mirror, mirror on the wall...

[Megatron]

Anyone else going through the HT experience notice how big of a difference mirrors and lighting make? It can be quite confusing. One moment, I'm thinking my newly sprouted, baby thin hairs look alright at home in my bathroom mirror. But, when I get in my condo or work elevator I look like reggedy ann. I certainly hope that when all is said and done that I don't worry about things like the wind, rain and bright overhead lights for the rest of my life.

 

I know some people that have had HTs do worry about this stuff. I'm not sure if it's because they've had bad results or that's simply the limitation of a not-so-dense HT for a NW4+ person. Perhaps I too will fall into the later category, but for now I choose to be optimistic and assume (fingers crossed) that I'll be carefree when all is said and done.

 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not concerned about my results at this early stage (less than 3 months). I'm just making an observation of how awful my hair can look at times and then how it could look decent at others. I don't have any illusions over my appearance. I am fully aware of how shitty I looked for the first 2 months. Only now am I starting to look respectable again.

 

I can definitely relate to and fully appreciate why people say the hardest part of getting a HT isn't the surgery itself, but rather the waiting and the awkward phase of the first few months.

 

Anyways, I'm not trying to communicate anything too deep/important in this thread. I just felt like sharing my thoughts/emotions in these somewhat turbulent times.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Megatron,

 

I know how you feel. It really took several hair transplants to begin to feel confident under most lighting conditions. Even today, harsh lighting can make my hair transplant appear a little thin in the front and very thin toward the back. That's why we often talk about an "illusion" of density since achieving true density is only possible in a select few with minimal hair loss with little risk of it progressing too much further.

 

What I described above is certainly worse during the first couple months during the doldrums. That's why I tried (quite unsuccessfully I might add) to avoid mirrors until the 4th or 5th month .

 

Hang in there,

 

Bill

[aaron1234]

Yeah Megatron I know exactly what you are talking about. I'm almost 9 months post op now with my procedure with Dr. Paul and I'm pretty excited about the results. However, I still notice under some bright lights that my scalp is still visible. Under other lighting, it's looks terrific. When I know I'm going to be under some harsh lights, I sprinkle on a little toppik in the front and it helps a bit in those situations. Other times, I look to avoid the lights... like walk to the darker part of the room. But I think Bill is right that it will probably take 3-4 procedures to be comfortable in most lighting situations.

[azn_guy]

Illusion is key! I noticed even with normal full hair, after I gel my hair, the scalp is see through. I personally anticipate this to be the case with me and I will make it a point to gel my hair (if anyone says anything, I will blame it on the hair style )

 

As far as mirrors go, I constantly look at the mirror and check out my hairline to see if anything has sprouted. I think I'm obsessed

[Megatron]

But I think Bill is right that it will probably take 3-4 procedures to be comfortable in most lighting situations.

 

Aaron, that's a scary statement, IMO. 3-4 procedures means like at least 6+ years and probably > $40K just to achieve a result that you don't have to worry about. I guess I can understand if you're trying to restore your hair from > NW 6. But, you can't really mean that for guys that are NW 4 or less? Looking at your blog, your hair looks great at only 7 months after your first procedure! I'm confused.

 

Personally, I'm not looking for perfection. I don't care if someone can see my scalp as I'm not after George Clooney hair. I just hope it looks natural and compliments my appearance and if I have to do another one or two down the road when I lose my midscalp or crown, so be it.

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Mirrors and lighting make a huge difference. 2 examples. First, my dad had gobs of white hair which was out of control all the time. As a kid, he took me into a store and turned around after seeing a white haired fellow in a suite in the store's window....it was him. He looked way whiter haired in the window on a sunny day than he did in his mind's eye.

 

Second, about 10 years ago, I had a crew cut and was sitting in the hospital waiting for my wife to come meet me. They'd installed those convex mirrors to look around corners....

 

I turned around to see who the guy with the bald spot was. It was me.

 

So, mirrors, lighting, AND your own perception of yourself make all the difference.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA