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1 week away from my HT and my heart's beating out of my chest


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  • Regular Member

Sorry for a blog-type post, but hope you'll give it a read and share your thoughts/advice:

I've booked a HT appointment that's 1 week away and all the sudden I'm being plagued by constant doubts and fears. "Am I too young? What if my hair loss kicks into overdrive and leaves me looking ridiculous? What if I get poor growth, a bad scar, etc.?" The only thing I can say for certain is that I have very high confidence in is my surgeon who, after so much vetting, is one of the only people who I would trust without any lingering feeling of "maybe I should have gone to X instead".

I posted some pictures in an old thread. The current plan is FUT hairline work in the range of 1,800 grafts.

 

I'm generally not an anxious person but the lead-up to my procedure has me rattled. Has anyone else who went through a HT also experience pre-op jitters, and how did you deal with it?

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Your hair loss reminds me of two hair transplant veterans @win200 and @Spanker I don't think 28 is too young for a hair transplant, given your current hair loss, I think you will be relatively easy case. Going strip will ensure that you maximize your donor supply as well. Who's the surgeon, it's totally normal to have pre-op jitters. Trust in the process, the fact that you're a member of this forum, puts you ahead of the game.


I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice.

Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey

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Topical dutasteride journey 

Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.

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46 minutes ago, Getting said:

Why are you doing FUT and not FUE? Feels like you’re a great candidate for FUE and it’s much less painful

I want to maximize my donor availability in case I need more procedures in the future as I have a family history of hair loss (though not severe NW6/7 type). My surgeon has a great record of very fine scars, and I generally wear my hair mid-length anyways so it should be practically undetectable. Finally, I think that FUT simply produces more robust grafts

18 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Your hair loss reminds me of two hair transplant veterans @win200 and @Spanker I don't think 28 is too young for a hair transplant, given your current hair loss, I think you will be relatively easy case. Going strip will ensure that you maximize your donor supply as well. Who's the surgeon, it's totally normal to have pre-op jitters. Trust in the process, the fact that you're a member of this forum, puts you ahead of the game.

Thanks a lot Melvin - you've been a great source of guidance during my research. My surgeon is Dr. Cooley who I selected after numerous consultations and viewing no less than 1,000 hair transplant result photos. I sincerely hope you're right, and that my case is so easy Dr. Cooley could do it in his sleep :)

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Everybody's first HT is a surreal experience.  Now for me it's like going to the dentist, no biggie. 😂

You're going with a great doc, so you're doing things right.  Positive thoughts and be patient.  Things will look worse the first few months, so don't let that period get you down. 

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Dr. G: 1,000 grafts (FUT) 2008

Dr. Paul Shapiro: 2,348 grafts (FUT) 2009 ~ 1,999 grafts (FUT) 2011 ~ 300 grafts (Scar Reduction) 2013

Dr. Konior: 771 grafts (FUT) 2015 ~ 558 grafts (FUT) 2017 ~ 1,124 grafts (FUE) 2020

My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group

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I concur with aaron1234.  Everyone's first HT is definitely a surreal experience.  For my first HT, I couldn't really believe I was going through with it and each of my 3 HTs felt surreal.  Was I really going to spend this much money on a surgical procedure for something that was not guaranteed?  Looking back from where I am now though, I'm really glad I bit the bullet and did it.  I took some control over something that was affecting my life negatively and I'm super happy about it now.  If you've done your research and have reasonable expectations (read: you likely won't ever have super thick original density but the illusion is impressive and amazingly impactful), then you're good to go.  Good luck on your journey!

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10 hours ago, ADuckwithNoHair said:

I want to maximize my donor availability in case I need more procedures in the future as I have a family history of hair loss (though not severe NW6/7 type). My surgeon has a great record of very fine scars, and I generally wear my hair mid-length anyways so it should be practically undetectable. Finally, I think that FUT simply produces more robust grafts

Thanks a lot Melvin - you've been a great source of guidance during my research. My surgeon is Dr. Cooley who I selected after numerous consultations and viewing no less than 1,000 hair transplant result photos. I sincerely hope you're right, and that my case is so easy Dr. Cooley could do it in his sleep :)

Dr. Cooley actually repaired a patient, a guy who was so adamant against hair transplants, and after he was so happy. A real feel-good story on the forum I’ll never forget. Check out his story @HTREGRETS

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I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice.

Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey

View my thread

Topical dutasteride journey 

Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.

Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube.

 

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By the way, when you have your procedure, I hope you’ll share your journey here with us, I’d love to follow your progress.


I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice.

Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey

View my thread

Topical dutasteride journey 

Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.

Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube.

 

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17 hours ago, Getting said:

Why are you doing FUT and not FUE? Feels like you’re a great candidate for FUE and it’s much less painful

Since when is FUE less painful that FUT?  Also to maximize harvesting FUT is usually done first.

"Imagination frames events unknown in wild fantastic shapes of hideous ruin, and what it fears, creates." Hannah More

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10 hours ago, Getting said:

Well, I had both done, I had no significant recovery pain with either procedure.  It was more like an uncomfortable feeling.  The numbing shots for FUE were horrible - the 2nd worst shot I ever had, 2nd only to a shot in the end of my big toe.  I just sat there for the FUT numbing and strip removal.  The actual FUE harvest was not bad only the horrible numbing shots.  After FUE the back of my head felt numb for about 2 months.  For some reason your link does not work , but I just pasted it in the url and it worked.  There is something strange about how this was posted.

"Imagination frames events unknown in wild fantastic shapes of hideous ruin, and what it fears, creates." Hannah More

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@ADuckwithNoHair Like yourself, I am also 28 and I recently had a FUT surgery with Dr. Cooley. I came to this decision after much research and consideration. But I still had some anxiety and similar concerns as yourself leading up to the date. Everything about the actual surgery went smoothly, and I feel fine other some minor pain here and there in the donor. Everything you've read in this forum about Dr. Cooley and his staff is true, they are efficient and experienced. Things like poor growth, results etc. you need not to worry about, Dr. Cooley has been doing this for a long time, and he warranties his work. 

I've been a lurker on this forum for the past few months, but happened to see your post and saw our similarities, figured I'd create an account and help you out brother. This community has been so helpful for me, it only feels right to give back. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to PM me.

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Hey, I'm one of the guys who Melvin tagged! 28 is not too young--I had my first at 29, and I'm 38 now and it's held up great!  I've had two more procedures, I have the hairline of my dreams, and hair loss is far from my mind.  Dr. Cooley is fantastic--Dr. Gabel did my last procedure, and my decision was between him and Dr. C.  You're in terrific hands and all will go well.  Just remember that the recovery period is rocky your first time--you'll look worse before you look better.  During my first recovery, I was sure something had gone wrong and I'd been butchered (far from the case!).  Lean on this forum hard, upload pics, and get community feedback to reassure you.  Feel free to PM me if you'd like.  Cheers!

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