Regular Member Kkat Posted September 11, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted September 11, 2003 Hi people. Ok, firstly, im kind of pre-planning my next couple months and need some suggestions. Firstly, head is shaved right now, and will do part 1 of 2 transplants OCT 1 (2500 for front). In November (around 3 o 4, part 2 (1000 in crown). I do alot of work (casual dress) thus I will need to wear a hat that will cover staples and top (top until redness goes away). What sort of hats can I wear. I work in sports, so ball caps are ok. But, will they cover the back staples. After 2 weeks, I assume the staples are ataken out. The with shaved head, I will have to wear a hat until hair covers scar. Suggestions. ps. i hate how i look with shaved head thus i want a hat. im thinking of the sort of thing the edge from U2 wears (those thin hats). kkat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Kkat Posted September 11, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 11, 2003 Hi people. Ok, firstly, im kind of pre-planning my next couple months and need some suggestions. Firstly, head is shaved right now, and will do part 1 of 2 transplants OCT 1 (2500 for front). In November (around 3 o 4, part 2 (1000 in crown). I do alot of work (casual dress) thus I will need to wear a hat that will cover staples and top (top until redness goes away). What sort of hats can I wear. I work in sports, so ball caps are ok. But, will they cover the back staples. After 2 weeks, I assume the staples are ataken out. The with shaved head, I will have to wear a hat until hair covers scar. Suggestions. ps. i hate how i look with shaved head thus i want a hat. im thinking of the sort of thing the edge from U2 wears (those thin hats). kkat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Teddw2ds Posted September 11, 2003 Senior Member Share Posted September 11, 2003 Really the only two considerations when choosing a hat are: 1) it cannot touch the recipient sites for at least a few days, and 2) your own personal comfort. The type of hat you're talking about that I've seen The Edge (from U2) wearing is a knit stocking hat, and that would definitely be a bad idea for the recipient site. A ball cap is probably best, since it has a band around it and the actual material is lifted away from the head at the recipient sites. The downside is that the same band is likely going to fall exactly where the donor scar runs. But I still wore a ball cap, I just wore it loosely and it was never much of a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member NC30 Posted September 11, 2003 Senior Member Share Posted September 11, 2003 Just a couple questions here...and I'm sure one of the veterans or a doctor here can answer these.. Is having two strip surgeries that close together a good idea? I caught that the placement area is in 2 different areas of your head, but is pulling two separate strips that close together in time a common practice? Will that increase the possibility of a greater scar? I'm just curious since I've never read about that before here....I've heard of FUE/FIT being done close together, but never strip HT. As far as the hat goes, I had regular sutures with my HT. On the few occasions I had to go in public ( I just took time off work and did all my shopping in advance), I wore a loose fitting baseball hat. It was the kind with the adjustable velcro strap in back. I was just careful when putting it on, and I never had a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 A ball cap will cover the incision, just make sure that it is adjustable. You are getting a surgery in October and then another in November? Excuse my bluntness, but are you nuts? You need several months in between surgeries for the incision to heal properly. I hope that was a typo. I had 3 surgeries, each a year apart. Personally, I wouldn't even consider going less than 6 months between. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member arfy Posted September 12, 2003 Senior Member Share Posted September 12, 2003 Maybe Kkat is having a strip done from the left side/right side, instead of from the exect same spot? If he is having a strip done in the exact same place, only a month apart, that does not sound smart. This will probably be inefficient, and waste potential grafts needlessly (just do one big session instead of two small sessions). It may increase risk of a bad donor scar (too much tension). Gary is right, it is typical to wait a year between large sessions, to allow the laxity to return to the donor area. Who is the doctor? What is the logic behind getting back-to-back surgeries? If the strips are being taken from the exact same spot, or if they are "stacked" above and below each other, I urge you to re-think this surgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Kkat Posted September 12, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 12, 2003 Hi guys. Well, the first surgery i am doing is a strip. I have not booked the second one as of yet, but I was told that a month is sufficent time. What they would do is this: do the first strip. give month to heal the next strip would be bascially like this: --- is the first scar ==== is the second strip ========= --------- ========= Does that make sense? They said that it is a big mistake taking 2 strips one above the other because of laxity. They said the minium time to wait isa month and the second strip would include the donor scar from the first strip. kkat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member arfy Posted September 12, 2003 Senior Member Share Posted September 12, 2003 So they would remove the first scar when they removed the second strip. That part sounds logical. It's just that many doctors recommend waiting 6 months to a year to regain scalp laxity (looseness) between surgeries. Tightness in the donor area can possibly be a factor in developing a bad donor scar. My question is why not do more grafts during the first session, and then wait a year? Just curious about the strategy of doing a surgery only one month later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Jotronic Posted September 12, 2003 Senior Member Share Posted September 12, 2003 I want you to stop and think for a minute here about what you are about to do. If you can have 3500 taken from the same area within a one month time frame why would you want to break it up into two procedures instead of getting it all done in one pass? Peace, Jotronic Carpe Capillus!! www.jotowen.com The Truth is in The Results Dr. Victor Hasson and Dr. Jerry Wong are members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 I think you should reconsider your plan. I would suggest getting a larger surgery the first time and waiting longer for the second. It's your head, but what your doc is proposing is very unconventional and IMO adds unnecessary risk. You might want to get opinions from a couple of other docs on this before you commit to the plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Kkat Posted September 12, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 12, 2003 well, i dont need to do the second surgery exactly one month apart. i asked when is the earliest i could get it done, he said one month. I would no question wait if it was a problem. second, with respect to the number of grafts, i was told that i would need to because of the amount of hair in a donor area per session. Supposedly, to limit size of scar and maximize amount of grafts, it would be better doing 2500, then the next surgery doing 1000 and making the next incision over the first scar. does that make sense? i was told that if i do all at once, i would have to take 2 strips, one above the other. help, what are your thoughts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Kkat Posted September 12, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 12, 2003 would someone let me call them to talk about his. anyone. kkat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Kkat Posted September 12, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 12, 2003 The theory behind it is this: dont do thecrown, take propecia and see if it works. im not big on taking drugs. do 2500 in the front, and get that all done. see if propecia works, and if it does not, come back in 6 months and do the back. im not sure i like that, cuz i hate the crown big time. also, i was told because of donor density, just worry about the front now . if i was to do both, i would have to take 2 strips, one above the other, which is a bad idea. ok, now im totally confused which method to take. i want to get it all done. sorry for not being very clear i must admit, the doctor i have been seeing has been incredibly ethical with me. kkat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member arfy Posted September 12, 2003 Senior Member Share Posted September 12, 2003 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> if i was to do both, i would have to take 2 strips, one above the other I don't know why this would be the case. That does not sound logical. The logical thing would be to take one strip, not two different strips at the same time. Who is your doctor? You want to be efficient when you do this, because you have a limited amount of donor hair, and you want to avoid wasting a single hair if you can avoid it. The most efficient way is to do a large session (provided it is not so large that it causes problems). It's more efficient to do one session of 3000 than to do 3 different sessions of 1000 each. It's more efficient to do one strip, than two small ones simultaneously. Maybe your doctor is not a fan of doing larger sessions? You do not want two donor scars where one is stacked above the other. I've heard of doing the left side and the right side (donor strips) on different days, but doing two strips in a "stack" is not good. Regarding the crown, it uses up a LOT of grafts. You could use up your entire donor supply just on the crown, and not have any grafts to do a hairline. Most doctors prefer to nail the hairline down before turning to the crown, if your hairloss is general. You may have to be satisfied with a light coverage or bald area in the crown, if your hair loss is extensive... did you realize that? Have you posted any pics yet? It sounds like you need to get grounded in the basics, before you sign up for a surgery. Have you looked at the information on the front page? Have you looked at the site www.HairTransplantAdviser.org? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 I agree with everything Arfy said. If you have chosen a good doctor, then I would recommend going for more grafts in the first surgery. Then, wait a few months and decide if you want to go for the second surgery. This is the first time I have heard of this idea of doing 2 surgeries 1 month apart, and I've read a lot of these forums. Honestly, has anyone else heard of this? Since you are scheduled for Oct 1 you don't have much time to decide or make changes. Who is your doctor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member NC30 Posted September 12, 2003 Senior Member Share Posted September 12, 2003 kkat.. I know it was asked earlier, but I never saw an answer. Which HT doc are u going with? The whole one month apart thing just really bothers me. I see that you're pretty new to the board, and since you're still a few months away from an HT, you've got plenty of time to make sure you're making the right choice. Even if you've already placed a deposit for a reserved spot with your HT doc, it's better to find out now and lose that money rather than wind up with a horrible HT that you'll have to live with forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Kkat Posted September 13, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 13, 2003 i forget to mention, he also made it clear that it is to his advantage to do more than 2500, but said to me that is not my best interest when you look at all the factors(patient specific) in my case. I must admit, he doe sreally take your safety into consideration, but i guess he has to and i imagine most others do as well. Anways, again, please insight on how it went for some of you.. I really would love to talk to some of you by phone. kkat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Kkat Posted September 14, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 14, 2003 Im thinking of doing FUE for surgery 2 now. So then no matter what, only 1 strip surgery. What do you think? kkat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 No problem, you can decide later. After the surgery you will feel so crappy and then have to wait so long for the growth to start you won't want to even think of a second surgery for a while. When I got first first I thought that would be it. I just had my third a month ago. My head still feels crappy but will get better like it did before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member NC30 Posted September 14, 2003 Senior Member Share Posted September 14, 2003 Gary... I disagree with your thoughts on post-surgery. I felt great after my first (and only) strip procedure. The only thing I worried about was possible shock loss which never happened to me. My confidence levels, self-perception, and personal outlook on life definitely went up for me...and I could see how people responded to me differently because of that. Some guys might feel like crap initially, but it's a case by case basis. KKat... FUE/FIT wasn't a financially feasible option for my first HT. I had 1500 grafts done. If you can live with the scar from the first HT (which I believe I can...I'm not anticipating any major scar), then I think a large strip HT followed up by FUE/FIT is a good game plan. I do agree with Arfy however that you really need to make sure you're informed enough before you proceed. 3 weeks may seem like an adequate enough time to take a break, but if you live another 30 years....that's another 1500 weeks you'd have to live with a bad choice on an HT. Either way, however, I wish you the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 15, 2003 Share Posted September 15, 2003 I guess I meant that the head feels bad. For the first week it hurts and you pretty-much have to sleep sitting up. Then for the next week or so your head is still sore and it's uncomfortable to sleep on the back of your head. I'm at one month and my head actually feels fairly good, but still a little sensitive along the incision. In any case, if I had any good donor area left (which I don't) I would not be getting another surgery today, at the one month point. YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member NC30 Posted September 15, 2003 Senior Member Share Posted September 15, 2003 Gary... Sorry about that...I misinterpreted what you meant about feeling crappy. My doc prescribed me some medication for going to sleep or pain or whatever. I took one pill about 5 hours after the surgery to go to sleep. I actually felt I didnt need it, but I wanted to make sure I slept well and got adequate rest so my body would recover better. After that, I never took another pill, and they're still somewhere in a cabinet. The only thing odd about the feeling afterwards was adjusting to the odd feeling (not painful) in the back of your head. You're definitely right that you have to adjust to that feeling. Some people have post-op problems for sure. Overall, I think I recovered much much better and had far less complications/problems than the average HT patient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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