Will anyone notice that I got a HT?

[csofrank]

Hi, I am a NW2-3. I am interested in getting HT only to lower my hairline. There is no thinning in my crown area.

So here is my question, immediately after a HT surgery, how much time does it take to recover to a point where I can go back to work without anyone seeing the donor scar, the new transplanted hairs and scabs. I need to know this since I need to figure out how much time to take off during work. Or is it impossible for me to hide the fact that I just had a HT?

 

Thanks.

[vocor1]

A lot depends on how you heal.

I will be 19 days post op when I return to work. A lot of my implanted FUs have already fallen out. The only thing I'm worried about is the donor scar because my hair is about 1-inch long. The donor scar is thin, but there is still a noticable red line that I must cover up with hair. I'm sure that the redness will go away in the near future.

I think most people will say that no one noticed. Wear a cap if you can, because that will help conceal while you heal.

[csofrank]

Vocor1,

Thanks for the reply. You mentioned that your hair is 1" inch long. Did the doctor trimmed it to that length for the operation? If so, is it for all of your hair or just in specific area? If the area around the donor site is 1 inch long, is it long enough to cover the donor scar?

 

After the transplanted hair falls out, can anyone notice anything visible in the transplanted area? Redness, scabs?

 

I work in an office environment, it will be pretty weird to wear any kind of hat in the office. It sounds to me that taking one week off from work is not even enough if I can't wear hat.

[noreaster]

frm what i hear, 2 weeks would be even better, when i had mine it was 97' and took off 1 week, but had the 2 weekends also and you would have been hard pressed to know. But the work was done on the crown so...

[HarryLemon]

csofrank,

 

If you work in an office environment where a hat would be out of place, then please do not think that 1 week will be enough.

 

I had 2300+ grafts transplanted 7.5 weeks ago (Shapiro) to my frontal region and temples, and my head is STILL a little too pink on occasion.

 

I still have a good deal of hair in the frontal core, and the crown is full (has been ever since starting Propecia almost 3 years). Regardless of this, there have been MANY more days than not that I simply cannot (in my opinion) leave the house without my cap - certainly never left home w/out it for the first 3 to 4 weeks. I know this isn't the same for many people, but at the very LEAST you should plan for a minimum of 2 weeks off.

 

What's more, I definitely experienced a bit of shock loss at the 3 to 5 week mark where probably around 15 to 20% of the existing hair said "later!" and took off, but it seems that that has ended now (thank God), and even the grafts are beginning to grow in.

 

Being very fair skinned and pale DOESN'T help, so get a tan (but NOT a burn) before it as well, and that should help.

 

I'll tell you what else will help calm the redness down - Folligen (http://www.folligen.com/) - a copper-peptide based cream that really calms the scalp down BIG TIME. FNS (http://www.osmotics.com/) is also excellent for feeding the follicles in such an important period as well - where they'll be fighting over blood supply for the first few weeks to get a foothold in on life. I found that rubbing a bit of both in the palm of my hand with a couple drops of Emu Oil (which penetrates deeply into the skin and has it's own anti-inflammatory properties as well - http://www.4emu-oils.com/), and then applying the mix to my head has given me the most amazing results to date. That sucker calms down tremendously after that and looks perfectly normal again!

 

Hope this helps...

 

Sincerely,

Harry

[vocor1]

HarryLemon: Did you apply folligen to your donor scar at all? That is where I have some redness.

 

csofrank: Haha, my issue is that I am also in the Military Reserves, so I can't let my hair grow out too much. For now, I'm gonna trim around the ears, side, and back but I can't lose the 1 inch coverage length right now over the suture line, where some redness is. I'm wearing my hair a bit longer than I usually do on the sides and back, so my haircut will focus on neatening things up without too much actual hair being cut.

 

Okay, the doctor will cut your hair shorter where the strip is extracted. This caused me a "gap" in hair length consistence, so I'm counting on longer hairs from above the suture line area to cover things up. Right now, I have "hat head" where longer hairs hang over the donor scar area.

I'm an engineer and I have my own office. So my goal is only to draw attention from my donor scar. Even though I can cover it with hair, it can be seen if hair shifts around too much. So a lot of eye contact, no figiting with my hair around the scar, and a cap if I'm in public in a line somewhere. No biggy for me.

 

My scalp is only slightly more red than my face. Very slightly, and a miracle considering how I looked one day post-op -- I was red as hell. It is so mild, that I am unconcerned with it. It at worst looks like a slight sunburn. I've had that before up there.

 

A lot of my transplanted FUs have fallen out now 2 weeks post op. Though I know I have had an HT and still look improved, I highly doubt anybody will notice a thing when I return to work in 5 days.

 

I hope this helps you. These are my experiences.

 

vocor1

[HarryLemon]

vocor1,

 

For my donor scar I actually mix a bit of pure Aloe gel with a couple drops of Emu Oil.

 

Seriously, do a search on google for "Emu Oil, research", or check out http://www.emuhealthproducts.com/research.html (just one of many). Emu Oil is rare due to it's unique molecular weight - which is one of the few natural substances capable of not just penetrating the human dermis, but doing so very quickly, easily, and deeply.

 

Because it is also an excellent emollient, when mixed with other substances it makes a superlative delivery vehicle.

 

It is rich in Linolenic and Oleic acid which are anti-inflammatory agents, plus it is rich in Fatty Omega 3, 6, and 9 acids as well. And what is also totally unique to this stuff is how jam-packed with collagen it is. It actually replenishes the fatty layer beneath our scalps, which never gets depleted in women like it does for men. Read up on it ??“ it looks, and feels, pretty amazing (I found the cheapest source to be from http://www.4emu-oils.com/)!

 

As for the redness - mine has gone down loads as well over the past couple of weeks, but because I had some work on the temples also, it doesn't exactly appear like your average "slight sun burn", unfortunately!

[Guest]

Once you're healed up, I think you can use Dermatch or Topik. Check with your doctor. Dermatch would probably even help the contrast in scalp to hair color in your donor scar.

[texone]

This concern is way over rated! I had planned to shut down my personal life for a month. I stockpiled plenty of food. Told everyone of a snow skiing trip across country and of a terrible upcoming work schedule.

 

By the next day I was driving around town with a ballcap. No one noticed. Three days later, I began dating again - again with ballcap - no one suspected anything. Predinose and almost no swelling. I tried an icepack one time, but it gave me a headache. I just slept upright.

 

On the sixth day the ballcap came off. On the sixth, seventh and eigth day after surgery, I was so confident I went on three different dates, out to restaurants, no one noticed or suspected a thing. And believe me they are the type that would notice!

 

I also had no scabbing. I had a "second skin" bandage for three days, which kept the skin constently lubricated with antibiotic ointment. Between days three and six, I just waited for the pinkness to fade. A little hair covers any remaining pinkness very nicely. It is so light anyway, only I would notice. I am caucasion, fair complection.

 

I hope this helps. I too had judiciously studied the many pictures of guys looking messed up for weeks. Eyes swollen shut, scabby heads for weeks. This concern almost overrode my decision to get the transplant. What a shame that would have been.

[vocor1]

texone:

 

I admire your courage. A bit of reverse psychology: Just got an HT, gonna date vigorously right after. That's pretty cool.

So long as hair hangs over my donor scar, it'll be fine. I went to a Christmas dinner and New Year's dinner and it was fine. I still where a hat when I go to the store. Like I said, the back of my head below the suture line looks like "hat head".

I have some scabbing around the donor scar, but the scabs are pretty loose and come off easy. I'm still not comfortable cutting my hair short, though.

 

vocor1