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Boberto
Valued member
Yeah them injections stung like a wasp. One of the prehistoric eagle sized wasps! Particulary towards the end on the 2nd day. Ouch ! '''h;h;;h
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S
Stublue
Valued member
Time for another quick update. It's day 8 and I finally gave my recipient area a wash under the shower. I used circular motions with my fingertips on the grafts and a small number of scabs came off. Hopefully more will come off over the next day or two.
The donor area is healing nicely and is hardly noticeable at all anymore. I must say though that it has been quite sore, especially at night. Apparently its called occipital nerve pain and it's a b!tch. Tends to get quite sore around 2 hours after going to bed so I have been popping some pain killers to help me sleep. It's fine during the day as there is no real pain at all. It's just at night, strange one.
Anyway as you can see from the photo the healing is coming along. Back to work next Thurs so I reckon all will be good by then. At present I like the shaved head look but I know that when the new grafts fall out my hairline will go back to it's pre-HT inconsistent self (loss right in the middle of the hairline, which you can slightly see in the photo). But hopefully my existing hair will grow quickly so I can disguise it a little.
I am due to get some Keratene Active Alpha Retard in the post next week so will be starting them (1 capsule a day) as I don't like finasteride. I will start applying minoxidil again in another week too. Hopefully the meds will maintain my existing hair but its very likely that I will need another HT down the line to address the area right behind the HT as I still feel it's a little weak. But I am getting well ahead of myself as I have to see how the HT grows over the coming 12 months and how well I react to the meds. I will keep everyone updated.
Let me know your thoughts if you have any!!
The donor area is healing nicely and is hardly noticeable at all anymore. I must say though that it has been quite sore, especially at night. Apparently its called occipital nerve pain and it's a b!tch. Tends to get quite sore around 2 hours after going to bed so I have been popping some pain killers to help me sleep. It's fine during the day as there is no real pain at all. It's just at night, strange one.
Anyway as you can see from the photo the healing is coming along. Back to work next Thurs so I reckon all will be good by then. At present I like the shaved head look but I know that when the new grafts fall out my hairline will go back to it's pre-HT inconsistent self (loss right in the middle of the hairline, which you can slightly see in the photo). But hopefully my existing hair will grow quickly so I can disguise it a little.
I am due to get some Keratene Active Alpha Retard in the post next week so will be starting them (1 capsule a day) as I don't like finasteride. I will start applying minoxidil again in another week too. Hopefully the meds will maintain my existing hair but its very likely that I will need another HT down the line to address the area right behind the HT as I still feel it's a little weak. But I am getting well ahead of myself as I have to see how the HT grows over the coming 12 months and how well I react to the meds. I will keep everyone updated.
Let me know your thoughts if you have any!!
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Boberto
Valued member
Yep had the exact same occiptal pain only at night times after falling asleep and the painkiller would wear off.
Took bout 7-10 days to alleviate but vanished totally after that. Only thing was to ride it out with strong painkillers.
Definitly was quite painful.
Took bout 7-10 days to alleviate but vanished totally after that. Only thing was to ride it out with strong painkillers.
Definitly was quite painful.
S
Stublue
Valued member
Hi all, time for another update. It has been 12 days now since I had the HT the healing continues to progress nicely so zero complaints on that front. All the scabs have gone (since day 9) and the donor area is perfect as far as I can tell. The occipital nerve pain at night has also subsided and I had my first proper nights sleep last night. I m applying aloe vera quite a few times per day to both the donor and recipient area, which seems to be working nicely. No shedding so far but I expect that in the next 2 weeks or so.
As you can see from the photos the areas just behind the transplanted hairline (especially in the centre) are definitely weak. I was in contact with Steve from BHR and he reckons it's shock loss as the hair in those areas was already miniaturized and now the HT has caused the shock loss. I am not 100% sure this is the case as I think the centre area in particular needed further treatment and I voiced this concern to Steve. In fairness, Steve has been brilliant and if it s not necessarily shock loss and I do not see any re-growth in the area then Steve said that BHR would happily address this at no further cost as the patient's satisfaction is of paramount importance. So I suppose it s just a matter of me keeping a close eye to see if I do get any re-growth (particularly in the centre) or if it the area will need further treatment. But again, I must emphasize that the customer aftercare has been top notch.
I suppose for now the most annoying thing is that I am back in work tomorrow and I think the HT hairline stand out quite a bit. I m going to have to stick with a convincing story to put them off. And as I lose the implanted hair in the coming weeks it might be more difficult but im hoping my existing hair will have grown out a little more to help disguise anything obvious at that stage. The story I m going with is an infection from dirty water while canoeing that then spread across my hairline due to the helmet. The story has worked on a couple of people already!! But then again I am probably being very self conscious and my work colleagues probably won t even bat an eyelid, apart from the fact that I have a shorter haircut than usual. Here is hoping anyway.
As you can see from the photos the areas just behind the transplanted hairline (especially in the centre) are definitely weak. I was in contact with Steve from BHR and he reckons it's shock loss as the hair in those areas was already miniaturized and now the HT has caused the shock loss. I am not 100% sure this is the case as I think the centre area in particular needed further treatment and I voiced this concern to Steve. In fairness, Steve has been brilliant and if it s not necessarily shock loss and I do not see any re-growth in the area then Steve said that BHR would happily address this at no further cost as the patient's satisfaction is of paramount importance. So I suppose it s just a matter of me keeping a close eye to see if I do get any re-growth (particularly in the centre) or if it the area will need further treatment. But again, I must emphasize that the customer aftercare has been top notch.
I suppose for now the most annoying thing is that I am back in work tomorrow and I think the HT hairline stand out quite a bit. I m going to have to stick with a convincing story to put them off. And as I lose the implanted hair in the coming weeks it might be more difficult but im hoping my existing hair will have grown out a little more to help disguise anything obvious at that stage. The story I m going with is an infection from dirty water while canoeing that then spread across my hairline due to the helmet. The story has worked on a couple of people already!! But then again I am probably being very self conscious and my work colleagues probably won t even bat an eyelid, apart from the fact that I have a shorter haircut than usual. Here is hoping anyway.
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Stublue
Valued member
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Stublue
Valued member
So it will be 3 weeks tomorrow since the surgery. As expected I have shed a significant amount of the transplanted hair in the last week and I expect to lose the rest over the next week or two (everytime I rub in some aloe vera I see a good few hairs in my hand). Its a little disappointing but expected to be losing bits of my new hairline on a daily basis and as I lose the hair the loss right at the front centre is becoming a little more obvious. I just really want my existing hair to grow faster so I can disguise it. I have started applying minoxidil again to the area and am taking msm and biotin supplements so here is hoping but it seems to be growing very slowly although I realise its probably all in my head!! But anyway short term pain for long term gain I suppose. I have also started taking Keratene Active Alpha Retard (1 capsule a day) to help maintain what I have as I am not comfortable taking finasteride.
Healing wise, the redness seems to be fading nicely but it's difficult to tell through the remaining transplanted hairs. The right side of the donor area has pretty much healed and I dont think anything is noticeable at all. The left side is a different story unfortunately. I have some shock loss as can be seen in the photo so it does look a little strange. Concealer doesn't really cover it either so its all pretty obvious. A work colleague blatantly walked up to me in front of everyone and just said "whats going on with the back of your head?". Needless to say I went bright red. I stuck with the story that I got an infection from dirty water while canoeing, which affected the front and the left side. Nobody in work questions me but I'm not sure they all buy it. Another guy even asked, "have you done a Rooney?". Again I batted this off and said that I wish and that I couldn't afford one (everyone seems to think they cost ¬30k). In fairness, he was only joking and was sympathetic to my made up story. I may be being naive, but I don't think anybody actually suspects a HT, especially as the industry is very unknown in Ireland.
Anyway as I said short term pain for longer term gain. It's tough and I expect it to get a little worse in the next week or two as I lose more hair and my existing hair isn't long enough to help cover the unusual loss at the front. I haven't had a drink for 4 weeks and would love to have a few for the rugby match this wkd but think ill remain a bit of a hermit for the moment but I shall see. I am back playing football and working out a little in the gym, which is great so I remain positive. Onwards and upwards!!!!
Healing wise, the redness seems to be fading nicely but it's difficult to tell through the remaining transplanted hairs. The right side of the donor area has pretty much healed and I dont think anything is noticeable at all. The left side is a different story unfortunately. I have some shock loss as can be seen in the photo so it does look a little strange. Concealer doesn't really cover it either so its all pretty obvious. A work colleague blatantly walked up to me in front of everyone and just said "whats going on with the back of your head?". Needless to say I went bright red. I stuck with the story that I got an infection from dirty water while canoeing, which affected the front and the left side. Nobody in work questions me but I'm not sure they all buy it. Another guy even asked, "have you done a Rooney?". Again I batted this off and said that I wish and that I couldn't afford one (everyone seems to think they cost ¬30k). In fairness, he was only joking and was sympathetic to my made up story. I may be being naive, but I don't think anybody actually suspects a HT, especially as the industry is very unknown in Ireland.
Anyway as I said short term pain for longer term gain. It's tough and I expect it to get a little worse in the next week or two as I lose more hair and my existing hair isn't long enough to help cover the unusual loss at the front. I haven't had a drink for 4 weeks and would love to have a few for the rugby match this wkd but think ill remain a bit of a hermit for the moment but I shall see. I am back playing football and working out a little in the gym, which is great so I remain positive. Onwards and upwards!!!!
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Stublue
Valued member
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Stublue
Valued member
topccat29
29 year HT veteran
Well you are always going to have people that think they can get away with insulting you for no apparent reason, sometimes an elbow strike to the face works wonders ¦.lol ¦ ¦but of course we are all civil so best to just ignore it. You will look back on it all and just laugh. It does look like you might have to plant in that center point that you mentioned but it is still too early to tell. Thank you for the update.
M
Modenese
boy meets quiff
Hi Stu
I think you did the right thing in denying it, although like me you may have felt strange lying. Once they know, you are the HT guy and none of your other qualities as a person will be centre stage.
I can only sympathise with the shock loss. Be reassured though that it will grow back, but it will feel like it takes an age.
Your pattern of hair loss is certainly unusual. But it's too early to say if that centre part is forever thin, and the changes you are going to experience in the next 4 months will amaze and delight you. You have something great coming, you will not be able to keep away from the mirror.
I've seen it on lots of other guys, and I see it myself now when I look in the mirror. The transplanted hair has the capability of 'standing up' it you want it to, and it almost always gives a nice cosmetic result. Even if the part you've highlighted earlier remains thin, it will be hidden by this 'wall of hair'.
I get what you are saying about Finasteride, but have you tried a reduced dosage?
I think you did the right thing in denying it, although like me you may have felt strange lying. Once they know, you are the HT guy and none of your other qualities as a person will be centre stage.
I can only sympathise with the shock loss. Be reassured though that it will grow back, but it will feel like it takes an age.
Your pattern of hair loss is certainly unusual. But it's too early to say if that centre part is forever thin, and the changes you are going to experience in the next 4 months will amaze and delight you. You have something great coming, you will not be able to keep away from the mirror.
I've seen it on lots of other guys, and I see it myself now when I look in the mirror. The transplanted hair has the capability of 'standing up' it you want it to, and it almost always gives a nice cosmetic result. Even if the part you've highlighted earlier remains thin, it will be hidden by this 'wall of hair'.
I get what you are saying about Finasteride, but have you tried a reduced dosage?
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Stublue
Valued member
Hi guys thanks for the comments. Modenese, yeah I certainly can't wait for the next few months to pass alright. The ugly duckling phase im entering now won't be much fun especially with the shock loss I have unfortunately experienced.
But you are right in that it will all be worth it when the new hairs come in. And yeah I get your point that should the centre part remain weak the new hairline will cover this up nicely. I will still want to address it with a top up if needs be and bhr have reassured me that this will not be a problem which I really appreciate.
With regards fin I never tried to lower the dosage. I suppose I was never really comfortable taking it in the first place. I'm a qualified nutrition consultant (a hobby of mine) and I don't like drugs full stop. Especially ones that I suffered sides from. As I previously said I just started keratene retard which is an alternative to fin so I'll see how I go with that. Its made from organic compounds and not man made chemicals. It probably isn't as effective as fin but it claims to have no hormonal side effects. We shall see!
But you are right in that it will all be worth it when the new hairs come in. And yeah I get your point that should the centre part remain weak the new hairline will cover this up nicely. I will still want to address it with a top up if needs be and bhr have reassured me that this will not be a problem which I really appreciate.
With regards fin I never tried to lower the dosage. I suppose I was never really comfortable taking it in the first place. I'm a qualified nutrition consultant (a hobby of mine) and I don't like drugs full stop. Especially ones that I suffered sides from. As I previously said I just started keratene retard which is an alternative to fin so I'll see how I go with that. Its made from organic compounds and not man made chemicals. It probably isn't as effective as fin but it claims to have no hormonal side effects. We shall see!
bullitnut
4 awesome repairs with SMG
The ugly duckling phase is tough dude...try not to stress about your workmates as they will be none the wiser because everyone thinks you have to be loaded to afford a HT thanks to Mr Rooney. The shockloss will pass and you will be a very happy guy soon.
Hang in there and thanks for the update
Hang in there and thanks for the update
S
Stublue
Valued member
Hey all,
So it has been just over 4 weeks since the HT and things are continuing as expected. I have lost the majority (80% or so) of my transplanted hairs but there are still a few soldiers holding on. The redness is fading and is not really an issue for me at all. The shock loss is obviously still there with no improvement but I don't expect that to recover for another month or 2 at least. So you could say I'm in the ugly duckling phase but my hairloss was not to severe to begin with so its not too bad bar the shock loss. Its amazing how slow the hair seems to be growing but I reckon I am only 2 weeks off my pre-HT look.
As you can see from the photos I decided to shave my sides and back to help disguise my shock loss and it has definitely done the trick as you can see from the difference between the 2 photos. I have a bit of a 2 tone as I cut it myself but I am far more relaxed about the shock loss now thankfully. There is still a bit of redness from the op on the donor area but its only noticeable if its closely examined under bright light so I am not concerned at all. Had my first few drinks last night and nobody noticed a thing (well I'm pretty sure they didn't!). The ladies like the short hair too!!!
So spirits are up as I am pretty sure it wont really get any worse that this and I am comfortable with how i look for now. In a couple of weeks I will be able to style my hair a little more and I will continue to shave the back and sides until the shock loss has recovered. I probably wont be updating as much now as not much will happen now for a few weeks (well i don't think it will but will update if anything does).
Cheers, and let me know if you have any thoughts/questions.
So it has been just over 4 weeks since the HT and things are continuing as expected. I have lost the majority (80% or so) of my transplanted hairs but there are still a few soldiers holding on. The redness is fading and is not really an issue for me at all. The shock loss is obviously still there with no improvement but I don't expect that to recover for another month or 2 at least. So you could say I'm in the ugly duckling phase but my hairloss was not to severe to begin with so its not too bad bar the shock loss. Its amazing how slow the hair seems to be growing but I reckon I am only 2 weeks off my pre-HT look.
As you can see from the photos I decided to shave my sides and back to help disguise my shock loss and it has definitely done the trick as you can see from the difference between the 2 photos. I have a bit of a 2 tone as I cut it myself but I am far more relaxed about the shock loss now thankfully. There is still a bit of redness from the op on the donor area but its only noticeable if its closely examined under bright light so I am not concerned at all. Had my first few drinks last night and nobody noticed a thing (well I'm pretty sure they didn't!). The ladies like the short hair too!!!
So spirits are up as I am pretty sure it wont really get any worse that this and I am comfortable with how i look for now. In a couple of weeks I will be able to style my hair a little more and I will continue to shave the back and sides until the shock loss has recovered. I probably wont be updating as much now as not much will happen now for a few weeks (well i don't think it will but will update if anything does).
Cheers, and let me know if you have any thoughts/questions.
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Stublue
Valued member
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Stublue
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Dazzster26
Valued member
Shock loss can identify with you their buddy , another 8 weeks and hopefully that will have filled back in , thats great shaving the side in like that , nobody is going to notice anything , I actually grew a beard and dyed it black when I had my 1st HT just to take the eyes from my head , got some stick for the beard but it worked
Thanks for the update
Take care I care
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Thanks for the update
Take care I care
D
bullitnut
4 awesome repairs with SMG
Dazzster26 wrote:
It was just the thought of you the elvis guy with a big black santa claus beard..too much dude. The shocklosswill return Stu and shaving the sides to a shorter cut is a great idea for disguising the loss.
Thats made my day that Dazz sorry pal but you have to see the funny side of that statement i was reading this over breakfast and spilt my coffee laughing)(_::
It was just the thought of you the elvis guy with a big black santa claus beard..too much dude. The shocklosswill return Stu and shaving the sides to a shorter cut is a great idea for disguising the loss.
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dan828
Member
Hi Stu - looks like a great hairline design so I'm sure you'll have a very nice result.
Sorry to hear about the shockloss though - I agree it looks better now it's shaved down.
Regarding shockloss in the donor area - does anyone know how common this is with fue? I've seen a couple of cases lately where this seems to have happened.
Is it the case that there is always a certain level of shock loss, but usually it's so minor as to not be noticed? Or is that with a larger number of grafts extracted shockloss in the donor becomes quite likely?
Sorry to hear about the shockloss though - I agree it looks better now it's shaved down.
Regarding shockloss in the donor area - does anyone know how common this is with fue? I've seen a couple of cases lately where this seems to have happened.
Is it the case that there is always a certain level of shock loss, but usually it's so minor as to not be noticed? Or is that with a larger number of grafts extracted shockloss in the donor becomes quite likely?
S
Stublue
Valued member
Hi Dan, cheers for the comment. With regards shock loss, as far as i am aware shock loss in the donor area is pretty rare in FUE. Steve, BHR's rep, told me that he has only come across it a couple of times over the years but it always grows back in full.
So I certainly don't think its likely even for a large number of grafts. I had the same amount of grafts removed from both my left and right side but only suffered shock loss on the left side. I had a chat with Steve about this and we reckon its probably due to the fact that I had more injections on the left side. The grafts were taken from the left side on the second day of the HT and my head was a lot more sensitive so I needed more pain killers. Apparently the more injections the more likely the chance of shock loss. Had I known that I probably would have manned up more and gone through the pain!! Oh well.
I'm just over 5 weeks post HT now so hopefully only another few weeks and I'll start to see some regrowth. In the meantime i'll continue shaving down the donor area to help disguise the loss.
So I certainly don't think its likely even for a large number of grafts. I had the same amount of grafts removed from both my left and right side but only suffered shock loss on the left side. I had a chat with Steve about this and we reckon its probably due to the fact that I had more injections on the left side. The grafts were taken from the left side on the second day of the HT and my head was a lot more sensitive so I needed more pain killers. Apparently the more injections the more likely the chance of shock loss. Had I known that I probably would have manned up more and gone through the pain!! Oh well.
I'm just over 5 weeks post HT now so hopefully only another few weeks and I'll start to see some regrowth. In the meantime i'll continue shaving down the donor area to help disguise the loss.
S
Stublue
Valued member
Well it has been 6 weeks now and no real change from the 4 week mark. Just thought id give an update anyway. I thought I would have been back to my pre-op look at this stage but I am still 2 weeks short of that I reckon. My hair seems to be growing very slowly still which is rather annoying!! I just want it to grow a little more so I can help disguise the unusual loss at the front and the redness in the recipient area. In fairness the redness looks worse in the photos and isn't really an issue for me but the loss at the front still is. In the photos attached I have made no effort to hide the loss. I can make it less obvious but a bit more growth would really help. I'm still taking biotin, msm and applying minox so here is hoping.
The shock loss in the donor area is obviously still there and I expect that to last another few weeks. As you can see from the photos i am continuing to shave the back and sides to help disguise the shock loss and this certainly helps. I have been out and about with my friends and nobody seems to suspect anything so that's all good. I have been asked about going on a blind date with a friend of a friend but I am not sure I am quite ready for that yet!! Oh well, plenty of time for that stuff in another couple of months.
Anyway, I'll update again at the 2 month mark but if anyone has any questions/comments please fire away. Happy Easter everyone.
The shock loss in the donor area is obviously still there and I expect that to last another few weeks. As you can see from the photos i am continuing to shave the back and sides to help disguise the shock loss and this certainly helps. I have been out and about with my friends and nobody seems to suspect anything so that's all good. I have been asked about going on a blind date with a friend of a friend but I am not sure I am quite ready for that yet!! Oh well, plenty of time for that stuff in another couple of months.
Anyway, I'll update again at the 2 month mark but if anyone has any questions/comments please fire away. Happy Easter everyone.
