how much time off to budget for transplant surgery?

[baldinglikeamofo]

How many vacation days do I need to take off work for a hair transplant?


I want to be able to have the surgery and have nobody notice the day I get back to work that I had it done.

 

[s.a.f]

Days? You want 3/4 weeks and even then you'll still look different.

 

[s.a.f]

Ideally, if you are having a medium or larger procedure (1500+ grafts) you want AT LEAST 4 weeks, if not 6 to 8 weeks. The more the better. If you get a smaller procedure, you can probably get away with less time. But everyone heals differently. The main thing you'll have to worry about is redness in your recipient and donor regions, which can make your head look "not normal" ... like you've had some kind of medical procedure done on it. YOU HAVE! ... a hair transplant. Also, most hair transplant surgens shave your head to get better results, and it will take at least 6 weeks before your hair gets long enough to hide the effects of the surgery. It takes anywhere from 3 to 6 months before your head returns to a normal "pre transplant" state visually. (it will still be healing for another 9 to 12 months after that below the surface).

Hmm, it all depends on what you look like pre op. How large is the area being worked on? If you get your head shaved the redness will be obvious for about 2 weeks. Oviously the more hair you still have the easier it is to hide the area thats been worked on. If you can get away with wearing a hat you're laughing, but otherwise I'd say 3 weeks is ok.

 

[Rutt]

I was under the impression you could shave all your hair down, get an FUE and within 1-2 weeks it would blend in with your normal hair

 

[s.a.f]

I was under the impression you could shave all your hair down, get an FUE and within 1-2 weeks it would blend in with your normal hair

Not realy because your hair will still be really short at 2 weeks, the scabs should have come off but it'll still be bright pink. 3 weeks should be ok if you usually have a buzzed head anyway.

 

[Rutt]

Every person is different though. My recipient area was still pretty red at 6 weeks for all 3 of my hair transplant's. In fact, it was red enough for me to be questioned about it, so I guess it was still noticeable. I just said that I had a sunburn on my head, but I'm not so sure they believed me becuase it did look "odd." (Mine still does ... :mrgreen

It still looks odd?

 

[Rutt]

Ouch, might i ask, does it look bad because a bad doctor did a strip hair transplant with low density at the hairline?

 

[keepinthehair]

Dudemon,

Check out Umar's website or you tube. He has video removing old plug transplants and separates them into individual follicles just as it is done today. I believe he then puts a suture in the plug hole and pulls it together. The example looks as good as any out there!

 

[ajax]

I took one week the first hair transplant ... BIG MISTAKE!!! Not only was it 100% noticeable, but I had to wear a bandage and doo-rag on my head for 8 weeks, while being constantly stared at and questioned at work. I made up "lies" to explain it (ie - "I got into a motorcylce accident") but I doubt everyone believed me. I'm sure (I know) there were "rumors" going around at work that I had a "hair plug job" or something. Some of my coworkers were not fooled; they knew, and it WAS embarrassing!

The 2nd and 3rd hair transplant... I quit my job both times because I simply could not get enough time off from work. I did not want to go through waht I went through the first time. I began working 2 months POST-OP at DIFFERENT companies both times, because I did not leave on 'good' terms because I quit for no apparent reason. Even though I gave a 2 week notice both times and agreed to stay until they found a replacement, it didn't matter. Both employers still give me bad references to this day for quitting without good cause.

The thing that sucks is that I am paying for this now. I am currently unemployed, and I have to explain these gaps in my job history and surely cannot tell them that the gaps were because I had hair transplants. This would indicate that I may have 'psychological problems' and I will not get hired. So I have to make up other 'reasons' for these gaps.

Ideally, if you are having a medium or larger procedure (1500+ grafts) you want AT LEAST 4 weeks, if not 6 to 8 weeks. The more the better. If you get a smaller procedure, you can probably get away with less time. But everyone heals differently. The main thing you'll have to worry about is redness in your recipient and donor regions, which can make your head look "not normal" ... like you've had some kind of medical procedure done on it. And... YOU HAVE! ... a hair transplant.

Also, most hair transplant surgens shave your head to get better results, and it will take at least 6 weeks before your hair gets long enough to hide the effects of the surgery. It takes anywhere from 3 to 6 months before your head returns to a normal "pre transplant" state visually. (it will still be healing for another 9 to 12 months after that below the surface).

It SUCKS being BALD!

Wow!

I hope this doesn't sound offensive, I know it probably will, but I hope it doesnt because its not meant to be...

But your story is exactly the reason why i'd never venture down the hair transplant route, and can't really understand why anyone would. Yeah it sucks going bald, sucks really bad... especially when like me your hair is part of your style and personality. But really is it worth what you went through just to look like you have a bit of hair? Is it worth it even if you ended up with perfect hair?

How much have you spent on hair transplant's? 50 grand (that's just a guess, may well be more), plus not being able to get a job due to all those breaks in your employment history.

I think i'd rather be bald and have a sucessful career and maybe a nice house, then be unemployed and have a reasonable amount of hair on my head.

I know from your posts you have been put in a pretty awful position by a bad 1st transplant, so again please don't think this is me criticising you for your choices... I'm not sure what else you could have done tbh. All i'm saying is that those out there who are thinking of getting a hair transplant, then be aware that its not normally just a one procedure and thats it you've got a great head of hair kind of game... in fact you may well end up with multiple expensive procedures and still have sh*t hair many years later, but with scars and regrets.

 

[ajax]

I took one week the first hair transplant ... BIG MISTAKE!!! Not only was it 100% noticeable, but I had to wear a bandage and doo-rag on my head for 8 weeks, while being constantly stared at and questioned at work. I made up "lies" to explain it (ie - "I got into a motorcylce accident") but I doubt everyone believed me. I'm sure (I know) there were "rumors" going around at work that I had a "hair plug job" or something. Some of my coworkers were not fooled; they knew, and it WAS embarrassing!

The 2nd and 3rd hair transplant... I quit my job both times because I simply could not get enough time off from work. I did not want to go through waht I went through the first time. I began working 2 months POST-OP at DIFFERENT companies both times, because I did not leave on 'good' terms because I quit for no apparent reason. Even though I gave a 2 week notice both times and agreed to stay until they found a replacement, it didn't matter. Both employers still give me bad references to this day for quitting without good cause.

The thing that sucks is that I am paying for this now. I am currently unemployed, and I have to explain these gaps in my job history and surely cannot tell them that the gaps were because I had hair transplants. This would indicate that I may have 'psychological problems' and I will not get hired. So I have to make up other 'reasons' for these gaps.

Ideally, if you are having a medium or larger procedure (1500+ grafts) you want AT LEAST 4 weeks, if not 6 to 8 weeks. The more the better. If you get a smaller procedure, you can probably get away with less time. But everyone heals differently. The main thing you'll have to worry about is redness in your recipient and donor regions, which can make your head look "not normal" ... like you've had some kind of medical procedure done on it. And... YOU HAVE! ... a hair transplant.

Also, most hair transplant surgens shave your head to get better results, and it will take at least 6 weeks before your hair gets long enough to hide the effects of the surgery. It takes anywhere from 3 to 6 months before your head returns to a normal "pre transplant" state visually. (it will still be healing for another 9 to 12 months after that below the surface).

It SUCKS being BALD!

Wow!

I hope this doesn't sound offensive, I know it probably will, but I hope it doesnt because its not meant to be...

But your story is exactly the reason why i'd never venture down the hair transplant route, and can't really understand why anyone would. Yeah it sucks going bald, sucks really bad... especially when like me your hair is part of your style and personality. But really is it worth what you went through just to look like you have a bit of hair? Is it worth it even if you ended up with perfect hair?

How much have you spent on hair transplant's? 50 grand (that's just a guess, may well be more), plus not being able to get a job due to all those breaks in your employment history.

I think i'd rather be bald and have a sucessful career and maybe a nice house, then be unemployed and have a reasonable amount of hair on my head.

I know from your posts you have been put in a pretty awful position by a bad 1st transplant, so again please don't think this is me criticising you for your choices... I'm not sure what else you could have done tbh. All i'm saying is that those out there who are thinking of getting a hair transplant, then be aware that its not normally just a one procedure and thats it you've got a great head of hair kind of game... in fact you may well end up with multiple expensive procedures and still have sh*t hair many years later, but with scars and regrets.

Yeah, you pretty much got my point. You seem to undrstand what I went through pretty well. I regret having hair transplant's becuase they were just wrong for me I was too bald to begin with (NW5). Most of the time, there just isn't enough donor supply to get good results from hair transplant's if you are already NW4+. Only a small % of guys in this category can. And you guessed right - I have spent close to $45k on 3 surgeries, and all the other expenses from it, and I have a $hitty head of hair, and I STILL LOOK BALD!

For me, it just wasn't worth it. If I could have done it all over again, I would have definatley skipped hair transplant's altogether. I know it is ultimately my fault for not doing enough research before I had the first one. But that unscrupulous hack I went to for my first hair transplant should have at least told me that I probably was not going to be very happy with my final results due to low density, even afte multiple procedures. An 'ethical' hair transplant surgeon would have done just that.

The guy who did my first hair transplant just wanted to tell me what I wanted to hear (that I would have a full head of hair again). But it was just a lie to get me in the chair so he could collect the $$$. Being uneducated in hair transplant's, ignorant of hair transplant procedures, and just naive in general, I was duped by that bastard. Then on top of it, the guy BUTCHERED me pretty badly.

Other guys who have less baldness to start, and who take finasteride to stop male pattern baldness can get much better results from hair transplant's than I have gotten - provided they go to a very good and skilled hair transplant surgeon.

I'm glad that I didnt come across as being rude as I think you have been put in a horrible position where you have to keep going in order to try and salvage something from the situation you were put in.

For others though i'd still warn against hair transplant's though if they believe its just going to be one operation and thats it. It'll quite likely be several at great cost and trauma to the scalp.

I'm about a n/w 2 with a receeded hairline and thinning around the crown... I respond quite well to finasteride & dutasteride, but I know if I got a hair transplant that i'd continue balding in the same pattern as my dad and end up a N/W 6 one day... now finasteride or dutasteride would keep me right for a while, but eventually i'd end up with 3 strips of hair (2 at the front and one at the crown)... meaning more transplants to hide the original one.

So my advice would be to anyone considering getting one that they should think long and hard about the future and not just the next 5-10 years.

 

[Rutt]

you can have transplants removed

 

[HairPieceMan]

That is a terrible story dudemon, I think we are both alike but in a different generation ofc, i am currently 25, but when i was 22 i was a NW5 and had poor donar area, so i shaved off clean bald becuase i could as it is a valid style, but reading on your other posts you HAD to wear a horseshoe style becuase in those times you could not be bald as it was not a style, i cannot imagine horsheshoe it must have been mortifying, and also to do hair transplant with some hope they would work, and the physcoligcal battle of "maybe this transplant will work", and not having finasteride or min in those times when you coudl have saved your hair :shakehead:

i cannot believe the hell, and spending $45K on Hair loss solutions and still being classed as bald!!! that is true hell...how can we be unfortunet to have this condition, when 98% (or however many dont have sever hairloss) of the population walk the world with no worry and we must dedicate our emotional time and finance for somethign so basic.


for reference i have gone down the hair replacement route, in total my hairloss solution costs FOR LIFE will be about $45K of wearing for 30 years, that includes also the money i wasted on sh*t systems and one FUE transplant which was a waste LOL.

i am lucky to be able to handle the phycology of wearing hair, i know you are uncomfortable with that solution, but whatever you do i hope you find peace with your loss at whatever age.

I think that is what we all want, peace and the suffering to end :shakehead:

edit: i am new to the forums and i am trying to view your photos and blog dudemon to see if i can see your head if it is there that is if your making it public, im not sure if you have made any postings or maybe its becuase i haven't filled in my network information, i seem to get a default page when i click on your photos and blogs

 

[DavisNY]

imo the bare minimum would be 3 weeks, 4 would be a nice time frame... Anything more is a pleasant bonus.

With this in mind concealers can become your best friend. depending on how much hair you have to work with for covering up, hair fibers would be great with a slight spray to lock them in with...

around the 2 month mark or 2 a combination of dermmatch and hair fibers would be great.

Figure you would keep this routine up until after the 4 month mark, when enough hair has grown in.

 

[Rutt]

I've seen repair work done by hair transplant docs, iirc it's just FUE but removing instead of transplating hair