VelvetGold

I haven't posted anything in a while. So I took a few pictures yesterday. One of them features a bit of a... war wound... that's just me picking at a scab out of boredom. I do feel, however, looking at the donor site, that the technicians could've done a more evenly spaced out job than this so it doesn't look like tiny 1 inch mosters had tried to hack away at my head using tinier axes. 

Thank you to EVERYONE who provided feedback n reassurance. The difference between yesterday and today is night and day. From Anxiety to Assuredness the journey is CLARITY...literally too 🤣😜

24 HOURS APART...

29 minutes ago, NARMAK said:

Yeah, the scabs from the donor area didn't concern me. ... "Ugly Duckling" phase will be upon me very soon, but there's greener pastures after that.

Oh damn! And my mom has been ony case ensuring that head is WELL PROTECTED against probably even a strong gust of wind. Probably the reason why I might end up keeping almost all of my grafts. But I do know what you mean about low BP n heart rate n being emotional. There's a LOT to be written abt the emotional journey that comes with HT. N not just during the ugly Duckling phase bit even the days leading up to, during n after the procedure. Honestly! It takes a community of really supportive ppl like urself n others to keep from spiraling down a rabbit hole of angst.

1 hour ago, Eugenix Hair Sciences said:

Those are just scabs falling off. Nothing to worry about.

Thank you 😊. It means a lot coming from a professional too.

54 minutes ago, NARMAK said:

They're scabs and as a person who literally went through this emotional rollercoaster 2 days ago, i 100% know how you feel. 

Luckily, i used very, very soft circular motions and the hair that did shed didn't look like a graft either. It's like really short hair that's normally shed which helped reassure me. 

A lot of people say after even two full days post-op (Dr Mwamba i think mentioned this on Melvin's livestream too) that to have a graft be taken out requires a surgical tool to do so. 

Unfortunately the fact is some of the implanted hair have the actual bulb and dermal papilla held in place but over those 9 days, the hair could have simply been held in place by the scabs and then finally come out now the scabs not anchoring it. 

Good luck and nothing to worry about as others have said too! 

Thank you so much! I love how you took the time to explain it so well. I was panicking, just as you said, and was even thinking to live with the dead skin in case it was a good thing but OMG it seems so unsightly. I'm feeling  a lot more at ease abt this. Dealing with scabs from the donor area was easier. This was just traumatic almost. 

17 minutes ago, BaldBobby said:

Yeah just scabs. If they were follicles you would be bleeding.

Really? OMG that's a relief n music to my ears. So, you're saying that by now the hair is anchored enough to not fall out in a simple wash?

Hello everyone

Day 9 since my transplant. I have this alarming question. So I've been washing my hair every day as instructed by the surgeon with the spray ans the shampoo. I'm a but scared abt the washing process. When I rinse off the shampoo I get a lot of flakes coming off. I can't quite decide if I'm rinsing of dead skin n scabs or am I yanking out the transplanted roots n losing any chance of ever having hair again. How do I know for sure whether I'm doing the right thing or ruining a good thing? Any help?

I've also added pics of what fell in my sink once my head was dry n tried to brush off some of the "debris" 

I tried their shampoo and conditioner. Not worth it. Their conditioner is better but only by comparison to the shampoo. I think one of them has that one ingredient that makes it feel like your scalp pores is chewing on menthol but other than that it doesn't actually do anything.

SEVEN DAYS... later 😊

The good news is mybhead doesn't quite look like it's been through a shredder anymore... or even like a picked carcass.

The bad news... it's only Day 7 of a very long journey and I don't already have a lush head of hair like Andrew Garfield 🤣🤣🤣

The 3 week result is AMMMMMAZING!!! I hope mine is at least halfway as good as that. It fills me with hope.

Seems like around 6000. I had 5000 and even mine didn't look ANYTHING like that. Sure mine looked like a warzone but this is a Tarantino's wet dream!

On 5/23/2022 at 10:49 AM, BeHappy said:

If you have multiple transplants over the same area to keep adding density or perhaps remove pluggy grafts and then add grafts again a few times, then the numbness may eventually never go away.

 

 

Fortunately, this is my first and hopefully LAST transplant. I've had enough grafts in the most important area put in for this lifetime. Maybe I'll have another one with 1/3 the amount of grafts. I want the numbness to go away so soon it's laughable.

On 5/22/2022 at 2:17 PM, AlexMeister21 said:

Not sure about the recipient area because I didn't want to make any contact with it after HT, but my donor area was numb and sore for like 3-4 months.

Yeah, mine feels semi numb. But not nearly as numb as the recipient area. It honestly feels like I'm wearing a tortoise shell on my head.

15 minutes ago, Monero said:

I have transplant 3 days from now and was not advised against coffee. What does other doctors suggest? Yes coffee or no coffee?

I would suggest just stick to essentials like food and water. I spike to another gentleman who said his coffee intake until the day of the surgery left him rather weak and out of sorts that they had to turn it into a 2 day procedure vs 1 day as caffeine is a blood thinner apparently. Then again, clarify that with your doctor.

46 minutes ago, NARMAK said:

Thanks for sharing your story and yeah, from that list i would say #4 is probably the one i didn't quite thing people expect as much but it's definitely something you need to watch out for. 

Probably a bit more if you're travelling alone and also bleed a little more during the procedure. 

Also, since you were so kind to have that list, another from me:

NO COFFEE!! It raises your BP and hear rate and increased BP apparently makes you ooze more too. So not a great idea and i didn't get explicitly told not to drink it but a big reason of why my procedure got spread over two days is because my BP and heart rate spiked. 

Yes, 100%! My contact n Dr Yaman himself repeatedly stressed to me at least 4 times that I was to get off any coffee, smoking or alcohol for a week before the procedure. I was asked multiple times if I had any issues with BP, STIs etc etc. I was even advised to stay off coffee, smoking n alcohol for a week or so after it too. Thankfully, I detest the taste of coffee, I hate the smell of tobacco and I'm a teetotaller so none of that applied to me. I was like "cool, so business as usual for me"

DAY FOUR... The natural coloring has mostly returned. Still can't feel much oor anything at all in the recipient area.

2 minutes ago, StillAlive said:

Of the doctors that I can afford (not many) he's the only forum recommended one and one who displays consistently good results. That, combined with the fact that I'm 40 and pretty stable in terms of hair loss made me want to give myself this little gift, just in time for my mid-life crisis  

I'm fully aware that I may need a second transplant for the crown at 50, but eh, if the first one is good, why not!

PS I'm also absolutely prepared for things going sideways and keeping that buzz cut permanent. I'm surprised at how many dudes look absolutely badass with shaved heads. 

Cool. I'm 40 too but I started to notice the most significant reduction in my lush hair at 34. By the time I was 38, I was styling it n positioning my head in a way that wouldn't show the meager vegetation. Alas at 40, it's been unbearable while being surrounded by 30 n 20 year old with gravity defying towering hair or 40 year olds who look like they're older n "uncle" like. I'm too hyper for that. This procedure was for me to worry abt one thing less during my performances.

3 hours ago, StillAlive said:

Many thanks for the reply man, I'm thinking of going to Yaman in September.

He's quoted me 3250$ for 3500-4000 grafts and I'm on the same boat as you regarding medication(No Minox/Fin/Whatever).

Out of curiosity, how old are you? Did he discuss more of a long-term plan/future transplants with you? What did you make of his hairline design? Most people have about 7.5-8K grafts in their donor areas (You hit the jackpot if you are around 10K) so let's say that as eligible candidates, we are all looking at 2 transplants over the course of our lives -some might even opt for a third one but by that time, I wonder if I'll still care- and it's important to plan for those and account for future hair loss.

Are you committed to Yaman? While I did in fact go to Yaman and I found his staff to be quite good and kind and him to be a pleasant person, and he is in fact quite ethical too in that he recently gave an unhappy client a full refund, I hope you've done enough research. My decision was based on availability, affordability and accessibility. Keep up the research if affordability is not an issue. Remember, his staff has maybe 1 or 2 ppl who speak enough English. They heavily rely on the translator Ihsan and his reservoir of patience n compassion for communication. 

I think he did a passable job with my hairline. On the sides it feels like the template for the Batman suit ears but I can see it might blend in as the hair grow. He kept the hairline deliberately asymmetrical bcoz I told him about how I style my hair and he took that into account while designing it. He does the PRP himself (highly recommend this as it accelerates the healing process) and preps the pores for planting himself. The other stuff is done by his staff. I liked his company the best bcoz he was quiet and focused and I loved that. His staff on the other hand, is quite talkative and one of them is quite...umm... European in her compassion in that she is very objective n doesn't know how to be gentle. That's what I heard another guy say.

The most reassuring thing is when Dr Yaman comes in to inspect the work, he places a hand o  ur back or your arm and it feels like everything in life is good. I know. Weird but it works. I dont know if I have 10K+ grafts. Perhaps it's a thing he says to ppl. But if I do, I might need them for the parts that he did not touch.

Good luck.

1 hour ago, StillAlive said:

Thank you for sharing your experience! Out of curiosity, did Yaman's rate stay flat on what was initially agreed, in spite of the extra grafts that you ended up receiving? (And that was a mega session, you went from 3500 estimated grafts to almost 5K). Did you get the DHI implanter or was a different technique used? And also, are you using minox/fin or not?

Many thanks for taking the time to reply to those! 

100% yes. I'd carried extra with me but he remained at the originally quoted price. I was surprised bcoz that was at least 500 grafts more than planned. In all possibility I now no longer have a donor site 😜🤣 who knows. The next 3 months will tell.

My original quote was 4000/4500. I was apprehensive abt that too. But after we met he said I had enough to donate if I chose...which is stupid, I know 🤣. I chose not to take Minoxidil or Finastride so I got a whole lot of multivitamins and multimineral tablets with biotin, saw palmetto, gingko B12 etc etc. As much as I were losing hair, they realized upon shaving I had hair, it had just thinned out  while a lot had disappeared leaving gaps. I know what it's like to be on those Minoxidil type tablets. UGH! Besides libido, I even suffer creatively in music, art n even holding conversations sometimes. 

42 minutes ago, mafpe said:

😂 😂 😂

 

thanks for the tips though, i almost forgot about few of them and didnt think about the rest.

how bad is it if you have the op, then have the wash + flight back home the next day? i thought most blood are already settled/coagulated by the 2nd/3rd day

Recent HT patient here. Day 2, really. Just wondering, how long is the recipient area, in case the crown and hairline, supposed to feel numb to the touch? 

It's kinda like a donut shaped pillow that ppl have around their necks in flights, but smaller so that the head is elevated at 40° angle.

At some point I'm going to compile "lessons learned" in a separate topic but for now this will have to do. 

Most clinics, especially those Tutkish ones, will tell you that all you need are 3 to 4 days from consultation to the day of ur first wash n ur done. You could even travel that same day. NO!!! Not quite. Here are some of my lessons learned:

1. Pack light, really light if you're traveling specifically for the surgery. 

2. Pack a travel pillow (the donut shaped one). It's great for both before and after the procedure 

3. Budget at least 2 days AFTER ur last visit to be travel ready. Believe me, ur wits n blood flow hasn't quite stabilized yet. 

4. Be prepared, you're gonna have a few brain farts and blank out moments. 

5. There maybe a fever after the surgical procedure. It's part of the joys...beauty is pain!

6 a. Don't be in a hurry. If you must have a connecting flight, make sure there's at least a 2 hour layover. Flights get delayed all the time n the airports are too MASSIVE to cover in a reasonable time with your sanity intact. 

6 b. Don't be hero in a rush. Opt to be the last one to get up from your seat in the plane to get your overhead luggage. Remember, your freshly shorn head is in the way...ALL THE TIME 

7. Passengers will find a "tactful" way to look at your head...again and again. Especially if your behind them. Remember, you'll never see them again, n probably noting the same state.

8. That hot flight attendant you think you have a chance with? Let it go. It's not gonna happen. Unless they willingly go out of their way to be nice to you. 

The day after the bandages were removed. After a relatively less painful night...

Looks like a war zone.

Day 3! First wash and then off to departures on way to Canada. What most posts don't prepare you for is the emotional journey you undertake during the whole process. I've had to feel each feeling and thanks to the kindness, patience and understanding of the staff specifically Ihsan, a lot of fears, concerns and doubts were put to rest. The biggest surprise comes when u see how nonchalant n matter of fact people around in the hotel are. Because some of them have seen this before. Others who haven't, stare for a couple of seconds n then look away. Remember, we'll never see them in our lives again, so you do you.

Thanks to my mom's travel pillow, I was able to sleep much much better than Night 1.