Hey guys, I'm new on this site. Unfortunately for me, I only discovered this "gem" after making advanced payment for my HT. Nevertheless, all info I gathered so far has helped alleviate my worries somewhat. Thanks.

Anyway, I'm a week removed from the procedure. The scabs from the recepient area has already started falling off while the donor area is still sore. I'll have the sutures removed next week. So guys, when can I start playing tennis again? I used to play 4 times a week and now my buddies have started calling me - and I'm slowly running out of excuses.

Another thing, when is a good time to enjoy the beach again - and I mean taking a dip and swim in the sea water? Thanks a lot

I've heard various things from various doctors about when you can return to "exercise"; the largest unknown factor in the equation being what type of exercise, and specifically how intense, how much strain on your HT-sites. Also, from what I've read, once the sutures are removed and the grafts have become firmly entrenched, the primary (potential) dilemma surrounds making your scar worse.

Based off of what doctors have told me, it could be 1 month it could be 6 months.

Tennis seems like a relatively "good" activity to be engaged in regarding how soon you can return. It all comes down to risk tolerance in the end. There is a very large thread all about this very topic which you prolly' want to check out. http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1466060861/m/122105105

btw, where did you go for your HT? # of grafts?

Thanks for the quick reply.

I am now based in the Arab Emirates. I became quite concerned the first time I read through this site because it was only then I learned that Nu/Hart is not getting good rep. Anyway, I've spoken to a former patient, he gave good feedback. I also met another guy at the clinic during my consultation. He was there for his 2nd HT procedure with the same doctor and he was very nice to share with me his "personal files" from his 1st procedure, 16 months prior. I was amazed at the improvement and the fact that he returned to the same doctor prompted me to say yes to the my own procedure.

I have a thinning crown and was booked for only 1500 grafts (pretty conservative - but that's me), but then I received 1600 grafts! I actually had a nice experience, Dr. Roomi was very attentive and his technicians took good care of me. Yet, I know it will be a good 3- 6 months before I can honestly say anything about the quality of his work on my head, right? Yet, so far it's been good.

Ahhh, located in Abu Dhabi -- I'm an avid follower/participant of brazilian jiu-jitsu...always wished I could go to actual Abu Dhabi Championships!

A keen, knowing eye can actually spot the craftsmanship of an HT based off of post-op photos...if you have any pre-op/post-op photos of your procedure I would highly recommend you post them in one of the forums here, as I am sure you would get some very informative feedback from members.

I have a couple of pre-op photos at home (I'm at work now ) but I still don't have post-op pics.

Btw, my doc said I could resume playing tennis after my suture removal but I'm just concerned because there's a lot of neck movement involve in "following the ball with your eyes." What about hitting serves and overheads where I have to obviously raise my chin up and "look up" to the ball? Would this cause the scar to widen?

Here's my pre-op photo - crown area

pre-op.JPG (176 Kb, 53 downloads) Pre-Op

and here's how it look this morning, 7 days after the procedure

7_days_post-op.JPG (111 Kb, 55 downloads) 7-days post-op

The potential is there for the scar to widen, the longer you wait this chance goes down exponentially during exercise.

Btw, I'd def recommend posting any pics you have in the Q&A forum along w/ details of your HT!

Whats your skill level in tennis?
I am around a 5 - 5.5

If your ever in NYC in the summer time and looking for a game let me know.
I am always looking for new peeps to play against.