Regular Member 49thStater Posted March 5, 2017 Regular Member Share Posted March 5, 2017 My hair loss started when I was 17. I'm 32 now. I can remember coming out of the showers after gym and after sports in high school and having friends bust on me about my thinning hair. I've fought a long, hard fight and only progressed to about an NW3V mostly because of guidance I've found online through these forums. Cost-affordable treatments like Nizoral, finasteride, and minoxidil were a blessing when I was a broke student and buying products with whatever spare cash I could scrounge together. But I'm older now and have a good career and stable finances. I decided about two months ago that it's time to take the plunge with an HT. I called Dr. Cooley's office and had a phone consult, liked what I heard, and scheduled an FUT for 3,000 grafts and PRP. My procedure is in two weeks. I'm looking forward to it. Though, I have to admit, I'm somewhat nervous about three things. First, I'm just generally nervous about the procedure. I have a high pain tolerance, but I don't like needles, and I have fainted from giving blood before. Second, I have to return to work five days after the procedure. I'm worried there will be visible signs from the procedure - e.g. an "indent" where the scar is, shockloss, scabs, etc. I absolutely have to be back at work six days later, so I may need to come up with a cover story for why my hair is patchy or a scar is visible. (i.e. had to get stitches because of a sports injury or something along those lines). My third concern is that I am a very active person. I play sports, lift weights, etc. I absolutely cannot take more than one week off from being active. I will go nuts. Can anyone help assuage some of these concerns and give me some mollification? Other than that, I am looking forward to it. I have realistic expectations about timelines for regrowth and coverage given my pattern of balding. I will try to update this post and/or my web log with pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Khali Posted March 5, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted March 5, 2017 (edited) I'm looking forward to it. Though, I have to admit, I'm somewhat nervous about three things. First, I'm just generally nervous about the procedure. I have a high pain tolerance, but I don't like needles, and I have fainted from giving blood before. Second, I have to return to work five days after the procedure. I'm worried there will be visible signs from the procedure - e.g. an "indent" where the scar is, shockloss, scabs, etc. I absolutely have to be back at work six days later, so I may need to come up with a cover story for why my hair is patchy or a scar is visible. (i.e. had to get stitches because of a sports injury or something along those lines). My third concern is that I am a very active person. I play sports, lift weights, etc. I absolutely cannot take more than one week off from being active. I will go nuts. Can anyone help assuage some of these concerns and give me some mollification? Other than that, I am looking forward to it. I have realistic expectations about timelines for regrowth and coverage given my pattern of balding. I will try to update this post and/or my web log with pictures. I have a similar background as well. I too began loosing hair at 17, and currently I am 32. Since I was fully bald the first hair transplant did not make a difference. However, the doctor for my second hair transplant lowered my hair line, so shaving the head is causing me issues. When I returned to work people asked me about it. I said I don't want to talk about it. Then people who have hair don't understand what it is to go through hair loss. Instead of understanding the issue, they were like 'everyone know you got it done' in public. So again it depends on your hair loss. Right now my hair is still growing and I am still in the ugly duckling stage and it really sucks. Again these comments came from people from Indian and Pakistani backgrounds. The Caucasians didn't really comment on it. Edited March 5, 2017 by Khali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Chewy Posted March 6, 2017 Regular Member Share Posted March 6, 2017 1) I went to Cooley last year. I would be surprised if you have any issues with the procedure itself. 2) Tough call on going back to work and how your going to handle it. I have heard stories of people going back the next day without issue, so 5 or 6 days seems quite doable, but you will still have scabs and redness and depending upon your skin tone, where the graphs are, the amount of your existing hair, etc.... impossible to give you input. 3) Working out - yeah you are going to go nuts. Dr. Cooley is very good at giving you literature on what to do and not to do. He is going to suggest you not "work out" for a month. Yeah, you can do light stuff after 10 to 14 days, but I would suggest you go nuts for 30 days, and then slowly start back into it. Overall, Dr. Cooley and his staff are top notch, and they can answer your questions and concerns at any point before or after. My hair loss started when I was 17. I'm 32 now. I can remember coming out of the showers after gym and after sports in high school and having friends bust on me about my thinning hair. I've fought a long, hard fight and only progressed to about an NW3V mostly because of guidance I've found online through these forums. Cost-affordable treatments like Nizoral, finasteride, and minoxidil were a blessing when I was a broke student and buying products with whatever spare cash I could scrounge together. But I'm older now and have a good career and stable finances. I decided about two months ago that it's time to take the plunge with an HT. I called Dr. Cooley's office and had a phone consult, liked what I heard, and scheduled an FUT for 3,000 grafts and PRP. My procedure is in two weeks. I'm looking forward to it. Though, I have to admit, I'm somewhat nervous about three things. First, I'm just generally nervous about the procedure. I have a high pain tolerance, but I don't like needles, and I have fainted from giving blood before. Second, I have to return to work five days after the procedure. I'm worried there will be visible signs from the procedure - e.g. an "indent" where the scar is, shockloss, scabs, etc. I absolutely have to be back at work six days later, so I may need to come up with a cover story for why my hair is patchy or a scar is visible. (i.e. had to get stitches because of a sports injury or something along those lines). My third concern is that I am a very active person. I play sports, lift weights, etc. I absolutely cannot take more than one week off from being active. I will go nuts. Can anyone help assuage some of these concerns and give me some mollification? Other than that, I am looking forward to it. I have realistic expectations about timelines for regrowth and coverage given my pattern of balding. I will try to update this post and/or my web log with pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member 49thStater Posted March 13, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 13, 2017 Thanks for the input Chewy. The procedure is coming up. Looking forward to it, but still nervous. I will keep this thread updated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill - Seemiller Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 Dr. Cooley is a true hair restoration surgical guru and I am excited for your upcoming procedure and your choice of surgeon. I hope that when you do undergo your hair transplant procedure, that you come back and share your detailed experience along with surgical photos. And then each month, posting monthly updates so that we can follow your progress and support you would be great. Congratulations on your upcoming procedure and for selecting an excellent hair surgeon. Best wishes, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Spanker Posted March 13, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted March 13, 2017 You're in great hands. Top doc. Good luck. I am an online representative for Dr. Raymond Konior who is an elite member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. View Dr. Konior's Website View Spanker's Website I am not a medical professional and my opinions should not be taken as medical advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member 49thStater Posted March 16, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 16, 2017 I had the procedure this week. I echo the sentiments of every other Cooley who has posted on here. It was a great experience. Dr. Cooley was a cool guy and his staff was very helpful and accommodating. For the first time in my life, I actually feel like I actually have control over my hair loss. I will post pictures and statistics on grafts when I get them from Dr. Cooley. My only issue is that my barber cut my hair a little short the last time he cut it. My scar is visible. I have to return to work on Monday. Any suggestions on how I can conceal it if my hair doesn't grow enough before then? I was thinking about rubbing some Toppik or concealer on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TakingThePlunge Posted March 17, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted March 17, 2017 Congratulations! Not at all surprised to hear that you had an excellent experience with Dr. Cooley. Looking forward to the pics. I suggest consulting with Dr. Cooley prior to applying anything to your donor scar. David - Former Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant I am not a medical professional. All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice. View my Hair Loss Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Khali Posted March 18, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted March 18, 2017 I had the procedure this week. I echo the sentiments of every other Cooley who has posted on here. It was a great experience. Dr. Cooley was a cool guy and his staff was very helpful and accommodating. For the first time in my life, I actually feel like I actually have control over my hair loss. I will post pictures and statistics on grafts when I get them from Dr. Cooley. My only issue is that my barber cut my hair a little short the last time he cut it. My scar is visible. I have to return to work on Monday. Any suggestions on how I can conceal it if my hair doesn't grow enough before then? I was thinking about rubbing some Toppik or concealer on there. Use Dermmatch. It helps. The sad part is the price has gone up in the last few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member 49thStater Posted March 19, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2017 Alright, well I think that crisis has been averted. I had a temporary panic this weekend about the suture being too visible with a return to work scheduled for tomorrow. But a concoction of powder root concealer, topik, and hairspray appears to be concealing the suture well enough (or at least to the extent that it just looks like I've had a bad haircut). Still may just casually mention that I took a spill last week and had to get some stitches in the back of my head. The plan now is to let my hair grow and pick a new barber the next time I get a haircut. I'll keep my story updated with pictures and graft count. Thanks again for the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member 49thStater Posted April 3, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 3, 2017 I have been horrible about keeping this thread updated, but I made a decision to try not to dwell too much on my procedure. The first 1.5 weeks were pretty bad. I am a very active person and I like to get out and do things with friends.I really hated being holed up in my house, trying to stay out of the sun and avoiding exercise. I had to cancel plans a few times with a girl I am seeing because my scar was showing pretty bad. The Dermatch has been a godsend though. It has concealed the scar very well. Only a slight line is visible on the right side of my head. It just looks like a bad haircut. Dr Cooley cleared me for full exercise (but no gym). That has really helped lift my spirits, as well. I got my stitches out over the weekend at an Urgent Care. The provider was in awe of the procedure. He was balding himself. He said it was probably the best hair transplant he's ever seen. He asked me for Dr. Cooley's info. He also said the wound is healing well. If I had to do this again, I would have taken more time off of work and grew my hair out a little longer than I had it at the time of the procedure. I was at about a 3-guard length pre-op. The scar was very visible afterword, especially with wet hair. I also think returning to work five days post-op was a little aggressive. These are all lessons learned. Maybe someone reading this benefits from them someday. I will try to post some of the pics I have taken at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member 49thStater Posted April 4, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 4, 2017 Well... Got my first post-op haircut today. Barber went too short. However, he couldn't see the scar. He just kept remarking that the last person who cut my hair did a terrible job because there was a "stacking line" where the stylist did a terrible job layering my hair. He didn't notice the scar or anything weird about the recipient area. He just kept saying the last barber must have been terrible. I guess I am healing really well. It feels sore, but isn't noticeable. I think I may be a good healer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Spring15 Posted April 4, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted April 4, 2017 Glad everything has gone well for you so far, looking forward to some pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member 49thStater Posted April 13, 2017 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 13, 2017 I hit one month post-op tomorrow. Predictably, my hair looks like crap. I am as bald as I have ever been due to the shockloss. My hair is coming out in clumps. I'm just trying to get through it one day at a time. Do I have about two more months of the doldrums? Since the procedure, I have been noticing signs of hair transplants on guys. I saw a guy today who came into my office whose hair transplant was so obvious I could do nothing except gawk. He looked maybe a week or two post-op. Probably had his head shaved with a 2 clipper. He was a Norwood 5 maybe. You could see the stitches so clearly. But then I started convincing myself that maybe it wasn't actually a hair transplant, and that he just got an awful haircut and/or had a laceration. It made me realize how I never would have noticed his hair or thought about this a year ago before I began researching HTs. All of this paranoia that people realize we've had a hair transplant because there is a tiny slit in our haircut is probably in our heads. I have some pictures. I am debating whether to share them. I may at the one year mark. I'm trying to keep from staring at it too much / obsessing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Diamondgl2 Posted June 14, 2017 Regular Member Share Posted June 14, 2017 Hi I wanted to know if you had your FUT procedure without shaving your recipient area? I am having an Fut 5000 grafts and I plan to do it without shaving the recipient area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Diamondgl2 Posted June 14, 2017 Regular Member Share Posted June 14, 2017 Hi I wanted to know if you had your FUT procedure without shaving your recipient area? I am having an Fut 5000 grafts and I plan to do it without shaving the recipient area.Also if you can post some post op pics that would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tofur Posted August 7, 2017 Regular Member Share Posted August 7, 2017 I hit one month post-op tomorrow. Predictably, my hair looks like crap. I am as bald as I have ever been due to the shockloss. My hair is coming out in clumps. I'm just trying to get through it one day at a time. Do I have about two more months of the doldrums? Since the procedure, I have been noticing signs of hair transplants on guys. I saw a guy today who came into my office whose hair transplant was so obvious I could do nothing except gawk. He looked maybe a week or two post-op. Probably had his head shaved with a 2 clipper. He was a Norwood 5 maybe. You could see the stitches so clearly. But then I started convincing myself that maybe it wasn't actually a hair transplant, and that he just got an awful haircut and/or had a laceration. It made me realize how I never would have noticed his hair or thought about this a year ago before I began researching HTs. All of this paranoia that people realize we've had a hair transplant because there is a tiny slit in our haircut is probably in our heads. I have some pictures. I am debating whether to share them. I may at the one year mark. I'm trying to keep from staring at it too much / obsessing. You're around 4 months now, how's it going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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