JakeVig

This may not be relevant to what your hearing but after you shampoo and wet your recipient area the skin bubbles and becomes very white and looks likes bad dandruff. So the white flakes may be what they are talking about the scalp being sheet white. But yeah this is not noticeable when dry.

John_in_NC, Here's a few questions back your way :-) You mention that you will eventually be a NW III. What are you now? if you are only a NWII it is not recommended getting a HT until you are at least a NW III. This really depends on how old you are which you havent mentioned, except to say that you are still going to school - Which tells us that you may be pretty young. You also do not mention how many grafts you want to get. Without this information a lot of this is hypothetical, if you post some pics you are going to get more accurate advice. 6 weeks is a long time, I have pale skin aswell and the redness was gone within 3-4 days. There are some cases where it can last up to 2 weeks but I think they are extreme. There are also reports that a pickness tinge may remain for 1-2 months, but I dont think it is nearly as noticeable as the fact that you have to buzz your hair down if you dont have enough hair to cover the transplant. Getting a tan pre-op will definately help with the redness. If you let your donor hair to grow back, 6 weeks is more than enough to cover any signs of a FUE transplant. You should check out FUE pictures post op, depending on the no of grafts you want - in some cases you cannot tell anything was done on a #1/#2. I would obviously err on the safe side and opt to have a bit of length post op for a couple of months just to make sure. The extent of shockloss has many variables. It depends on the extent of your hairloss, the no of grafts you get, whether you are filling in balding areas or adding density amongst native hair, whether you are treating your hairloss with Propecia or Minoxidil etc. If your hair is on its last hair cycle the shockloss may be permanent otherwise it is presumed that the shocked hair will return in 6-8 months. The one thing I would recommend is to grow your hair long around 2-3 inches pre-op. You will have more options available to you on how to conceal your HT. I made the mistake of having short hair when having my HT now I have to face some uneasy days ahead of me when I get back to work next week.

That is true, you cant have too much advice! Let us know what he says.

Not that Im aware of. The cheapest place that I know to get it by far is globaldrugsdirect.com. If anyone else knows any other place thats cheaper let us know.

Yep thats the active ingredient of Nizoral shampoo. Sounds like you got a generic version just like myself. The 2% is the prescription strength version.

I love your take no shit style brianf :-) Again I think your only referring to the peer group driven, superficial attractive trophys girls who's only ambition is to be a footballers wife! And because they will be able to score whoever they want in a club will only consider the hottest guy in the club! I personally think your going to be much happier in relationship with a woman with a good happy personality who is not superficial and only cares about looks (yours or hers). Hell that shits just too funny! Sounds like you've had some post op fun yourself there brianf! Yeah sounds very true and straight to the point. Unless you got enough hair to cover the work, you pretty much are buzzing down and thinning hair buzzed down does not look that great. So yeah you will probably be out of action for a couple of months. Could be a blessing in disguise though, you can spend this time doing things you would not normally do as your not trying to pick up girls. Hit the gym if its your thing. Otherwise I find that you can have pretty interesting conversations with women if your not trying to pick them up straight away.

brianf, I only believe that you should have 1's for the hair lines only because the top docs only put 1's on the hairline. I'm only guessing but I think that it might have something to do with the HT density of 50cm2 as there will be more space between the grafts. I'd say 2's and 3's on the hairline with a non MPB head with a density of 80-100cm2 is not noticeable. Having said that I still have a native front tuff (i.e. not receeded) and i cant see anything other than 1's and 2's on the very front of my hairline. Having said that dhuge I doubt it will be noticeable by anyone. You may only notice because you focused on it 5cm away from the mirror. There is no reason to start consulting other docs until you are at least 14 months post op.

Troy thats a great head of hair you got there! It now looks like you never had MPB, and to consider you still got around 5 months left for an even thicker fuller appearance!!! I have to agree with everyone else here, you do not have space for 3000 grafts, hell i dont even think you have room for 300 grafts. If for some reason you feel like you want some more density after 5 months your going to have to shave right down again in order for the Doc to find any space. You might as well enjoy having a full head of hair again - your left over donor may be better used 10-15 years down the road.

Wow thats quite a cosmetic difference! I have a feeling your going to be ecstatic with the results in the next few months. How many grafts did you get?

dhuge are you saying that you have 2's and 3's on the very front of your hairline? or that you have some 2's and 3's behind some 1's on the hairline which would be normal.

What makes you so sure he wont get any sides? Sorry I meant that if he has been on it for 6 months and hasnt had any side effects his doctor might start prescribing it for him.

While its generally thought that Avodart (Dutasteride) is more effective at blocking DHT, it is not yet been approved by the FDA for hair loss. A lot of information on Propecia vs Avodart can be found on Roberts website: http://www.iregrewmyhair.com/2006/06/21/propecia-vs-avo...d-you-choose-part-1/

endofrope, It depends. After the first few weeks your scar will be noticeable due to the shaved hair around the donor and some shockloss. If you go to a top doc though and get the tricho closure technique in a lot of cases the scar will be undetectable after a few months of healing and surrounding hair regrowth. Scar visibility is just another reason why you should always go to a top Doc to do your HT. Hope this helps! Do you know how many grafts you are looking to get?

Yep, While you will almost always want 1's for your hairline (your guaranteed to get a lot of 1's anyway) your better off from an illusion of density point of view to keep them in their natural groupings. It also means less incisions which mean less trauma, shockloss, etc.

Fortunately many people here have had a good experience with Hanson and Wong. Just use the Find tool and do a search through the forums to see their results. Though at 24 many people here will consider you to be too young to consider a HT. If your not already on Propecia I would get on it for 6-12 months to see how well you respond to it.

Well if were all throwing our .02 I also got some change to spare First of all I do believe that 99% of men will always look better with hair. The loss of your hair will tend to make you look older, unhealthier, etc. Having said that I believe the most attractive aspect to the opposite sex is self confidence and a good personality. Losing your hair will generally have a negative impact on your self confidence which in turn will lose your appeal to the opposite sex. I also have a good mate of mine who lost his hair at an early age. Fortunately for him he was picking up top-shelf girls at school when he had hair. Now without hair he is still picking up gorgeous women. He still has a top personality, rockhard body and dresses well, now he justs adds stylish hats, barrets, etc. to his wardrobe. This has not affected him approaching gorgeous women at all and after he gets to know girls they don't seem to care if he has hair or not.

I can see what you mean, totally undetectable!

csofrank, It seems like your having an easy ride over there. Unfortunately im going to have to buzz down and apply some dermatch/toppik magic on the donor scar for a little while as it is quite obvious with short hair since the hair around the scar is shaved. If your hairs are growing than thats half your luck. It looks like mine is still there as well, although I dont think they are growing in length. I havent noticed any falling out but at the moment its looking quite thin and I should have 50cm2 coverage - so I guess Im hoping some have gone. You might be one of the lucky ones with the survival rate though. They say you should expect 80-90% to fall out within the first few weeks - though it appears that other people on this forum are experiencing survival beyond 5-6 weeks. As for the sutures, Ron approaches it on a case by case basis. It seems like the bigger the session and the poorer the laxity the more chance he will use staples. From what I've heard from other members staples hurt like hell and if they could they would opt for sutures only. He didnt mention disolveable sutures, though they seem like a convenience for the patient. Personally I would rather go through some discomfort for the sake of a smaller scar. The next step for us is suture removal. It looks like we should expect a little pain here. Apparently if you wash your hair in warm water before removal it will come out easier. I also haven't had to use any Tylenol yet so I will have a couple to spare before I go in

John_in_NC I think you're exactly right.

Congratulations Robert! kudos for the informative website you're off to a great start! Its well written and very informative. Im guessing by the Page1,Page2,etc tabs that you are still building the website. The only recommendation I would suggest is to write your story on how 'you grew back your hair' complete with pics and timeline if possible.

Hi Slick, I have exactly the same problem with my donor area, the scar above the ear is obvious because of the lack of hair. Im not really sure what to do about it either except heavily apply the dermmatch. Im thinking maybe a combination of toppik to add some hair as well as dermmatch at least while the hair around my donor area grows back. If your density is 90-100cm2 that is pretty good density - normal density is between 80-100cm2. So they think you have 6000 grafts all up? yeah I think thats their estimate for my supply as well. Im hoping they are conservative because it appears that H&W typically estimate around 6500-8000 grafts for people - maybe the low graft count is because were young.

endoftherope, We all know what the loss of confidence that hairloss can do. The most important thing is that you dont rush into anything as a bad HT is worse than no HT at all. Also know that a HT is a life long committment and that you can no longer be able to shave your head without the donor scar being visible. Having said that if you consult with any ethical quality doctors (many of which you can researched on this site), they can assess your situation and let you know what can be achieved. The good thing is that top doctors produce consistently good results that have changed a lot of peoples lives for the better. Another thing going for you is that you are young and you may be responsive to proven hair loss treatments. The only FDA approved treatments for hairloss is Minioxidil (Rogaine) and Finasteride (Propecia/Proscar). Both are lifelong commitments and can have side effects. Although not FDA approved for hairloss there is also a more potent DHT Inhibitor called Dutasteride (Avodart). It is not FDA approved for hairloss but clinical results show that it is more effective than Finasteride. You are also lucky that you have found this website, as there is a godsend of information about hair loss and an awesome support group. If you post pictures of yourself on here we can let you know how many grafts you will probably need and recommend good doctors in your local area. Hope this helps and good luck.

You have to know that a HT is not a cure and if you do not treat your hairloss your native hair (i.e. not transplanted) will continue to be susceptible to DHT which will cause your genetically susceptible hair follicles to fall out. A HT also adds trauma to your surrounding native hair which can 'fast forward' a hair cycle and shock your hair to fall out. If your hair is weak and about to fall out it may never grow back (permanent shockloss). Finasteride is clinically proven to slow down, halt hairloss and even in some cases can even regrow dormant hair follicles. If your young and have a HT then you will almost certainly want to go on at least Finasteride to postpone the inevitable future hair loss. Given that you have a limited donor supply it is always better to try retain your native hair rather than explete your donor supply with HT's. No one will know what the future will bring so you should only rely on having a limited donor supply that you can use.

Hi csofrank Yeah there is a good chance that still very much drugged, dazed and confused guy getting his hair washed was me Well its good to hear that I got a SMG buddy with similar no of grafts on the forums so we can compare our experiences with. Although I think with your thick hair and dark skin characteristics I have a feeling that your going to have a very dramatic cosmetic effect with your HT. Back at work already - thats insane man!!! Im no where near ready, my scar is still very obvious and I only got 1 1/2 more weeks to go. I think I left my hair too short and Ron may have shaved too much around the donor area. Im going to wait till I get my stitches out and pray that dermatch can mask it as best as it can. The only visible bit is above the ear. Im suprised that my scar is only on the right side of my head and not symmetrical, is this the same for you? Yeah same the fatty flakes only really become obvious with the shampoo. I have been massaging very carefully in the last day or 2 and been using a comb to collect the loose ones. Your transplanted hair seems much longer than mine, is that the length it was transplanted or have your got some growth? Im started applying some cream on the donor scar but it makes my surrounding hair sticky and harder to wash. So im going to wait till after the stiches are out and my hair before I start again. I've only got a little numbness left in my scalp and some around the donor area. Anyway keep us posted on your progress.

csofrank, I had my HT on the 14/6. I would say that I was getting my hair washed when you were having your HT done. I think I may have even seen you at the reception. Yeah sleeping on the donor scar is a little uncomfortable, though I'm more worried about trying to conceal it when I get back to work. It doesnt look like you will have that problem with your long hair as you will easily be able to conceal your HT. How are your scabs coming along? You looked like you healed up nicely, I think I did as well though I only really notice it when I wet the recipient area, the skin kind of bubbles - Are you getting that as well? Also are you doing putting anything on the donor scar?