TESTIMONY
ALEX D. Davao City, Philippines
For some, being bald is a matter of choice, like the NBA basketball players, foreign boxers, actors, and the like. But for most, losing one’s hair is an inevitable and a very uncomfortable condition. This was how I exactly felt as I was starting to lose my hair several years ago. Fortunately though, the fad of being Bald set-in in the late 90’s, which made me pretend as if it was my choice to go bald, and somehow kept the real condition of my thinning hair.
But despite the pretension of being in the bald fad, there was still the unrelentless search for answers to arrest the receding hairline, and hoping against hope to find a “cure” to bring back the thick hair which I once had. I tried countless of shampoos and hair products which claimed that they are able to bring back the thickness of your hair in just a few months. There were also medicines which are to be taken orally which could supposedly induce hair growth after a few intake. I desperately tried all these seemingly credible hair products hoping to disprove the article which I ran across which categorically declared that NO hair products or oral medicine can bring back one’s hair.
Thus, after years of personal research and referrals of friends, I was finally introduced to the hair transplantation method through Dr. Kristine Bunagan. During our first meeting, Dr. Bunagan competently explained the condition of my hair, the reasons why my hair is in such state, and the benefits of hair transplantation to restore the hairs I have lost. That day, I told myself, finally, I have found the answers to the endless questions in my mind regarding losing one’s hair.
After a couple of follow-up check-ups, Dr. Bunagan and I agreed to go for the operation. Though I thought that Dr. Bunagan was quite young to do the operation, her fellowship training credentials convinced me to trust in her expertise. Moreover, her commitment and passion was also evident as she also sent her entire transplant team to Bangkok, Thailand to undergo training and ensure that they are as competent as any transplant team in the world to carryout the operation.
And true enough, the actual operation ran smoothly as expected. While it was a long procedure, I was awake most of the time, very relaxed, and was talking to Dr. Bunagan and her friendly staff.
Downtime and recovery after the operation was practically very unrestrictive as I was able to get back to my usual routine. There were no adverse effects, no major downtime, no major restrictions unlike other operations. Moreover, Dr. Bunagan also made sure that we did post-op follow-up check-ups to monitor the progress of the growth of the grafts, and ensure that I was guided every step of the way.
After three months, I was already able to see the results of the operation. And after 10 months, the full benefits of the entire transplant process was manifested, and soon after, things have never been the same again -> I was now living the dream of having my hair back.
At this point I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to Dr. Kristine Bunagan and her very competent staff for making this dream of mine a reality. Indeed, life has been different after the operation. Before, I only used to read articles of personal quotes of how their lives have changed after transplantation; but now, I can confidently say that I am living this CHANGE in my life.
ARTHUG HAKER England and Netherlands
If you were thinking of hair transplant, why not? I don’t know any man who has lost his hair and is happy about being bald. Well, this is my experience.
After having dwelled on the subject of hair transplantation for years, and having heard all stories for and against, like for some people how it does not work, I decided to go ahead in the Philippines where the cost of this procedure is so much less than anywhere I knew.
On my arrival to Davao where I was staying with my friend Andy, I asked him to find me a clinic in Davao and he searched in the internet. This is how I met Dr. Kristine S. Bunagan and her angels (her highly trained surgical assistants who help her during the procedures).
Initial consultation with Dr. Kristine was more than encouraging. She started to explain all about the hair and told me kindly to interrupt her should I not understand what she was explaining. I was made to feel like I was talking with a friend. Dr. Kristine suggested that I take some time to think about all the things she had explained before deciding. I was so convinced that a week later I phoned for an appointment to go ahead.
On our next meeting, a day before the transplant, I was given more information about the preparation for the procedure like using antiseptic shampoo the night before and the morning of the transplant. I was also asked what I would like to eat on that day as we would be having a lunch break.
The whole procedure took place exactly as she said it would, where all medication to make me feel comfortable with the procedure was provided. At the end of the process, I went to my hotel with hair on my head.
Alas, as Dr. Kristine has said most of the transplanted hairs will fall off initially before the new hairs will start to grow in 3-4 months post op. As she has said, this was the most difficult of all, to wait for your hair to grow back. About four months later, some of my hair started to grow, and now a year later, I am no longer bald. I’m really satisfied with the natural looking result.
MELVIN D. Makati City, Philippines
My hairline started to recede fast at the age of 25 when I started my first job in a semiconductor company. Work stress and genetic factors as hair experts would say, were the reasons of my hair loss. It was at that age that I started losing my confidence. So to mitigate my hair vanity problem, I used Toppik hair building fibers to cover the balding spots of my head whenever there are special occasions such as weddings and other important events in our company. I also let my hair at the back of my head grew long for a time to cover my balding spots at the crown and holding it with the aid of an “extra hold” hair spray. Though these solutions concealed my hair loss problem, they’re quite expensive to maintain, temporary, time consuming and limits my freedom to move. For example, when we had swimming activities with my daughter, I decided not to immerse my whole head underwater, or else, the truth will be revealed when I emerge.
With the advent of hair transplantation, I found hope for the permanent solution of my hair loss problem. I had my first hair transplant procedure in June 2008. With Dr. Kristine Bunagan and her assistants, I felt totally comfortable the way they treated me. Before the procedure, Dr. Kristine oriented me in a step by step informative approach. The condition of my hair loss was examined in a professional way and she suggested a course of action to achieve the goals we discussed prior the first procedure. She also made me aware of any situations that would occur in every stage of both pre and post procedures and the counter measures in case adverse situations would occur. During the procedure, I felt less pain to no pain at all of my entire surgery as Dr. Kristine always asked me if the anesthesia injected in my scalp was still in effect. I was impressed with the team the way they patiently dissected my fragile hair grafts as well as the details of graft placement. Also, during the procedure, there were break times to keep my body relax and comfortable, did mild body and arm stretching and took some snacks and meals. Two days after the procedure, Dr. Kristine had a follow up call on me, verifying my situation and making sure that I had no adverse post-op effect encountered. She gave me suggestions for me to do to make me comfortable most of the time as recovery and healing of my scalp progressed.
After my new hairs started to grow my co-workers and friends obviously noticed and appreciated the significant change of my hair. With that, I feel so much better for myself and my confidence is back again. I can now go and face against the strong winds without any worries. And, I had recommended the best services of this clinic to my balding friends and acquaintances. In fact, one of my friends had his successful procedure with
Dr. Kristine and her team. And now, he’s really proud of himself as he keeps on comparing the significant change of his old passport photo taken before the procedure to his current photo.
With all the best efforts done to me, I would like to thank once again Dr. Kristine and her assistants Helena, Alaura, Liezel, and Jeanly for the awesome and fantastic job that they did during my hair transplant procedures and the lifetime restoration of my lost confidence. Now it’s really time for me to reap what these hair team sowed in my scalp. I can now do the hair cut and style that I want.
