interpret this event for me.

Our feeling is that "forewarned is forearmed". After all, this book is entitled, "Patient Guide to Medical and Surgical Hair Restoration". So we wish to guide you on what amounts to a significant journey in your total life experience. We have spent much time discussing the significance of hair, baldness, thinning hair, hair loss, and the balding process, the indications for follicular unit transplantation, the nuts and bolts of the procedure itself, and how it is carried out in various situations and in different areas of the scalp. However, if you decide to actually undergo the surgery, the fewer surprises, the better. Until you are actually in the chair, having the procedure, your understanding of the experience will be, to some extent, incomplete.

This is where our collective experience may be of help. Even a hair transplant surgeon cannot fully grasp the subjective sensations of being "on the receiving end" unless they have. Some of us, however, have done both; our experiences both in the chair and out of it, may be invaluable in preparing and reassuring you, the patient, so that your experience of the procedure can be as pleasant and positive as possible.

First of all, it is natural and understandable for any person undergoing hair transplant surgery to feel somewhat conflicted, to have some slight misgivings, even if we find it hard to admit it to ourselves. I know I did. After all, we are spending significant money, and no matter how well prepared we are, a part of us is unsure what the outcome will be (although we’ve been told the result is forever!) Follicular unit transplantation is definitely not for those who require immediate gratification. It may be as much as a year before we see the full cosmetic effect of the surgery.

There may also be some degree of fear regarding the surgery itself. Some people, like myself, have minimal concern about the actual procedure. Others, however, may have ingrained memories from childhood, or from other surgeries, that grant them a great deal of anxiety in dealing with just about any medical procedure. The sense of being "in control" is very important to some patients, and giving over their well-being to others, even briefly, brings on a feeling of vulnerability.

This sense of vulnerability, however, may stem from many other potential factors. For one, although we are in some ways the center of attention, we may at times feel ignored. We may not know the staff as well as we do the doctor, and we sometimes hear strange and unfamiliar terminology being used. At intervals, such as during the creation of graft sites, silence may be necessary, and the normally chatty staff may become mute. We may be sedated, which can be helpful, but feeling a little "foggy", being unable to see what is going on, and experiencing unfamiliar sensations may add to this impression of vulnerability.

Many people being treated by a hair restoration specialist also have issues with privacy, and a desire to have no one else know they are being transplanted. They may obsess about how they will appear after the procedure, and be concerned with being "discovered" or appearing foolish in some way. This may be due to perceived societal stigmas regarding "vanity", or "superficiality". These are concerns we all must deal with in our own way (I certainly did!) There is certainly no harm in wanting to improve one’s appearance; almost all people take steps to do so on a daily basis. Moreover, it really is no one else’s business what we are doing for ourselves. The staff and physician are bound to rules and laws of confidentiality, and are most supportive of your efforts to improve your quality of life. This knowledge alone goes a long way toward calming any fears patients have; also, the presence of a supportive spouse or friend before and after the surgery is a great comfort.