Turbo

One thing I have found is that if you have very dry hair caused by hair dye, use a jug with lukewarm water over the sink rather than the shower to wash your hair.. The hair retains a lot more moisture I find..

Regarding scar revision the question I have is: when the incision is made are the cuts made at a different angle to those made with a normal strip surgery incision. I mean would I be right in guessing that there would be an inverted v incision rather than a flat bottomed u incison as there wouldnt be the need to capture hair grafts?. I ask this question as it seems logical to do this but I can't find info on it.. From a guy that wants to look at his options before flying to the USA in the next few months: If anyone needs a better explanation, please don't hesitate to ask.

Hi, I would be really interested to see how long the donor hair area is after 3 and then 4 weeks. This will give an idea also of the likely remaining density ect.. Just that I may have to undertake FUE in the future, Thanks

Hi there. All I can say is that the scar tissue should stabilise a bit at month 5 (Im at month 5.5) and once the redness goes the surrounding hairs do seem to relax a bit to make covering up 'slightly' easier. If you do decide to do anything in the future my advice would be to FUE the area rather than risk futher stretching..

My advice is to lay off the weights for at least 4 months and then ease your way back until 6 months when the scar area is at 90% strength. (I read this on a couple of forums -somebody correct me if I'm wrong?) I didnt after my 2nd HT, (started after a month or so - the area felt fine and not tight) and I believe that this resulted in a 3mm scar then.. I also believe that the 2nd HT scar tissue caused the 3rd HT scar to stretch even more (About 1 inch now at the widest (= 3 mm HT2 scar + 6-7 mm HT3 scar) Scar tissue in my experience has no laxity and once skin is stretched it doesn't spring back. Take my advice and you will be fine.

Hi TFong13, I used Minoxidil (rogaine) for many about 3 years.. It worked great initially after a brief initial shockloss and it added a few hairs to the front.. But as it says on the box it works best at keeping hair on the crown. I then stopped using it, as from my own and others that I knows experience it gives you maybe 3 more years of delayed frontal hair loss.. Perhaps a lot of people by that stage have accepted their hairloss.. I have been using proscar for approx 7 years now and I would say it does the same thing i.e keeps hair on the crown. I still have no bald patch on the crown even though all the hair on my front half has gone!. Of course everyone is different but I eventually realised that the only way to stop my receding hairline was with HTs.

Thanks for all of your recent comments, especially the professional opinions which I really appreciate. I will of course leave the area alone until the middle of next year before seeking further advice. It seems to have stabilised now and doesn't feel tight. I had a really long-lasting numbness at the top of my head that has also 90% gone in the last month. This has been very gradual. One thing that I'm wondering if it's a good idea doing is to ask a close friend to take some decent pictures of the area every month or two so that I can compare it over time. Then I can perhaps give the doctor a more accurate idea of how the area is and is perhaps likely to behave with a scar excision? Regarding scar excision I have to say I would be very concerned about stretching again as after the last HT, it was very tight to the extent that I didnt have much movement in my head and lifting even a wheelie bin onto 2 wheels was really difficult. But as has been mentioned I shall see how it develops and continue with wearing longer hair..

Yes, point taken. I will try Dermmatch. Regards

Thanks for that Bullinut, at this point I would even be happier with your initial scar as blade 3 or 4 I could cope with not my current inch plus haircuts at the back and sides! Yes I know it's an extreme case. I've decided to not get too down over it.. As long as my hair is a certain length and I use thickening shampoo then it's not visible.. But we all know that hair soon becomes untidy.. Luckily Ive used the same barber for over 20 years and he knows my story and actually told me that he himself would of had rhinoplasty if he wasn't married! Ive not heard of 'air stretch bag' and wouldnt that be for 'virgin' skin that hadn't already been stretched like in the case you mentioned? I will look into it.. I havent yet spoken to my local doctor as I feel it's my problem to have to deal with and it isnt like a normal accident scar I don't think..

The question I have now after all of your helpful advice, is how long should I wait until I get my scar examined? I am thinking that if I have to wait a year for it to be rectified in some way, which will be June/July 2010; will it not be better to wait, say until spring 2010 for an professional examination so that there is a better idea of what is possible in the scar area? I am thinking that the scar area could be different in a few months than it is now..

Yes I am from the UK. I have had a response from my HT doctor, that carried out all of my 3 HTs. He advises me that my scar can be improved a lot and can be made smaller. After my 3rd HT I contacted him after a month as I had a problem with a lot of scabbing that wasn't easily coming off.. He advised me that I must wait a year from the last procedure. (This is of course normal and what I would of done anyway).. I have asked him for the cost and also advised him that in the meantime I will seek further qualified advice. Regarding travelling I am quite prepared to fly to the USA if necessary for the best result. I have to do the right thing.

Sorry I think that that was lost in translation.. I meant December 2010! Also I am confused with regards to scar revision.. Surely if there was laxity in that area then I wouldnt of had the stretching this time? - The area has been really tight until recently, which I think was a result of it being attached to a small area of scar tissue from the last HT. Like I said I havent done any weight exercises until this month and then none that stress the area.. I can't see how the whole of the area could be closed up without further significant stretching.. Or am I missing something? I really do need a proper qualified physical analysis of my potential options with regarding what would be possible I think.

Also I would ideally like to wear my hair say at a blade 3 at the back. At the front I like it about about an inch but Im reasonably happy with the front as my hair is slightly wavy and I wear it down not brushed back and even though it isnt really all that full; with some spray gel on Im happy with it.

My scar cannot be seen without the hair pulled up. I ask the barber to cut it as short as I can get it whilst covering the scar.. (I always go just before closing and insist on going last - this is annoying!) For a week or 2 after I have to continually make sure the back of my head isnt exposing my scar (windy days are a problem!) and then after it gets better.. I have managed to keep this from most people (apart from close friends - especially male friends who can perhaps sympathise!)and no-one has commented so far. Not a problem if people do find out, but regardless it's no-one elses business is it? Regarding the ideal time to get something done, I was thinking about Dec 10, as I can use xmas as recovery time.. Also it will allow the area to settle and perhaps more importantly it allows me plenty of time before I agree on a surgeon and to do my research and book the procedure.

Thank you all for your comments. It is a great comfort to know that there are understanding people about who can offer constructive advice. Yes Kaounis I fully understand about getting a 'better' result; looking at some examples of scar revision I am quite hopeful of something that I will be happy with. 2 weeks ago I felt doomed to living with my scar; I am now feeling more positive and hopeful.. Can I ask if there is anyone reading this that has had something similar performed on them or know someone that has had a good result if they could give me details and perhaps send me pics?. Any info would be very gratefully received. Lastly does anyone know how long I should wait before looking at rectifying my scar?

I know exactly what you mean, but do you understand my predicament?

I did think about that carefully Slaps, but realistically I don't see what can be done by a 'scar surgeon' as what I really need is hair in that area not further tightening or scar discoloration.

Dr Carman, Yes you are quite correct in that I had a small scar for my 2nd HT. Maybe because the first scar from the 2nd HT was tight it made the 2nd scar occur. Like I mentioned it has felt really tight until recently to the extent that I even had to think about how I sat down on a couch as I could sometimes feel tension. I didnt do anything but light weights until recently as the tension has now gone. I have been investigating lots of cases on the various forums and I agree that realistically my only option is for FUE to fill in the scars. So my next question is how long should I wait to go down the FUE route as my last HT was in June 09.. Incidentally during the last 3-4 weeks I have felt little tingling and pricking from my scar area sometimes. (not painful) Was kinda hoping that it might be hairs! But either way I suppose I need the area to be more settled as some shock loss may of occurred in the areas surrounding the scars?

I have emailed and asked him for advice and a solution and that it is really concerning me.

I don't know if I should actually say the name of the doctor but it was on Mainland Europe and it was my 3rd HT. There was a small scar from the 2nd HT, but it was hidden with a blade 3 cut after a year.. I have not done any weight training for 3 months.. and still dont do anything that puts pressure on the back of my head i.e pullups.. It does look high from that pic but taking pics of it is really hard as only I know about it ect.. Here is a better pic that I took after a month.. Is there any advice on what I should say to the surgeon?

I really fear the worse. My scar is showing no signs of healing and growing hair.. It is still red. Has anyone had scar hair growth after 5 months?

Hi Is it just me or anyone else afraid of getting close to a girl again, for fear that she will freak out and tell the world about my HT?.. I am mainly worried about a future new girlfriend playing with the back of my head (laying down beside you for example) and have come up with an elaborate plan to say that I dont like my head touched when Im asleep as it makes me jump out of my skin! Then I'm worried that if I have children my kid(s) will want to tell other kids ect! Am I the only person here with such anxieties? I might add though that I was teased at school constantly about my high forehead and before I had my first HT, a comment by a young boy on a train about my high forehead made the decision to go ahead for me! I only started dating (for real) at 30! So I have always had my head/hair on my mind really..

Ok thanks thats put my mind at rest. I was considering getting antibiotics!.. One thing that I have noticed is that my donor area is tighter at this stage than it was the 2nd time. Theres only so much stretching that you can do!

Hi I had a HT, my third on 14th June.. Now for some reason I have pretty bad scabs in the donor area.. Is this usual?. A couple of places I tried to soak and then ease off a scab that had become a little loose. This takes a bunch of hair with it.. Not the follicle thankfully, but I guess they may well be dead near the scar anyway? Should I leave the remaining scabs as they are?? I can't recall if it was like this in previous ops for some strange reason. I think after my 2nd HT I did weight-training too soon and probably stretched the donor area so that there was almost half an inch of bare skin! This time Im not going to exercise for 4 months! Put on a few pounds already but needs must!

Hi I had a HT, my third on 14th June.. Now for some reason I have pretty bad scabs in the donor area.. Is this usual?. A couple of places I tried to soak and then ease off a scab that had become a little loose. This takes a bunch of hair with it.. Not the follicle thankfully, but I guess they may well be dead near the scar anyway? Should I leave the remaining scabs as they are?? I can't recall if it was like this in previous ops for some strange reason. I think after my 2nd HT I did weight-training too soon and probably stretched the donor area so that there was almost half an inch of bare skin! This time Im not going to exercise for 4 months! Put on a few pounds already but needs must!