Scar Shock Loss - A Question for The Veterans

[Phillyhair]

Neil

I know it has been a while since we posted. How is it going? How is the growth?

[Neil Nelson]

Originally posted by Phillyhair:

Neil

I know it has been a while since we posted. How is it going? How is the growth?

Hey Philly!

 

That's a coincidence - I was only thinking the same, that I should get in touch, just this morning. Not much happening for me as yet. Not many signs of growth at all. Where are we - 11 weeks on Friday? I guess it's still early days yet. How are you doing? Any density showing through?

 

It's a tough time for us both just now. Really impatient to see something happening. I have a big social event on April 22, and I was really hoping for some improvement in my hairline before then, but it's "touch and go" right now.

[Phillyhair]

Hey Neil

I have several hairs popping out...it is exciting. I can tell these are new hairs they are thicker and never had them before. I will try to take coupel of pictures and post them.

Good luck and will write again soon

[paris_caine]

Phillyhair, good to hear you are beginning to show some results. from what i hear, next couple of months should be exciting for you.

 

Neil, april 22 is almost 2 months away. i am sure you will see some significant improvement in your hairline by then. its usually the crown that takes time i hear.

 

good luck to both of you.

 

Paris

[gillenator]

Hi Neil,

 

Sorry to hear of the dilemma. It was difficult for me to see the details of the scar from the four pics. But from what I did view, the area looks okay at this point in time post-op.

 

And as you gathered already, yes in most cases the re-growth in the donor area should occur. It also appears that you are wearing your hair long enough to ward off any detectability, especially at your event in April.

 

I read your comment about having four prior procedures and in case the re-growth in the donor is not as satisfactory as you want it, you can always consider having grafts inserted in the area in the future. Best wishes to you on your future growth!

[Neil Nelson]

Originally posted by gillenator:

Hi Neil,

 

Sorry to hear of the dilemma. It was difficult for me to see the details of the scar from the four pics. But from what I did view, the area looks okay at this point in time post-op.

 

And as you gathered already, yes in most cases the re-growth in the donor area should occur. It also appears that you are wearing your hair long enough to ward off any detectability, especially at your event in April.

 

I read your comment about having four prior procedures and in case the re-growth in the donor is not as satisfactory as you want it, you can always consider having grafts inserted in the area in the future. Best wishes to you on your future growth!

Hi there Gillenator, and thanks for your post.

 

Right now Philly and I are both at exactly 12 weeks post op from Dr E, and while I have a small number of new hairs coming through in my hairline, there is no growth of any significance as yet and consequently no improvement in the look of my hairline.

 

However, I have total faith in Dr E, and I know from reading elsewhere in this forum that there's no "magic switch" that gets clicked at 12 weeks. It could well be much longer before real change shows through. However, like everyone else who has been in this position, I'm now at the stage of staring at my hairline daily, willing the new hairs to come through, and wondering if I somehow damaged the grafts when I gently rubbed off the crusts that had lifted at 6-7 days.

 

As far as the donor area goes, Dr E's scar is remarkable in its invisibility, and the shock loss areas have darkened up, so I have hope. Dr E advised me to put in Minox once daily, but my lifestyle in recent weeks has made this difficult to do, and as yet there is little re-growth. However my barber (who knows my history) tells me he's confident he can give me a much shorter style next month, without giving the game away.

 

What is interesting is that the numbness around the donor scar has been replaced with a very dull "ache", and is slightly painful to the touch, even with a comb, which I don't recall from previous surgery (although it's many years ago so the memory will have faded).

 

So in summary, a frustrating period, but I know Dr E has not let me down!

 

Best regards,

 

Neil

[Lurker]

Neil. I have been reading this thread as I have a similar problem. I am almost 2 months out of my second HT. This time I notice a totally smooth area below my scar. There are larger circular areas at each end where the sutures where tied off. When viewing pics of other scars on this site, I mostly see fairly thin ones with hair directly above and below. So, I am hoping that mine is just temporary shock loss as well. Please keep us posted on your progress. If yours starts to fill in, then maybe I can be more at ease about mine. Good luck

[Neil Nelson]

Originally posted by Lurker:

Neil. I have been reading this thread as I have a similar problem. I am almost 2 months out of my second HT. This time I notice a totally smooth area below my scar. There are larger circular areas at each end where the sutures where tied off. When viewing pics of other scars on this site, I mostly see fairly thin ones with hair directly above and below. So, I am hoping that mine is just temporary shock loss as well. Please keep us posted on your progress. If yours starts to fill in, then maybe I can be more at ease about mine. Good luck

Lurker,

 

First off, welcome to the Forum. Your profile in your donor area sounds exactly as mine was at two months.

 

I think I can give you some comfort - I'll be 15 weeks post-op this coming Friday April 1st, and while it's true to say I haven't scrutinised my donor area for at least a couple of weeks, the last time I looked I could see a definite darkening of the shock loss areas, and my wife agreed that the shock loss was much less visible.

 

If I now run my fingers through the back of my scalp, I can't feel the smoothness that I could feel at two months, although my hair is quite long over the donor area.

 

I'll be having my hair cut in the next week or so, and I'll report back on what my barber sees. When I last went in around 5-6 weeks ago he was already confident then that he could cut my hair much shorter at the back, but I decided to wait until my next cut, so I'll see what he thinks when I go in this week or next.

 

As a side issue, I think it's important to distinguish between the shock loss and the scar itself. I have to say, my scar looks to be a work of art from Dr Epstein. To me, looking in reverse through a mirror, it looks almost invisible along most of its length, with no signs of "stretching", and my wife agrees. That gives me hope that the surrounding areas of scalp are undamaged, and the regrowth I think I'm seeing will continue through to full recovery.

 

Keep the faith, my friend. I'll post again with an update within two weeks, and my best advice would be to keep your hair longer at the back if you can, and not over-focus on the shock loss. Using Minoxidil in the donor area and MSM to boost growth will almost certainly speed up your recovery.

 

Hopefully in the next 4-6 weeks you'll also feel a lot happier, but hang in there for now.

 

Regards,

 

Neil

[Guest]

Luker,

Exactly what you stated is exactly what is happening with me and I am exactly 11 weeks post op. I have those circular scars as well where the sutures were tied. Also I can feel smooth skin and no stubble so it worries me. I'm praying for hair to start growing through.

[Neil Nelson]

Originally posted by eric123:

Luker,

Exactly what you stated is exactly what is happening with me and I am exactly 11 weeks post op. I have those circular scars as well where the sutures were tied. Also I can feel smooth skin and no stubble so it worries me. I'm praying for hair to start growing through.

Eric, Lurker,

 

For what it's worth, my skin around the scar was also completely smooth with no stubble, and worse in circular patches in several places along the scar line.

 

I made a close examination of my donor area last night and there's been a significant improvement in the past 3-4 weeks, coinciding with my donor hair starting to come through in my hairline. From what I can see there are no patchines of smooth skin remaining. The hair is starting to come through all around the scar which, incidentally, is almost invisible - just a thin red line in a couple of places along its length.

 

As you can see from my earlier posts above, I was in despair at your stages, but it's coming good, and I fully expect it will for you guys too. Just give it another 4-6 weeks and you'll see a significant difference. And to repeat, Minoxidil in the donor area plus a regime of MSM may help speed up the recovery.

 

Good luck, guys.

[Neil Nelson]

Originally posted by Neil Nelson:

Originally posted by eric123:

Luker,

Exactly what you stated is exactly what is happening with me and I am exactly 11 weeks post op. I have those circular scars as well where the sutures were tied. Also I can feel smooth skin and no stubble so it worries me. I'm praying for hair to start growing through.

Eric, Lurker,

 

For what it's worth, my skin around the scar was also completely smooth with no stubble, and worse in circular patches in several places along the scar line.

 

I made a close examination of my donor area last night and there's been a significant improvement in the past 3-4 weeks, coinciding with my donor hair starting to come through in my hairline. From what I can see there are no patches of smooth skin remaining. The hair is starting to come through all around the scar which, incidentally, is almost invisible - just a thin red line in a couple of places along its length.

 

As you can see from my earlier posts above, I was in despair at your stages, but it's coming good, and I fully expect it will for you guys too. Just give it another 4-6 weeks and you'll see a significant difference. And to repeat, Minoxidil in the donor area plus a regime of MSM may help speed up the recovery.

 

Good luck, guys.

[gillenator]

Neil,

 

Glad to hear that new growth in the donor near the scar is coming along well.

 

Some things just take time and hopefully Lurker and Eric will see similiar results very soon.

 

It is extremely rare to see permanent shockloss in the donor area so the odds are in your favor guys.

[Neil Nelson]

Guys,

 

Just a quick update on the past couple of posts, particularly for Eric and Lurker.

 

I had a very thorough haircut last Friday, where my barber buzzed the back of my hair down to a number five in the donor area, and so significantly shorter than the length I'd been wearing it to disguise the shockloss.

 

It actually looks great - not a sign of any shockloss at that length, and my barber told me he was being conservative - he could probably have taken me down to a two or a three, but wanted to wait until next time (3-4 weeks) to be absolutely sure of the recovery.

 

I'll try to post some images when I can, but I can promise you that Dr Epstein's scar work is truly remarkable. My barber says he can barely see any signs of my scarring from previous ops, let alone the latest with Dr E. And running a comb through the number 5 length, you would truly not now know that I had surgery only 16 weeks ago.

 

You'll be okay guys - just a few more weeks!

 

NB - amended 8th April with attached photos taken today, one week after a number 5 buzz at the rear.

 

Pic 1

 

Pic 2

 

Pic 3

 

Pic 4

 

Pic 5

[JacobS]

Dramatic improvement Neil, congrats! Any meanful growth in the recepient area yet?

[Neil Nelson]

Originally posted by JacobS:

Dramatic improvement Neil, congrats! Any meanful growth in the recepient area yet?

Jacob, thanks. Good to get objective feedback on progress.

 

Staying with the donor area for a moment, I thought you and other viewers might be interested to see the mess my donor area was in before my procedure with Dr Epstein, so I've put in a link to his own pre-op pics of my rear that he sent me just this weekend, together with his accompanying comments in his email. The pics were taken just an hour before my surgery in December.

 

I hope people would agree, the contrast is astonishing. It certainly amazed me when I saw the extent of scarring that Dr E has removed:

 

Pre-Op Scarring

 

"Neil- Here are some photos showing the donor arear prior to your procedure with me. Anytime Neil there is scar tissue, and we are trying to obtain the maximum number of grafts, shock loss is always much more likely to occur, but should resolve with time as you are seeing."

 

Jacob, as far as progress in the recipient area goes, it's intriguing, and I'd welcome your views. What I'm seeing at 16 weeks is very "patchy" growth in the hairline.

 

What I mean by this is that in some places along the line there is already density developing, with some hairs well over a centimetre long, yet in other areas absolutely nothing. I guess I was expecting more even growth, but that's probably naive.

 

Whatever, I'm starting to see a softening of my old "grafty" hairline from previous ops, which is just great, and the more it softens, the more confident I'm becoming in my new appearance.

 

I'm already starting to feel more like a normal member of the human race again, after more than 15 years of people giving me strange, questioning looks above my eyeline.

 

I'll post a couple of pics of the front around the end of this month, when I hit the full four-month mark.

 

All the best,

 

Neil

[Phillyhair]

Neil Congratulations....

It seems you are healing very well, and the pictures look wonderful. There is a day and night difference in teh scarring picture and Dr. Epstein has done a wonderful job on your scarring.

I have been cutting at number 5 as well, and I cannot even tell that there was anything done...neither in the recipient not the donor area...my in-laws say that if they had not known, they could not tell I had anything done. ANd I already look much younger. The haurline is developing and it is a nice feeling.

Looking forward for more posts from you

[Lurker]

Neil. It is great to see your progress. That really gives me hope. Dr. Feller did my HT. I called him and he said that is definately temporary. Your scar looks amazing! It is so thin. Unfortunately, I beleive that mine has stretched a bit. That is why I really, really need that shock loss to grow back. That totally smooth feeling is really Freaky. I will keep you all posted. Thanks for the support. Keep up the growth.

 

Eric. Sounds like we are in the same boat. The best thing we can do is go for long periods without checking in the mirror. The circular areas at the end of the scar are very strange. I wonder what causes them. But, we have a lot of support on the site saying that we will be fine. If we didn't have the hope from those whose have been this route before, we would really drive ourselves nuts...

 

All Donor Area Concerned guys...Keep me posted

[nile]

Neil,

Did your doctor do undermining of the scalp in donor .

I read somewhere that undermining sometimes leads to permanent shockloss in the areas you have.

[Neil Nelson]

Originally posted by nile:

Neil,

Did your doctor do undermining of the scalp in donor .

I read somewhere that undermining sometimes leads to permanent shockloss in the areas you have.

Nile,

 

It's not a term that Dr Epstein used when we discussed the procedure, but that's not to say he didn't use the technique.

 

All I can say for certain is that he used a combination of "deep stitching" and surface stitching to close the donor area, which I understand minimises stretching, particularly in the excision of previous scarring.

 

In any event, as you can hopefully see from the pictures I posted recently, thankfully the condition seems to have been temporary and the shockloss effect is decreasing as each week passes.

 

Regards,

 

Neil

[gillenator]

Neil,

 

Hey it's great to hear that everything is getting back on track! It's waiting for the shockloss area to grow back in that can be the hardest thing.

 

Dr. Epstein was a good choice on your part and you can bet he utilized the double-closure technique to close the area. My guess is that your linear scar will fade even further especially one year out post-op. Best wishes to you and happy growth!

[Neil Nelson]

Guys,

 

Apologies for bringing this old chestnut back up to the top, but I was wondering what your experiences were, and how you felt, at the four-month (19 weeks to be exact) stage of your hairline growth?

 

As you may know, I've undergone repair of a previous transplanted hairline with Dr Epstein.

 

I've been in regular contact with Dr E concerning the donor shockloss, which has been healing well, but I relayed a concern to him this week that my new donor hair in front of my existing hairline was growing in "patches".

 

What I'm seeing are some quite dense areas, where the new hair has grown to as long as 2-3cm's, but in other areas, absolutely nothing as yet - and no sign of any follicles in the scalp.

 

Dr E's reply was that patchy growth is not uncommon, particularly in repair situations where there is previous scarring in the hairline. He also commented that 4 months is too early to make any assessment of the end result.

 

However, to help allay my concerns once again, have any of you experienced a similar growth pattern, and can you reassure me that the current "bald" patches in the new line do eventually come through?

 

Thoughts and comments much appreciated.

 

Regards,

 

Neil

[Phillyhair]

Neil

I have not experienced Patches per say, but growth has not been uniform...in some areas, growth is much more than other areas, I belive it is still too early to judge, we are at the 4 months staghe and NOW is the time that tings will start happening....although so far, improvement in my case have been greatly measured......If you do not mind..post pictures of a close up of the hairline

[Neil Nelson]

Originally posted by Phillyhair:

Neil

I have not experienced Patches per say, but growth has not been uniform...in some areas, growth is much more than other areas, I belive it is still too early to judge, we are at the 4 months staghe and NOW is the time that tings will start happening....although so far, improvement in my case have been greatly measured......If you do not mind..post pictures of a close up of the hairline

Philly, hey buddy.

 

Tonight I've just had a number 2 buzz all over, except for the scar line where my barber stayed with a number 5 and blended it in.

 

Amazing! My wife and boys think it looks totally natural and totally cool! And at that length it's taken the patchiness out of play -in fact, I can now see more virgin hair coming through more clearly in the hairline.

 

I've forgotten to bring the digital camera home from the office this weekend and it's a national holiday weekend here in the UK (Monday off), but I'll take some pics and post them mid-week next week.

 

I tell you my friend, this cut has totally transformed my self-image. After just four months post-op I no longer have a hair transplant on display - after 20 years, the first day of the rest of my life! And hopefully more growth to come!

 

I gotta tell Dr E...

 

Later, buddy.

[Robert_]

Neil,

 

I have to echo Dr. E's sentiments that the irregular growth pattern is not uncommon. For example my own transplanted hair grew in irregular spurts. For a little while, I was leaning a little to the right beecause of the explosion of growth on that side while the left side seemed to take on a more "slow-and-steady" approach.

 

The reason behind this? I can't even begin to speculate, really. I just simply chalked it up to another strange way in which the body reacts to change. As long as all of my new little buddies grew in, I could live with the irregularity.

 

It sounds like the #2 shaved-all-over look is working for you, huh? It is funny that you made this post because, since it is now spring, I was considering a shorter hair cut. Right now, my hair is about 2" long on top and at around a #4 on the back and sides (It has been about 3 weeks since my last hair cut). I have been thinking of doing just what you did: a #2 all over. Many hair loss sufferers are pleasantly suprised to see just how good their treatment regimen and/or thier recent transplant is growing in when they opt for a shorter cut.

 

Keep us updated on the progress. Four months post-op is pretty much the real beginning of the "smiling days" so you have more to look forward to!

 

-Robert

[Neil Nelson]

Originally posted by Forum Moderator and Satisfied Patient:

Neil,

 

I have to echo Dr. E's sentiments that the irregular growth pattern is not uncommon. For example my own transplanted hair grew in irregular spurts. For a little while, I was leaning a little to the right beecause of the explosion of growth on that side while the left side seemed to take on a more "slow-and-steady" approach.

 

The reason behind this? I can't even begin to speculate, really. I just simply chalked it up to another strange way in which the body reacts to change. As long as all of my new little buddies grew in, I could live with the irregularity.

 

It sounds like the #2 shaved-all-over look is working for you, huh? It is funny that you made this post because, since it is now spring, I was considering a shorter hair cut. Right now, my hair is about 2" long on top and at around a #4 on the back and sides (It has been about 3 weeks since my last hair cut). I have been thinking of doing just what you did: a #2 all over. Many hair loss sufferers are pleasantly suprised to see just how good their treatment regimen and/or thier recent transplant is growing in when they opt for a shorter cut.

 

Keep us updated on the progress. Four months post-op is pretty much the real beginning of the "smiling days" so you have more to look forward to!

 

-Robert

Robert,

 

Thanks for the reply. For what it's worth I'd seriously recommend a short buzz. Of course, everybody's situation and style preferences are different, but I can say that at 19 weeks post-op my family swear to me my new crew cut looks completely natural - they assure me nobody would know I had transplanted hair.

 

Hopefully I'll post pictures next week and our friends on this site will be able to judge for themselves.

 

But at your stage post-op I'd say it's a great option, worth thinking about.

 

Regards,

 

Neil