How quickly will I look presentable after my transplant?

[craigjones1982]

Hi

I'm having a hair transplant on September 19. I've attached two photos of the transplant zone, covering the crown and top of the head. The doctor is going to do a 'local shave'.

I'm speaking at a conference on October 2 (13 days later).

What kind of state will I be in then? Will the donor site scabs have disappeared? Will the hair transplant be obvious to people and is there anything I can do to conceal it, like hair fibres or anything else?

I'm guessing the shaved bits won't have grown back.

Thanks Craig.

 

[JoeTillman]

You should have spoken with your clinic about this before your surgery, assuming you haven't. A local shave will not just be of the obviously balding area, but will most likely venture into the periphery of the region where density is reduced; the "transition zone" if you will. Will it be obvious you had surgery? No, but it will be obvious that you have an odd haircut.

What I recommend patients do in these situations is to get a shorter haircut now (soon) but not shaved. Wear that till your surgery day and a couple of days before your talk, have your hair cut shorter to blend with the transplanted area. It doesn't have to be as short, but it can be blended. The transplanted region will be pink and most scabs should be gone (based on averages) and no one will be the wiser.

Or just postpone till after your talk. Do that now and your clinic will be understanding, most likely.

 

[Bigmac]

I agree with Joe on having the shorter cut leading up to surgery. The donor area should look good enough that no-one will notice it. The scabs should all be gone by then.
How many grafts are you having?

 

[craigjones1982]

Joe and Bigmac, do you mean shorter cut before the surgery on the donor area only - ie. back and sides?

 

[JoeTillman]

I was talking about all over. The contrast will be where the work is performed compared to the areas around it, so reduce the length of the hair around the area to be transplanted, you will then reduce the contrast. And it's a good idea to cut your hair shorter all over so it looks like you simply have a short hair cut.

 

[Bigmac]

The shorter hair all over would be the option I’d choose if in your position.