HairTodayGoneTmrw

i think the idea for dermmatch is to have it on your skin, not the hair. try and apply it while your hair is wet more directly to your skin surrounding the scar.

only after your grafts are set. usually after 10 days from the HT surgery, the grafts aren't going anywhere. wearing a hat before that period, and you risk dislodging some grafts depending on how the hat fits. The hairs on your head get most of their oxygen from your blood stream, not via the top of your head. This is why using concealers or wearing a hat don't really affect your hair-loss / strength. Just ensure you eat a proper diet with good nutriot that will allow your body able to carry oxygen to your head thru your blood adequately! I took various vitamins and reduced certain mineral intake such as iron. Eat plenty of protein as well, and fruits and veggies to aid in skin repair.

bro66, you had dissolvable sutures? That i am not familiar with. Perhaps one of the Doc's on here would know? Mine were normal sutures and i finally got them all out. The knots on either side of my ear were the hardest to get out. They were scabbed over and attached to some hairs. Hurt like hell getting them out, even with soaking my donor area! The doc showed me the suture knot and it was attached to a small bunch of hairs and blood. Not fun. Its been about 10 days and my area is still really sore and hard to sleep on. I cannot imagine 15 months! Hell, the top of my head is still numb..

hey dakota, I feel your pain man. I took 10 days off myself, and go back this upcomming wednesday. I still have scabs on my head so hopefully they will heal/fall off before then. I've been showering twice a day and scrubbing lightly to help get them off. They're comming, but slowly.. I work in an office, so i can't hide my HT with a hat. I guess i'll just use toppik to help conceal while i still have the grafts, until they shed. I usually use toppik anyhow b/c my hair is thin, but i imagine this being the only way for people to conceal their HT until the grafts start to grow in for good? It took me awhile to get up the nerve to do it, and i still don't know how well it will turn out, but all you can do is be optimistic if this is what you truly want. Do your homework, choose a good doc, and you should be fine. What people think in the comming weeks will pale in comparison to all the extra hair you'll have down the road!

how long is your hair where the donor scar is? Mine is around a 4, but the doctor trimmed the area a little bit surrounding the donor area to determine the density. I just told friends at work that I tried cutting my own hair but screwed it up, hence the line they see ever so slightly. After a few weeks, people will forget, your hair will have grown out longer, and no one will be able to tell come next haircut. In the mean time, i'd just put it out of your mind. However, if your bent on concealing it with dermmatch, i'm sure someone here will have some help for ya!

Hey Avin, I would suggest getting your sutures out at day 10, not day 7 man. Mine hurt getting out and had to wait a few extra days to fully heal. Also, wait till around day 10 or 14 before starting the rogaine foam. Also, make sure you get at least a 3 pack of saline solution from the drug store. You'll want to use all of it in the first 10 days or so. I tried keeping my scalp moist as much as possible , but i still have lots of scabs =\ I've been on propecia for about 2 years now, but don't use the foam. I'm sure you'll have good luck with both!

yeah the doc i went to get the stitches out left half in there as it was too hard to remove. I called my HT doc and she recommended continue spraying of saline solution with some hydrogen peroxide to loosen up the scabs and try again.

I just went to get my sutures taken out, and the ends behind each ear seem to be difficult to remove. Not sure if the doctor i went to to have them removed (not my ht doc) was new to this, but he said i had scabs surrounding the knots on each end. I soaked my head for 15 minutes before i went in, but didn't help much. Any ideas guys? He removed the mid section along the back of my head but i still have to remove both ends behind my ears.

I just went to get my sutures taken out, and the ends behind each ear seem to be difficult to remove. Not sure if the doctor i went to to have them removed (not my ht doc) was new to this, but he said i had scabs surrounding the knots on each end. I soaked my head for 15 minutes before i went in, but didn't help much. Any ideas guys? He removed the mid section along the back of my head but i still have to remove both ends behind my ears.

Also remember though that those grafts aren't set securely until a good week or so after the transplant. Be extra careful what kind of hat you use and make sure it doesn't touch the grafts. No use in spending $10,000 to ruin it by wearing a hat through the airport so people you will never see again might stop and stare =p

I have heard people on here taking testosterone boosters without it speeding up their hairloss. I forget the members name though. Did you ask your doctor this question? Have you tried other methods of raising your testosterone levels besides HCG? I know that working out increases testosterone levels temporarily over time, yet there hasn't been any proof that working out causes additional hairloss. Maybe try a strict regiment of hitting the gym for 6 weeks and see where your testosterone levels are before trying a medication? Just a thought. Good luck!

Hi Dave and welcome, It is my understanding that rogaine or the much cheaper minoxidil, doesn't effectively combat hairloss anywhere except the crown area. I don't think using it on the hairline would yield any effective results even if you did use it. Pretty much same goes for propecia aka finasteride. Both drugs help fight to stabilize or regrow hair in the back of your head. I would still suggest getting on propecia as soon as you can though. Rogaine is not for everyone anyhow. I didn't want to apply it 2x a day so i decided to just stick to propecia. But like i said, that doesn't help with the hairline or temporal recessions =\ Perhaps try and post some pictures so we can see what you are talking about.

I had to travel for my HT, which means im back home now, and have to get these sutures out tomorrow. Where do you guys recommend going for suture removal? I don't want to go just anywhere, as they could mess up the removal, or make it hurt worse than it should. I plan on soaking my suture area for a good 15 minutes before i go in.

My doctor utilized sutures, and alas, after speaking to her, she indicated that some of the discomfort was due to the sutures being a foreign object in my body that it does not like, causing the pain. I plan on removing the sutures on day 7 (tomorrow) so hopefully I will sleep better tomorrow night.

Thanks doc. Since day 3 ive been using neosporin + pain relief formula to keep the donor area moist. It seems to hurt quite a bit while sleeping. Is this normal being 6 days post op or should the pain be subsiding by now? While im not laying on it, it barely hurts at all, just sore to the touch.

Thanks for the follow up doctor. I've been keeping my donor area moist with saline solution sprays about once an hour. is this considered too much moisture, or is best to keep it wet as much as possible?

I'm 5 days post op bud and i'm still very red and tender myself, but it is getting better. My doctor told me to only mist my grafts with saline solution for the first 7 days but shampoo/wash the suture area starting at day 2. The misting seems to keep my head nice and moist which helps with the scabs and i guess promotes healing. With saline solution being sterile, it also keeps it very clean. On which day did you start pouring water over your grafts with the cup? I think after 7 or 8 days, the grafts are in there pretty darn good so you can start being more aggresive. Someone on here also recommended using a q-tip after showering, and going around the graft gently to help break apart the scabs. I'm thinking of trying this myself in a few days. Bill stated it pretty good in his article here: http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/news/article.asp?CopyID=387

I wasn't actually referring to icing down the recipient area, rather the forhead. I would never directly touch the grafts so soon! But thanks for your reply and concern! I'm just a little concerned. Im 5 days post op now, and i still have numbness around my crown and top of head where i did NOT receive grafts (grafts were placed in the hairline and front 1/2 of head). Should I still be feeling numb in areas where i did no receive grafts? My entire head is still tight which i assume is from the swelling and tension.

Hey all, 3 Days post op and want to get a jump start on the healing process. I'm going to wait about 10 days before i start up a regiment of minox but curious what people find easier to deal with when using concealers like toppik. Is it wise to say, use minox maybe 30 minutes before a shower to let it soak in, then shower and continue with my day, or should I do it afterwards, let it soak in, then apply any concealers? In case i have shockloss, i would like to expidite the graft growth as soon as i can, so if anyone has any quality input i am all ears. Thanks all

Hey all, 3 Days post op and want to get a jump start on the healing process. I'm going to wait about 10 days before i start up a regiment of minox but curious what people find easier to deal with when using concealers like toppik. Is it wise to say, use minox maybe 30 minutes before a shower to let it soak in, then shower and continue with my day, or should I do it afterwards, let it soak in, then apply any concealers? In case i have shockloss, i would like to expidite the graft growth as soon as i can, so if anyone has any quality input i am all ears. Thanks all

Hey Repo-Man, I think someone else commmented on something similar, and i asked my doctor about this same exact thing! She told me that the transplanted hairs will still grow with the use of concealants (after 7-10 days of course) because the grafts get their oxygen thru the blood supply in your head. Just make sure you wash your hair carefully and on a regular basis, and you will be fine.

Correct. Your normal doctor can prescribe you proscar. The sooner you start on that, the better. Although it deals mainly with protecting your crown and back of your head, it is important to start on now to see how well you respond to it when it comes time for a transplant (if thats what you choose to do)

I know shockloss and shedding is caused due to not only the life cycle of the hair, but trauma as well. I was curious if keeping the swelling down and icing the forehead and donor area would aid in reducing the initial shock to the scalp and aid in keeping shockloss and shedding to a minimal. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

I know shockloss and shedding is caused due to not only the life cycle of the hair, but trauma as well. I was curious if keeping the swelling down and icing the forehead and donor area would aid in reducing the initial shock to the scalp and aid in keeping shockloss and shedding to a minimal. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

I think it would definatly have to be involved with the use of the applicator. I asked my doctor post HT surgery about using concealers such as toppik, and she said that oxygen needed to keep the hair and follicles alive came throu the blood stream, and the scalp was minimal in bringing in oxygen (hence why hats don't cause hairloss) Just be extremely careful when applying any type of concealer. Since i have a dirty blonde natural hair color, i mix my concealers to provide nice results. I sprinkle on the light brown then pat it down, then apply the medium brown and pat that down as well. This way im not combing thru any hairs and pulling out the weak ones before they die off on their own. You should be fine with using a different approach for concealment