Can someone inform me about the "ugly duckling stage"

[azakdan2682]

I have read about this stage in several users experiences. It seem that during the recovery process most people loss the hair that is grafted initially and also can loss some native hair due to shock loss. Does this occur in all cases or is it more of a random event? Is it a bad sign if the implanted hairs do not fall out? Personally I am not too worried about the ugly duckling stage aside from residual pickness/redness from the implants. I have shaved/buzzed my head for an 8 month period in the path to a very low grade, so it is something I would be able to not see as too big of a deal, but I am interested if this stage is something that everyone experiences.

[starscream]

Going through it right now (1.5 months post op)

Everyone sheds. Some don't shed a lot, but most people shed most of their planted hair and also some pre-existing hair due to shock from surgery. As for me, I have a little shock loss at my donor area as well as at my recipient area where I had some thinning. You can expect some redness at the recipient area during this time.

 

Everyone goes through this. I haven't seen a case yet where the patient didn't experience any redness or any shedding of the transplanted hair. If you are going to get an HT, you will have a head that has hair strands of various lengths and thicknesses sticking out during the first few months, no escaping that.

[JohnCasper]

I agree with "starscream". I call this stage...the awkward teenage stage. I lost the newly transplanted hairs which is expected. However, I did not notice any shock loss from the donor areas. I may have had some but it was unnoticeable to me. This website is great for these forum conversations. If you want to see pictures of my surgeries, commentary, and what to expect everyday for the first 30 days post surgery, and then weekly pictures through my 3 year adventure, you can see them at... MyFUEhairtransplant.com

[azakdan2682]

Going through it right now (1.5 months post op)

Everyone sheds. Some don't shed a lot, but most people shed most of their planted hair and also some pre-existing hair due to shock from surgery. As for me, I have a little shock loss at my donor area as well as at my recipient area where I had some thinning. You can expect some redness at the recipient area during this time.

 

Everyone goes through this. I haven't seen a case yet where the patient didn't experience any redness or any shedding of the transplanted hair. If you are going to get an HT, you will have a head that has hair strands of various lengths and thicknesses sticking out during the first few months, no escaping that.

 

 

 

 

I am mostly concered of the redness, if it's going to cause me any troubles at work.

[Mikey1970]

Im going through it too atm (6 weeks post op). It does suck but from about the 3 month mark it should be worth it as long as we go with a very good surgeon. In the wrong hands permanent shock loss can occur & that is a nightmare. Surgeon selection is crucial - nothing can protect us from poor surgical technique.

[Shampoo]

Being about 9-10 weeks out from surgery I am also currently a member of the ugly duckling club.

 

One thing to remind ourselves is that it normally takes many years to go bald, so going through several months of ugly duckling should not be a surprise and is the price we must pay to achieve our goal.

 

8 hours of ugly duckling at work, and the rest of the day and on weekends I wear a ball cap.

 

It is what it is.

 

Hey and tomorrow I will be one day closer to graduating from the Ugly Duckling School of Hard Knocks!

 

[ArochaHair]

Not everyone sheds after their hair transplant but it is something to be expected. If it doesn't happen then consider yourself among the lucky few but it does not mean that something is wrong. The exception to this is if you are too careful with the grafts. Sometimes patients can be so paranoid that they will cause damage to their new grafts that they will refuse to touch them, or when they do, they do so with the slightest touch. This can in some cases cause problems down the road.

 

When a transplant is performed the hair typically goes through an unexpected interruption to the natural hair growth cycle. The hairs that we see are in the anagen phase but the surgery induces catagen, where the follicle separates from the blood supply and then the telogen phase begins which is the shed and eventual dormancy. Hairs shed through normal everyday physical activity. The hair moves up out of the follicular canal and eventually falls out. But patients that are too careful, sometimes, will see these hairs remaining but they are still separated from the blood supply so the hair just sits there in the skin. Eventually the body can see these hairs as a foreign body and start the rejection process. The skin will remain pink and even start to look slightly inflamed and mild infections can manifest. This eventually causes micro-scarring as the body continues to try and expel the foreign body.

 

The above is very rare but it can happen which is why we always encourage out patients to wash their hair and to be thorough with cleansing. This helps to knock the hairs out that are supposed to come out and the scalp remains healthy. I hope this helps.

[ModernHair]

I had a good bit of shock loss of native hair around the area where the new hairs were transplanted for both of my surgeries. It was very noticeable. It all grew back after my first surgery so it was totally worth it.

 

Just hit the 3 month mark from my second transplant procedure and hoping it all comes back again after a much smaller touch-up this time.

[azakdan2682]

Yeah it's a little scary about that part of it, always a fear that it won't grow back. Planning to only go with top surgeons. My biggest worry is redness aside from shock less. I want to make sure I still look professional as I am in the military. I suppose I could say I had scalp inflammation or something if it still red in early stages.

[JON86]

I am just a little over a month from my procedure and grafts have shed and have a bit of shock loss. I do not have any redness . If it concerns you that much I would just tell people you have a sunburn or psoriasis as the flare ups from that skin condition can look similar.

[MrGio-WHTCClinic]

I have read about this stage in several users experiences. It seem that during the recovery process most people loss the hair that is grafted initially and also can loss some native hair due to shock loss. Does this occur in all cases or is it more of a random event? Is it a bad sign if the implanted hairs do not fall out? Personally I am not too worried about the ugly duckling stage aside from residual pickness/redness from the implants. I have shaved/buzzed my head for an 8 month period in the path to a very low grade, so it is something I would be able to not see as too big of a deal, but I am interested if this stage is something that everyone experiences.

 

You should update your clinic on the post-op care questions. The loss and regrowth in most cases are somewhat random.

[nychairdo]

It seems as though the "ugly duckling phase" refers to different things for different people. The majority of surgeons I have seen seem to support that a proper hair transplant should be undetectable after the first 2-3 weeks. My concern is that the 3 weeks I have off to heal will not be enough time to conceal that I had a procedure done. So what I am asking is- are most people referring to the "ugly duckling phase" as a period of no improvement from pre-op or do they actually feel as though it is a period where it is obvious to others that they had a procedure done.

[Zim]

In the wrong hands permanent shock loss can occur & that is a nightmare

 

Can someone explain to me what permanent shock loss is? How does that happen? The follicle itself is destroyed or something?

 

I understood shockloss to mean a telogen effluvium where many native hairs shed post transplant due to the trauma. But it all grows back eventually. If it doesn't then that's hair you were going to lose anyway?

[Zim]

The majority of surgeons I have seen seem to support that a proper hair transplant should be undetectable after the first 2-3 weeks..

 

This seems incredibly rare to me. It may depend on skin tone and the density of hairs you're transplanting but generally it seems any Caucasian guy getting a typical reinforcement of 2-4k grafts has significantly visible redness for months. Just blatantly obvious you've had a transplant for about 2 months

[hsrp10]

Can someone explain to me what permanent shock loss is? How does that happen? The follicle itself is destroyed or something?

 

I understood shockloss to mean a telogen effluvium where many native hairs shed post transplant due to the trauma. But it all grows back eventually. If it doesn't then that's hair you were going to lose anyway?

 

Hey Zim,

 

There are two main causes of permanent shock loss I can think of:

(1) Miniaturized and weak hairs on the way out will be shocked by the trauma of the surgery to the scalp and blood supply etc. which is why some surgeons recommend getting on/staying on Fin,

and (2) then there may be transection of the existing hair follicle itself from surgeon error in blade/needle incision made if transplanting into existing hair.

[hsrp10]

This seems incredibly rare to me. It may depend on skin tone and the density of hairs you're transplanting but generally it seems any Caucasian guy getting a typical reinforcement of 2-4k grafts has significantly visible redness for months. Just blatantly obvious you've had a transplant for about 2 months

 

You could likely get this level of non detection from a Konior or Gabel procedure after 10 days.

Also maybe from Keser (?).

[NewsByScott]

I myself am two weeks post-op after 3250 grafts. White male, blond hair. The redness is gone and 99% of the scabbing is too. I'm headed for a haircut this weekend and plan on ditching the hats which I've worn for the last week at work.

 

Still feeling a lot of numbness on top of my head but also feeling hopeful for what the next six months will bring. I have found that keeping a blog has been a good way to work out my feelings over this, as well as a permanent record of the ups and downs of progress.

[micknick]

When does this normally kick in?

[NewsByScott]

For me it was about 6 weeks post-op and lasted a month or so. Ughhhhhhhhh.

But I am now eight months out and amazed with the results. No one can tell.. and my hair looks incredible. Seriously.. the best investment I ever made.

[Hairhope4ever]

I personally found that the ugly duckling phase lasted about 3-5 months for me. The hair does start to grow at that time, but it is thin and wispy. Ironically, I will be using your approach for my second procedure with Dr. Umar in October. I will keep my hair buzzed for the first 6-7 months before letting everything grow.

 

 

 

 

 

About my hair loss journey: Happy Patient's Blog

[Cuzinit]

I myself am two weeks post-op after 3250 grafts. White male, blond hair. The redness is gone and 99% of the scabbing is too. I'm headed for a haircut this weekend and plan on ditching the hats which I've worn for the last week at work.

 

Still feeling a lot of numbness on top of my head but also feeling hopeful for what the next six months will bring. I have found that keeping a blog has been a good way to work out my feelings over this, as well as a permanent record of the ups and downs of progress.

 

I'm in about the same boat...Its good to know. I'm headed for a HT next month. about same amount of grafts and type. Hope mine goes about as quick.

[JohnCasper]

Good posts in this thread. One thing we know for sure...we all go through the "awkward teenage" stage. Whether it includes redness for 3 weeks or 3 months the "percolation" under the skin assures us that new growth is on the way. People seemed to care-less about any redness I displayed. Your patience will result in great pleasure down the hair-growth road.