Young Female had HT but need HELP!! :(

[Female Needing Support]

I am a 23 year old female and have been diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia. I have been struggling with hairloss since I was in my teens. I recently had a HT with Dr. Leavitt in Heathrow, FL at the end of October. I have had gradual shock loss but I am now at 2.5 months post op and recently my hair has been falling out in clumps. It scares me to run my fingers through my hair because of the amount of shedding. I am sure this is due to the HT. I need support from any other females that have had a HT. This is an emotionally devastating problem for women and what hurts is that its not very common so I am looking for others in my position that can offer advice/support/help. My hair has definately gotten thinner since the HT due to the shock loss but I am hopefull since I do see some hairs growing in. If anyone can share their expereinces or advice I would greatly appreciate it.

 

Thanks

[Female Needing Support]

I am a 23 year old female and have been diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia. I have been struggling with hairloss since I was in my teens. I recently had a HT with Dr. Leavitt in Heathrow, FL at the end of October. I have had gradual shock loss but I am now at 2.5 months post op and recently my hair has been falling out in clumps. It scares me to run my fingers through my hair because of the amount of shedding. I am sure this is due to the HT. I need support from any other females that have had a HT. This is an emotionally devastating problem for women and what hurts is that its not very common so I am looking for others in my position that can offer advice/support/help. My hair has definately gotten thinner since the HT due to the shock loss but I am hopefull since I do see some hairs growing in. If anyone can share their expereinces or advice I would greatly appreciate it.

 

Thanks

[nobuzz4me]

FNS,

 

Welcome to the forum,

 

A few things, since you had this HT done in late October, you will not see any visible new growth or coverage from that for a few more months so be patient, it takes time. Not sure about the shockloss or if this is hair you may have lost anyway do to your condition. Best case, it is tempoary and will grow back.

 

How many grafts did you receive and where were they placed?? Who diagnosed your condition, a dermatologist or your HT doctor? Could you post a few pics? This will help the forum help you with your situation.

 

Good luck,

[Bill - Seemiller]

Hello Female needing support,

 

Thanks for posting and welcome to the forums. Unfortunately, there are not too many females that post here on a consistent basis, but there definitely have been some over the years. Try using the "find" feature on this forum and lookup "androgenetic alopecia" and/or "female" and see what you find. There have definitely been other females that have posted here and other females that have had HTs.

 

As Nobuzz said, 2.5 months out from an HT is way too early and all that was transplanted would have not started to grow yet.

 

Regarding the loss of hair you are experiencing...it's possible that you could be experiencing a late form of "shock loss". People experience it at different times. Some experience it early, some late. For me, I typically experience shock loss at the 6-8 weeks mark and I don't see really any changes until about the 3 month mark. Now that's me personally...you could be experiencing it late for sure. The good news is, this type of shockloss is temporary and the hair WILL grow back. I do, however, recommend talking to your HT doctor (though I admit, I'm not familiar with Dr. Leavitts work off the top of my head though I admit, I have heard his name...can't remember why).

 

As Nobuzz said...if you could post some pictures before your surgery and now, that would be helpful for us to be able to give you better counsel on what might be happening. In the meantime...a few questions:

 

1. How many grafts did you recieve?

2. Is the hair that is falling out hair that has been transplanted around, or is it hair on different parts of your head, not related to the transplanted area?

 

Between 2.5 months and 3.5 months is what I like to refer to the "typical doubt" stage...also referred to the doldrums (though that's typically between 1 and 3 months). The reason I call it the "typical doubt" stage is because we all start to anticipate growth of the new hairs and we begin to look into the mirror and become frustrated...wondering if the hair will EVER grow. I'm only about a week ahead of you probably...I had my third HT on 10/19. Since I'm not a veteran regarding HTs, I can assure you that this doubt stage is normal, and the growth will start to come in. Anything "temporarily" shocked from the surgery will come back...but unfortunately, you will have to go through the more difficult stages first where you will look worse before you look better. Does that make sense? I know it's discouraging...but do have patience and use this and other forums as a support for you ok? I hope this helps.

 

Bill

[Female Needing Support]

Bill:

 

Thanks so much for your reply. It did give me a bit of hope. I guess for women it is more frustrating when you see tiny "buzz cut" looking hairs and you think how much longer they need to grow before you notice a difference. The hair that is falling out is mostly from the top of my head which is the area where I had the transplant. I first noticed the loss when I developed a quarter sized bald spot on the front of my head behind my hair line. Luckily there are hundreds of little hairs growing so it looks dark and it not too noticible since the hairs form my hairline also cover it up. I had 1500 grafts implanted. I actually decided to go meet with the surgeons consultant this week. I will see if they can provide me with the before and after pics. They have the pics they took just before the procedure. One question I have is that the donor scar has healed well but is always itchy and a bit irritated. I don't know what to do the itching drives me nutz since I try not to scratch to avoid damanging any hari around that area. Any suggestions?

[NervousNelly]

Aloe vera should be applied and will be helpful. Short of tying your hands down it will be one of your best solutions. Do avoid scratching as it can widen the scar by damaging hairs in the area. Good luck.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Female Needing Support,

 

Thanks for the reply. I'm glad my post could give you some hope. Again, 2.5 months is very early, and you very well may be experiencing some late but temporary shockloss.

 

1500 isn't a lot of grafts if a large area was covered, but for smaller areas, it can create decent density. Posting some before pics, now pics, and progressive month to month pics will help us be able to give you better advice AND we can also be here to support you through your experience. It's been a great blessing for me to be here and have so many people I can relate to and teach me and encourage me when I was a novice. Now, being relatively experienced (after 3 HTs), I attempt to do the same by encouraging and teaching others. Hopefully the surgeon's consultant will be able to give you some additional comfort.

 

Regarding donor itching, I would try using some aloe vera gel on it...it helps soothe the skin. The itching you are experiencing is normal at 2.5 months...some of the hairs around the area are probably growing back and pushing through the skin. Expect the recipient area to begin itching soon too (if you haven't experienced that yet already). Aloe works nicely on that as well.

 

I hope you'll post some pictures when you get them. If there is anything else we can do...please post questions/comments/concerns, etc. I hope you take the time to share more of your journey with us.

 

Bill

[desperate for help]

hi female seeking support,

I know how you feel. I'm an AA female who was diagnosed with scarring alopecia during my teens. After years of going through this and reaching burned out stage of my alopecia, I had a hair transplant to the front of my head. The shock loss to the donor scar area took me for a loop. It started 3 months after my transplant. It seemed like everytime I combed my hair it was globs of hair. I cried all night one night thinking what had I done. I didn't have that much hair to begin with and I definitly didn't want to loose any more. I'm at month 5 and the shock loss has decreased. This will more than likely happen with you.

[Bill - Seemiller]

I'm at month 5 and the shock loss has decreased

 

desperate for help,

 

When you say the shock loss has decreased...what do you mean? Do you mean that you are still experiencing "shock loss" but less of it? Or do you mean the hair that was shocked is returning? Have you experienced any new growth from the hair transplant? Who was your doctor?

 

Bill

[mil]

do you think the hT will be worth it after the shock loss?

[Bill - Seemiller]

mil,

 

A lot of people experience shockloss. But in the hands of a skilled physician who has your best interest at heart, most people are pleased with an HT after it all grows in.

 

Bill