>>HOME >>From Koichi Nakano's "My Own Hair" notes Before 3 months later   It's three months now since you had the procedure. Do you feel it was effective? I certainly do have more hair. This is the first time I've looked about normal from a short ways off. That's about how it seems . . . to me! Where in particular does it seem to you that you've got more hair? What I thought looking in the mirror was that, Hey!, my hairline is distinct now! How do people react to you? People I haven't seen in a while don't seem to notice much . . . People I see a lot of say things like, "You know, I think it's changing little by little," or "Hey, it's been a big change!" Are you satisfied with the hair count? For now, yes. I think there might be more change once it settles in. Has seeing the change in you made anyone else take an interest in autologous hair transplantation? Not so much interested, but a lot of people have been amazed. What's been the first reaction from people who were amazed like that? "I didn't know they could do that!" Since I've actually got more hair now, a lot of people are realizing all over again how far technology has advanced. Do people ask what happened? Actually, I'm the one who recommends it to people. [Laughs] I say, "How about it? If your hair's thinning?" I do understand that thinning hair is a difficult topic to broach. What piece of advice would you have for someone who's concerned about it? I myself wasn't originally much bothered about my hair thinning. I mentioned earlier that I used to wear a hairpiece, and when I stopped I would ask around about whether I should do this or that so the thinning would be as little apparent as possible, but when I thought that I may as well just go and get a full hairpiece or some other solution rather than fretting about it, I realized that if I actually had a hair transplant and then if my hair grew in, then I wouldn't be any different from anyone else and that would make things a lot easier! I think that anyway you need to take a decision at some point, so just go ahead and make that decision! What's been especially easier for you, compared with a hairpiece? Well, look, I don't do any maintenance now! This is just my own hair growing on its own. With a hairpiece, it's a lot of trouble putting it on and taking it off everyday, and also washing the thing, but now I just use shampoo like everybody else and looking in the mirror, I think that if I let it grow in a bit more and get my hair back to the way it used to be, nothing could be better than that. That's where I am now. 6 months later   So it's now a half-year since you had the treatment. Looking at your hair now, I'm just about speechless! Not so much asking how it's gone for you since then, I'm just looking at a full head of hair! Yeah . . . [Laughs] The hairdresser/makeup guy who got me ready for the photo shoot was saying, "Wouldn't you get more balance if you grew it out a bit more around here, left this part a bit longer?" Which means I've got enough hair now that I can start thinking about what hairstyle I'm going to wear. Before, when I didn't have hair, I had no room for thinking about, "Well, how am I going to wear my hair?" I just didn't have any choice about it before. [Laughs] I used to try different things, you know. But now I'm using hair cream and stuff. You really look now like, "Wow, it's grown!" Yeah. I kind of feel now like I've gotten used to having this hair that's grown in. When I run a brush through it, I guess it really feels like it's my hair . . . and I fooled around with the color a little bit. It looks good on you. I think that color suits you. Well, thanks! I like this color on me myself. It's great to be able to dye your hair and get haircuts and all that. It really is. Has there been any change in how people react? Well, not so much different reactions as an awareness that I've had an autologous hair transplant and now my hair's grown out, it seems like that's seeped into people. Then again, a lot of my friends are telling me that their other friends would like to know where the clinic is, where to go for this. I guess a lot of people are just envious. So what do you say then? I tell them, of course. I think that everyone who takes a look at how I am now thinks, "Yeah, me too." Your notes on the experience have picked up quite a following on the i-Land Tower Clinic website as well. We get lots of questions about your experience in our "Question Box" area. Yeah, I can see that. I get lots and lots of questions. I guess that looking at my photos, because I've actually had the procedure, makes it that much easier to understand things . . . And you get to hear from someone who's actually been there. And now, something people have been wondering about and it's addressed to you in the "Question Box," so I'd like to ask you. Go ahead. Here's the question: "In the bulletin board on the website of another clinic, it said that autologous hair transplants using machines make your scalp pitted. Now I'm thinking about undergoing the QHR System procedure, and I'd like to know how it was for you, Mr. Nakano. Please let me know what you think." Here, have a look. Is my scalp pitted? Go on, have a look. [Nakano presents his scalp.] No, not a bit. Look closely, and you can tell how cleanly your hair is growing in. For a few days after the procedure I was a bit concerned when scabs formed, but they came off naturally. After a month or so there was a bit of redness, and that gradually went away too. And now it's just as you see. I'm sure it varies from person to person, but if you look at the photos of me in these notes on my experience, I think the answer has to be the obvious one. I'm not a doctor and so I can't explain this medically, but what's happened is that with autologous hair transplantation with the QHR System my hair is actually back and it's come in neat and clean. So you're ready to say, "I'm satisfied." That's right. I think that is a truly valuable insight for people who are considering undergoing autologous hair transplantation. Yeah. And that's why I'm giving you the straight truth about it. [Laughs] I have absolutely nothing to hide, and I intend to continue talking to people who are considering undergoing autologous hair transplant exactly what I feel about it and telling them what my hair is actually like now that I'm through it.