FUT Recovery - How did you deal with it?

[hairlossPA]

Looking for some people’s input on how the FUT recovery was? I’m probably looking at rebuilding the front 1/3 with 2500-2800 if I had to guess. I have a few consultations coming up.

Possibly looking at a HT christmas time/new years time. Thinking it’s a good time because it’s winter time and reasonable time to take off due to holidays. 

Did you guys avoid going outside your house like the plague? How bad was the ugly duckling phase and how did you deal with it? easier or harder than you thought? Did you shave your entire head?

How long did you take off of work? I’m thinking 2 full weeks. 

Appreciate the input in advance. 

[RecessionProof]

The best time to get a transplant imo is the week after New Years. That way the new hair is coming in by the time hat season is over.

For me, the ugly duckling stage was much easier than I had anticipated. But it really depends on how much they shave off. I grew my hair out beforehand and only had the very front shaved, so I was able to sweep it over the transplanted area pretty much immediately. If you’re just shaving a little bit, you’ll probably be fine after 2 weeks.

The one thing that persisted longer than I’d hoped was the redness, so I did feel a little exposed whenever it was windy for the first few months. 

If you go with a full shave, I would either wear a hat or buzz it so everything looks even. It will look pretty normal for a few weeks, though the redness will likely stand out after the initial shed.

 

[hairlossPA]

thanks for the replies. anyone else? i’d really appreciate it

[LaserCap]

On 8/23/2019 at 7:03 AM, hairlossPA said:

Looking for some people’s input on how the FUT recovery was? I’m probably looking at rebuilding the front 1/3 with 2500-2800 if I had to guess. I have a few consultations coming up.

Possibly looking at a HT christmas time/new years time. Thinking it’s a good time because it’s winter time and reasonable time to take off due to holidays. 

Did you guys avoid going outside your house like the plague? How bad was the ugly duckling phase and how did you deal with it? easier or harder than you thought? Did you shave your entire head?

How long did you take off of work? I’m thinking 2 full weeks. 

Appreciate the input in advance. 

The first part of the recovery is your mental attitude.  If you think it's going to be a bitch, it will be.  If you think it'll be easy...It will.  The first thing to consider is you are having surgery. And, since you are having FUT, you will have sutures in the donor which will be covered by the native hair provided it is long enough so no one will be able to notice.  The sutures do pull so there is some discomfort but not unbearable.  Aside, you'll be given pain meds to deal with the issue.  You will feel relief once removed which is typically done 7-14 days post op depending on the doctor and the elasticity you have.  Make sure you ask about this during the consultation.

I am guessing your front if fairly empty since you are considering a nice size procedure.  Not sure where you're getting your numbers but 2500-2800 will typically allow for work in the front and blending some grafts towards the mid scalp so there is connection and you're not left with "islands" worth of hair. 

Christmas time is possibly the worse time to do this.  You'll miss being with family, etc.  But starting the 26th....OK. Do you drink?  Party?  If everyone knows you're doing this for yourself, then OK. Just prep.

For at least 7 days you'll have crusts to deal with.  It would be nice to see some photos to confirm how much native hair you currently have. It is likely you'll leave with a cap on.  Are you used to wearing caps?  So, you can go out all you want and still keep your privacy.  

The way I dealt with the issue, I told everyone.  "If you say something," I said, "I'll kill you."  No one said anything.

Do not shave.  The doctor typically prefers the hair longer.  It will help to cover the work both in the donor and the recipient area.  Besides, the doctor wants to see the angle and direction of the native hair so he can mimic the same.

I took no time off.  If you take 2 weeks off it is likely only a few people will be able to tell, particularly women.  They're good at this kind of thing.  Mostly because of the redness that remains for a short time after the procedure. 

[hairlossPA]

Thanks @LaserCap

i’m looking to rebuild the frontal 1/3 which is where my own assessment over the years came up with 2500-2800. i do have some density already but it’s fading and not great. I have 2 consultations with members of this forum coming up in September so I will get a better idea for their plan.

I wouldn’t do before christmas as I agree missing too much family time. but i’d be okay with missing NYE and taking some time off into the new year. we will have to see what they have available. 

I certainly wont shave anything going into the day of

[Triple7]

Let your hair grow longer before your surgery. I would say a minimum of 2”. The longer it is, the easier it is to style it in a way to cover or hide the work. It might look shaggy for a few months but that’s better than walking around with a visible scar and redness that you have no way of covering. 

[Helper]

DH had his after Xmas. He took 10 days off. It was a great time to do it, as it was winter. He was very self conscious and wore a nice cap to work for a long time. He had to come clean to his coworkers, but didn’t want them to see his head until his scabs were all gone. He had a few big ones that took over a month to go away. He had a lot of shock loss of his native hair so wore his hat for a good 2 to 3 months at work.

We didn’t do anything for the first couple months. After that he felt comfortable to go out, but always wore his cap. I think he took it off to go out at the end of 3 months but we didn’t do anything with friends as he didn’t want to tell anyone. It’s a journey and he’s only 8 months. He looks so much different than a year ago and I’m glad we read the “illusion of density” thread. 

 

Edited September 4, 2019 by Helper