3 Months into HT Recovery - Need to be Presentable for the Holidays & Concealer a Recommendation(s)

[jimcraig152]

Never used concealer in my life. But I've seen a ton of really bad examples from celebrities, athletes, and various men over the years. Need a recommendation for a concealer that would best suit this need:

• Hair will be very short as of Thanksgiving, I will be 4 months into the recovery process from HT
• There will be no styling products in the hair otherwise as it is too short right now
• As a result, hair will be dry and not have the wet/styled look
• I tend to sweat when I eat and drink (alcohol) on the Holdays
• Things sometimes get rowdy messing around with friend and family

Any concealer better than one or the other? I just need to get through the few days during the Holidays, then it is back into quarantine.

[yalla8]

I know not about concealers, but can you pull off a hat or something on your head? One month after my HT I needed to be somewhat presentable around friends, and I found a funny headband to wear to a party that concealed everything and made people laugh at the same time! Maybe a turkey themed hat?

[jimcraig152]

A beanie or hat is the fall back plan. But I've never used any concealers before. Want to explore it as an alternative.

FYI, here is where I am at today with my progress. I don't imagine it will change much in the next month for which I'll be 4 months removed from my surgery:

[TorontoMan]

Pop a hat on or just own it.. nothing to be embarrassed about having undergone a hair transplant.. anyone in your position would do the same to get their hair back. and whats more, is yours looks really good so far and you're going to get good growth. 

I think at this length hair fibers may show a bit on your scalp.. I would get dermamatch which I heard does better with sweat and liquid substances.

[Gatsby]

If it was me I would just tell them and then it's over with because you pulled the trigger first. I know this is not something many people feel comfortable with. By Christmas you could be able to wear hair fibers perhaps or dermatch if the remaining hair is cut short enough. either way your results look excellent at only three months and remember that everyday forward it will only look better and better! All the best!

[DenverBuff1989]

DO NOT put concealer anywhere on your hairline. IMO it will be obvious. The only place concealer should go is on your crown. On the crown, concealer works wonders. I use Toppik. I've been in windy situations, rain, etc and it stays put. It only comes out when I take a shower. 

I was a concealer skeptic myself but now put it on my crown all the time. It's just like brushing my teeth, putting in contacts, etc at this point. 

What kind of place do you work? I do understand how it can cause anxiety for people knowing you've had a hair transplant. If it's ok and not out of place to wear a hat, then just wear a hat. 

If you can't wear a hat and even with concealer on the crown it will be noticeable in the hairline area, just own it if it comes up. I assume you work with adults right? All adults age and have dealt with aging. Whether its botox, a boob job, a diet program, getting jacked, etc. a hair transplant is really no different. I would't mention it right off the bat but in the small chance someone mentions your hair just accept it and be good-natured. If someone does bring it up I assume they will genuinely just be curious, no one would bring it up in an insulting mocking way (again assuming you work in a white collar workplace with adults)

Also, realize that everyone has their #1 priority on themselves and their own appearance. Most people will NOT notice your hair unless they are really examining you.

EDIT: @jimcraig152 I see you actually did post a picture of your hair. IMO concealer will unfortunately be super obvious on the recipient area so don't use that. 

Right now the recipient area to a casual observer ironically looks like you are balding/thinning up top. It looks awkward tho bc the hair arround the surrounding area is much longer and thicker. 

If I were you I would get a haircut so the surrounding hair is the same length as the recipient hair. Just rock a shorter haircut to the event and it will seem like a natural haircut. If anyone mentions your short hair, I would still just own it and say its bc of the hair transplant. Lying or some other excuse would be awkward. 

 

Edited November 1, 2020 by DenverBuff1989

[jimcraig152]

Thanks @DenverBuff1989.

Ahhh, k. Well my HT is all hairline work, so looks like I won't be using any concealer then. Will use head wear for the Holiday gatherings. Working from home during the pandemic. Not likely to see my co-workers again for another 6-12 months. Not worried the professional setting. Despite suffering hairloss since my late teens, the progression has been slow and I've always been able to hide my hairloss well. Having the illusion of great hair has always been my trademark..........

Age 27 (short hair styled to hide NW3 status)

Age 45 (long hair styled to concea NW3 statusl)

Age 45 (long hair w/no concealment effort)

................so I am not ready to surrender that illusion yet.

[HTHope]

I think @Melvin-Moderator can offer some great advice as he made some very helpful videos on concealers. I would maybe buy a trial size of the different kinds and try it out. Post ur pics here and we can give you some honest feedback. I've never used them but if you let the top grow til thanksgiving then I'm thinking a sprinkle of toppik would def thicken up the top. Like another poster said, concealers need to be kept away from the hairline.

[ciaus]

Don't give up on trying concealers, esp dermmatch, when I used it I applied it to my front line hair and it worked great. Its fine for thickening up your hairline hairs like it does on other parts of your head, its just not for creating a hairline out of nothing or next to nothing. And it doesn't run when you sweat.

You have real dark hair, that's good for dermatch and concealers in general. Darker hair, and darker colors in general, absorb more light than they reflect, and you want as little reflection to contend with as possible. The way lighting reflects off the portions of the hair that has concealer on it contrasted with how lighting reflects off hair that doesn't have any concealer is one of the main ways it becomes detectable to someone looking at you. Because you're not going to be able to perfectly coat every hair, up and down the hair, with the concealer. And if you try to do that you'll probably end up putting on too much concealer and then your hair will look "dull" and non-reflective, which is another main giveaway that you are using concealer. And lastly is getting a good color match with your natural hair of course.

On amazon there's some cheaper products that look like they work the same way as dermmatch, never used them so can't vouch for them. Its $47 a container which is relatively expensive up front, but it will last you for months, depending on how much you put on etc of course. I would try the black based on your pic.

Dermmatch and Toppik/hair fibers really work well together, kind of like finasteride and minoxidil, so you may want to try experimenting with sprinkling some hair fibers on after you apply the dermmatch. But since you aren't going to be applying styling spray, be aware that hair fibers are designed to stick to your hairs some of them may not, especially if you accidentally put on a bit too much. So I would bend over and shake your head a few times to make sure you shake off any excess. That way should you move your head etc in a similar way around your peoples you don't crop dust your surroundings. 😆

 

Melvin started two topics over in the concealer section on applying dermmatch with his example video. On his first topic that he didn't pin to the top I posted some tips from experience applying it that you may want to check out here

 

 

 

[Al - Moderator]

It looks to me like if you just cut it all the same length it will just look like you got a short hair cut. Your hairline was high and thin up front before and it sounds like you mostly kept your hair long, so if anyone asks you can just say you decided to cut it real short to try something different and see if you like it.

 

[jimcraig152]

I got some Dermamatch coming in a few days. Will test it before I attempt to go live with it for Thanksgiving. If I don't end up using it for the Holidays, I am sure I'll have use for it later. Thanks all for the help, thoughts, and advice!