Goldilocks

Yes, unfortunately this has changed. I don't recall the year that this was no longer on the list, but it really is too bad.

Unbelievable. Does anyone have any links to the specific laws governing this? I'm curious to know what the actual legal documents say... Hariri, Toronto is in Ontario.

Welcome to the forums. While I have not experience hair loss per say, I have had transplants to fix the shape of my hairline which I had always hated. (I had fronto-temporal recessions that seem to run in my family Grrr!) Anyway, I just wanted to say hi and that I hope you are able to achieve your hair restoration goals.

If it is any consolation, I had significant numbness for several months following my first hair transplant. In fact, it wasn't until about 8-10 months after the surgery that my scalp felt normal. What was interesting was that whenever I was feeling under the weather, I would get this weird sensation along my donor line. It was not really painful, but it was almost like it was hypersensitive. Like you, I had a spot that was quite numb, near the top of my head. When I pressed it I could feel this weird sensation going down the back of my hair towards the donor line. The good news is that over time, the area of numbness got smaller and smaller. I'm now about 8 months following my second transplant and I would say my scalp is feeling very good right now. I didn't have the same level of numbness the second time around, nor did it cover as large an area. Rest assured that your chances of having your sensation return to normal is really quite good. It just takes time for the nerves to "repair" themselves after the "trauma".

Sorry for having missed this thread. I know we have corresponded via private message since you created this thread it and I sent you a couple of links to my albums. Please don't hesitate to ask any other questions of me that you may not have asked as of yet.

I traveled out of town for my second hair transplant and had the sutures removed by a local doctor. That worked out just fine. In fact, my hair transplant surgeon even gave me instructions for the best method of removing them so I could give them to the local doctor.

Congratulations on your recent surgery! I've heard good things about Dr. Cooley. I'm currently just over the six month mark following my second procedure and am starting to see some growth. I know that at a month, it is easy to feel like there is such a long way to go. It sounds like you are coping well so far. I look forward to seeing how things progress for you.

I had an interesting experience getting my stitches removed. As I had traveled out of town for my transplant, I needed to get my stitches removed locally, which meant going to a regular family physician. Since I couldn't get an appointment with my own doctor, I went to a walk-in clinic. I explained what I was there for and handed him the stitch removal instructions my hair transplant doctor had provided for me indicating the easiest way to remove them. He studied the sheet and got the necessary tools out. He was very curious about my hair transplant as he'd never seen anyone who'd had one, so he asked a ton of questions. He even went as far as asking me if he could show his nurse my stitches and my incision line...which I was completely fine with. So they are both standing over me as I am lying on my stomach on the table, studying my grafts and suture line. All of this to say, I had a very positive experience getting them removed by this physician and in fact, it was a heck of a lot less painful than after my first transplant in which my hair transplant surgeon removed my stitches. Go figure that one!

I had my surgery out of town on a Monday and was driven home on the Tuesday by my travel partner. Because of the horrible night's sleep I'd had the night prior to going home, there was no way I would have wanted to drive the five hours home. I'm sure I would have fallen asleep at the wheel. Having said that, I would not recommend trying to drive yourself for a couple of days, especially for long distances. Hair transplant surgery can be emotionally and physically draining on its own, without even considering the medications.

Using a cervical/neck pillow (i.e. travel pillow) helped me tremendously. That way, you don't have nearly the pressure along the suture line.

I am one of those females who had shock loss in the donor area (as well as in the recipient area). It is a little disconcerting, especially if you hadn't expected it. It was only following my second surgery that I had donor shock loss, but my doctor gave me the reassurance I needed and sure enough, at 4 months, the shocked hair started to grow back. (I'm almost at five months now). Hang in there! It should grow back! Day 29 Day 43 4 Months

This will definitely vary from person to person but I can tell you that for myself, I found the discomfort/pain lasted several weeks. In fact, I'm almost 4 months post op from my second surgery, and my scalp is still quite sensitive and numb in spots. The first time around, my head didn't feel normal until close to 8 months! Hang in there!

Looks great to me! Her after photos must be showing her hair styled the way she normally wears it. I know that with some women patients, the strategy is to sometimes approach a transplant with her styling preferences in mind (for example, weighting the grafts heavier on one side more than the other to accommodate for a certain hair part position).

I see what you mean about the right side looking a little bit less dense than the left, but only in that one photo where you shot just that side of your hairline. In your other photos, it looks just fine! Have you talked to Dr. Rahal about your concerns at all?

Having white dead looking skin happened with me following both of my procedures, and were most visible following a bath or shower. Totally normal. At any time, did you see any recipient sites that looked like they were missing a graft? I suppose it may have been too difficult to tell with the crusting and existing hair though... I am pretty sure I had two grafts come out following my second surgery. Both occurred after having had a shower and I could see the hair with a surrounding "plug" of tissue. While I was not concerned about two, I would imagine that any more than that would have caused me some distress. Have you seen your surgeon since your surgery? Could he/she perhaps verify your situation?

Firstly, congratulations on your procedure. I hope you've been able to take it easy during your recovery. If you lost a graft, you would actually see the hair surrounded by a little "plug" of tissue, and the graft site would typically bleed as well. Having "bent" hair roots attached to part of a scab is normal; this is not a graft. Having different technicians working on different sides of your head can produce different results I am sure, but this has not been my experience. Hopefully you went to a reputable surgeon who produces consistent results. Certainly if it was a doctor recommended on this site, we could allay your fears. Hang in there!

Arguably, the hairline can look even more natural with fine hair. Of course, you'd need more grafts to achieve adequate density for the transplant overall... Nice iPhone by the way.

I think I can identify a little bit with where you are coming from. Along my incision line, I have what I like to describe as a small "pocket" and when I press my finger on that area, I notice a small indentation. It has filled with puss before and has come and gone a few times so I had asked my hair transplant doctor about it. He explained that in my case, it was likely caused by the deep layer dissolvable suture knot or end that hadn't dissolved and is trying to make its way out. Interestingly, my "pocket" is above my left ear where the incision line ends, which is why my doctor was suggesting the sutures being the cause. He also said it will eventually resolve on its own. As for your "indent", I'm not sure if it will always be there or not....

Your grafts are secure at about the 7-10 day mark following hair transplantation so popping the pimple at your stage won't cause the graft to pop out with it. I have had several pimples post-op (I am at 3 months following my surgery), and they started at about the same timeframe you are seeing yours "pop" up. My hair restoration physician advised against popping them, but I have to honestly say that I couldn't resist with some of them since they just looked ready and popped quite easily. Besides, it can be so rewarding to see the puss ooze out! Anyway, I have been trying my best to simply leave them alone and for the most part, I can manage that. I think the biggest concern with popping the pimples is scarring in the recipient area. Anytime you damage the integrity of the skin, there is a risk of scarring, especially if done repeatedly in the same area. That is enough of a reason to leave them alone if at all possible... at least in my opinion. (But then again, like I said, there have been a few that I just couldn't help myself; and so far, I haven't seen anything negative come out of popping them.)

I had a scar revision for my second hair transplant surgery and I have to say that my discomfort post-op was greater with the revision compared to my first procedure. My doctor who did the revision suspected that this was likely the case since he had to dig somewhat deeper to excise the previous scar tissue. It might be a little early to tell, but this second scar seems to be narrower than my first, which was up to 3mm wide in spots. This one seems quite consistent across the entire length, and while I haven't measured it, it certainly isn't 3mm; it's looking like between 1 and 2mm which I can definitely live with. If you can live with your current scar, then I would be inclined to wait before having another surgery until you are wanting to go for a second transplant (if you even choose to do so). If that doesn't happen to be for another several years, then so be it, but you just never know how the scar will heal. You could potentially be worse off than where you started... Why put yourself through the discomfort again so soon... Have you consulted with a hair transplant physician to find out what you could reasonably expect if you were to go ahead with a scar revision? If not, that might be a good starting point. Anyway, ultimately the decision is up to you. I wish you all the best in figuring that out.

Hi Mike, I was particularly interested in your question as I have had hair transplants done by each of the doctors you are asking about. My first procedure was with Dr. Rahal in 2007 and my second one was this past April with Dr. Simmons. I have to say that I don't think you can go wrong with either physician as they are both tremendously good at what they do. Both are dedicated to their profession, both have excellent and consistent results Given your Norwood rating, I suspect that neither doctor could be overly 'aggressive' with your hairline design. Have you consulted with either doctor? I think it would be worthwhile for you to do so, and in-person if at all possible, but online at the very least. Getting an idea of what each doctor comes up with for a plan for you would be invaluable and you would be in a better position to make your own decision about who you wish to select. I realize I haven't told you anything about who to select, since only you can make that decision for yourself, but I can say that I have had a positive experience with both of them.

I would like to reassure you that what you are experiencing is very normal. It is not uncommon to shed the transplanted hair as well as your existing hair. This is referred to as "shock loss" and typically occurs right around the timeframe you are describing. If it is any consolation, I am at just over three months post-op and like you, have had shock loss so I look worse now than I did before the surgery. This can be quite disconcerting if you aren't expecting it, but I was made aware of the likelihood of it happening; it still doesn't make it any easier to style my hair though! I have to be patient. On a related note, it is my understanding that shock loss is likely to be permanent on hairs that were miniaturizing and eventually going to be lost anyway, and is temporary in hairs that are still of "normal" caliber. If you had a large number of miniaturized hairs in the transplanted area, they are likely gone for good, but if they were "normal", then the shedding s temporary and it will take 6 months or so before you will see it growing again. It sounds like your surgeon did not make you aware of the possibility of shock loss? If that is the case, I think it is unfortunate since part of what a surgeon should be doing is sharing with you what to expect. Hang in there (I know it's hard!), and try not to stare at your head every second you get. What I would also suggest is to take pictures in consistent ambient conditions every 2-4 weeks so that you can see your progress. It's not always easy to tell since you look at your hair everyday. Often it isn't until we compare earlier pictures from weeks or months prior that we realize how much really is happening with the growth. Happy growing!

One the swelling has started, it is really hard to make it go away with anything other than time. Were you prescribed prednisone to help manage the swelling by any chance? Swelling typically peaks at around day 4 or 5 as was mentioned and sleeping at a 45 degree angle is imperative! I can imagine how you might look if you hadn't been. I can relate to how you are feeling. following my first procedure, I had quite a bit of swelling in my forehead, eyelids and bridge of the nose; I didn't look like me at all! I also had bruising around my eyes which made it look like I had been in a bar brawl. Not cool. I hope things clear up for you soon and that your doctor is able to address your questions. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

Your grafts are very secure by 2 weeks post op and wearing a cap won't affect your outcome. Like you, I wore a hat from 3 weeks post op every day to work until about 1 1/2 months until I could conceal the transplant. (I was fortunate this time around in that I didn't have to have my recipient area shaved so I had more hair to work with... of course, a lot of it came out from shock loss but is still better than having been shaved as I was for my first surgery in which case I did wear a hat for the first 3 months. ) As for the scabbing, it sounds like you are being quite gentle. Moreso than you need to be. Have you tried soaking your head in a bathtub for at least ten minutes and then used your fingertips to massage away the crusting? This helped me tremendously. Definitely don't pick at them, but you can speed up the loosening of the scabs if you soak them and then work at them. Hope this helps!