Cosmetic expectations surpsassed or not met...

[Arrie]

Hey guys I am 1 month post op and I was wondering how many of you guys have had your expectations surpassed or not met in regards to styling your hair. This might get confusing, but not if the Dr. met your expectations for covering the scalp or fullness (the illusion of).

Ex. Lets say you have realistic expectations on how you will look after a procedure, but have any of you got excited or dare I say "dream" of a certain hair style you can pull off with your new hair. Like me being 26 having a fair amount of hair left, and with 2000 plus grafts into my front third, I am really getting excited to try a new hair style that I would never have been able to do before. I know I won't have the head of hair like Brad Pitt, but I am getting excited.

So pretty much I am asking is there anyone out there that had their expectations met with coverage and "fullness" (illusion of) , but with realistic expectations in mind they still could not style their hair as they wished they could.?

[Arrie]

Hey guys I am 1 month post op and I was wondering how many of you guys have had your expectations surpassed or not met in regards to styling your hair. This might get confusing, but not if the Dr. met your expectations for covering the scalp or fullness (the illusion of).

Ex. Lets say you have realistic expectations on how you will look after a procedure, but have any of you got excited or dare I say "dream" of a certain hair style you can pull off with your new hair. Like me being 26 having a fair amount of hair left, and with 2000 plus grafts into my front third, I am really getting excited to try a new hair style that I would never have been able to do before. I know I won't have the head of hair like Brad Pitt, but I am getting excited.

So pretty much I am asking is there anyone out there that had their expectations met with coverage and "fullness" (illusion of) , but with realistic expectations in mind they still could not style their hair as they wished they could.?

[MrJobi]

Hi A

 

I think the most common mistake is we estimate too little.. As I did, I thought 3000 grafts would be enough but it wasn't ( in fact the graft calculater said 5000).. So, after my 2HTs I needed another which totalled 5017.. NOW I have the look and coverage I wanted & it will only get better after 6 months..

 

It is imortant to do research and see what are the results based on your Norwoord scale. Use the graft calculator and get a ball park figure. This , in addition to the doctors estimate should give you a RELAISTIC idea of what the road ahead looks like..

 

I am extrememely happy with my result and the options I have to style my new hair

 

Lastly, be prepared to wait out a FULL 14 months ( maybe more) to get the final result. We all get restless and sometimes make generalizations at 6 months even 8 .. Not a good idea..

[Arrie]

Thanks Mrjb,

Trust me I have done my homework and I really understand to have realistic expectations, its just that most of the patients I talked to said they had their expectations exceeded as far as how they thought they would be able to style their hair, I just get excited thats all. This is really the hardest part of the ht process, I assume, being one month post op and having to wait at least two more months for at least a glimpse of growth. Mrjb your transformation is an impressive one. Thanks for your reply

[MrJobi]

Arrie

 

Good job A . You probably have to wait a bit more . Give yourselve 6 months for a cosmetic result. As far as styling, this really depends on your thinning pattern and your hair.. To say a N6 is going to have any hairstyle is a bit overexaggerating

[pushing 40]

This is a really good question; one that I asked myself and others prior to my txplant. As of right now (6 months), I am able to style my hair exactly like it used to be before I had balding. In all actuality, it just kinds of styles itself after I brush it out of the shower. I think Dr Hasson did a helluva job figuring out my natural hair pattern when placing all this new hair into balded areas. Right now, I have NO appearance of balding at all: none. Can I style it some other way and say the same thing? I don't know: I was going to get a haircut the other day but said screw it. I'm just going to let it grow to see how things turn out. I want to wear it longer anyway. So, as it continues to grow, mature,etc, I will definitely post as to whether I can wear it however I want.

[notgoing2gobald]

Arrie,

teriffic question! I just wish there were more responses. I havent had a ht yet, but this is preciesely what I want to know. In ALOT of the pictures on the docs webpages, you see guys that still do the "comb-over" or just parted to the side look after their ht. Granted, as Mrjb said, if your a NW6 you wont have too many options. But on the same token its hard to tell what kind of density one can expect when alot of pictures show guys with their hair combed forward or to the side. Especially if your 26. Im 28 and due to the limit of my current styling options, this is one reason Im considering a ht. Who was your doc Arrie?

 

Mrjb,

I didnt know you posted any pics. where are they?

[Al - Moderator]

I almost always parted my hair on the side, so i don't think I would change that even if I did have a lot of hair.

[the B spot]

I had always brushed my hair back with a semi-part.

 

It looked really good after my latest HT---

 

However, the other day I got really irritated with messing around with my hair every morning and buzzed it down to a #6 guard---- and surprise surprise, EVERYONE and their mom has been telling me how great I look, etc...

 

People from school who I have only spoken with a couple of times are coming up and telling me how good it looks.

 

Just goes to show ya, you never know until you try...

Jason

[MrJobi]

I can tell you I am able to style my hair better than before. I always had THICK wavy hair which was unruly and needed to be textured ( thinned with scissors). Now, my hair has density but is not thick so I can style it as I'd like but don't have to worry about the "unrulines". Many people spend a lot of money trying to tame their hair..

 

As my hair stylist said, I need to texture the sides but not the top because it is textured naturally ( not really haha)

[Arrie]

Hey guys thanks for the responses. I have wondered about this for a while now. As many of you have understood my question now hopefully many others can understand it and answer back for more feedback as well.

Notgoing2gobald,

My Dr. was Dr. Ron Shapiro. So far so good (as good as it can be doldrum stage sucks). Dr. Shapiro and Matt showed me some pts with the similar hair loss pattern as mine, after my procedure, and with the close range of grafts as I received, and let me say WOW!. That was what inspired me to ask this question, and trust me I know pictures can be deceiving. I am not saying the doc was trying to deceive me, not at all he was the most modest, graceful, respected Dr. I have talked to. Im in the medical field and trust me many docs think they float instead of walk, not this guy. Sorry getting back to the topic.

So with all that said I am just trying not to get excited about how to even think on styling my hair. Thanks for your replies hope to get more...

[Arrie]

Older thread but please any HT vets that can respond would mean a lot thanks....

[MrJobi]

A

 

If you had 2000 grafts into your front 1/3 think you will have a nice cosmetic result. Touch to say without pics but my last HT was 2124 and it made a BIG difference.

[Time to do something]

This was an excellent question and one I've been meaning to ask. I hope you don't mind me ridding on your question. I had a HT in July with 2520 grafts in the front third. Dr. Epstein says I am a NW5. I plan to go back maybe in January for the next 2520. I have really thick straight hair and the hair is coarse or fat which I'm told will help with the appearance of density. I must decide before the next procedure if I want the remaining grafts to go in the front where the previous ones were placed to thicken it up or on the crown.

 

I really won't know for another couple of months if the first 2520 grafts achieved a thick enough appearance. If I decide to put the next 2520 grafts in the front then I will have a lace hair piece between the size of a silver dollar and baseball made for my crown. I wear a hair piece now so one that size would be a piece of cake. My stylist says he has several clients with crown replacements and they are totally undetectable. Most of these are guys that had a HT that wanted to concentrate their grafts in the front in the most conspicuous area for the maximum density. So any opinions on whether the 2520 in the front will be thick enough or will I have to put the rest there to thicken it and go with the crown piece would be appreciated.

[Arrie]

Time,

I have no problem man thats why we are here for some excellent feedback, I wish more people got back to me on this one. That sounds lik an interesting approach in you situation, I too have straight black hair, but mines thin, that sucks. Anyways who knows maybe in anther 12 months your ht will be so mature and thick you will decide to get your second HT and ditch the piece for good!!