Hello,

I am thinking of gettung a HT from doctor Hasson Wong.

I saw him 10 years ago when I was 21 and now I am 31...back in 1999 he suggested that i was too young and to go use Propecia.

Well I am now 31 and really considering it...i have a question for fellow HT clients.

I work in a office where i have to meet clients..the most time i can get off is 2 weeks...and i cant wear a hat..what are my options?After searching the site it looks like the scarring,reg pigment stay around for 6 months at least.

SRK735,

The answer I usually give patients on this very important question, is "as long as possible".

Ultimately, everyone heals at different rates, and there are a number of things to consider.

For instance, transplanted hair doesn't usually start to shed until between 2 to 4 weeks. Postoperative redness may last only a week in some patients but last a couple months in others. Staples and/or the scar may show in the donor area depending on how long you wear your hair. If the recipient area is shaved (Hasson and Wong does shave the recipient area), depending on how much natural hair you have, it could take several months for your hair to be back to the way it was. Shock loss can occur to existing hair when hair is transplanted in between or around it. This hair may not grow back for several months.

That said, you could potentially look pretty normal in a few weeks to a few months.

I hope this helps you prepare for what to expect after your hair transplant.

Best wishes,

Bill (Falc)

Hasson and Wong shaves the recipient area

I had a second HT 10 March 2009 and i still look pretty messy. The post op redness in the recipient area was fine at about 4 weeks and most of the transplanted hairs had shed but i suffered quite a bit of shock loss in the donor area and the scar is still pretty red. I was able to cover up my mpb with the hair cut i had but thats not possible now as there was quite a lot of shock loss to my existing hair.

Fortunately i can wear a hat but i'd honestly say 2 weeks would be too early if you want to get back into things without people noticing.

Wouldn't this also depend on the level of baldness? For example if you are NW5-6 and you get 4k-6k grafts....wouldn't everyone see that you have "something" done even after a few weeks?

SRK -

It definitely depends on the area you need to cover. I think the crown is fairly easy to hide. If you are dense packed in the front, there is a good chance you'll have redness that lasts 6 weeks to a three to 4 months.

If you're concerned I would definitely go to a doc that will let you keep your current hair long.

I'm 3 months and its still pretty noticeable if you looked for more than a few seconds. I also had a lot of grafts placed in the frontal 1/3 and had to shave.

Abe

Aside from the fact that the procedure might be noticable, you need to take as much time off as possible to allow for proper healing, and to regain your strenghth, remember, you could spend up to 10-12 hrs in a chair with thousnads of cuts being made to your scalp, plus all the meds, pain-killers, valium...The body and the mind can take quite a beating...Don't underestimate the post-op recovery...I think to many guys go for HT's without really nowing what there in for...Some get depressed, obbsesive, etc., ...Everyone always worries what they will look like on the "outside", when they should be thinking of what they will be like on the "inside"....My advice, if you can spend 20 or 30k on a HT, then you can afford to take at least one month off to recuperate....

Just a thought from the peanut gallery...

I agree with kaounis. A hair transplant is a once (or twice) in a lifetime thing for most people. It is a very important decision and it isn't like having a tooth extracted where your fine 24 hours later. Take as much time off as possible. Preferably 1-2 months and then you should be somewhat back to normal.

Who can realistically take 1-2 months off, though? I find it hard to believe that all the guys who get a HT can take that long off of work.

I would be fired for sure.