Camouflage

[Guest]

What can I do to camouflage the transplant after return to work after one week? I cannot wear a hat at work.

 

Worried.

[Guest]

What can I do to camouflage the transplant after return to work after one week? I cannot wear a hat at work.

 

Worried.

[Don]

After one week, your hair will probably look pretty much the same as it did before your operation, although you may still be a little pink--I wasn't. Once your Dr. says it's okay, you can use Couvre to cover up the discoloration (if you have any) or Toppik to make it look like you have more hair--both excellent products.

[Guest]

It's been 5 days and I have these "connect-the-dot" scabs. Is it after these fall off that it will be less noticeable?

[Guest]

My scabs took between ten days and two weeks to completely fall off. If you are not doing so, vitamin E oil applied liberally to the scabbed areas can soften them. Also shampoo using whatever method your Dr. prescribed to accelerate the softening of scabs. Of course, the wound must heal sufficiently before the scabs fall off.

 

I had noticable, but not really bad discoloration for about a month after the scabs came off. I had some hair in the transplanted area, Topik covered this well. From what I have read in other people's posts, disoloration can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.

 

I was fortunate that I could wear a beret when I was at work for the first two weeks - before I could start to use topik. I don't know if anyone can go to work, without a hat, and go undetected after only one week. That's just too soon.

 

If you have some remaining hair in the transplant area, the previous poster's recommendations couvre or topik, or another product, Dermatch, might help you considerably. Don't use any product on your scalp until and if your surgeon tells you it's okay. Also, if your Dr. approves, you'd better investigate and order something ASAP if you hope to use any of these products when you go back to work.

 

Congratulations and good luck! Now just be patient - it's a long wait.

[Don]

Yes, your skin should look better after the scabs fall off, but, in my case, once the swelling went down (after several days), my skin looked pretty normal. It might have been slightly pink, but I was walking around without a hat (but not in the sun). I had a lot of swelling, and I thought I was going to look like a boxer forever, but after a week I looked like I did before the surgery. I really think you should try couvre because it covers in a very natural way--just make sure that you apply it when your hair is wet--it's much easier to deal with. I hope this has helped. Good luck--it's worth it!

[Guest]

The scabs are gone. Now it looks like I have "porcupine" hair on my hairline, which I think is obvious. Does couvre help that and where do you get it. Do you have to do it online or at a local barber shop?

[Don]

Ah, yes, the porcupine look. Couvre will help with the contrast (scalp and hair), but it will not get rid of the porcupine look. I took a more drastic approach and cut my hair pretty short. When your hair is short, the REALLY short hairs aren't so obvious. I would go with Couvre as a base and Toppik on top of that. Toppik is really good at covering up different lengths of hair and blending them together. Use the Toppik about a half inch above your hairline. You can blend any excess (at the hairline) with your finger--just rub over it gently. (I use Aqua Net hairspray--cheap, holds forever, and it's at Wal-mart.) The cheapest place to get both of these products is at follica.com. They have great prices, and if you order over $100 (or something close to that), they don't charge postage--another money saver. Practice a little with these products and you'll be able to fool even your best friends--good luck.