Losing My Mind Post Op

[Born2Shine]

So... I am almost 3 1/2 months post op. Although I am well aware that it is very early in the game... not knowing what the future result will be is driving me insane.

 

I have spent a ridiculous amount of time searching for photos of people at the 3 and 4 month post op mark. For some reason... I find myself wanting to compare my current result with the results of others at this stage.

 

There is no question that I am seeing growth. However... the hair in the recipient area looks almost non-existent under harsh lighting. I have also not really found a way to effectively examine the fine hairs that most people say are unable to be seen without the right angle under the right type of lighting. I can't see these hairs at all.

 

I am really not sure what to expect at this point. I assume that the fact that there is some growth is a good sign. However... all the work I had done was on the hairline and temples and I am not seeing as distinct of an outline of the new hairline as I would like to see.

 

I know I know... I am a bit obsessive compulsive and it is too early to judge anything. But... hopefully someone here can relate and say something that gives me hope that the future will be bright. haha

[esrec]

It doesn't sound like you've identified anything that warrants concern, so thats good. Best you can do is just trust the process man. There's nothing you can do but exercise patience.

 

I'm only 7 weeks post op but I'm going through similar stuff. The initial "high" of having moved forward has now worn off. And now that I'm healed there's nothing to do but wait. I just keep challenging myself to win the mental game. Worrying will get neither of us closer to the desired outcome.

 

Contacting your doctor for reassurance can only help too.

[gillenator]

The post-op blues always seems to be the most challenging aspect of having the procedure.

 

It is still very early and the best thing to do is to simply wait and the growth will continue...

[biolizard]

I'm exactly at 3 1/2 to 4 month post op. I had a 2000 graft FUE. I've posted photos if you want to take a look. I hate my results.

Worst mistake of my life was going through with this HT!

 

I've been overall VERY dissatisfied with nearly everything about this abomination that was done to my head. Not a single day doesn't go by that I don't say to myself this was the biggest stupidest mistake of my life!

 

I'd kill to just have my old hair and normal scalp back.

 

My recipient scalp area is badly discolored scarred and reddish. The hairs that are growing in the recipient area look thin and much less dense. It's like 'yes there are some extra hairs growing in an area that was previously hairless' BUT does it look good? HELL NO! It looks bizarre the hairline was not drawn evenly the skin scalp appears permenant lay discolored and disfigured ...and frankly it looks like shit now to put it bluntly!

 

I really wanted desperately to have a discrete FUE HT. Now I look like an odd ball freak!!

I absolutely will NOT go anywhere without a baseball cap on my head. My life and self confidence has been crushed following this FUE HT.

 

The doctor free hand drew on an asymmetrical hair line. The badly discolored recipient area is EXTREMELY noticable and makes me resemble a burn victim weirdo. Plus I have very poor growth in the recipient area. I hate myself for what I have allowed to be done to me all in the name of vanity. Now I'm destined to walk the rest of my days forever regretful only to be reminded of my folly every single time I gaze into a mirror. Such an abject existence!

 

Before this FUE I was merely self conscious about my male pattern baldness....now I'm positively disgraced, angry, dispirited and embarrassed beyond anything I've ever experienced.

A bad HT is 1000 times worse than being bald!!! I wish I could undo the damage that was done to my me and my self image.

[Sethticles]

anything before 6 months is the ugly duckling period, which includes the healing process, many of us look worse than before but eventually it comes good. the waiting game is probably the hardest part of a HT, so many mixed thoughts run through our brain, we all hate this period

[TakingThePlunge]

There seems to be a rash lately of ill-informed patients that either have not been adequately educated about the post-operative healing and growth cycle or just tuned it out. There is no value in trying to gauge the eventual outcome of a hair transplant at 3 or 4 months post-op. You'll only end up causing yourself a lot of stress.

 

The first pitfall you must avoid in the early weeks/months after surgery is making comparisons to others. I fell into that trap with my first procedure. It turned out just fine but it took me longer to get there. Everyone grows and heals differently.

 

Clinics should prepare patients for the worst case scenario in terms of maturation. Instead, many seem to quote the best case and end up causing undue stress to patients when their results don't materialize on schedule.

 

It's common for the recipient area to remain reddish/pinkish for many weeks or even months after surgery. Again, this depends on the individual patient's physiology. It will eventually return to normal. If you believe that the redness is excessive, by all means, check with a physician to be sure that there is no infection.

 

If you trusted your doctor enough to choose him and the work looks clean and refined post-operatively, it's time to wait patiently and be optimistic.

 

This is a long process. Take care of yourself and wait out the full 12 months before making any judgments.

[romperstomper29]

I am 7 weeks post op and am going insane looking in the mirror for growth daily I kno it's foolish but can't stop myself. I'm seriously impatient and am wishing the days away. If I look at my head under the red light of my hairmax lasercomb I can see tonnes of tiny hairs which are invisible if I switch the lasercomb off and this gives me hope that the hairs are coming along. I can see some others quite clearly but overall to look from normal view I look pre op state

[ersko72]

Hey Born2Shine,

 

Everything I've read says that month 3 and 4 are the toughest mentally. I'm only 2 weeks away from a very similar procedure and am terrified of the extended wait for the red to fade and the growth to sprout. Try and stop looking so closely, and keep us posted as your eventual growth comes in.

 

Out of curiosity, did you have much luck disguising your procedure by about the 4 week mark?

[Melvin- Admin]

We're all guilty of this, i'm 4 months post op, while ive seen definite growth, it's still quite thin, and very see through in certain harsh lights, I find myself also questioning whether the procedure will be a success, don't compare yourself to others cause as others have said we all grow differently, from my first procedure, growth appeared at 4 months, at 6 months growth was there but not maturity, by 10 months, the grafts were pretty much matured and slight changes occurred from 10-18 months but nothing substantial.

 

Quit rounding up too, I've noticed a lot of guys have rounded up their post op time, for example if your surgery was in mid august, you can't say you're at 3.5-4 months that's only 3 months, you sell yourself short doing that and make it seem like you're not growing at a normal rate.

[Hairsearch21]

Im sitting here in the boring room, just waiting for my hair to grow every afternoon...

 

3 month post op

So im exactly there haha

 

But the last week was easier ..

Just chill..

Its 3 months now!!!!

 

And the next 3 month will be fun !

 

All the best

[hairthere]

Stop. Deep Breath. Calm Down.

 

Let's put this into perspective. It takes 12-18 months to see the finished product of a hair transplant. Best case scenario you are just 1/4 of the way there. If you are lucky enough to have a job that allows you to wear a hat, then be thankful and buy some cool-looking hats (you can order a bunch of styles etc. from Zappos and send back whatever you don't like with no shipping charges!).

 

The redness can linger for 4-6 months from my experience. You can try some Emu oil or vitamin E oil to lessen it. The hairline design is likely just fine. It's tough to tell what it will really look like; right now you are just seeing a 2D red outline. Real growing hair will make it appear much different and give you styling options.

 

If you feel like you're losing it, check back here and freak out all you want. A few posters will tell you to stop whining, but ignore them. The truth is every person who has done a HT has been in your shoes and felt the extreme emotions (doubt, fear, regret) that come along with it. At some point you will be happy that it's looking better, and then feel all that doubt again (probably around 9 months). Trust me, I've had 5 HTs, and it's the same rollercoaster every time.

[biolizard]

Stop. Deep Breath. Calm Down.

 

Let's put this into perspective. It takes 12-18 months to see the finished product of a hair transplant. Best case scenario you are just 1/4 of the way there. If you are lucky enough to have a job that allows you to wear a hat, then be thankful and buy some cool-looking hats (you can order a bunch of styles etc. from Zappos and send back whatever you don't like with no shipping charges!).

 

The redness can linger for 4-6 months from my experience. You can try some Emu oil or vitamin E oil to lessen it. The hairline design is likely just fine. It's tough to tell what it will really look like; right now you are just seeing a 2D red outline. Real growing hair will make it appear much different and give you styling options.

 

If you feel like you're losing it, check back here and freak out all you want. A few posters will tell you to stop whining, but ignore them. The truth is every person who has done a HT has been in your shoes and felt the extreme emotions (doubt, fear, regret) that come along with it. At some point you will be happy that it's looking better, and then feel all that doubt again (probably around 9 months). Trust me, I've had 5 HTs, and it's the same rollercoaster every time.

 

Super advice! Eloquently and succinctly worded. I need to read that once a day to keep from losing what's left of my neurotic mind!

[Sethticles]

@biolizard - feel free to PM and have a spak attack get things off your chest, happy to lend an ear too - just remember only a few more weeks and the worse will be behind you, its a long long journey and i am confident you have made the correct decision... spak attacks will soon stop

[Hairsearch21]

Just a short timeline from my 3 month experiece so far

 

Month0-1:

Time flys by... Because youre happy that you did it and the post operative care take all your time.

Month1-Month2:

Waiting start... And its a looooooooong month. Every day seems to wait and wait until the sun goes down and you can go to bed to do the same waiting game next day .

This time i start to realize that this will not help me.. Its the wrong way to go threw this tough time.

Month2-3:

Maaaan... Im so happy that my 3 month mark arrived yesterday^^

Not 1 week before 3 month. Not a day.

In fact one day after 3 month.

And its a good feeling to be there and see that the hairgrowth kicked in.

In fact it kicked in after 2 month but now there is much more growth going on.

Density is low. But hey... 3 month post OP and as i got all in all 5800 grafts on a 120cm2 area that should be a pretty amazing result for me and the density should be nice .

I expect no miracles. I expect an illusion of a full head of hair .

Thats what im hopeing for.

But to be honest...

 

There is an Ed Sheeran song...

And one sentence maybe you know that song: Patience my enemy...

And exactly that is whats going on haha..

 

But Dr. Koray said i will be very satisfied with my result.

I choose a NW 1,5-2 hairline so conservative... Because the density is more important for me.

 

Im an MMA fighter (not professional) and my training is what help me in this time.

And when i go back to the gym they hopefully will think:

Who the fuck is this new good looking guy?

[esrec]

Just a short timeline from my 3 month experiece so far

 

Month0-1:

Time flys by... Because youre happy that you did it and the post operative care take all your time.

Month1-Month2:

Waiting start... And its a looooooooong month. Every day seems to wait and wait until the sun goes down and you can go to bed to do the same waiting game next day .

This time i start to realize that this will not help me.. Its the wrong way to go threw this tough time.

Month2-3:

Maaaan... Im so happy that my 3 month mark arrived yesterday^^

Not 1 week before 3 month. Not a day.

In fact one day after 3 month.

And its a good feeling to be there and see that the hairgrowth kicked in.

In fact it kicked in after 2 month but now there is much more growth going on.

Density is low. But hey... 3 month post OP and as i got all in all 5800 grafts on a 120cm2 area that should be a pretty amazing result for me and the density should be nice .

I expect no miracles. I expect an illusion of a full head of hair .

Thats what im hopeing for.

But to be honest...

 

There is an Ed Sheeran song...

And one sentence maybe you know that song: Patience my enemy...

And exactly that is whats going on haha..

 

But Dr. Koray said i will be very satisfied with my result.

I choose a NW 1,5-2 hairline so conservative... Because the density is more important for me.

 

Im an MMA fighter (not professional) and my training is what help me in this time.

And when i go back to the gym they hopefully will think:

Who the fuck is this new good looking guy?

 

Hah pretty spot on.

 

Month 1 is the honeymoon period no doubt. Like dating a chick... you're delusional at first. You even think she's normal

 

You're absolutely relieved to have moved forward and happy you took back control of your life. Then reality sets back in that you're native hair needs to grow back and you need to figure out wtf your hairstyle is going to be in the meantime. The more hair you have at this stage, the more difficult IMO.

 

Staring in the mirror every 15 minutes is a daily ritual, taking your narcissism to new and unprecedented levels. You maybe even high-five yourself when you see a few hairs peak through.

 

I really think you need to have fun with it. I tend to self-deprecate and mock myself bc some of the things I find myself doing right now are downright hilarious and absurd. Try not to take yourself too seriously while you're stressing and impatient. Its a better formula.

[Hairsearch21]

Lol

 

Thankfully im not checking my hair every 15 minutes

More 2-3 times daily but then 5-10 minutes^^.

Looking for new babys haha

 

High five in front of the mirror..

Oh yes that happened

 

The problem is we are waiting for happiness but at this stage there is simply no way to be absolutely happy. The hair is growing in different lengths and you look not very good and not what you are hopeing and waiting for.

And noone knows how the result will look like exactly.. Thats the hard thing. If i would know that i will be super happy with my result then it would be much easier to wait.

Right now the fantasy is somewhere over the rainbow and you cant imagine that this creepy hair will turn into a nice haircut in maybe 3 more months.

 

But for everyone on the 3 month mark.

Next 3 month will be MUCH MUCH more fun!!!!

[gillenator]

The interesting thing is that we hardly ever see anyone at the 6 month mark post the words of desperation and gloom and doom feelings.

 

The reason for this is because the procedure has entered its robust regrowth period. And by then the redness and inflammation usually dissipates and the patient evolves from a lot of doubt and disbelief into a happy camper.

 

And you rarely see them post anymore simply because they are happy and move on with their lives.

 

So the moral of the story is to hang in there during the most difficult time post-op (3-4 month period) because the best is right on the threshold to come....

[Al - Moderator]

You guys have no idea how lucky you are to only have to go through the ugly duckling stage for a few months. I've been in it since 1989. I keep having another hair transplant hoping something will finally grow and cover all the scars, thinness, and fake pluggy look. I'm 1.5 months past my 27th hair transplant and have the redness and hair fallout in the area where the grafts were placed going on now.... yet again.

[Melvin- Admin]

You guys have no idea how lucky you are to only have to go through the ugly duckling stage for a few months. I've been in it since 1989. I keep having another hair transplant hoping something will finally grow and cover all the scars, thinness, and fake pluggy look. I'm 1.5 months past my 27th hair transplant and have the redness and hair fallout in the area where the grafts were placed going on now.... yet again.

 

Wow read your story and it's quite compelling, ugh when I saw the picture of you in the doctors chair almost Norwood 6 at the age of 22 my heart sank. Man I really hope you can get your hair sorted out at least the scars, have you considered Dr. Umar? He's dealt with cases worse than yours, I wish you the best man you deserve a good result. I think bio lizard will begin to appreciate his own situation and realize that "ugly duckling" phase is literally nothing in comparison.

Dr. Umar repairs take a look

[esrec]

The interesting thing is that we hardly ever see anyone at the 6 month mark post the words of desperation and gloom and doom feelings.

 

The reason for this is because the procedure has entered its robust regrowth period. And by then the redness and inflammation usually dissipates and the patient evolves from a lot of doubt and disbelief into a happy camper.

 

And you rarely see them post anymore simply because they are happy and move on with their lives.

 

So the moral of the story is to hang in there during the most difficult time post-op (3-4 month period) because the best is right on the threshold to come....

 

 

Interesting. I wonder if there's data that can pulled from the board to see the stats on this. I'll bet you're not far off.

[Al - Moderator]

have you considered Dr. Umar? He's dealt with cases worse than yours

 

HTsoon,

I contacted Dr. Umar some time back and sent him photos and discussed a plan through email with him and his staff. I decided to go with Dr Dorin (True and Dorin) for several reasons, mainly (1) Dr Dorin did not require shaving the recipient area and (2) Dr Umar is about 2800 miles away from me and I've never been on a plane.

 

I've had 2 sessions so far with Dr Dorin and will do at least one more next year. I haven't posted the pictures of the 2nd session yet.

[Sam23]

I like this thread, it show you you are not alone dealing with these feeling this is will give you hope that there is still chance and you are not fucked up

 

I want to add somthing for hairline

 

i had major loss gradually through years and i get used to see myself with big forehead and suddenly after HT i saw my head with a line that make me think my head has shrinked or cut to two pices . I m always checking my old pics to see if i had same hairline same hair distribution without success. I thought before HT that i will have hair only but i forgot also my forhead will become smaller

 

Till now i cannot recognize myself, everyone tell me you look fine it is ok but i still cannot believe it, my eyes cannot accept the new forehead always see straight line something make me feel i m fake and there is a half ugly circle that cut my head forever and everyone see it in the same way but they are lying to not hurt my feeling., this line take all my confidence when i m talking to people

[Hairsearch21]

Defenitely good to know youre sitting in the boat with some others hah

I think everyone is a little pussy in this months after the transplant :,)

 

The hard thing is to imagine that in some more months there is a good deal of hair to work with^^

Its simply so unreal

 

Now 13 weeks POST OP.

Excited for 4 months update and especially for the 5 and 6 months update .

My feelings: emotional

[esrec]

Does anyone do patience well? Let alone when its something you really really really want?

 

The self-loathing and self-critical personality we all share that prompted us to take action on surgery and take back control of our lives in a way that most won't is the same reason we scrutinize and act impatiently even when we know good things will come.

 

You gotta have fun with it. I caught myself counting a few new hairs in the bathroon mirror. It's absurd. I stopped. I laughed. Then I looked again

Edited November 28, 2015 by esrec

[Hairsearch21]

Yeah.. I think so to

 

Its a good way to laugh about this little things

 

U know the moment when you take a second mirror to look the bird eye perspective and think: hm.. I see to much scalp. And i feel new growth but i cant see it. Then stronger lightening. Stare in the mirror for minutes. Feel bad and concious :eek:

 

And then finally remember its just the beginning.

Go away from the mirror.

Stop thinking about it.

 

1 hout later:

Maybe i should check it again :cool: