NewsByScott

For me it was about 6 weeks post-op and lasted a month or so. Ughhhhhhhhh. But I am now eight months out and amazed with the results. No one can tell.. and my hair looks incredible. Seriously.. the best investment I ever made.

I myself am two weeks post-op after 3250 grafts. White male, blond hair. The redness is gone and 99% of the scabbing is too. I'm headed for a haircut this weekend and plan on ditching the hats which I've worn for the last week at work. Still feeling a lot of numbness on top of my head but also feeling hopeful for what the next six months will bring. I have found that keeping a blog has been a good way to work out my feelings over this, as well as a permanent record of the ups and downs of progress.

I'm not proud of it... but yes, it happened. Day 4 post-op. My wife and I have gotten into a rhythm of bathing, showering, and washing the scalp- ever so carefully. I sit in the tub, she sits on the edge with the hand-held shower head ready to go. She wets a washcloth and lays it over the transplanted area.. then carefully and gently lets water flow over it, just as instructed in the instructions Dr. Scott Alexander handed me on my way home that long, long day. Then use soapy water poured form a cup.. then rinse, rinse, and rinse again. I'm apparently allowed to dry my head- important to blot only, not rub- but I don't. I just let it dry naturally. There are very few scabs and little redness, despite 3250 grafts. I'm feeling pretty good about that. Then my wife offered to take some photos. I've been taking photos every day of the transplanted area. I'm not sure what I'm expecting- it's not like there's going to be some miraculous growth and magic healing. I imagine I'll taper off the photo kick and do it maybe once a week. Still- I've been taking photos. But taking your own is nothing compared to having someone else take them. Someone who can actually SEE what they're taking photos of. She constantly tells me my scalp doesn't look nearly as bad as she thought it would. She's actually impressed by the work. And FYI- she's a nurse who has seen a LOT of surgery and suture work- both good and bad. So that's nice. So- photo time. I sat in a chair while she stood above me, snapping pics with a flash like the paparazzi. She finished and began to show me the results. Oh. My. God. I was not prepared for what I saw. It wasn't so much the scabbing and follicle insertions. It was that the hair which I HAD had pre-surgery was all gone. I guess I didn't realize that was part of the deal.. losing what I DID have on top of my head. After all, 3250 grafts is a lot of work. I gasped, told her to stop, and tears began rolling down my face. Damn, this thing has been such an emotional journey for years now. I can barely talk about it with anyone. Totally irrational, I know- but I feel embarrassment, shame, rejection, etc at the loss of my hair. And although I researched doctors, I did not really research the procedure. I went to a top-rated doc, and let him tell me what he would do. I didn't look into alternatives, I didn't plan ahead other than taking a week off work, I didn't try to read these forums or any other information ahead of time. I knew that if I did that, I would find *some* reason to back out. I just went all-in with tunnel vision.. just git-er-done. So there I was, feeling like shit. Looking like shit. And there my wife was, loving me anyway. Supporting me anyway. Not pushing, not pulling, just allowing me to *be*. I cried. She smiled. I got over it. She smiled. That was actually yesterday, but today's the day I write about it. I go back to work tomorrow and likely will face more people who ask where I was and why I'm wearing a ballcap with my suit and tie. I'm not sure what I'll say, but I know what I'll see: her smile.

I started losing my hair about 15 years ago. I do believe it was related to stress... I have a high-stress career and neither of my parents or brother ever had this problem. Not only is my career stressful but also in the public eye where everyone is judged on how they look. I knew I had to fight. I began using minoxidil but more than a year in, I realized it wasn't stopping the hair loss. Looking in the mirror chipped away at my self esteem every day. I did more to research all I could and finally found a place online where I could order finasteride without anyone knowing. Didn't tell my wife about that since she's a nurse and would have freaked out, knowing I was getting a prescription from a random web site claiming to be run by a doctor. Three weeks later a padded envelope of bubble-wrapped pills arrived from India and I squirreled them away in the bathroom for me to use in secret. Not the smartest thing to do. Well I suffered no ill effects and finally came clean to my wife what I'd done. I was right; she freaked out.. but understood. I've been getting finasteride legally ever since. My doc prescribes 5mg pills; I cut them in half and take a half every morning. Add to that minoxidil foam and that's been my routine the last 10+ years. Hair loss slowed but never stopped. A year ago I added Nioxin shampoo and while I like the feel, I don't think it has made a difference. I have looked on and off at hair restoration. I have checked out and come VERY close to ordering one of those caps with the laser lights. In December 2016 I finally admitted to myself that my hair loss would never go away and would always bother me. I did a bunch more research and made an appointment at a hair restoration center. Luckily, a nationally-known and trusted doctor has his office less than a half-mile from my house. At the appointment, Dr. Scott Alexander asked all the requisite questions, examined my head and pronounced me a fine candidate for restoration surgery. 2800-3000 grafts, he said, would do the trick. And because I had plenty of hair on the back and sides, that would be no problem to get. My wife and I walked out of the office with a lot to think about. I knew that if I didn't take the plunge immediately, I would put it off again. It's so easy to justify saying "No." Maybe it's too expensive. Maybe it's too much time off work. Maybe it's the sheer self-imposed shame of hair loss and having to publicly address it after surgery. Whatever. I threw all my doubts out the window, took a deep breath and called the office that afternoon to schedule my surgery. That was one month ago and yesterday was my surgery. My scalp looks rather ugly although my wife says it's a lot better than she thought it would be. She also said Dr. Alexander did a great job with the sutures. I took photos the morning before surgery and I'll be taking pictures regularly now for the next year. Hair loss affected me deeply. It hurt to talk about. I avoided the subject. Maybe now.. after the procedure and with this blog.. maybe now I will be able to talk about it and perhaps be the voice for another sitting at home suffering in silence like I once was. ...to be continued...