Goldilocks

I know I am not a hair transplant physician, but I have had two transplants, the second one of which was out of town and was a five hour drive each way. My preference was to leave the day following the surgery, before the swelling and bruising kicked in. For me, the peak of this occurred on days 4-5, which my doctor (and I) had expected.

I have to say that I would not have been in any position to enjoy a holiday following surgery. There was too much discomfort, even with the pain tablets, and appearance-wise, I wanted to stay out of public view. I'd rather feel at my best when on holiday.

The degree of swelling/bruising you get can depend significantly on whether or not your hair transplant surgeon gives you something like prednisone to prevent it. Following my first surgery, I did not take any and I looked like I had been in a bar brawl! Following my second surgery, I did take it and the swelling/bruising was much less and went away much quicker.

I am sure others will be able to offer their thoughts too, but I hope this is helpful.

By 3 weeks, the grafts are very secure so it likely isn't a graft. It's likely that some of the scabbing had come apart from the underlying skin but perhaps wasn't quite ready which caused some bleeding.

My other explanation is that you had a pimple, which sometimes can have blood inside mixed with puss. Perhaps it popped. This has happened to me a few times, especially following my second hair transplant which I just had two months ago. The pimples started after the first couple of weeks and are still continuing although they have started to settle down....

I am sure others will offer their thoughts on this too, but I hope this is helpful.

Definitely normal. The majority of the transplanted hair typically falls out but there will usually be some that stay behind. I don't have percentages but this has been true following both of my surgeries.

I dont want to argue and i'm not jaded either.

 

 

I wasn't trying to provoke you into an argument so I apologize if you interpreted my post in that way. In all sincerity, it is awful that your first experience was not a positive one. I can only imagine being in that position as I was fortuntate with both of my surgeries and was willing to pay whatever was asked to have them done. By no means am I wealthy, but I was able to prioritize my finances and pay both surgeries in full both times.

I'm certainly not going to try to argue with you Sparky. It sounds like you are pretty jaded which is really too bad.

I think sometimes we forget that this is a highly specialized field and what you are paying for is the expertise. Not to mention, look at how many staff are working on one patient and all of them need to get paid in addition to the doctor too. Add in the equipment needed, the facilities...

It is only fitting that physicians in this field are able to have a very comfortable lifestyle outside of work... They have worked very hard to get where they are; many years of education, specialized training...

Just look at how many hours a day are invested in their work too. Sometimes I wonder how they fit in their hobbies with all the patients they see, followups, correspondance, ongoing professional development etc...

Of course, there is no excuse for subpar physicians to be in this same elite boat.

Great post mahhong!

Hi Danielkiwi,

In answer to your question about my own surgeries, I had two strip procedures by two different physicians, both of whom are quality physicians found on this site.

My first procedure was almost three years ago with Dr. Rahal and my second one was this past April with Dr. Simmons.

I must say that my scar revision, which was recommended by Dr. Simmons so that he wouldn't have to make a second scarline, has been healing very well and so far looks quite fine; better than my first scar which was up to 3mm wide in one area. What I have experienced this time around though, is shock loss in the donor area, unlike after my first surgery. This is a little off-putting I have to admit, but I am reassured that the shocked hair will regrow in a few months time.

In answer to your second question, if some of the grafts do not grow hair, it would not be obvious at all, unless for some reason there was a whole cluster of them in the same area that did not grow. From my own experience, that did not happen. In fact, my first procedure could have been a stand-alone one, but I went through with a second one to increase the density and refine the shape of the hairline.

If there is anything else you'd like to know, please don't hesitate to let me know. I'd be happy to share my experience and even my private online album if you wish.

Out of curiosity, who is your surgery scheduled with? And how long are you waiting to take the plunge?

Hey there. While I can't answer your questions as I would never shave my head (I'm female by the way), I did want to say that I thought it was interesting how you describe yourself as a risk taker. I compared that to myself, who is NOT a risk taker and have a fear of surgery, but I did end up having hair transplant surgery. Two of them in fact. :eek: I couldn't stand the thought of having my head cut open, nor could I stand the thought of being poked, stitched, sliced, punctured etc but I wanted this so badly that I went through it anyway. So far, I think I am glad I did. (I'm only two months post-op at the moment so I am in the ugly duckling, can't stand to look at my hair in the mirror phase.)

I'm not exactly sure what my point with comparing myself to you is, but I did want to reassure you that I am sure most of those of us who have or will be going through hair transplant surgery have had doubts about the success of the procedure and the final results.

In my mind, the questions you ask are your rational side talking, which is extremely important when deciding to go through this kind of life changing event. Not everyone seems to have that inner voice and thus they make decisions without thinking it through rationally. Kudos to you for thinking about the "what ifs".

I hope you find the answers you are looking for and wish you all the best in your journey.

How your scar looks during healing can depend a lot on how well you have been keeping the area clean. After my first transplant, I was so gentle on my donor line and didn't scrub that it was much more scabby than after my second surgery. I suspect that what you are seeing is dried blood. Have you tried soaking your head in warm water for several minutes and then gently scrubbing with your fingertips to loosen the scabs? That may help.

It's good that you are seeing your doctor just to be sure though, so kudos to you.

Looking worse after the procedure than before is very normal. I am two months post op and have had quite a bit of shock loss so I am much more bare in the recipient area than before the surgery. This is normal!

Hang in there!

Cheers for that.

 

Didn't really want to overdo the painkillers but think a couple of ibuprofen are worth it for a good night's sleep.

 

Hope you are progressing well.

Thanks for the well-wishes. So far so good although I have to admit I'm feeling like an ugly duckling.

Good luck with managing your donor area pain. Hopefully the ibuprofen will help.

I can tell you that I had quite a bit of soreness in the donor area for several days following the surgery and like you, had an area that was significantly more sensitive and sore than the rest. I am at almost two months post-op and the discomfort is more like numbness now, not so much pain. This discomfort is not actually right on the donor area, but rather above it and almost to the top of my head. It is certainly manageable however.

From my own experience, getting the stitches (and in your case, staples) removed should help make the donor area much more comfortable. This was true of both of my surgeries.

I would say hang in there, try taking some Advil or other pain reliever and when you see the doctor again, mention your concerns.

do you have a blog or pics I can check out?

Sure. Send me your email address and I will share the links with you.

Many hair transplant physicians do require shaving and Dr. Rahal is one of them. The physician recommended by Megatron, Dr. Simmons, does not. I have had one surgery by each of these doctors and I can say they are both extremely good at what they do, and even though their methods and techniques vary quite significantly, it is safe to say that you would get a great result from either doctor in all likelihood.

Since most females don't shave their hair, I'm not sure why strip is such a big deal. The surrounding hair will cover the scar, however fine or wide it is. My first scar ranged from 1-3 mm in width, but no one would ever know, even with my hair parted into pigtails, not to mention, my hair is fairly thin and quite fine in texture. It is also far more economical to go with strip than fue, and you can get more grafts in the same period of time. Isn't strip considered to be the gold standard in hair restoration?

How much are you looking to lower your forehead? 1000 grafts doesn't sound like very many, unless you were filling in a small area or only wanted to get your feet wet with hair transplantation to make sure you are going to be satisfied with the texture and direction of that transplanted hair...

Have you seen actual patients of the doctor you are going to? Particularly ones with similar hair characteristics to yours? Perhaps that might alleviate some of your concerns...

There is no doubt that the recovery time is significant with hair transplantation, especially if you have longer hair. However, aside from the first three to four months being pretty much worse than where you started, you can usually find a way to style your hair as it grows to a length that matches the rest of your hair. Having the front of your hair cut in layers can help tremendously with alleviating the awkwardness of the regrowth stage.

My understanding is that many people will not see their full result until the 12 month mark, and some even closer to 16 or 18 months. The timeline varies so significantly from person to person that it would be hard to say when anyone in particular would achieve their final result.

Glad to hear the results are nice so far though! Hang in there for at least a couple more months and see where you are then. Have you been taking pictures under the same conditions for reference by any chance?

I think you ought to see IN PERSON a few docs and get there opinion.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

I completely agree with this. By no means would I base your decision purely on what you see or read online. I was just thinking that as a first step, it might be nice to do a handful of online consultations. From there, you can decide who you might like to go see in person. That's what I did and it worked out great for me.

Congratulations on your hair transplant!

Based on your three month photos, I'd say you look to be where I would expect. Like you, I still had pinkiness on my scalp at the third month mark after my first procedure as my skin is quite fair also. The good news is it should still continue to fade.

Keep us posted on your progress!

Wouldn't a hair restoration physician be able to measure the degree of miniaturization and compare the findings from time A to time B? I wouldn't think however that you could reasonably predict the expected rate of balding since it probably isn't linear. :rolleyes:

Goldilocks, how many grafts did you transplant to your forehead?

Do you feel any tightness at the scalp? How do the transplanted hair look and feel?

Do they feel stiff and unnatural, grow in different directions?

Thanks

Hi Kitty,

For my first procedure, I had just under 2500 grafts. The second one was approximately 1800. These grafts were placed along the front hairline as well as in the fronto-temporal recessions.

I felt significantly more tightness following my first procedure than the second. Right now my scalp is still fairly numb, but I had my recent transplant only about a month ago so that doesn't surprise me. In my own experience, I had numbness for several months after the first procedure, but I did eventually regain all sensation in my scalp in about 8 months, thank goodness!

In terms of the hair and how it feels, I have to say that 90% + feels like my native hair. I do have the odd "kinky" strand that is a bit coarser than the rest. I have to admit, when I come across those ones, I pull them out since they don't match the rest of my hair's texture. The direction flows with the native hair, with the exception of a very small number of hairs along my hairline that seem to grow in a weird direction. I tend to pull those out too.

In all honesty, I am curious to see how my second transplant grows in as the second physician used "chubbier" grafts in which more of the surrounding tissue is kept rather than cut away as they are with "skinny" grafts. I am also curious to see how the stick-and-place technique compares with the pre-made incisions technique... (My most recent transplant was done using stick-and-place.)

I hope I have answered your questions, but please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any further ones. I'll do my best to answer them for you.

I'd be happy to share my two online albums privately with you if you provided me with your email address. (Bill, I know I know, I should share them publicly... Maybe someday! )

I was in the same boat as you at one time until I decided to have a hair transplant to lower and reshape my hairline. In fact, I just had my second procedure done about a month ago and I am confident that I will get the results I am hoping for. (Both of my transplants were done using strip by the way.)

I am not familiar with the 'single hair unit' terminology. What I do know though is that single haired follicles are the ones that are used at the front edge of the hairline so that you end up with a more natural result.

What I would suggest is that you have a look at several hair restoration physicians and consider some online consultations. That way you can get some input on what options you have in terms of design and amount of lowering.

Let me know if you have any questions about my own experience. I'd be happy to share!

The hair does look quite coarse. What are your natural hair characteristics?

Have you searched for some hair transplant doctors here? http://www.hairtransplantnetwo...air-loss-doctors.asp

I wish you luck in find the answers and the solution you are looking for.

So far so good. Her hairline shape is very suited to her face shape.

Quick question: Is her hairline shaped the same way it was before losing her hair? Or is that a completely new design for her?

I'm very sorry to hear that your transplant is not progressing as you would have hoped and I can only imagine being in your shoes. Hang in there.

Your hair should have pretty much the same characteristics (i.e. look and feel) as before they were extracted and transplanted. Even after two years post-op, I have a few hairs that are darker, thicker, kinky and wirey but I choose to pull those out since they don't cooperate like the rest of my hair and for me, that's an easy solution. In your case however, because you are saying the majority of your hair is like that, then that isn't really an option for you.

I highly doubt that the guard on your hair clippers are causing your hairs to become more kinky. In all likelihood, it has been caused by trauma to the follicles during the extraction process. From my understanding, I'd have to say for hairs that were not subject to significant "trauma", they do tend to be able to sort themselves out in time. In other words, they soften. At nine months, I would expect that your hair should be, for the most part, softened and more like your natural hair, but could still potentially need a bit more time.

Using a chemical relaxer may help with the kinks, but it won't change the coarse feel of your hair. Since you have such short hair, it may not be practical to use this kind of product...

If you are not satisfied with the current clinic and how they are responding to your inquiries (which it sounds like you are not), perhaps it would be worthwhile to consult with another hair transplant physisican, even if it is to simply assess the stage you are presently at with your procedure from 9 months ago.

I'm sorry I don't have much to offer in the way of advice.

Congratulations on your decision to have a hair transplant.....and to have it done by Dr. Cam Simmons. In fact, I am contemplating having my second procedure done by him

I can say that from what I had read online, the discomfort was underestimated greatly. For me, I was not comfortable enough to get a good night's sleep for the first 10 or so days, at which time the sutures got taken out. What a relief!

I have a high pain tolerance, but this was by far the most uncomfortable I have ever been. I did not take any of the percocet or any other drugs following my procedure, with the exception of the antibiotics so I am sure I didn't help my cause with respect to the discomfort and relieving it with pain meds.

I am convinced that anyone who says you can get back to normal a few days after the surgery is either exceptional, or lying!