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  1. #1
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    Default transplant nightmare

    I am a 33 year old male who began to thin in my mid 20's. I really didn't notice at the time (I was in the military and kept my hair very short). When my mother saw me for the first time in 4 years she was shocked at how thin my hair had become and immediately pulled out a bottle of toppik which she uses for her very thin hair. I was not interested but she sprinkled some into my hair anyway. I was amazed. I liked it. I hadn't realized how thin my hair had become. I really, really liked the way my hair suddenly looked so thick. That was when the whole horror story began. For a while the toppik was a miracle. I sprinkled a tiny bit on, used a little hair spray and it looked great. My gf at the time who hadn't seen me for a few weeks said "wow. your hair got so much darker!" I told her of course, but she was still shocked at how well it worked. There would be a little greenish colored sweat coming from my head when I sweated profusely but other than that it was a real miracle. Needless to say my hair continued to get thinner and I was now using tons of the stuff along with this scalp paint. I was not happy with the situation. I saw commercials for hair transplants and jumped at the opportunity. WORST decision of my whole life!!! I must say that the doctor pretty much did everything to steer me in another direction. He was very moral about the whole thing. It was only after months of persistence on my part that he relented and performed the graft. It was ok at first. I kept using the toppik and now I had a little more of my own hair to work with, but I did have to keep my hair much longer b/c the scar was a million times worse than I thought it would be. Soon, however, the thinning got worse and worse and toppik and couvre were simply not an option. I was too thin on top to use concealors so I just decided to bite the bullet and shave my head (not with a razor - with a # 1 guard). I thought it looked ok - except for the really huge scar at the back. I didn't look good but I didn't think that I looked bad. I showed up at work the next day (almost exactly 1 year ago) and aside from some days in the army it was the worst day of my life. I had never been made to feel so bad about myself. People said the most unbelievably hurtful things imaginable. I was the butt of everyone's jokes, people stared, gaped, laughed, and asked "Why on earth did you do that?". Nonetheless I said "they'll get used to it" and kept on keeping on. It did not abate. Weeks went by and then months and the ridicule continued. I couldn't believe it but I was starting to become seriously depressed. I had always been a very proud man and very self-confident. Now I was becoming a recluse. I was miserable. I didn't want to face the world anymore. A female friend approached me and said "jack, you've got to get a hair piece. A shaved head is fine but with your scars you look very scary and unattractive" I basically said that I would sooner die, but after months of misery I finally relented and got a rug. I've been wearing a rug for close to a year now. I hate it. There's not a day that goes by that I don't want to tear it off and just shave my head. Sometimes it looks ok, but most of the time it looks like a ridiculous joke. The thing is it placates the people at work. They know I'm wearing a rug, but its easier to look at than my bald horribly scarred pate so nobody says anything positive or negative. The rug is such an unbelievable pain in the neck - every aspect of it. I hate it so much. I hate the fact that I have to wear it to conceal the scars from the worst decision of my life. All I want is to shave my head and be free of this but I saw what happened when I did that. People did not get used to it even after months and as far as women were concerned - forget it. That sugery ruined my life. I try to think of the rug as if it were an eye patch, something to conceal what's underneath not to fool anyone into thinking that I have hair. I will never blame the doctor b/c he basically did all he could to talk me out of the procedure. It is my fault completely. My vanity did this to me. All those sites that say "just shave your head. everyone will get used to it in a couple of days" Please! If you're young, losing your hair and thinking of a HT STOP!!! Talk to the doc. about every aspect of the procedure - how thick the donor area is, what to realistically expect, how HUGE the scar will be. Honestly, don't do it. You'll end up like me - can't shave my head, stuck in a frickin rug, social life gone. I curse myself everyday for my rash decision that has basically ruined my life. I am more miserable than I could ever convey in words. Going bald sux, but the "solutions" just make it all worse. As I said the doctor did virtually do everything he could to convince me not to do it. He made me wait months, talk to patients who had undergone the procedure, showed me that my donor area was not ideal, told me NOT to expect anything like full coverage. What can I say? I am an absolute idiot.

    This is before with toppik





    This is when I still had hair but shaved it



    This is the only pic I could find of myself with my own hair and no concealers



    And this is right now with the rug


  2. #2
    Doctor Representative mattj's Avatar
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    I'm sorry to hear about your plight. Have you never considered propecia for your hairloss?
    I know you wish you'd never had surgery, but have you considered that you might be repairable?

    Lastly, does your mother always have a bottle of toppik on her or were you just lucky that day?
    I am a patient and representative of Dr Rahal

    My FUE With Dr Rahal - Awesome Hairline Result

    I can be contacted for advice: matt@rahalhairline.com

  3. #3
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    Default

    I am sure my mother would love to know that you are knocking the fact that she suffers from alopecia as well. I did in fact try propecia. I used it for years - while I was using concealers, but stopped when I realized that the battle was lost i.e. when there was more powder and paint on my scalp than hair follicles.


    Quote Originally Posted by mattj View Post
    I'm sorry to hear about your plight. Have you never considered propecia for your hairloss?
    I know you wish you'd never had surgery, but have you considered that you might be repairable?

    Lastly, does your mother always have a bottle of toppik on her or were you just lucky that day?

  4. #4
    Doctor Representative mattj's Avatar
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    Oh, sorry, I didn't consider that your mother might use it herself. And I was replying to this:

    When my mother saw me for the first time in 4 years she was shocked at how thin my hair had become and immediately pulled out a bottle of toppik. I was not interested but she sprinkled some into my hair anyway.
    Which probably amused anyone who read the post before you edited it. So if you felt your words originally lacked vital context it wasn't exactly reasonable to be so touchy.

    I only wanted to help. So it seems that you have lost a lot of hair, and have areas that are too far gone for concealers, and propecia lost effectiveness or didn't do anything at all.
    Without knowing how much hair has been lost in total we can't tell if you could still benefit from a transplant, but if not there are options to improve the scar. The scar can be re-opened and closed so that it is thinner. You can have grafts taken via the FUE method and then used to help disguise the scar. It is also possible to have the scar tissue covered with tiny dot tattoos which mimic stubble, but you'd need to research thoroughly as the results probably vary a great deal. There was a thread somewhere which showed this and the results were surprisingly good.

    I don't know if you do have any interest in trying to minimize the scar as I'm sure you know you won't be able to make it disappear, so perhaps yours is just a cautionary tale, but a lot of guys have gone from looking truly shocking to normal, so you might be surprised.
    I am a patient and representative of Dr Rahal

    My FUE With Dr Rahal - Awesome Hairline Result

    I can be contacted for advice: matt@rahalhairline.com

  5. #5
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    You are quite right. As originally worded it sounded a bit funny that my mother just happened to have a bottle of toppik at hand. I did not explain that she suffers from female pattern baldness and has been using it for years. Sorry about being so touchy. This is just a touchy subject.

    I actually would be interested in minimizing the scar. I have researched dermabrasion (sp?) and "stubble" tattooing. I worry, however, that doing anything else would just make things worse....not that they could really be any worse. Can you tell me more about the possibilities of minimizing the appearance of the scar?


    Quote Originally Posted by mattj View Post
    Oh, sorry, I didn't consider that your mother might use it herself. And I was replying to this:



    Which probably amused anyone who read the post before you edited it. So if you felt your words originally lacked vital context it wasn't exactly reasonable to be so touchy.

    I only wanted to help. So it seems that you have lost a lot of hair, and have areas that are too far gone for concealers, and propecia lost effectiveness or didn't do anything at all.
    Without knowing how much hair has been lost in total we can't tell if you could still benefit from a transplant, but if not there are options to improve the scar. The scar can be re-opened and closed so that it is thinner. You can have grafts taken via the FUE method and then used to help disguise the scar. It is also possible to have the scar tissue covered with tiny dot tattoos which mimic stubble, but you'd need to research thoroughly as the results probably vary a great deal. There was a thread somewhere which showed this and the results were surprisingly good.

    I don't know if you do have any interest in trying to minimize the scar as I'm sure you know you won't be able to make it disappear, so perhaps yours is just a cautionary tale, but a lot of guys have gone from looking truly shocking to normal, so you might be surprised.

  6. #6
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    There's a lot that ca be done to improve widened scars. You should post some images of the scar so some of the experts here can give you advice. Also did you ever use couvre or demmatch on the scar?

  7. #7
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    Dear Jack 21 -
    Thanks for sharing your story. I have empathy for what you're going through. But I must say, your pictures show you as a very handsome man. I am sure you're just as physically attractive bald with a scar as you are with a cover up.
    As a woman in my 30s, I experienced hair shedding for 18 months. Doctors said medically there was nothing causing this...though in their eyes it was probably considered very moderate hair loss. I tried Rogaine amongst other regimens, but nothing helped. Then, desperate for a solution, I decided to try the herb Saw Palmetto. Research suggested that the herb protected hair follicles from being attacked by the enzyme DHT. Amazingly, and much to my surprise, within a week my hair loss subsided! A miracle! After a few months of taking Saw Palmetto each day, my hair thickness returned to normal.
    The effectiveness of Saw Palmetto in my case proved itself again......I'd been taking the herb about a year with much success, but I took a break from the herb for a week when I went on an overseas trip.....guess what, my hair began shedding after a week of being off the herb! This validated the power of Saw Palmetto a supplement to impede hair loss caused by DHT. (And it's known to ward off prostate issues in men.)
    Here is a picture of me today!
    Jack21, I hope you don't beat yourself up for having the hair transplant surgery. I would have done the same thing. The scar may improve in time. Over the counter creams (silicone) and lasers can help lessen the scar's appearance. Please know you're handsome regardless!
    Best regards
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version

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  8. #8
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    Hi, How much Saw Palmetto do you take and or recommend>

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by UnBald View Post
    Hi, How much Saw Palmetto do you take and or recommend>
    None
    I know nothing of saw palmetto and think it's a waste of time
    If it actually grew or mainained hair the world would know about it

  10. #10
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    Wow i am more confused than ever, some people on this site say their scar is un-noticeable but everyone who has replied to this particular question is anti-ht. I am 33 yrs old have been balding since 25-26 i am missing at least 3 to four inches of my hairline. I wear a hat everywhere i go. I have missed out on so much of life to the point i seriously would pay anything to look somewhat normal again. Never wanted to go the hairpiece route and was seriously thinking about a ht either strip or fue. After reading your response and others i have no idea of what to do. I do have questions hopefully u or others can answer: 1. How come most of the surgeons or doctors on this site say the scars of today are virtually invisible or very very small as they constitute big long scars to earlier trasplants and their procedures. 2. Is anyone ever satisfied with the results from their ht and was it a fue or strip procedure? 3. What after the ht do u as the patient have to do to receive the best results and what are the absolute no-no's. Also is their a surgeon or dr. who has great results in illinois or should i consider going elsewhere. Or as jack and others state live with it, but i truly truly hate living my life under a hat.

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