Severe anxiety since the procedure

[zlasevom]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum, I discovered it recently and I am grateful that there is a space like this for people to share their experience. I would like to share mine and know if anyone has experienced the same.

I had a hair transplant to restore my hairline a couple of weeks ago. I was confident about doing it until after the procedure when I spent two weeks alone at home during recovery period.  This has been tough mentally as I have been overthinking and wondering If I made the right choice, especially after spending a lot of time reading things on the internet.

Now what makes me feel very anxious is that even if I followed most post operation instructions, there are a few things that make me feel like I might have ruined this hair transplant:

- I bumped the side of the head on Day 2 (NOT on the recipient area), it has not caused any bleeding and I haven't noticed any lost graft though

- As I was anxious after that I lightly touched the recipient area a few times the following days, only with fingertips, to check everything was ok (I feel bad about it as the clinic asked NOT to touch it at all for two weeks, and I read the same on some websites)

- I knew that sexual activity was not allowed but I did not think it applied also to masturbation, which I did on Day 2 and Day 3 before I read somewhere that it was not advised either

Now that all the scabs are gone and hair have started to shed it makes me feel even more paranoid and thinking that I ruined everything.

I think when I decided to have this hair transplant I did not realise how overwhelming it could be afterwards.

Please can any of you share your experience or give me some advice, I would really appreciate.

[Savemyhairline]

I have had bad anxiety too bro. Nothing about the procedure itself or my decision, just ensuring everything turns out as it’s supposed to. I literally emailed my clinic yesterday because I was paranoid about the tiny ventilation holes in my hat not blocking sun, to give you an idea of how paranoid I have been (like all hats ever have these holes and they are too small to allow sunburn, per my Doctor).

 

Then I have seen a couple controversial reviews here recently from patients who went to the same clinic (H&W) and reading those is absolutely not helping my anxiety.

 

anyway the only advice I, as someone who is also anxious, can give is just  email the clinic on what you’ve done and have them tell you. I don’t think anything you did was bad/harmful, but having your clinic tell you that themselves will make you feel better.

 

send them a pic of your recipient area to assess, again just for you to get peace of mind. On the masturbation thing, I personally waited a week because, like you, anxious, but I don’t see how this could harm you realistically day 2 or 3. My clinic never even mentioned sexual activity being off limits for any amount of time, and they mentioned plenty of things to avoid the first couple weeks. 

 

[Turkhair]

wow day 2 🧘‍♀️ 

Well whatever. There is no point in stressing out, nobody can tell you if the grafts are damaged or not. You will find out in 6 months which is a long long way to go.

Unfortunately there is no way to reverse time so all you can do is try to do better in future. 

 

[Gatsby]

5 hours ago, zlasevom said:

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum, I discovered it recently and I am grateful that there is a space like this for people to share their experience. I would like to share mine and know if anyone has experienced the same.

I had a hair transplant to restore my hairline a couple of weeks ago. I was confident about doing it until after the procedure when I spent two weeks alone at home during recovery period.  This has been tough mentally as I have been overthinking and wondering If I made the right choice, especially after spending a lot of time reading things on the internet.

Now what makes me feel very anxious is that even if I followed most post operation instructions, there are a few things that make me feel like I might have ruined this hair transplant:

- I bumped the side of the head on Day 2 (NOT on the recipient area), it has not caused any bleeding and I haven't noticed any lost graft though

- As I was anxious after that I lightly touched the recipient area a few times the following days, only with fingertips, to check everything was ok (I feel bad about it as the clinic asked NOT to touch it at all for two weeks, and I read the same on some websites)

- I knew that sexual activity was not allowed but I did not think it applied also to masturbation, which I did on Day 2 and Day 3 before I read somewhere that it was not advised either

Now that all the scabs are gone and hair have started to shed it makes me feel even more paranoid and thinking that I ruined everything.

I think when I decided to have this hair transplant I did not realise how overwhelming it could be afterwards.

Please can any of you share your experience or give me some advice, I would really appreciate.

In all honesty @zlasevom the best thing you can do right now is to take on a second job, take up a course, etc. Fill your time so you are just flat out busy. Your mind will still come up with thoughts but on their own that's all they are, thoughts. They have no control over you or the outcome of your surgery. Taking up meditation might even be better. I work at least 60 hours a week and this alone kept my mind not only busy but helped to pass the time through the ugly duckling phase and into the end of reaching 12 months after my first surgery. All the best!

[Berba11]

11 hours ago, zlasevom said:

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum, I discovered it recently and I am grateful that there is a space like this for people to share their experience. I would like to share mine and know if anyone has experienced the same.

I had a hair transplant to restore my hairline a couple of weeks ago. I was confident about doing it until after the procedure when I spent two weeks alone at home during recovery period.  This has been tough mentally as I have been overthinking and wondering If I made the right choice, especially after spending a lot of time reading things on the internet.

Now what makes me feel very anxious is that even if I followed most post operation instructions, there are a few things that make me feel like I might have ruined this hair transplant:

- I bumped the side of the head on Day 2 (NOT on the recipient area), it has not caused any bleeding and I haven't noticed any lost graft though

- As I was anxious after that I lightly touched the recipient area a few times the following days, only with fingertips, to check everything was ok (I feel bad about it as the clinic asked NOT to touch it at all for two weeks, and I read the same on some websites)

- I knew that sexual activity was not allowed but I did not think it applied also to masturbation, which I did on Day 2 and Day 3 before I read somewhere that it was not advised either

Now that all the scabs are gone and hair have started to shed it makes me feel even more paranoid and thinking that I ruined everything.

I think when I decided to have this hair transplant I did not realise how overwhelming it could be afterwards.

Please can any of you share your experience or give me some advice, I would really appreciate.

Nothing you've described here is cause for concern. As long as the work was performed by a reputable clinic you'll be absolutely fine.

Having a red head with shedding hair is naturally a challenging period in the journey but assuming you did your research you knew this was coming. The best advice I can give is that the next few months will literally fly by and you'll look back on this post and laugh to yourself. The process is totally out of your hands now so just move on with life and enjoy seeing the improvements start to kick in around month 3/4.

[zlasevom]

Thanks for your replies.

12 hours ago, Savemyhairline said:

Then I have seen a couple controversial reviews here recently from patients who went to the same clinic (H&W) and reading those is absolutely not helping my anxiety.

anyway the only advice I, as someone who is also anxious, can give is just  email the clinic on what you’ve done and have them tell you. I don’t think anything you did was bad/harmful, but having your clinic tell you that themselves will make you feel better.

I was very happy with the clinic where I had it done as they seemed confident and professional but then like you after reading some controversial opinions I started doubting.

I called them a few times to be reassured after I lightly touched the scalp on Day 3 and they said it should be fine as long as I didn't rub. But on their website they wrote that touching the scalp in the first couple of weeks can result in patchy areas... which terrifies me.

9 hours ago, Turkhair said:

wow day 2 🧘‍♀️ 

Yes I bumped the head on Day 2... just lightly bumped though, I didn't think I damaged anything until I spent hours searching on internet and overthinking.

9 hours ago, Gatsby said:

In all honesty @zlasevom the best thing you can do right now is to take on a second job, take up a course, etc. Fill your time so you are just flat out busy. Your mind will still come up with thoughts but on their own that's all they are, thoughts. They have no control over you or the outcome of your surgery. Taking up meditation might even be better. I work at least 60 hours a week and this alone kept my mind not only busy but helped to pass the time through the ugly duckling phase and into the end of reaching 12 months after my first surgery. All the best!

I appreciate your advice, I think indeed I need to stay as busy as possible for the next few months.

3 hours ago, Berba11 said:

Nothing you've described here is cause for concern. As long as the work was performed by a reputable clinic you'll be absolutely fine.

Having a red head with shedding hair is naturally a challenging period in the journey but assuming you did your research you knew this was coming. The best advice I can give is that the next few months will literally fly by and you'll look back on this post and laugh to yourself. The process is totally out of your hands now so just move on with life and enjoy seeing the improvements start to kick in around month 3/4.

I hope you're right and in a few months all this anxiety will be behind me. I knew about the shedding phase but I didn't think it would be so early. Actually in the first week post op I already saw a couple of hair that shed with a crust. Do you think this is normal?

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@zlasevom,

I read through everything you shared and to be completely honest with you, I believe you are completely fine. There’s nothing you shared that I believed would have damaged or injured your newly transplanted grafts at any point.  You yourself said that you didn’t see any blood when you bumped your head and didn’t see any lost grafts.   Also keep in mind that the spirit of postoperative instructions are more important than the letter so to speak. In general, it’s just a good idea to avoid any strenuous activity in order to protect the grafts.  But a number of people have sex and masturbate shortly after surgery and do not damage their hair transplant in any way.

The truth is, it’s a lot more difficult than you think to damage your hair transplant post up. So as long as you’re not engaging in any overly rough or combative activities that’s going to cause strain on your hair transplant for the first couple of days to a week, you should be completely fine.

if you are really concerned and one more specific input on your procedure, feel free to post your surgical detail and  some photos of your scalp before surgery, immediately after the procedure and what it looks like today.

Best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant

[Turkhair]

53 minutes ago, zlasevom said:

Yes I bumped the head on Day 2... just lightly bumped though, I didn't think I damaged anything until I spent hours searching on internet and overthinking.

Actually I was talking about doing masturbation so early. That would worry me more than bumping the head. 

But like I said what’s done is done. If only we could reverse time 

[gillenator]

Masturbation in the 48 hour period following a procedure might pop out a few grafts but unlikely, still, it never hurts to remain on the safe side.

[zlasevom]

4 hours ago, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

@zlasevom,

I read through everything you shared and to be completely honest with you, I believe you are completely fine. There’s nothing you shared that I believed would have damaged or injured your newly transplanted grafts at any point.  You yourself said that you didn’t see any blood when you bumped your head and didn’t see any lost grafts.   Also keep in mind that the spirit of postoperative instructions are more important than the letter so to speak. In general, it’s just a good idea to avoid any strenuous activity in order to protect the grafts.  But a number of people have sex and masturbate shortly after surgery and do not damage their hair transplant in any way.

The truth is, it’s a lot more difficult than you think to damage your hair transplant post up. So as long as you’re not engaging in any overly rough or combative activities that’s going to cause strain on your hair transplant for the first couple of days to a week, you should be completely fine.

if you are really concerned and one more specific input on your procedure, feel free to post your surgical detail and  some photos of your scalp before surgery, immediately after the procedure and what it looks like today.

Best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant

Thanks for your reply it means a lot.

I will try to relax more and trust the process.

[Berba11]

6 hours ago, zlasevom said:

hope you're right and in a few months all this anxiety will be behind me. I knew about the shedding phase but I didn't think it would be so early. Actually in the first week post op I already saw a couple of hair that shed with a crust. Do you think this is normal?

Yes, this is normal.

[Bucky O Hair]

Your transplant is comprised of thousands of grafts.  If you prematurely rub or hit your scalp in the first week or so, you may lose of grafts but in the grand scheme of things, it will be insignificant.

Honestly, I know a guy who got a hair transplant earlier this year and was wearing tight fitting hats after only a few days.  I was cringing when he kept pulling the hat off his head, on and off.  I kept telling him to stop.
He also didn't even really wear hats to protect himself from the sun and I hung out with him on the beach when he was like 4 months postop.  He wore no hat all day while in the sun, even though you're supposed to wait 6 months.  I doubt that was the first time he went out in the sun that long during his postop recovery too.

I remember his scalp being red for at least three months, and I was thinking it was probably because he wasn't taking care of it, or maybe from the sun, or who knows what else.
He's definitely not the type of guy that would spend any time applying postop saline sprays, he likes to work out (and he likley didn't take a month off from the gym after his HT), and I even remember him drinking while he was still on his postop antibiotics.

His results...

Perfectly fine.  His hair transplant is as good as the best ones I've seen on this site.

[SuperC]

Try to relax. You are totally fine.

I understand anxiety, but nothing you've described is the least bit concerning. You are obviously being very careful and mindful about your recovery process.

A good surgeon knows to give instructions that are extra cautious because patients will often "bend the rules" to some extent. If you tell someone not to wear a hat for 2 weeks, they will wait 10 days, you know?

You've done nothing to ruin your transplant, and at this point in your recovery, there's very little you can do to cause problems. The only challenge now is being patient.

[zlasevom]

Hi guys,

Thanks for your replies, they reassured me a lot.

I am now 3 weeks post op, I feel I am already in the ugly duckling phase as a lot of hair have shed with the scabs.

I will have the be patient now and stay as busy as possible for the next few months.

On 9/23/2023 at 6:05 AM, Bucky O Hair said:

Your transplant is comprised of thousands of grafts.  If you prematurely rub or hit your scalp in the first week or so, you may lose of grafts but in the grand scheme of things, it will be insignificant.

Thanks for the reminder, these things are easy to forget when focusing so much on details like I do. 😐

On 9/23/2023 at 3:00 PM, gaz9318054 said:

I understand anxiety, but nothing you've described is the least bit concerning. You are obviously being very careful and mindful about your recovery process.

A good surgeon knows to give instructions that are extra cautious because patients will often "bend the rules" to some extent. If you tell someone not to wear a hat for 2 weeks, they will wait 10 days, you know?

They advised me not touching at all for two weeks which made me even more paranoid and thinking I was losing grafts every time I would light touch the scalp. But I read other clinics say you can gently tap while washing after only a few days. As you say some surgeons probably want to be extra cautious. 

[gillenator]

The grafts are pretty well secured after 72 hours.

[skyler]

 

[alexmillne]

On 9/23/2023 at 7:05 AM, Bucky O Hair said:

Your transplant is comprised of thousands of grafts.  If you prematurely rub or hit your scalp in the first week or so, you may lose of grafts but in the grand scheme of things, it will be insignificant.

Honestly, I know a guy who got a hair transplant earlier this year and was wearing tight fitting hats after only a few days.  I was cringing when he kept pulling the hat off his head, on and off.  I kept telling him to stop.
He also didn't even really wear hats to protect himself from the sun and I hung out with him on the beach when he was like 4 months postop.  He wore no hat all day while in the sun, even though you're supposed to wait 6 months.  I doubt that was the first time he went out in the sun that long during his postop recovery too.

I remember his scalp being red for at least three months, and I was thinking it was probably because he wasn't taking care of it, or maybe from the sun, or who knows what else.
He's definitely not the type of guy that would spend any time applying postop saline sprays, he likes to work out (and he likley didn't take a month off from the gym after his HT), and I even remember him drinking while he was still on his postop antibiotics.

His results...

Perfectly fine.  His hair transplant is as good as the best ones I've seen on this site.

Id love to know who he was!!! haha. Name so I can find results?