3664 Follicular units (5665 hairs) with Dr. Hasson on Oct. 5th, 2007.

i think you'll have a lot of hair in a few months. congratulations.
I see dr hasson transplanted around that relatively strong patch of hair you've retained. Are u on the meds so as to try and keep it?

I personally like what I see. Thank God. Lately I have been posting negative stuff and it feels good to be positive again. Yah the shockloss sucks, but I believe it will come back and you'll be good to go/grow. I love the refinement and clean nature of your HT. Things will be grim for awhile but you'll be happier than a pig in shit shortly. I believe that Dr. Hasson has utilized the grafts in the most appropriate manor for you. Chin up. You'll be golden shortly as you have the perfect characteristics for the hair density.

I sometimes and worried about some H+W scars going outside of the safe zone........Also,,,any reason why so few hairs for such a high graft count?

Thanks josh-b: yes, I have been on Proscar since August and it seems working for me as I do not see any more hair falling out. I am excited about that.


Thanks NN for your encouragement. Yes, Dr. Hasson also told me that I have coarse hair characteristic which would be to my benefit to create an illusion of fullness.

Thanks wanthair for your honest comment. Do you think my scar goes out of the safe zone? About the hair count I am not really sure. However, I do remember that I did not have the laxity. I am thinking that might be the reason we were not able to get alot of individual hairs out of that many grafts. But I am not sure.

The only thing that I am concerned is the thinning around the scar. But I think it should grow back in about 3-4 months post-op. So, I have to wait another 2 months as I am only 7 weeks post-op.

KamCal,

Congratulations on your recent hair transplant and for choosing a first-rate hair transplant physician. From the immediately postoperative pictures, I feel you will have a really nice result.

Keep in mind however, that if you lose more natural hair in the areas where no hair was transplanted that you will need future hair transplant work in order to maintain a natural look. This is especially true due to the pattern of the transplanted hairs.

Other than the apparent shock loss in the donor area - your scar looks fine and is perfectly within the safe zone.

Do you have a further explanation of your hair count breakdown? Typically the average hairs per FU is 2.1 to 2.2. Doing the math, your hair count is only averaging 1.5 hairs per FU. Were additional single hairs created for the hairline? Did you happen to have very few 3 and 4 haired grafts? Many JoTronic will be able to give us the details on this if you don't have them.

Best wishes,

Falc

Thanks Falc for reassuring that my scar looks fine at 1.5 month post-op and is within the safe zone. However, I wish I did not have this nasty shock loss in the donor area. I hope I see some changes in the donor area within the next 2 months as I am approaching 4 months mark.

Unfortunately I do not have that info about the hair breakdown. However, I remember Dr. Hasson mentioned something along these lines that about 25% of the grafts were 3's and the rest were 1's and 2's. So, I guess I did not have any 4's?? But, I am not sure.

For the pattern of my HT, I asked it myself as I had lost more hair on that side of my head compare to the other side and I wanted to keep a balance. So far, Proscar is working great. I do hope I can keep the rest of my natural hair with it.

KamCal,

Shocked hairs typically return between 4-6 months. Sometimes keeping the sides and back shorter will camoflauge shock loss in the donor more than longer hair - just something to consider.

Some hair transplant patients just don't have 4 haired grafts and minimal 3s. You simply might just have a below average number of hairs per follicular unit graft which is fine. I was just wondering.

I'm glad to hear Proscar is working for you. The good news is, you can always go back for another hair transplant in the future if you need it.

Best wishes,

Falc

look very good, i was wondering if u tried to use something for the scar..i have similar shade of colour hair and found that a little "mascara" helped me. hope the spelling is correct. i found this helped conceal the scar fairly well.

Thanks Fallenstar for the little trick to conceal the scar.

Also, thanks Falc and Fallenstar for your comments on my weblog. I will definitely update this photo album and my weblog at the end of each month. Next week I will reach the 2-month mark, which I don't expect much visual difference from my 1st month photos.


One question: Do I have to worry about the sunburn damaging the grafts at 7 weeks post-op? So far, I've been wearing a hat to avoid direct exposure to sun. But, Can I go without wearing a hat at this point?


Thanks.
Kam

KamCal,

I would avoid the sun exposure still for approx. 1 month. Normally I think that 2 months is standard but in your case it is possible that your skin is a little more sensitive as noted by the shockloss.(Ofcourse shockloss many times has nothing to do with the skin) Also, likely the area where the shockloss is hasn't seen sun in a long time or ever and you don't want to further aggravate that area.

You can use mascara, but there is a product that is better and its called Dermatch. You can also use it to thicken things up a bit until your hair grows in. Good luck.

Thanks NN for your quick respond. You are right. I will avoid sun exposure for another few months maybe till all the transplanted hairs and the shocked ones have grown out. I don't want to take a risk at this point.

Thanks.
KamCal

Kam and NN,

Actually, it is best to avoid sun exposure to the scalp for approximately 3 months though I wonder if there are some varying opinions on this between hair restoration physicians.

IMO, I would wear a hat as much as you can if you are going to be in the sun for an extended period of time.

I admit that even though my hair transplant is pretty well matured that due to the fact that I don't have a "full head of hair" like I did in high school, that I wear a hat at the beach even still. I know the hair won't be damaged but I just simply hate sunburn of the scalp .

Falc

KamCal,

Good to see you posting. First, the donor shock loss will come back at roughly the same time as the new grafts. Try to be patient and it will turn our alright.

Second, we ask that you prevent sunburn of your scalp for six months. This of course could vary from case to case depending on how much native hair is in the recipient area but there is a good reason for the standard precaution.

It takes roughly six months for most of the new grafts to break ground so during this time we feel the scalp should be protected. This does not mean you have to wear a hat outdoors every minute of the day. It just means you need to be weary of your surrounding and how long you've had direct exposure. When the scalp gets burned the tissue is damaged and the more it is burned the deeper the damage goes. You don't want this so until the grafts have sprouted we feel it makes sense to give them all the opportunity they deserve to come through. Is this overdoing it? Maybe a bit but like I said it's a general suggestion and would depend on the amount of native hair growing in to conceal the recipient area for a case by case analysis.

Don't worry too much about this though. Just use some common sense and if you are going to be outside in the sun for extended periods of time take a hat to cover up after a while. If you're running to the store or are just going to be outside for a short while then don't worry about it.

Looks real good! I think your results in the end will prove to be quite outstanding....scar and all! This is when patience is something of a necessity. So practice it well and enjoy the new you coming soon.

Thanks Falc and Joe for your encouraging words and advice. Yes, as both of you mentioned, I will avoid sun exposure till at least 6 month mark. Who knows maybe even longer depends on my result at that point.... As a matter of fact, wearing a hat is not bothering me at all. Just curious to see for example if I could go out without a hat for a few minutes to get the mail from the mailbox or run to the store, etc. And I did get my answer.

Thanks Bobman. I know patience plays a key role in situations like this. To be honest with you Bobman, if it wasn't because of your result along with Joe and Falc's from H&W, I wouldn't probably go to Hasson and Wong in Canada. I still eagerly follow your third HT progress and I am sure this one will be as great as the other two. And the scar will look even better with the Tri-closure.

Also, believe it or not, I am enjoying this bald looking of mine these days as I know I will never look like this anymore in the next comming months. Kinda wierd enjoyment!! huh?

Thanks.
KamCal

kamkal..
i was sharing the same thought about seeing myself bald for the last time hopefully :-)
not too worried about the slightly wierd hair-cut. i went to work today with office lighting and no-one noticed any difference..phew!
so i await now patiently till next spring/summer time.
in the meantime happy healing & growing to you, bruv

FS

Thanks Fallenstar for sharing your feeling. I am in the same boat. I still have to wear a hat at work though because of the shock loss around the scar. I just ordered some Dermmatch today. Hopefully, it will do a good job at concealing the scar. Also, I decided to let my hair grow a littile longer for a while since I plan to take off my hat at work. I don't know how everyone will react!! So, we'll see.

One question:
I am running out of the special shampoo Dr. Hasson provided as I am approaching the 2-month mark. Can I switch back to my regular shampoo that I used before HT? Or should I go buy some baby shampoo?


Thanks.
KamCal

Good luck at work,
i am 3.5 weeks post HT now and am using normal shampoo that contains vitamin E. no probs for me. i think other will add their feedback, but unless i mistaken, should be business as usual IMO.

kind reg,
FS

Kamcal,

You can use any shampoo you like now.