I have a question. Does anyone have an idea of what doctors will be willing to do a HT strip of 3000 grafts on someone without shaving their front 1/3 where the grafts will be placed? What I mean are there any HT doctors that are willing to plant large numbers of grafts (3000-3500) around existing hairs without shaving them?

I am going to Dr. Rahal in Ottawa on April 4th, and now I am worried that I will have to shave my head making it even more noticable that I had a HT when I return to work in 7 days. I just sent Dr. Rahal an email asking about it. I will hear from him tomorrow. I am a bit nervous that he will refuse to work on me if I don't have the front 1/3 shaved. Can you please share your experiences with me on this subject. I look forward to learning more about this!

Thank You

Obviously I can tell from your posts that you are really starting to pannick a little about the shaved head thing. I have responded 3 times now and I know that you are waiting for others to give their 2 cents. Have you posted pictures for us to evaluate? I can't remember.

The amount of native hair and the current pattern that you have is a factor. There was a recent post I believe it was a H&W patient that had approx. 3200 FU without being shaved. There are several factors that are at play in determining whether the doc chooses to shave or not.

What I was trying to say also is that with a session of that size, unless you have a lot of native hair to hide work, it still might be noticeable going back to work after 7 days. It might not be but every patient heals differently. Just my opinion so that you know what to expect.

Hairfree,

Some doctors require shaving and some do not. Honestly, I'm not sure if Dr. Rahal requires shaving or not. A strong case has been made for the benefits of shaving the recipient area, however, if this is something that is impossible for you, talk with Dr. Rahal and see what he says. If he requires shaving, there are other doctors that you could go to that do quality work as well that do not require shaving.

Falc

Hi Hairfree

The above two said it.. Ask Dr.Rahal as some do shave and ome don't.. Either way, you can get great results

If there is a benefit to shaving the recipient area, any at all, then wouldn't it be worth it to look silly for a month in order to look better for the rest of your life?

I think that's what you ought to be worrying about, not whether anyone will know you had a ht. Who cares if they know, you're not doing it for yourself

Hey Falc...congrats on your 2000 posts a bit ago.

Thank you for all of your input. I have a better understanding now what to expect. I just heard from Dr. Rahal's office and they said he will just trim my hair down, not shave it. Not sure what that means but its a bit of a relief. I will just make the best of it. I will work with them on it and I will be prepared to return to work with it being noticable. What did you tell people at work when they asked??

All of you made a good point. This is something for life not something I should be worried about in the meantime. Here is an interesting concept. I attended a workshop about people dealing with a loss (death, tragedy, ect) of a family member, etc. with a psychologist for work. The psychologist explained that people go thru the 5 steps in dealing with it (anger, denial, bargaining, acceptance, etc.). I think that I got stuck at the Denial stage My hairloss was a slow progression that I assumed I still had hair for some time!! I think now I have come to acceptance and going to do something about it. I wish I had done something sooner!

Where can I buy MSM? I am interested in starting with it to have healthier hair and maybe it will help minimize shockloss?

HAIRFREE

Nervousnelly..im at work. I will post a pic from home. You can find a pic of me under post of DR. RAHAL..APRIL 4th in SURGEON REVIEWS forum.

Yes- There's ton's of threads on the benefits of shaving. I didn't have to for HT#1 but the session size was small, I did for HT #2 with the larger session. I took 2 weeks off work and the only thing noticable by that time was my new, ultra-short haircut.

I've looked into having some hairline work done in the future and must confess I really would prefer not having to shave down again. If I do it, I likely will have it shaved as it means a more quality HT all the way around...........as was said, it will last you the rest of your life so put it in prospective.

MSM can be purchasede at Walmart - like about everything else it seems !