Tyler J. McInnes’s hair transplant story

Hair loss had already shaped his twenties

Tyler’s hair loss began in his early twenties. He spent years trying to manage it, returning to minoxidil, experimenting with other approaches and spending long periods with a shaved head. He was concerned about possible finasteride side effects and wanted to find another way forward.

With a master’s degree in kinesiology, he was comfortable reading research and comparing information. By the time he considered a transplant, he had already spent years thinking about his hair. He felt the loss looked more stable around the age of thirty and began looking seriously at surgery.

Choosing a clinic overseas brought another set of decisions. He built a spreadsheet, compared clinics and spoke with other patients. Clear replies without pressure to book mattered to him. So did understanding the proposed operation before committing to the journey.

In his review, Tyler mentions the detailed assessment he received from us, which ran to 35 pages. The value of that report was in making the plan clear, including the areas we would treat and the areas we would leave alone.

Why I left the crown out of this operation

Tyler writes that treating every area he wanted would have required an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 grafts. Our agreed operation used 4,500 grafts for his hairline and midscalp. He was disappointed about leaving the crown and the possibility of another procedure later. He has never hidden that part of his decision.

I wanted to preserve donor capacity in case his hair loss progresses and he considers further treatment. Using more grafts now would also mean having fewer available for a possible future need. For Tyler, I took a conservative approach to that balance.

Preserving donor capacity does not guarantee that another operation will be suitable. It means considering possible future needs while deciding how much to do now.

Tyler still wished he could have achieved more coverage in one operation. At the same time, the willingness to set a limit became an important reason he trusted the plan.

“That is a surgeon I trust.”Tyler J. McInnes, his REVIEWS.io review

Taking time with his hairline

Before surgery, we spent around two hours discussing the procedure and working on his hairline. We drew the design and talked through his preferences together. Tyler describes this as a collaborative process and says he appreciated having the reasoning explained in detail.

Who did each part of the surgery

It matters to be clear about who performed each stage. I made Tyler’s recipient incisions. A nurse carried out the donor extraction, and two nurses implanted the grafts.

Tyler had gained a different impression from Reddit and thought I would perform every stage and stay in the room throughout. In his review, he explains that I moved in and out while the nurses were working.

The uncomfortable parts stayed with him too. He found the local anaesthetic injections painful, and lying face down put pressure on his face. Later, during implantation, he was comfortable enough to fall asleep with his AirPods in. There were breaks, lunch and a long day at the clinic, which he described as around eleven hours in total.

Going home with instructions and questions

After the operation, we went through washing and medication instructions, and I sent the instructions to his phone. He had direct contact with me and returned for washing guidance and questions before travelling home. In his early account, he describes daily contact as new questions came up.

There is a lot to take in after a full day of surgery, especially with a long journey back to Canada ahead. Having the instructions in writing gave him something to return to once he was home.

Not everything around the visit went smoothly. A hotel booking delay caused frustration before treatment. During a later transfer, his driver had a collision near the clinic. Tyler reported being unhurt, and they walked the remaining distance.

His first haircut at six months

By his March 2026 Reddit update, Tyler had been back to a barber for his first haircut after the transplant. He had not been to one in years. He wrote about how nice it was to sit in the chair and have his hair cut, and how pleased he was with his progress.

His first haircut is a lovely part of the story. After years spent researching treatments and living with hair loss, he was enjoying an ordinary visit to the barber.

These were personal progress updates. They do not predict how another patient’s hair will grow, and the photographs were taken in different settings and lighting.