Need Urgent Advice on Hair System

[Leftwithrope]

Hey guys,

I am in urgent need of advice now. I have a very important social event coming up and am contemplating getting a partial hair system (non-surgical/adhesives) done at a salon. Now, the issue is that the area I wish to have covered by the system is my transplanted area! I am at 5 months now and my transplanted area is only a mere 1 inch in length compared to the rest of my native hairs (5-6 inches). I understand that I would need to trim the transplanted area in order for the salon to bond the system onto it. 

My question is: will trimming the transplanted area at this stage of its growth hinder its progress? Also, will the bond that the salon use cause damage to my grafts? My greatest fear is that I'll cause permanent damage to my transplanted hair for a temporary fix..

I've attached a photo of the current state of my transplanted area 

Edited November 18, 2018 by Leftwithrope

[VicTNYC]

Its not worth chancing it to damage the hair grafts, after all the time and cost.

Why don’t you just get a haircut of your native hair to match that of the new ht hair and just use hair fibers to fill-in spotty areas?....it would be cheaper and safer.

Edited November 18, 2018 by VicTNYC

[Triple7]

I agree...just buzz everything with a #4 or #5. You will look fine and much more normal. Things look to be coming in nicely.

[Leftwithrope]

Quick update:

I've seen a hair replacement specialist today and decided to get a system to tide me over for the next 5 months while the grafts grow in. I am likely to be using clips instead of glue to attach the system to my scalp so that I don't compromise the growth of the grafts. I hardly hear of anyone doing this on the forum. Can anyone come forward with their opinion on this approach?

Thanks.

[Postdoc]

Clips are tricky because they can cause traction alopecia. If you were to go for a partial system, the clips would need to be well clear of the transplanted area. At the front, you'd need to use a narrow strip of tape in front of the transplanted hairline. Doing this as a one-off for your special social event might be okay, but I wouldn't do it for 5 months because of the risk of pulling on the transplanted hairs.  As VicTNYC and Triple7 have suggested, cutting your existing hair and using fibres at the front would be the best way to go. Why not try a can of hair fibres and see what it looks like?

[Leftwithrope]

3 hours ago, Postdoc said:

Clips are tricky because they can cause traction alopecia. If you were to go for a partial system, the clips would need to be well clear of the transplanted area. At the front, you'd need to use a narrow strip of tape in front of the transplanted hairline. Doing this as a one-off for your special social event might be okay, but I wouldn't do it for 5 months because of the risk of pulling on the transplanted hairs.  As VicTNYC and Triple7 have suggested, cutting your existing hair and using fibres at the front would be the best way to go. Why not try a can of hair fibres and see what it looks like?

I went for a plan that includes weekly servicing and I intend to reduce the risk of traction alopecia by having my stylist change the position of the clips weekly and to limit wearing the system to only 4-5 days a week.  I did ask my stylist whether the tape would pull out the transplanted hairs and she said it wouldn't because adhesive removers were used. I'm not really knowledgeable about how the process truly works, but do you think my gameplan is feasible? I might just wear it for only 3 months as I believe I'll have a cosmetically acceptable result at 8 months that will have substantial length.

Edited November 19, 2018 by Leftwithrope

[Leftwithrope]

I wrote a reply to PostDoc but it got hidden. Could our mods help fix this?

 

Edited November 19, 2018 by Leftwithrope

[Panamera13]

What about using Toppik?

What does your HT surgeon says about hair system?

[Al - Moderator]

I agree with the others. You are already at 5 months where the hair is starting to grow already. Just cut the rest of your hair to match the length and perhaps use some topic or other similar product for a month or two until the transplants hair grows in more. The only reason I can see to use a hairpiece is if you were wearing one before the hair transplant because I can understand someone not wanting others to see you with suddenly very thin hair after wearing a hairpiece for some years.

 

 

[Leftwithrope]

19 hours ago, Panamera13 said:

What about using Toppik?

What does your HT surgeon says about hair system?

I have a feeling he'll be adamant against the idea of it. Though, I've seen an article on IAHRS that addressed the issue and expressed no concern with it: https://www.iahrs.org/q-a/hairpiece-hair-transplant

Toppik is great but shaving down to a number 4/5 doesn't guarantee that my toppik-ed frontal third will blend seamlessly with the rest of my hair. 

[Leftwithrope]

11 hours ago, BeHappy said:

I agree with the others. You are already at 5 months where the hair is starting to grow already. Just cut the rest of your hair to match the length and perhaps use some topic or other similar product for a month or two until the transplants hair grows in more. The only reason I can see to use a hairpiece is if you were wearing one before the hair transplant because I can understand someone not wanting others to see you with suddenly very thin hair after wearing a hairpiece for some years.

 

 

I did not wear a hairpiece before my hair transplant but these people whom I'll be meeting saw me last when I still had a full head of hair (fuck aggresive balding). I don't intend to wear the hairpiece for the entire 5 months - very possibly 2-3, once I gain an appreciable cosmetic improvement. Also, I'll likely remove the hair system intermittently (every 4-5 days) before returning to the salon for reattachment. I'm taking a month's hiatus from work, so no issues with having an inconsistent look for awhile. 

My main worry is the risk of getting traction alopecia from the clips. Could anyone tell me whether the modifications I'm making to my hair system usage will suffice? How long of traction can our hair take before traction alopecia sets in? A month? Two? Six months?

Thanks for the advice pal.

[Postdoc]

It's not so much how often you wear the system as where the clips are attached. You'll need a considerable overlap with your existing hair at the back and sides to make sure there's no chance of the clips engaging with the transplanted hair. Using clips at the front is a complete no-no, so you'll have to use tape in front of the hairline - again with a safety margin to avoid the transplanted hairs.

It's obviously a difficult dilemma for you and I hope your hairpiece designer is inventive enough to consider what's really best for you, if that's the route you choose.  

[Leftwithrope]

3 hours ago, Postdoc said:

It's not so much how often you wear the system as where the clips are attached. You'll need a considerable overlap with your existing hair at the back and sides to make sure there's no chance of the clips engaging with the transplanted hair. Using clips at the front is a complete no-no, so you'll have to use tape in front of the hairline - again with a safety margin to avoid the transplanted hairs.

It's obviously a difficult dilemma for you and I hope your hairpiece designer is inventive enough to consider what's really best for you, if that's the route you choose.  

" You'll need a considerable overlap with your existing hair at the back and sides to make sure there's no chance of the clips engaging with the transplanted hair"

Could you help elaborate on this? I I can't seem to visualize the picture you are trying to paint.

Well, I already have a low hairline transplanted, so I'm not sure how tape can be attached further down without it looking ridiculous. 

[Postdoc]

When attaching a system with tape, the scalp is shaven up to where the edge of the system meets the original hair, which should give a seamless transition between added hair and real hair. If clips are used, the system needs to be larger so that the clips have got hair to attach to. 

I'm not sure what can be done about the front. You definitely shouldn't be using clips on transplanted hair. I suppose the only option would be to shave the transplanted hair in order to attach the tape, but I can't see your HT surgeon being too enthusiastic about that and it seems counterintuitive doing it after a HT anyway. Have a word with him and see what he says. It would be so much simpler to cut your hair and apply fibres. I think you'd be surprised how realistic they can look.

[gillenator]

I wore systems for over a decade and can tell you firsthand that wearing them can have a negative impact on the growth of your grafts.  IMHO, this is probably the worst time to start wearing a hair system.

I agree with some of the others to simply buzz down your native hair and achieve a uniform length throughout your scalp...that's the best option IMHO.

[Leftwithrope]

Alright guys,

Thanks for all your advice and sharing of experiences. I've decided that I want to go ahead with the hair system but with a few conditions to protect my grafts:

1. I'll only wear them when I have events that I want to look good in (2-3 days in a month?)

2. My stylist said she'll be able to attach the system without trimming the transplanted hairs. I'm not sure how she's going to do it, but most of my hair is 5-6 inches in length, so maybe she could work with my native hair. I did tell her I was not going to wear any styles exposing my hairline. Instead, I'll go for a bangs hairstyle very much like korean idols (I'm 23 lol).

With these considerations in mind, would the idea of a hair system be feasible at least?

 

[Leftwithrope]

2 hours ago, gillenator said:

I wore systems for over a decade and can tell you firsthand that wearing them can have a negative impact on the growth of your grafts.  IMHO, this is probably the worst time to start wearing a hair system.

I agree with some of the others to simply buzz down your native hair and achieve a uniform length throughout your scalp...that's the best option IMHO.

Hey Gillenator,

What kind of damage did you experience with wearing a hair system? Would damage caused by wearing one be likely to occur even in the span of a few months? I too am extremely concerned for the well-being of my grafts, but would like to seek a compromise that will allow me to look my best at events but also to offer the best care for my grafts. I've outlined my plan for the next 5 months in the reply above. Would love to hear what an experienced hair system user has to say about it.

[Postdoc]

Hi Leftwithrope,

I also wore systems with clips for a decade or more (see my weblog) and the traction alopecia was very significant, necessitating grafts into those areas. As you're planning to wear a partial, there should be less traction on your native hair - for instance, if you're sleeping with the system on - although this depends on the clips your stylist uses. The ones I used were about an inch long by quarter of an inch and they gripped the hair very tightly. Your biggest concern should be the front, and you need to ask your stylist what she plans to do about that before agreeing to anything.  

 

Edited November 21, 2018 by Postdoc
weblog

[Leftwithrope]

40 minutes ago, Postdoc said:

Hi Leftwithrope,

I also wore systems with clips for a decade or more (see my weblog) and the traction alopecia was very significant, necessitating grafts into those areas. As you're planning to wear a partial, there should be less traction on your native hair - for instance, if you're sleeping with the system on - although this depends on the clips your stylist uses. The ones I used were about an inch long by quarter of an inch and they gripped the hair very tightly. Your biggest concern should be the front, and you need to ask your stylist what she plans to do about that before agreeing to anything.  

 

Thank you so much for the advice PostDoc, I really appreciate it.

It's a relief to hear that a partial will do less damage to my grafts. In your opinion, would wearing a clip-on system for an entire month cause traction alopecia? Both you and Gillenator seem to have suffered damage, but that could likely be attributed to your long-term usage. Did you notice at what point of wearing your system did traction alopecia set in? As mentioned above, I'll likely only wear the system when I have events that I need to look my best for. So in a month, I'll probably wear the system for 4-5 days on week 1, remove the system for 2 weeks, and then don it again for 4-5 days on week 4. I'm taking a hiatus from work so I've got the luxury to dictate when I want to look my best and when I can afford to go without the system. Graft care is the priority here, which explains my plan for going without the system for 2 weeks.

Do let me know what you think of my plan, even if it may sound a little tedious to implement.

Thanks!

[Postdoc]

If you're wearing a partial system for a month at a time, the risk of traction alopecia should be small. Traction alopecia usually results from long-term use where there's a lot of pulling on the hair (e.g. weaving, cornrows and Sikhs' turbans). But keep the clips well away from those precious grafts.

It's difficult to say exactly when I first noticed the bald patches from traction alopecia, but certainly not within the first five years. Gillenator may have a different experience, of course.

Check with your stylist what clips she uses - that's crucial.

And the front??

 

 

[Leftwithrope]

13 hours ago, Postdoc said:

If you're wearing a partial system for a month at a time, the risk of traction alopecia should be small. Traction alopecia usually results from long-term use where there's a lot of pulling on the hair (e.g. weaving, cornrows and Sikhs' turbans). But keep the clips well away from those precious grafts.

It's difficult to say exactly when I first noticed the bald patches from traction alopecia, but certainly not within the first five years. Gillenator may have a different experience, of course.

Check with your stylist what clips she uses - that's crucial.

And the front??

 

 

Alright, I've finally got the system fitted today. Definitely looking like a million bucks!

Surprisingly, my stylist wasn't too stumped about how to deal with my front. She simply used tape below my transplanted hairline. Now, I tend to wear bangs so this means I won't need to expose my new ultra-low hairline. The rest of the system is held together by clips.

Surprisingly, I don't feel like there's any tug or discomfort from the clips. Would this be different if I was using a bigger piece? 

[Postdoc]

Wow, that's certainly biting the bullet!

There'd be more of a tug with a larger piece.

I'm pleased it's worked out for you. 

[Leftwithrope]

4 hours ago, Postdoc said:

Wow, that's certainly biting the bullet!

There'd be more of a tug with a larger piece.

I'm pleased it's worked out for you. 

Thanks PostDoc, I'm feeling amazing!

So you definitely think I'll be fine to wear the system for 3-4 months?

[Postdoc]

It's impossible for me to be categorical about that as it's all down to the attachment your stylist has used and making sure that the clips and tape are well away from the grafts. Make sure your stylist is heeding your concerns when you next see her.

[Leftwithrope]

48 minutes ago, Postdoc said:

It's impossible for me to be categorical about that as it's all down to the attachment your stylist has used and making sure that the clips and tape are well away from the grafts. Make sure your stylist is heeding your concerns when you next see her.

The two things you've mentioned have been taken care of. The only thing worrying me now is whether the grafts are safe when being covered by the system's base. 

Your thoughts?