Question on Concealers after HT

[Shabs88]

I have my first HT with Dr. True this Friday, 10/26/12. I currently use caboki and couvre and no one is aware of my hair loss other than my immediate family (I'm a Norwood II approaching Norwood III). Can anyone provide me with their experience on using concealers after having their HT? Some personal insight would be really helpful. Thanks!

[jobber1900]

hi, not talking from personal experience, but i have read few guys using concealers post HT, so i would assume its safe. however i guess its best to wait few days just after a HT.

[Jman2719]

Hey shabs,

 

I'm a fiber concealer as well and also just had a procedure with dr true, and although post op care says its fine to use once scabs are gone, I can't help but worrying about it! Would really like to hear from people who have had successful results with HTs while using concealers, as long as you wash off nightly. Hang in there bro think will be fine. Have you been using any concealer yet? I'm planning to use some when I go back to work 13 day post op, but gonna try to use liberally and not cake the product on. I keep hearing less is more. Any signs of growth for you yet? If not, it's coming man.

 

Take care,

Jman

[agenteye]

Concealers like Toppik, Caboki, Dermatch and Nanogen are all very commonly used to mask thinning after a hair transplant. The important thing when resuming (or beginning) these products, is that you have allowed sufficient time for your donor and recipient areas to heal. Each physician has different recommendations on an acceptable amount of time, so I would follow YOUR surgeon's advice for post-operative care. If there is mention in your post-op packet that it is okay to use concealers once the scabs are gone, then I would certainly trust that your physician is comfortable in that recommendation. I just had my transplant 3 weeks ago, and my surgeon recommends I wait until one month post-op before using concealers. Although most people would say that's a really conservative amount of time, I'm going to follow my post-op packet, because it is unique to MY clinic!

 

Jman, happy healing to you, and congrats on your recent procedure!

 

Shabs, how do you like Caboki by the way? I just ordered my first bottle of Toppik this morning, and have never used concealers before in my hair......but a lot of people like Caboki and I almost ordered it instead! Curious as to your own thoughts on the product!

[Shabs88]

Hey guys,

 

Thanks for the replies and advice! Definitely appreciate it! Dr. True recommends waiting until the sutures are removed, so about 10-14 days before applying concealers. So I waited about 12 days before applying it because I had to go back to work. What I do is use a little bit of couvre (product like dermatch) on my hairline, and then use toppik or caboki fibers throughout the rest of my hair (I have diffused thinning). So far, I have been washing my hair nightly, and I stay away from concealers during the weekend unless its a special occasion!

 

J-man and agenteye: I wouldn't worry about concealers post HT. If you're concerned with it stunting hair growth, maybe you can start using caboki since its made with all natural plant derived ingredients. so if you leave it on for the day, you can be at peace that nothing harsh is sitting on top of your head! Toppik is safe too, but some people freak out about the aluminum in it and others have been using it for 10 years with no side effects at all. so its really a personal choice. i'm caught in between toppik and caboki. toppik fibers are much smaller, so i feel like it looks better around the hairline. and with caboki, the fibers are a lot bigger so it tends to clump and fall out around the hairline which looks kinda unnatural. but caboki on the crown and mid section looks amazing! so natural if you get the color right, but with the crown and mid section with toppik, you have to use a lot more product cause the fibers are smaller. am i making any sense? sorry for rambling on haha..conclusion is that both are great products!

 

and jman- thanks for the encouragement man. no real signs of growth yet, its just been 6 weeks so im not really expecting anything. all my transplanted hairs have fallen out except a couple which look darker than the surrounding hair haha. and im going through shockloss around the scar which sucks! how's your growth coming along??

 

let me know if you guys have any questions or advice for me! thanks

[Jman2719]

Hey shabs,

 

So I'm not to concerned about the use of concealer but I have ordered so caboki to use on the recipient area liberally, as I really like the face its all natural ingredients and claims to be easier on the scalp ,even though I've never really had issues with other products, I've heard good things, it makes me more comfortable for the reasons you've stated, so I figured I'd give it a go.

 

So 6 weeks out is def early in the game so just relax and let it take its course, all will be good. As far as the donor scar goes, I think mine will be a little visible as I don't wear it extremely short but enough that I might have a little shock loss in the area. For that reason, I've also ordered courve and dermmatch to experiment with the two and what works best for concealing some spots around the donor region.

 

As far as myself, I'm just 8 days post op and I'm going to give my head a nice soak in the bath this morning to start trying to gently work of little scabbing that is left, it really hasn't been much as I was lucky my procedure came out quite clean from almost day 1.

 

Talk soon bro. Thanks!

[Jman2719]

Friggin auto correct on my iPad always messes up some words but I think you got the gist hahaha

[Shabs88]

i started using couvre on both sides of my scar. like you said man, toppik/caboki needs something to hang on to and i just dont have enough hair there (hopefully just for now).

 

jman how many grafts did you get?!

[Jman2719]

Shabs,

 

I got 1776 grafts...we were hoping for closer to 2000 but unfortunately he had to remove a previous donor scar from a sub-par procedure I got from another doctor. I really should of done my homework better but it was a couple years back and I jumped the gun a bit. But anyways I'm happy to be in the hands of a great doctor now and if all goes well I'm prepared to do at least 2 more procedures to get my desired density. But I believe this first one will be a great improvement for me and I'm excited to watch it progress in the upcoming months! Thanks for asking bud, I'm gonna contact T&D to get my pre op pics at some point to share my updates

[Shabs88]

Jman,

 

I got 1704. Dr. True thought I could get close to 2000, but due to my lack of donor area due to just plain genetics, it didn't go as planned! Good luck on your journey man, definitely keep me posted and I'll do the same!