24 days post op

[cep]

Hello everybody. I am a 40 something female who is 24 days post op. No complaints, but just very anxious. I keep thinking that it won't work, that I will wind up worse that before, etc. Can any woman (or man) out there relate? Is this normal? How long have most of you had to wait to see the results?

Thanks!!!

[Plum]

Hello from one female to another! I too have had surgery, twice actually.... I am 4 months post-op right now and am slowly starting to see some growth come in. I had quite a bit of shock loss so it will be some time still before I don't feel so naked in the front. :P

I have to say that after my first surgery, I had this huge dreadful feeling the night following the surgery. I woke up in the middle of the night and thought "what the heck did I do to myself?!" and "what if this totally fails?!?". Believe me, feeling like that is completely normal, especially given that this is not exactly a quick result procedure. It can take 8-12 months to see your full results if not longer, especially if you are judging the result when your hair is all back to its normal length.

Anyway, congratulations on your surgery! I know what a big step it is to take! Happy growing and keep us posted on how things are going!

[cep]

Thanks!

Thank you so much for your response! You have no idea how great it makes me feel. I have a bald patch in the back from a scar, and could style to cover it, but now obviously cannot for a while, so I too am feeling very "naked." I am so glad that you had good results from your first ht, and are seeing the results from the second! Until I started researching this I thought I was the only woman on the planet experiencing hair loss. It feels good to not be alone!

[Plum]

You are very welcome and I'm glad I could help. Now it's the waiting game, which can seem like forever! Hang in there. You know where to come for some moral support.... right here!

[fitness]

Average Graft amount

Hello,

I am so glad I found this site...I too have decided to have a HT (follicular unit grafting). I have been using rogaine for about 3 months but it seems too cumbersome. I also use Toppik to cover up my bald area in the front of my head. Anyway, my question is, what is the average amount of grafts one should have?

I'm sure it varies but is the average for a female? This can get quite pricey at $4.00 per graft, which is what the surgeon I choose charges.

Please advice.

[cep]

hi Fitness

I had a scar in the back of my scalp filled in and had part of the hairline filled in (traction alopecia from tight ponytails). I had 1850 grafts total, or just under. They actually had more grafts than needed, so went up the parting as well. Although not cheap, way less than it would have been in the old days when each graft cost around 15 dollars

[Plum]

Hello,

I am so glad I found this site...I too have decided to have a HT (follicular unit grafting). I have been using rogaine for about 3 months but it seems too cumbersome. I also use Toppik to cover up my bald area in the front of my head. Anyway, my question is, what is the average amount of grafts one should have?

I'm sure it varies but is the average for a female? This can get quite pricey at $4.00 per graft, which is what the surgeon I choose charges.

Please advice.

I have to agree with you that Rogaine can be cumbersome, especially since it needs to be applied daily, and it's not something that you can stop and start since you'll tend to lose any growth you had gained if you stop using it.

You are right that the number of grafts will vary. It depends on the area you wish to cover, how dense your donor area is and how flexible your scalp is. In my case, my first procedure was just over 2400 grafts and my second was 1800. I don't know exactly what the measured area that was covered in each procedure was, but I can say that my hair is quite fine but I had decent donor supply so I needed a relatively higher number of grafts to achieve a good density.

And don't forget, it is important to make sure you are a candidate for the surgery too. Have you had any consultations with any hair transplant physicians yet, particularly the one you are interested in going to? If not, I would highly recommend you do, and most certainly with a highly regarded surgeon. This is not a procedure you want to get done by just anyone just because it might be less expensive elsewhere.

The price per graft you mentioned sounds very reasonable. There are all kinds of financing options if needed. Alternatively, you could potentially have two smaller sessions instead of one larger one so that you can spread the costs out over a much longer period of time. The tradeoff of course is that you would end up having more than one surgery so you would have to go through the recovery process twice. I remember after my first surgery, I told myself I would never put myself through this again...and look what I went and did....I had a second surgery!

I hope this has helped even a little. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!

[fitness]

Procedure

I did have a consult with the surgeon & he seems to be a high regarded surgeon (Dr. Scott Alexander) according to the research I have done.

One thing I forgot to ask him...do they shave the area?!!! I would honestly have to plan this out, I work with the public & can't wear hats. From the pics I have seen the males seem shaved; females I can't really tell.

[cep]

donor strip

Honestly, I couldn't even see the staples when they were in. Now that they are out I have tried to find a shaved area and have not been able to do so. I think that the way they suture the skin together you are left with virtually no visible shaved area back there (at least that's how its been with me). I will warn you though, due to the fact that some of the hair that is shaved is not shaved completely (some is still hanging on a bit) it is not uncommon to have a few small clumps coming out the first few times you run a comb through it. This had me in a panic even though I new what it was, and my doctor confirmed it. After a few (and I mean not much at all) came out it did not happen again. Just thought I would share that in case you experience this, its really nothing!

[fitness]

So are you saying they do shave the area where they transplant the hair? Mine is right in the front...

[cep]

Oh no, don't worry about the front. They do not shave the recipient area, just the donor area in the back, then they suture the skin together back there. I cannot see any shaved patch or scar, nothing. They will just transplant the hair into the front, recipient area of your head, and no shaving there. They transplant the hair in among the existing hair. A lot of women will suffer from temporary shedding of some of the existing hair, which will all grow back in with then grafts.

[fitness]

Thank you

Whew! I'm so glad the shaved area is in the back & not the front. Thanks for the clarification. You have been very helpful & informative. Have a great day!

[Plum]

Not all physicians will shave the recipient area, but many do. It depends on what the preferred method of that particular surgeon is. With Dr. Alexander, I am not sure....

My recipient area was shaved for my first procedure. Because of that, I ended up wearing hats in the office for a couple of months as I was not comfortable to do otherwise. People thought I was starting a new trend and in fact, when I stopped wearing them, I was told they really liked them and thought they were funky and different (in a good way) and said I should wear them again.

For my second surgery, the recipient area was not shaved, but I ended up having a lot of the surrounding hair fall out anyway. Looking back, I guess I can say that it was relatively easier to style my hair to conceal the transplant easier after the non-shaved procedure than following the shaved one, but it was still quite awkward in both cases. I still felt pretty bald in front each time!

[fitness]

HT Update

Well I had my hair transplant on 9/8/10. Boy that was a painful experience! I had a terrible reaction to the pain medication (hydrocodone). I feel much better now but some parts of the transplant area still feel numb. According to the doctor that should go away.

I was using Rogaine but began to notice facial hair that is turning dark!!!
I normally have very fine, light (blonde) hair on my face but not dark. It is hardly noticeable & honestly when I noticed it, I thought they were blackheads until I looked closer. I opted for applying Rogaine only at night & covering my head but now I plucked a few, new dark hairs close to my upper lip. I'm horrified of growing facial hair! I don't want to continue using the medication, afraid of growing more dark facial hair. Now I'm faced with the dilema of stopping the Rogaine crossing my fingers my hair doesn't fall out. I hope the hair from the transplant comes in soon.

Any suggestions? What would you do if you were in my shoes? I appreciate any suggestions.