burned1

Saw this the other day, drawn by my daughter: I always had a hat in previous pictures. Cool!

Likely I was sitting in the next room with Dr. Wong!

It was probably 6 months after my HT that I "shed" the ballcap. Now, I wear one if my hair doesn't get washed for a day or two. Really, I love the improvement I got. Numbness is virtually all gone, the scar is unnoticeable and my confidence is way up. I am going in on Wednesday for my second and final HT, to give me a bit more fill. Sorry to hear about your problems- it might have made me worry a bit. My Doc did a fantastic job. It can definitely be done correctly.

I pretty much had a combover-the scaring wouldn't look right shaved. I started contemplating a really high-end tatoo that would have shown the skin peeling up and the brains below...and every once in a while regret that I didn't do it. From age 2 until the surgery kinda sucked. For the reasons previously listed. It gave me a reason not to be too prideful I suppose. I don't know the count left. Really, I didn't do much scalp stretching initially, plus Dr Wong was worried about blood flow in the scarred tissue and we planned a two step procedure to ensure the transplanted hair would be viable. Maybe for some, having a thick mane of hair is important, I was/am just trying to make it look normal, a little hair thinning would look very normal to most people and not even make them look twice. I have had some very awesome, attractive girlfriends in my past who didn't really care about the bald spot, but it was always so unnatural to me. That was the real final product I was looking for, normal. Dr Wong did a great job on the first go-around and I second guessed whether I should even do a second procedure. I decided a bit more (maybe another 2000-2500?) would make it completely unnoticeable to most people. We will see.

I wanted to give everyone my one-year update. As I looked back at my previous blog posts and this update, I almost forget what my life was like before. Constantly wearing hats, uncomfortable when the situations that required formal (and hatless) attire. I think I have worn a ball cap twice (since my hair came in fully) and both times it was kind of weird. My wife, who thought it was normal to see me in a cap, was really surprised to see me with a hat on. She said it didn't look right.... With my new hair and confidence, I took my dream job of teaching at a local high school. It was funny that I was sitting with my back to a door when another teacher walked in looking for me. She didn't see me, but one student standing near me said, "can't you see the guy going bald"? Previously, it would have bothered me, but now it was actually funny. Going bald? I think it's the other way buddy..... I am making one last trip to Vancouver in a month for a second and final surgery. No plans for big numbers as the initial 2500 made such a huge difference, I am just hoping for a little more density and better fill at the top where there is less hair to cover. So with. I started with: And as of 1 year: I will post back up at the 3 month point of my second surgery to update this again.

While my wife knew of my hair condition (scarring) from the get-go, it was tough to come out and express the lack of self confidence I was feeling. It felt like admitting a vulnerability or weakness. I finally just put all the documentation together and sat her down, talked about how I felt and what I was considering. She was extremely supportive, all the while stating that if it needed to be done, it was only for my own mental well being- she was happy with me the way I was. You will likely find that your spouse will show the same support. Be honest about the way it makes you feel, since minimizing it will only make it harder for them to comprehend the need for it. After our talk, there was such a burden lifted from me. I hope it will for you as well. Your spouse should be your main support network. I also agree that it will likely make your marriage stronger, if you allow your spouse to support you during this time. Also, I had my own HT done at H&W a few months back. They are a class act and made it easy! Best of luck!

You can take a look at my blog for the back-story, here: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/burned1/blog/1526/ but I wanted to throw out an update of my progress. The orientation isn't the same, but you get the idea. The hair is coming in and I am simply pleased beyond belief! Here is the starting point, I lived with this scar for almost 38 years: Here I am at 3 months. Very early and the new hairs are still popping up: I failed to include the surgeon's name in the title. Dr Wong performed this and I am very grateful for his significant skill.This is such a life-changer for me. I look forward to what the next few months bring!

A quick update on my progress: The day after the HT I went back in for a hairwash and inspection before heading back home. I appreciate that they open for business so early- I was able to get cleaned up and on the road so I could get a early flight home. The pain meds kept the discomfort to a minimum, but unfortunately there was a finite supply of pills. When the pills ran out the second day, I quickly realized how much they were helping. The donor area continues to be painful, with my tylenol keeping the edge off. I am guessing it is due to the continued swelling keeping pressure on the site. Day 3 brought me the forehead swelling they promised. I took the day off (went back to work 2 days after HT - light duty) to limit interaction or "concern" from my coworkers. I actually am making light of this situation. The skin is so tight that my wife and M-I-L says I look 10 years younger! Also, I am letting my wife wash my hair at the sink, because the water pressure from the shower actually causes head pain as it starts to hit the back of my head (not contacting the donor or graft area). Once again, I believe it is just due to the pressure of the swelling. My current regiment is to keep taking the pain medication every 3 hours (just as the pain increases), keep from moving my head around or making facial expressions - a blank stare forward is so far the best thing I can do to minimize the pain. While I mention the swelling and the pain, I do want to add that the pain is not so bad as to make me reconsider my decision. It was something that I knew about going in, but just failed to understand the magnitude. I should have just had more pain pills and gave it a week or so before resuming any duties. I have a small problem with just sitting around though. I will post up pictures every week or so to document the progression.

Have you ever wondered why your electric deep fryer or skillet has a magnetic cord that falls off at the slightest touch? Kids like me, that's why. As a 2-year-old, I pulled on the dangling cord of an electric skillet and had the contents (primarily hot oil) empty onto my head. Initially there were concerns I could lose vision in one of my eyes but thankfully that was never realized. Ultimately the top of my head caught the bulk of the oil and much of the roots were damaged to the point that they would never grow hair again. The burned area/scar tissue today (in my 40's) covers an area approximately 7 inches front to back and ranging from 2 inches wide at the top of my head to 4 inches wide at the front. I didn’t intend to post up my story, but as I reflect on how little I was able to find, I am hopeful that the photos and information I share will be useful to anyone else who has a serious burn or scarring on their head. When I was younger I did research on possible remedies but never felt comfortable with any of the options. In the last few years, I had done further research and found the surgical treatments had been improved greatly. My wife was supportive and with that, I promptly put any decision on hold. In the last few months, I had decided I wanted to have surgery performed and looked into reputable surgeons in my region. There appeared to be much respect for Hasson and Wong on the internet and after making some further checks, I decided to approach them on performing a HT. I discussed it with my wife, who still supported my decision and she took the pictures and we sent them off for an internet consultation, as it wasn’t practical to make a physical consultation. Dr. Wong reviewed my case and determined that even with my scarring, I was indeed a candidate for surgery. With that, I scheduled an appointment, sent a deposit and waited for my date. Fast forward a few weeks. My wife and I traveled to Vancouver so I could spend a day or two in Dr. Wong’s care. I had followed the pre-operative instructions (but little scalp laxity exercises with the quickly approaching date), but I had reason to worry about the viability of the surgery due to the scarring on my scalp. Yesterday I had my pre-surgery consultation and Dr. Wong expressed hope that I could achieve good results from my HT. One of the things I noticed during my research was that there wasn’t much information on scarring HTs, but there was discussion about the possible reduction of blood supply limiting the amount of grafts that would be able to be installed. Dr. Wong discussed the same thing. He wouldn’t know until he was working on my scalp, but he figured in the 1500 range. My wife and I spent the rest of the day exploring downtown Vancouver trying to not think about the next day. Early this morning I arrived at Dr. Wong’s, said goodbye to my wife (who spent the day at a spa) and got prepped for the HT. I will say in hindsight that I wasn’t fully prepared for all the little nuances of this surgery. While Dr. Wong was discussing all the steps he was about to take, I was mentally always waiting for the next shot. It added a little extra stress to the procedure. I did really appreciate the pleasant talk with Dr. Wong during the surgery: Airplanes, hunting and boats. The technicians were also great to talk with, ordered me a lunch and kept me hydrated. I ignored the TV for the most part, but eventually succumbed to ‘Don’t mess with the Zohan”. Probably not the best movie to watch. When Adam Sandler puts the piranha into his swimsuit to prove his pain tolerance, I could not stop laughing out loud. There was a little head movement as well. I probably would recommend a documentary for those with a kid’s sense of humor like my own. I am now sitting in the hotel room wishing I had taken the pain meds a few hours earlier. I had hoped to wait until bedtime to get a few solid hours of sleep, but my head is hurting quite a bit. Expected I suppose. What I hadn’t expected was the amount of swelling. My right ear looks like Will Smith’s! At least he has a matching pair. I will add a few before pictures, but for now I would like to get this posted so I don’t fail to do so. Thanks to those who post/comment/reply/support on this forum, If it wasn’t for the information shared here, I would likely not chanced spending such $$$ on a procedure. I appreciate the time you have invested on this website. Hopefully, my story (and pending success) will empower others with similar hair-loss.