EmmaK

Thanks guys! I'm 1 week post op and everything's looking and feeling pretty good. The first night was unbearable pain and felt like someone was physically ripping my scalp open for about 12 hours straight even with the pain meds, after that first 24 hours though it was smooth sailing. Ended up getting 2400 grafts out of the strip which was more than the planned 2000. My ponytail has lost quite a bit of volume which was upsetting, but not worth crying over as I know it'll grow back. I went in to have my hair washed and had some hardcore tangles in my fine hair, had 1 big one and I specifically told the lady she was not to cut my hair and that I could pick at it to get it out but she cut it anyway... to about 2 inches in length compared to the rest of my 6/7 inch length hair (so I now can't put my hair up properly for work)... she didn't tell me she was cutting it out and when I asked if she got the tangle out she didn't mention that she cut it, she just said they got it out... I only realised once I got home and looked in the mirror... lol.

Thanks everyone!! I have my procedure tomorrow with Dr Rahal himself. Super excited and feeling very informed. Totally prepared for the ugly duckling stage and well aware for the fallout etc, have a heap of soft bandanas to wear and have booked 2 weeks off work just to be safe! (my work is very physical)

My initial plan was to go to Dr Epstein, but due to the tightness of my scalp and that my skin does not scar nicely I chose against that method. Plus I didn't feel like the hairlines look as natural, and I've seen someone who had their procedure with Dr Epstein only for their hairline to over time kinda move back to where it originally was. Harryforreal while I do appreciate you sharing your opinion, I'm not sure you're going about it the right way. I'm not doing this to "match some ideal we've seen in a Hollywood film." I don't really care much for ideals, I've been through that stage of wanting to look perfect and it's so overrated. If I were worrying more about matching ideals a HT wouldn't be my first procedure. As I've said before, I'm doing this because I am insecure and frustrated with an aspect of my appearance that causes me daily inconveniences. I know it's a bit different for a guy than a girl, high hairlines are pretty common for guys and there's not a whole lot of creativity that can occur with regards to hairstyles compared to female hair. I love my hair, yes. I'm proud of my hair, yes. But the fact is I can't always do what I want with my hair because it doesn't look good. I know it doesn't look good when my pull my hair away from my face and you can barely see my hair. What's the point in having all this hair that I'm so proud of to only be able to wear about 3 hairstyles that make me feel good about how I look? Unfortunately I'm not a celebrity who can have someone style their hair nicely all the time. I have thin hair that doesn't have a lot of volume, which really makes the situation worse. HLS2015 I completely understand where you're coming from. I am really worried that something may go wrong. I've looked at your experience, and it really sucks and I'm sorry that it happened to you. I've fed up my best friend worrying over that occurrence. But she constantly reminds me "but what if it all goes perfect and you end up so much happier?" I figure at one point or another in my life I'm going to have my hairline lowered. Right now I'm young and healthy, so logically speaking this should be the best time to do something like this. I really really do hope everything goes to plan, but who knows what will happen.

Yes! We're planning to keep the current hairline shape and just lower it. I really like my current shape so I'm happy with that! The average density is planned to be 57grafts/cm2 with overall 2000 grafts. Do those numbers sound good? I don't really mind if it doesn't look normal for a few months, it'll be around -20c where I am until early May so it's pretty uncommon to not wear something to keep your head warm. I'm just wondering if it will look normal by early June when I go on a family holiday? Any idea how common and extensive shock loss is in cases like mine? Haven't been able to find any information about that for cases like mine!

Yes I do realize that Dr Ross is not Dr Rahal, but after much research I do have confidence in Dr Ross! It gives me a little bit more comfort knowing that a female is performing my procedure too, just a personal preference. Harryforreal what do you mean? I understand that my forehead size isn't extreme to the point where it's the first thing people notice, but keep in mind that I've gotten very strategic at contouring my forehead and other tricks to make it appear smaller. When my hair is darkly colored, tightly pulled back and I have no makeup on my forehead does look huge. I try to get my hair colored to be a close color to my skin, so there isn't a huge contrast in color where my hairline starts, believe me it makes a HUGE difference. I'd love to be able to wear my hair up without having to worry about giving the front volume so that I don't look like I have no hair in pictures. When my hair is wet, it looks horrid. I think my forehead looks completely fine when my hair is styled down, however as I have naturally very dry, curly hair I just can't be wearing my hair down daily without all the styling causing so much damage. My main goal is to just not have to worry about it anymore when I take photos and to be able to do whatever hairstyle I'd like without worrying about how much my forehead is getting exposed. I love my hair, and I'd love for it to be able to be seen in photos that aren't taken from a really high angle. It'd also be nice if I had some hair at the top of my head to stop getting sunburnt on only the top of my forehead! ha! I'm also aware that as I get older my larger forehead will make me appear more aged than I am. Honestly, I'm not worried about what other people think about my hairline's appearance, this is very much something I'm doing for myself so I can feel even more comfortable in my own skin. I'd honestly be over the moon if it was lowered by even 1.5cm Scarring to my hairline with FUT? What do you mean by this? And why do you recommend that I don't do this? Thanks for all your responses KO, you've been really helpful and I appreciate it! If anyone has any opinions of if I should be doing something different to achieve my desired outcome I'd love to hear it!

I've looked into FUE, I don't have an overly logical explanation but I just have that gut feeling that I should go with FUT. So I've booked my procedure for the 23rd of January after 4 months of pondering if I really wanted to do this. Dr Ross at Rahal Hair clinic will be my doctor! In terms of UV exposure, would placing a towel over the graft area in a tanning bed be sufficient to avoid the exposure? I can probably stay away from UV for about 3 weeks before my skin goes out of control. My main issue is that my eczema gets the worst on my face (around my nose/mouth) without UV exposure. How loose is a loose headband/hat? Does it need to be not at all touching the area? Or just not skin-tight? Lucky me inherited a genetic condition which means I have a larger than average head size! Thanks everyone for the responses! Not really sure how to take all the "don't let location be the deciding factor on which doctor you choose." comments. I was under the impression that the Rahal hair clinic was very reputable from all the results I've seen. Is that not so?

Avoiding the sun? Why is that? Do you mean more avoid getting the area with the grafts burnt or avoid the sun completely? I have eczema and have found that the only thing that helps keep it in check is UV exposure, so I usually sit in a tanning bed around once a week. Would I need to stop that? I've looked into the possibility of a scalp advancement, but my scalp is tight so there's a lot that could go wrong with cutting in that area so I'm not keen to risk it! I'm not really concerned about how the graft area looks as it's winter here so I'll probably just place a loose knit headband over the area once I'm able, I'm moreso concerned about if whatever meds I'm on or condition I'm physically in will effect my daily activities after 5 days. I've never used hair concealers, but I'm guessing I'll want to give them a try. So does anyone have any recommendations for one to suit my hair color?

Hi everyone! I'm a 21y/o female who was born with a high hairline which I've always been keen to change. I've been to Dr Rahal's clinic in Ottawa and I've been given a treatment plan but I have a few questions I was hoping could be answered here! I've attached my current photos and what I've been planned for so far, I was hoping to get an opinion of if that's a good plan or not. I think I was getting it lowered by about 2.5cm. I'm currently a student, so I'd be getting this procedure done during the semester (I think during January). I'd take about 5 days off for the longest netflix session I've ever had before venturing back into the world. After that time would I be able to jump right back into student life alright? Meaning will I be able to function normally besides looking like crap? I'm currently prescribed vyvanse for my ADD to help me get through school and subsequently teva trazadone to sleep on the days I do take vyvanse. Would I be able to take those a week after the procedure as per normal? And what are the couple of days after the procedure like in terms of mobility, pain, swelling, nausea and ability to sleep? Also I'm travelling during June with some family, by that time would I still be in an awkward peach-fuzz, fairly noticeable that I've had something done sorta stage? Or would it blend into the rest of my hair? (I have fairly long, fine hair and judging by my regrowth my hair grows at a rate of approximately 4 inches a year) I know it's a lot of questions, but I was unable to find really any cases like mine (young women, no hair loss history etc...)