1st HT on Wednesday (June 3) with Dr. Rahal

[AlexinToronto]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum. I've read a number of posts and actually learned about Dr. Rahal a year ago here. I decided to go with him because he seems to be among the best, most affordable and the closest to me (I live in Toronto and he's in Ottawa).

To make a long story short: I'm 26 years old, diffuse thinning and have more or less come to terms with my hairloss (must admit that concealers have certainly helped me come to grips). I used minoxidil for a while with minimal results and stopped. Also tried Proscar but had terrible side effects (became depressed and felt detached/slow).

Getting a HT was pretty much not an option until I started working a decent job a few years ago and saving up. When I realized that it was something I could consider, I booked a consultation with Dr. Rahal and the rest is history.

So far, I feel pretty composed overall. I thought I'd be a basket case at this point but I'm alright. I do have one serious concern though... And would appreciate any advice out there:

What should I tell everyone post-op? I've decided that I don't want people to know I've had a HT. With my diffuse thinning and the concealers, I think the transition may be smooth enough to get away with it. My best friends cousin got a hair transplant and is relatively open about it, but as a result it's the type of thing that people are constantly whispering about. Not a big deal, but would rather not carry that around with me for the foreseeable future...

For those of you who have had this done and decided not to disclose, what did you tell people during the first 2 months post-op?

Any advice is appreciated... Thanks,
Alex

[thejack]

There isn't any excuse that I can think of that would deceive people. Get as much time off work as possible and hibernate

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

What line of work are you in? Sometimes people can talk to their employer and tell them that they had something removed from the scalp and the doctor has recommended keeping it covered (baseballl cap) for 1-2 weeks. You can still use the concealers while at work if necessary. I would wash off each night after work.

[AlexinToronto]

Thanks for the feedback.

Dr. Glenn, I work in sales (real estate). Assuming I'm feeling alright in about a week and the swelling is down, I can get back to work with a hat. I hope to have enough growth in a month or so to start using Toppik (usually use dermatch but Toppik would probably be wiser in recipient area without the rubbing).

I've decided to tell people that I had a Trichilemma cyst removed (benign cyst in scalp). As a result, I had to have my hair shaved down and there are stitches I'd rather cover with the hat.... I hate lying to everyone but I don't see any other realistic way of handling this.

Does anyone have any thoughts on Dr. Rahal? I've read a lot of posts but many are from 2006/2007 (all very positive). Any more recent experiences?

[gmonasco]

I've decided to tell people that I had a Trichilemma cyst removed (benign cyst in scalp). I hate lying to everyone but I don't see any other realistic way of handling this.

Why not simply say, "I had surgery on my head"? If any co-workers press for details, just tell them, "I'd rather not talk about it now." That way you needn't engage in any lies.

[CIT_Girl]

Good luck with your transplant tomorrow! I say just be vague with any explanation- most people will be too polite to pry and this way you don't have to lie.

[gillenator]

Why not simply say, "I had surgery on my head"? If any co-workers press for details, just tell them, "I'd rather not talk about it now." That way you needn't engage in any lies.

I agree. You can still tell the truth without getting into details. Look people directly in the eye when conversing and chances are they will leave the subject alone.

[gillenator]

Oh, forgot to mention, best wishes on your procedure!

[Plum]

Congratulations on your decision to go with Dr. Rahal. I had a procedure done by him a couple of years ago.

I have found the approach of saying "I had surgery" and "I'd rather not get into detail" works very well. In my experience, people know better than to probe further for the most part and are quite respectful of one's privacy. Of course, it depends on the type of people who you work with too.

Good luck with your surgery! You are in great hands! And be sure to share how your experience went.

[AlexinToronto]

Thank you for all your replies. How did your HT go with Dr. Rahal, Plum? Are you happy with the results?

I'm a couple days post-op now. All things considered, I don't think the process could've gone much better. Of course I can't speak to the actual results (will post those in 4 - 6 months) but the procedure was smooth and I was very impressed. Dr. Rahal and I met in his office. We discussed my hair in detail. I was starting to feel incredibly anxious as I knew it was only a matter of minutes before I would enter the operating room and have the graphs removed (by far, the most unnerving part of the process for me).

When I did go into the operating room, I was given an "anti-anxiety" shot (sort of like a stronger version of valium) and it quickly put me at ease. I can hardly even recall that moment up until about two hours later, when I was sitting in another operating room with the technicians planting the graphs into the recipient area. The donor removal process followed by Dr. Rahal creating my new recipient area (with the tiny incisions) is all a blur at this point.

The whole process took about 6 or 7 hours and I had just over 2600 graphs planted. It was pouring rain when we finished so Dr. Rahal drove me to my B&B (few blocks away).

Regarding my "story", I hate to lie, but I just can't have this sort of thing lingering forever. I've been telling people that I had a "Pilar Cyst" removed. It's a benign cyst that is removed from the scalp. In most cases, I don't need to say more than "had to undergo a very minor operation and will be wearing a hat for a few months". This is the sort of thing that people will quickly forget about and that will be that...