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Chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |17 | 18
PATIENT GUIDE TO SURGICAL & MEDICAL HAIR
RESTORATION
PAGE 17 |
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. |
Chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |17 | 18 |
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