options for transplant post op months

[sapcote]

hi everyone, I'm on the verge of going for it and getting a transplant (approx 4000 grafts strip). I've got a question about the first few months post op. I've attached my pics below, you can see one where the hair is pulled apart revealing the true hairline (or complete lack of it!) and the other two pics where the hair is all brushed forward and across and sprayed down with hairspray (no concealer, never used it) show what people see when I go out.

I'm also on the verge of a major life change. Option A is to have the transplant done this jan/feb whilst i'm on vacation and then not return to my job as a foreign teacher overseas in March (there's many reasons for wanting to leave the job), i'd then essentially hibernate for 4-5 months not working whilst the hair grows in.

Option B is to return in March to my current job for the new year's contract after having got the transplant done in mid jan- feb. What do you think my hair will look like in march? Will it all have to be shaved off for the transplant or would only the middle bit of the head that is to receive the grafts have to be shaved? If the long bits of hair at the sides that I currently comb over into the middle are not shaved, I could used them to cover over the procedure I guess, but then wouldn't it look rather strange to have the very long sides and bits of stubble growing in the middle?? Alternatively, if the sides are shaved down, then I'd have to go out in public bald. I've never done that.
I'm currently a teacher in a foreign country; I don't know if I could go back to work in March 5 weeks or so after having had a transplant with a nice big bald head. And wearing a hat for 6 months every day would raise lots of eyebrows and questions.

I like the idea of not returning to my job in march, of taking 5 or 6 months off work to stay in a friend's house, read etc, and just wait in hibernation for the hair to grow. But then I think of the money i'll lose not working for those months!! I don't think i will mind telling people that i've had a transplant, although i'd really not want the whole school of kids and teachers knowing, but i'm more concerned about working and dealing with anybody whilst not looking very good. I'm very vain.

Any comments or suggestions or personal experiences people can share would be great, thanx

[mattj]

I'm pretty amazed that you can achieve the style in the first two photos with your level of hairloss. It even looks like you have a parting with thick hair growing in the frontal region.

I look at the revealing photo and don't see much hair left within the balding area, so even with this area shaved down for surgery I don't see you losing much of your ability to stay covered up.

Regarding your job, I think you should base that decision entirely on your prospects for finding new work after your rest period is over.

[Tracy C]

Any comments or suggestions or personal experiences people can share would be great, thanx

I hope you don't mind a feminine point of view... The comb over doesn't really look as good as you might think it does. Comb overs in general don't really look very good. A short and neat hair cut looks much better on balding men than a comb over. It's one of those "lesser of two evils" kind of things. I can imagine you without the comb over and the vision in my head looks much better. I can also imagine how you would look after a great hair transplant performed by a very gifted surgeon and I think it will look very nice. I am concerned about the size of your planned session though. But I am not a doctor so that concern may not be valid. I just feel that two smaller sessions spaced far enough apart for your scalp to normalize after the first session is a better way to go.

[sapcote]

cheers for your comments, yes I'm quite amazed at how ok looking I can get the hair to look after lots of spraying, but it's hard work and emotionally too hard to maintain, my hair's also thinned quite a bit on the top over the year making it harder to style....
always appreciate the female perspective tracy, one reason why i'm going to get the transplant now is because i no longer want to keep this style which at times can look bloody awful. Tracy, do you agree with the above poster that if i got the transplant I could pull off the look i've got now for a few months post op? i guess my plan would be to brush over the transplanted area until it grows in, and then get my hair short and evenly cut all over after, say, 5 or 6 months

I've read good and bad things about having a big strip session. both dr prathomavinch in person and Dr wong in an online consultation said they think they could get 4000 in one session.

[sapcote]

hi again, I've attached below a pic of a patient's before and after transplant photos i got from an advertisement. if i got approx 4000 grafts , could i expect to have hair as good as the SECOND pic? it's hard to see in that pic how much has been brushed from the sides and the back and how much is actually on the top of the head, (see my own hair pics for how it's so easy to disguise what isn't there!)
of course i'd love to have the hair he's got in that first picture after the surgery but i don't expect anything like that. i'd be happy enough with the hair he's got in that second pic (i don't mind the v shaped hairline at all)