Reviews

There are many reviews of The Maitland Clinic here on Trustpilot, and virtually all are men who have sought transplants to address male pattern baldness. I believe there are some differences in the surgeon’s approach to reconstructing male, female & transgender hairlines that strongly affect the naturalness of the result, & this is the reason I chose Dr. Ball to do my surgery. I seldom write reviews, but felt compelled to do so in the hope that my positive experience might help reassure other women seeking to improve their hairlines and, in many instances, their self-esteem.

The initial consultation with David Anderson & Dr Ball has been covered extensively by other reviewers. My experience mirrored these - a lengthy & informative consultation, very attentive to my concerns, professional, objectively assessed scalp health & donor area for quality/quantity with magnified video, & discussion (not monologue!!) about options for designing a new hairline. As others have stated, Dr. Ball’s approach is 100% patient-centric & outcome-driven. At no stage did I feel like I was just another punter to be potentially separated from a large amount of money for the clinics benefit. There is a tremendous vulnerability in seeking a hair transplant - Dr. Ball & David Anderson have both undergone hair restoration surgery & so intuitively understand the emotional needs of their patients. I felt very comfortable with both of them at all times, & I’m by no means an open person or accustomed to feeling in any way vulnerable. I had previous consultations elsewhere as I was impressed by the Artas machine & the FUE technique in the hope that I could avoid a nasty FUT scar as my hair is quite fine & sometime worn short at the back, however no other surgeon I met could demonstrate the same degree of experience with female hairlines or their ability to recreate a natural appearance. With this in mind, I completely trusted Dr Ball’s opinion & ultimately went with FUT strip technique. I did a veritable 180 based on his results, & I’m so glad I did.

Based on my feeling of trust in his skill after the consultation, plus multiple YouTube videos showing close up comb-through results of donor (minimal scar) & recipient (very natural appearance) examples of Dr Ball’s work, it was an easy decision to book the surgery.

Surgery day was exactly as described by others - it’s a very long day & the entire team do everything feasible to take care of you physically & emotionally. The initial local anaesthesia stings a bit, but Dr Ball topped it up throughout the day & did everything possible to minimise pain. Crucially he makes all the recipient incisions - the surgeon’s skill here is imperative to create naturalness. Grouping & specific directionality of the incisions, plus location of 1, 2, & 3 follicle units is key. There is also the same level of attention & care over closure of the donor incision, & it’s a very large ear-to-ear incision. Dr Ball closes in multiple layers to reduce tension on the skin, which I don’t believe is typical of all surgeons, & so reduces the potential for a wide and unsightly scar. He also closes the superficial layer such that hair should grow through (or very close) to the scar. It takes more time, but these details really affect the long-term outcome & as I was very comfy face-down on the operating table, the duration of closure was irrelevant to me. I cared deeply that he took his time to improve the potential for a good cosmetic outcome.

Staying in a local hotel is strongly recommended after surgery, & driving is forbidden after intra-op diazepam. I didn’t enjoy this part & would far rather have been at home, but it is recommended for a reason. There’s no easy way to address this - the pain at the donor incision the first night as the local anesthetic wore off was significant & the neck pillow was crucial. I like to think I’m fairly tough, but the first week of sleeping was a challenge as the incision was sensitive to even gentle pressure. I was cautioned about this by the clinic, I was ready for it, and I’m really glad I was as it made any pain far easier to bear.

I’m 3 weeks post-op & my grafted stubble is beginning to fall, leaving nice healthy viable
follicles behind. Karen (excellent nurse/manager) removed the suture from the incision last week & all is healing well. It’ll be 12-18mth before I’ll know whether or not I made the right decision to select Dr Ball to perform my surgery, but all I know at this stage is that I’m incredibly grateful to him for his expertise, precision, courtesy & compassion. I’m so glad I wasn’t sold on the Artas robot, a slick sales patter & inexperienced hands. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend The Maitland Clinic to another woman seeking help with their hairline - rest assured you’ll be in expert hands. You deserve to be.