Hi everyone,

This is my first forum post. I'm excited there's a support group for this topic. It's so hard to talk about it as it's depressing and some people can't relate.

I'm slated to have transplant surgery on November 27th.

Luckily, I caught my male pattern baldness in it's early stages. From what the doctor indicated, I'll only need 1000 grafts or so.

My mains concerns are the long-term results given my age (I just turned 26) and the recovery time. I'm taking off 9 days to recover. I don't want to go back to work with red marks. Has anyone tried Dermamatch and Topik (or Toppik)? Will this be sufficient recovery time or should plan otherwise.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Trueone46,

You may want to move this post up to the "Hair Transplant Experiences and Surgeon Reviews" section for other responses.

First................1000 grafts isn't that many. How big an area are you trying to cover? What's your level of baldness on the Norwood scale? if you're more than a Norwood 1 or 2, 1000 grafts really won't provide you with any density to speak of. Do you have any pics you can post so we can better assess your situation?

As for the recovery time, I'm guessing that your doc isn't shaving your head to place the grafts since you're talking about using a concealer while you heal. Usually, any redness/scabbing has subsided after the 2 week mark so if you don't have enough hair to cover the transplanted area taking 2 weeks off from work will help. Some have used toppik and/or dermmatch before the grafts start growing. Check with your Doc but I think you'll want to wait until your pretty well healed up before using either to avoid irritation of the scalp or possible infection.

If you don't mind posting, who's your Doc?

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Hairbank

1st HT 1-18-05 - 1200 FUT's
2nd HT 2-15-06 - 3886 FUT's Dr. Wong
3rd HT 4-24-08 - 2415 FUT's Dr. Wong

GRAND TOTAL: 7501 GRAFTS

current regimen: 1.25mg finasteride every other day

My Hair Loss Weblog

Disclaimer: I'm not a Doctor (and have never played one on TV ) and have no medical training. Any information I share here is in an effort to help those who don't like hair loss.

Trueone,

I'll add my two cents here because one thing you said caught my attention that has me a little concerned. You said you are just starting to lose your hari and I didn't see anything in your post about trying any medication like Propecia or Minoxodil.

My advice to people typically that just start out losing their hair is do NOT have a hair transplant until you give the medication a try for at least a year.

Since you are just starting out losing your hair, perhaps 1000 grafts is enough to give you what you need....BUT, what if you lose more hair? You will end up having to go back in the chair for surgery to keep up with your hairloss. You MAY also experience some shockloss of existing hairs when you get surgery...temporary shockloss happens to a lot of people but it grows back...however, what concerns me is already miniaturized hairs that you MIGHT have that if they are shocked, they might not return, because they were destined to fall out already.

I don't want to scare you of course, but if I were you, I'd CANCEL your surgery, and try the medication first!!! If you want, post some pictures here if you want further thoughts on the subject.

If you do go forward with the HT, I do hope it turns out great...but do yourself a favor and get on Propecia right away to help slow down or stop further hairloss.

Bill

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To learn about how I restored my hair, view my my hair loss website.

Remember, true beauty radiates from within, not from the skin.

I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are my own.