New HT

[DB]

Hi

I am a new member. I am thankful I found this site and wish I had of found it sooner. I have many newbie questions that have probably been answered many times over but if anyone has the time to answer any of my questions I would appreciate it.

 

1. What is a diffuse thinner?

2. I just had a HT eleven days ago. I always have had thin hair and seeing my scalp since my teenage years was always an issue for me leading to a lifetime of hat wearing. I am in my early forties and I decided to go ahead with a HT as my crown is in full genetic balding and only a few hundred hairs remain. I asked my Doctor to fill in my crown with transplants and also my thin top area. I have read about shock loss and would now describe myself as in shock as my own hair on top is falling out daily. My crown is bald which is no surprise but since I wear a hat constantly I have learned to live in denial. Now since the HT the top is becoming so visible daily with Hair falling out I am freaking out. Is it normal to lose your own hair when transplants are inserted/placed among them? Will this hair grow back?

3. What is the timeline for the "crusts"? How long should I wait before scrubbing them? Should I scub them? Will I damage the transplanted hair? (I had a HT eleven days ago.)

4. I am using Propecia for probably six years or so but it seems to be fighting a losing battle against the genetic overdrive to lose my hair. What do members think of Avodart. Is it better than Propecia? Does it have any risk for birth defects? Can either Propecia or Avodart stop the Jean Luc Picard effect from taking over?

5. Some members results are incredible and the pictures give me hope. Right now I am freaking out and could use a lifeline of support from any member that went through the hair loss immediately after at HT.

6. Here is another strange question I have had a bump or lump on my head for years. I probably banged my head at some point and the lump remained. It was no big deal before the HT but now that the top of my head is becoming more visible daily all I can focus on is my appearing bald head and the bump. Have any members had a lump removed and what type of Doctor does the work a HT surgeon or family physican or plastic surgeon.

7. As mentioned above my crown had a few final hundred hairs before the HT. I had transplanted hairs inserted in the crown area but I cannot feel or see the transplants. My hair is extremely fine so I am wondering did the transplanted hair fall out right away or the fact that I cannot feel them or see the transplants is normal. All I feel is the hairs that are left that were there before the HT and the crusts.

8. What supplements do members recommend and suggest to use in addition to Propecia or Avodart.

9. How long does it take for feeling to return to parts of my scalp since the HT?

10. When is it safe to use the shower after a HT?

 

Sorry for so many questions but I would appreciate any response to any of my questions. Thank you again for a great site that makes me feel that I am not alone in the world of hairloss.

 

Signed,

 

Tried of a lifetime wearing a hat and being an introvert due to genetic hairloss.

[DB]

Hi

I am a new member. I am thankful I found this site and wish I had of found it sooner. I have many newbie questions that have probably been answered many times over but if anyone has the time to answer any of my questions I would appreciate it.

 

1. What is a diffuse thinner?

2. I just had a HT eleven days ago. I always have had thin hair and seeing my scalp since my teenage years was always an issue for me leading to a lifetime of hat wearing. I am in my early forties and I decided to go ahead with a HT as my crown is in full genetic balding and only a few hundred hairs remain. I asked my Doctor to fill in my crown with transplants and also my thin top area. I have read about shock loss and would now describe myself as in shock as my own hair on top is falling out daily. My crown is bald which is no surprise but since I wear a hat constantly I have learned to live in denial. Now since the HT the top is becoming so visible daily with Hair falling out I am freaking out. Is it normal to lose your own hair when transplants are inserted/placed among them? Will this hair grow back?

3. What is the timeline for the "crusts"? How long should I wait before scrubbing them? Should I scub them? Will I damage the transplanted hair? (I had a HT eleven days ago.)

4. I am using Propecia for probably six years or so but it seems to be fighting a losing battle against the genetic overdrive to lose my hair. What do members think of Avodart. Is it better than Propecia? Does it have any risk for birth defects? Can either Propecia or Avodart stop the Jean Luc Picard effect from taking over?

5. Some members results are incredible and the pictures give me hope. Right now I am freaking out and could use a lifeline of support from any member that went through the hair loss immediately after at HT.

6. Here is another strange question I have had a bump or lump on my head for years. I probably banged my head at some point and the lump remained. It was no big deal before the HT but now that the top of my head is becoming more visible daily all I can focus on is my appearing bald head and the bump. Have any members had a lump removed and what type of Doctor does the work a HT surgeon or family physican or plastic surgeon.

7. As mentioned above my crown had a few final hundred hairs before the HT. I had transplanted hairs inserted in the crown area but I cannot feel or see the transplants. My hair is extremely fine so I am wondering did the transplanted hair fall out right away or the fact that I cannot feel them or see the transplants is normal. All I feel is the hairs that are left that were there before the HT and the crusts.

8. What supplements do members recommend and suggest to use in addition to Propecia or Avodart.

9. How long does it take for feeling to return to parts of my scalp since the HT?

10. When is it safe to use the shower after a HT?

 

Sorry for so many questions but I would appreciate any response to any of my questions. Thank you again for a great site that makes me feel that I am not alone in the world of hairloss.

 

Signed,

 

Tried of a lifetime wearing a hat and being an introvert due to genetic hairloss.

[thanatopsis_awry]

1.) Diffuse thinning basically is that you don't get the prototypical "bald spot", but rather your hair thins (to varying degrees) over a given region. There is DUPA, which is diffuse *unpatterned*, which is no good, in that you can thin out in your donor region. Diffuse *patterned* alopecia is the more typical type of diffuse loss. There are many shades to diffusion.

 

2.) It sounds like you are going through "shockloss", which affects people to varying degrees. Ideally, all shockloss is "temporary shockloss", meaning the hairs eventually grow back, unless, perhaps, they were very weak hairs and destined to die soon; however, there is also a type of "permanent shockloss", where the hairs got transected by a shitty doctor, e.g.

 

3.) If I remember aright, you should have been cleansing the area, and massaging any crusts prior to 11 days out. Did your clinic discuss this with you? Your grafts should be quite secure by now.

 

4.) Propecia is often speculated to lose efficacy over time; this could be happening to you, combined with your MPB just being to powerful. Avodart, or Dutasteride, is prescribed by some very esteemed clinics, and while it isn't officially FDA approved for MPB, it is considered to be more powerful than propecia/finasteride, and if fin seems to be losing ground I think it is sound to look into it.

 

5.) HTs can be a blessing or a curse -- it really depends on a lot of factors. The good news is that either way, the truly elite clinics are *excellent* at "repair jobs", and can take a disgraceful HT (or HTs) and turn it into a sweet head of hair. Without seeing any of your pics it's impossible to even begin to gauge, but even in a worst-case scenario it isn't apocalyptic.

 

6.) Plastic surgeon would be my guess; I implore you to research it and research it well. Start by seeing a dermatologist, perhaps, or a GP, and getting a recco.

 

7.) Transplanted hairs do shed at varying rates, which begins their ultimate growth cycle.

 

8.) Minox (rogaine foam 5%) is solid addition, also ketacozonal shampoo, like Nizoral 2%.

 

9.) Really depends on a lot of factors; for me it took a couple weeks.

 

10.) You should be fine at this point, but 2x check -- better extra safe than a little sorry.

 

Who was your doctor/clinic, btw? Also, any clear pics you can post would allow people to give you a better idea of where you stand, are headed, etc.

[doc33029]

Hair loss (hair shock) is normal after a HT. I have had several HTs and lost to some degree after each one, but it always grew back. If you can see your scalp on top and you don't know here the transplanted hairs went in, consider yourself lucky in that whoever did the placement did a good job in placing the grafts flush with your scalp. You should see a little peachfuzz at two months, then some hairs at three months. six months to a year for full regrowth. avoid scrubbing the crusts if you still have them - give those sites time to heal up without scarring, which can leave a divot at the transplant site. avoid excercise for a month afte the HT, so you don't cause the grafts sites to beceome permanently swollen. avoid direct sunlight for the same reason. I think you can pour water with shampoo over your grafts within a day or two after the procedure but refrain from touching them.

good luck - you're pretty much back to normal after two weeks.

[DB]

Thank you thanatopsis_awry and doc33029. I appreciate that you took the time to answer and I appreciate very much the detail thanatopsis_awry put into answering all my questions. This is a great site and I am thrilled there are others out there that understand and can relate and have so much experience and knowledge to share with others. Thank you both!!

P.S. thanatopsis_awry I went to your link to look at your pics and have to say wow the results are fantastic. You must be thrilled.

I had an excellent Doctor but I have not asked his permission to use his name so I don't think I should mention his name or clinic. I have 100% confidence I picked an excellent Doctor and I know his work will speak for itself and that I just have to be patient and deal with the shock loss as you suggest. He gave me a prescription for Avodart so I am going to switch. I did not know the speculated issue with Propecia over time that could be my problem. So the timing of meeting my HT surgeon and a new prescription for Avodart could be just what I need. I will take pictures and setup a link to view them over time. It may help me to calm down if I can track progress over time also.

 

doc33029 you mentioned you have had several transplants. My head felt very tight the first week but is better now in week two. I am wondering after more than one procedure does your skin still stretch enough to releave the tightness?

 

Thank you