Scar, bumps, etc...questions/experiences

[rsanders36]

I had my HT in May of 2004 (1000 graphs). Although I took my time in making my decision, I now question whether or not I should have done it. Like many here on the site, my receding/thinning was something that truly bothered me and was effecting my life. The HT actually caused my hair to thin even more (shock loss) as MHR never warned me of this risk. If I would post a pic, most people would say I have a full head of hair. I got the HT as a proactive procedure, not wanting to look like my father and brother. Okay, here is my question. Does anyone have any experience with a HT and then decided to shave their head down? Not completely bald, but to something like a 5 oclock shadow? I'm curious how the "bumps" will look, how noticeable they will be, how the scar will look (I know it will be seen but to what extent), will the thinning area in front be noticeably different than the rest of my head? Any info, pictures would be greatly appreciated. I've come to realize that there will never possibly be enough hair to completely satisfy me when I am bald. Reading through threads it seems like everyone is having to go back multiple times, and then at that, perhaps they still arent happy. I've gotten to the point where I believe I would be comfortable with this, or at least would like to try it. I'm just curious what this is going to look like. Thank you very much for your time!

[rsanders36]

I had my HT in May of 2004 (1000 graphs). Although I took my time in making my decision, I now question whether or not I should have done it. Like many here on the site, my receding/thinning was something that truly bothered me and was effecting my life. The HT actually caused my hair to thin even more (shock loss) as MHR never warned me of this risk. If I would post a pic, most people would say I have a full head of hair. I got the HT as a proactive procedure, not wanting to look like my father and brother. Okay, here is my question. Does anyone have any experience with a HT and then decided to shave their head down? Not completely bald, but to something like a 5 oclock shadow? I'm curious how the "bumps" will look, how noticeable they will be, how the scar will look (I know it will be seen but to what extent), will the thinning area in front be noticeably different than the rest of my head? Any info, pictures would be greatly appreciated. I've come to realize that there will never possibly be enough hair to completely satisfy me when I am bald. Reading through threads it seems like everyone is having to go back multiple times, and then at that, perhaps they still arent happy. I've gotten to the point where I believe I would be comfortable with this, or at least would like to try it. I'm just curious what this is going to look like. Thank you very much for your time!

[mayer]

relative to your concern that you might have to have multiple HT sessions. You should understand that most people do have multiple sessions for the simple fact that hair loss is progressive and occurs over time. So while the transplanted hair might remain in place , your non transplanted hair is subject to loss though this is a function of your personal physiology and current loss pattern. Your doctor should have evaluated your loss profile and classified it which allows him/her to prepare a plan for the future.

 

Many HT physicians perform HT in conjunction with continued use of Propecia and/or Rogaine to

preserve existing density. Think of it as a way of protecting your investment. The more hair you retain the fewer sessions you will need in the future. In my own case I had good results with one HT session and even better with the second. This allowed me about 5 years worth of solid results until I started experiencing loss of some more of my "natural hair" which I addressed with another session. BUT ! My HT guy told me that this might happen even before my first HT session so none of this was a surprise. Of course as time goes by people get less interested in surgery and finding the associated money especially if your family is growing or you get laid off from a job or anything like this. The bottom line is that you should think of the HT sessions as a project that will evolve over time but a good surgeon should be able to help you determine what you might need in the future.

[rsanders36]

Is there no one that can tell me how noticeable the bumps and scar will be? Also, how does thinning hair look when it is shaved down?

[Mahair]

You can give it a try.It might look better shaved down.As far as the bumps MHR uses mini-grafts which can be irregular,you could try dermabrasion to improve this. Also you only got 1000 so the scar might not be too bad in back.I hope you will have some resolution to this.

[Smoothy]

If it has been over 2 yrs, then the bumps would not be noticable. If you had a good FU surgeon, bumps should be gone within 6 months. As far as your donor scar showing-- if your surgeon did a "double closure" subt and surface with min shedding-- then the scar would be noticable but more like a small wrinkle. However, it sometimes takes 18 months or so for the scar go from pink to white/skin color.

If you want a buzz- I would recommend maybe down to 1/2 inch first before going for shave look.