New Guy -- posting from Iraq -- couple of questions.

[Manny]

Whats up people,

I am currently deployed to Iraq (army) and to kill boredem on my down timeI have been reading threads on this site for the past couple of weeks and i have decided that i want to get HT once i get back (i have been thinking about getting one for a while)

ok the questions are-

Im 24 years old and i keep my head bald due to receding hair line. i want to know how long do my hair have to be before i can get a HT (do i have to grow my hair or can i just go in bald?). thing is, once i get back to the states, im going to get a month off and i want to get my HT done within that month.

do you guys think it would be possible to return to work after a month w/o being noticed (scars or scabs)?

also, can i continue to shave to my head until the transplanted hair actually grow?

also for FUE, can the donor area be the chest hair or does it have to be head?

advance thanks for your help.

[SpencerKobren]

Originally Posted by Manny

Whats up people,

I am currently deployed to Iraq (army) and to kill boredem on my down timeI have been reading threads on this site for the past couple of weeks and i have decided that i want to get HT once i get back (i have been thinking about getting one for a while)

ok the questions are-

Im 24 years old and i keep my head bald due to receding hair line. i want to know how long do my hair have to be before i can get a HT (do i have to grow my hair or can i just go in bald?). thing is, once i get back to the states, im going to get a month off and i want to get my HT done within that month.

do you guys think it would be possible to return to work after a month w/o being noticed (scars or scabs)?

also, can i continue to shave to my head until the transplanted hair actually grow?

also for FUE, can the donor area be the chest hair or does it have to be head?

advance thanks for your help.

Hey Manny,

Welcome to the forum and thank you for your service to our country! It’s an honor to have the opportunity to thank you personally.

Surgical hair restoration can be a great option for the right candidate, but it’s important to understand that it’s not a one size fits all cosmetic procedure. I’m not sure how long you've been actively researching hair transplantation, but from the questions that you’re asking, I can tell that you might not be ready to take the plunge. This is big decision that will effect the rest of your life so you need to understand the entire process before moving forward.

Once you go “under the knife” you will no longer have the option to shave your head to the bone without revealing either a linear scar, if you undergo conventional harvesting methods, or small white dot scars if you undergo an FUE procedure. Even under the best circumstances, the healing process can be different for each individual. It is possible that you’ll be ready to go back to work after a month or it might not work out that way for you.

At this point, I think you should continue to do your research and perhaps when you get back to the states you can begin the consultation process to better assess your situation.

Remember, if you are a good candidate for hair restoration surgery, it will always be there for you. There's no reason to rush into the process, even if you do have some vacation time coming up

I’m sure one of our physician experts will provide some guidance here as well. I wish you a safe return to the states and the best of luck.

[Manny]

Thanks for the response spencer.

I have been thinking about transplant for a while but i didn't have the funds for it. now that i have a little bit of money saved up, im looking at different sites and forums to see what my best option would be.

As far as shaving my head, i think i can give that up for a while. 6 to 8 months of embarassment seems worth it once the hair grow back.

[Raymond Konior, MD]

Manny

I agree that you should be in no rush to do this. You should have at least a couple of personal consultations with reputable physicians so that you fully understand what you are getting into. A young man with early balding may become an old man with extensive hair loss. You need to have an idea of what pattern you may wind up with later in life so that you are prepared for what may be required later in life.

You will have to consider FUE as the treatment of choice if you plan on leaving your hair so short since the strip scar would be visible with a shaved head or with very short hair. FUE also leaves scars, but they are tiny circular scars that may or may not be apparent with a shaved head depending on the color of your skin and your healing characteristics. Anyone with average healing characteristics should look very good and show no significant evidence of residual healing one month following surgery. You can resume shaving once the recipient site has healed – this will not be a problem at the one month mark. I would not recommend that you consider chest hair since that type of hair will not have the characteristics of your native hair. Only scalp hair will recreate a completely natural look in your frontal scalp.

[the B spot]

Hey Dr. Konior! Glad to see you over here! I sent a misguided chap to call Tom and stop him from making a mistake with a local chain clinic. If he is even a candidate, I encouraged him to share his experiences online as others need to see more of your work. (for those who do not know, Dr. K does excellent work)

Manny-- your doing the right thing--just take your time, continue to ask more questions, call and talk to clinics, and get an overall understanding of how these decisions will affect you now and in the future.

Take Care,
Jason

[mhoffma1]

Hey Manny,

First of all, thank you very much for your service.

You know, you don't have to let your hair grow in THAT much in order to have enough coverage to cover the donor scar. I keep my hair pretty close-cropped, but I kept it just long enough to cover my scar after I had my HT done a few weeks ago. And you can still keep the top pretty short while fading the back to be just long enough to cover the scar while it heals (I'm not talking mullet here, just a fade!) And it sounds like you are only continually shaving it because of the fact that it's receding, but once it starts to grow in, you won't have to do that anymore (assuming this will be during your post-service life, when you don't have to keep it military length). As you will see if you poke around this site enough, you SHOULD DEFINITELY go with an IAHRS doctor to do the work -- start looking in the local area you will be living in after you leave the military, and then maybe when you have your vacation you can just go in for a consultation so you know what to expect and have all your questions answered.

Best of luck and I wish you a safe return home.

--Michael

[PayDay]

Manny, thanks for your service and bravery!!! You have come to the the right place to do your research and going IAHRS is the way to go if you have a hair transplant. But I think that taking your time is a good suggestion since you are so young. Go out and meet with some IAHRS doctors before deciding.
Have a safe return home!
Good luck!
Paul

[Manny]

i appreciate the responses people.