# Hair Transplants > Hair Transplant: Start Your Own Topic >  Shock loss

## Denver Mint

Hello all,

I am new to the forum and have a question.

I had a trasplant about a month ago.  I went to Bosley in Atlanta.  I just discovered this site so I guess I am an ignorant balding 29 year old.

I started Propecia about 5 weeks ago and had the procedure the following week.  I am experiencing quite a bit of hair loss in addition to the transplanted hairs.  

I have read that many men will experience non-transplanted hair loss.  How long should I expect the hair to keep falling out?  I used to find about 3 hairs in my hand when I showered.  Now I find upwards of ten to fifteen.  Is this something to be concerned about or is this normal?  How long should I expect this to last?  I have read that I should grow this back but I am really starting to notice thinning at a rapid rate at the middle and top of my head.

I am 29 and really started to thin over the last year but it wasn't very obvious.  I just wanted to jump ahead of the loss before it is obvious in hopes of others not finding out.  I had about 1500 grafts to fill in my front which is where most of the loss occured and scattered throughout my middle and top.  

Overall I am pleased with the recovery.  My scar is not noticable so I am happy about that.  I did experience swelling but it went down after about 5 days.  

I really appreciate this forum.

I look forward to the responses.

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## SpencerKobren

> Hello all,
> 
> I am new to the forum and have a question.
> 
> I had a trasplant about a month ago.  I went to Bosley in Atlanta.  I just discovered this site so I guess I am an ignorant balding 29 year old.
> 
> I started Propecia about 5 weeks ago and had the procedure the following week.  I am experiencing quite a bit of hair loss in addition to the transplanted hairs.  
> 
> I have read that many men will experience non-transplanted hair loss.  How long should I expect the hair to keep falling out?  I used to find about 3 hairs in my hand when I showered.  Now I find upwards of ten to fifteen.  Is this something to be concerned about or is this normal?  How long should I expect this to last?  I have read that I should grow this back but I am really starting to notice thinning at a rapid rate at the middle and top of my head.
> ...


 Hey Denver Mint,

Welcome to the forum! Shock loss after a hair transplant procedure while distressing, is very common. I’m assuming that your surgeon over at Bosley explained this to you during your initial consultation. The good new is that most if not all of your lost native hair should return within a year.  

It sounds to me like you really didn't have too much hair loss to begin with, so I’m curios to know if your surgeon might have recommended that you wait to see how Propecia worked for you before considering surgery?

As far as how long the shedding will last, it’s hard to say for sure, but it shouldn’t last more than a few weeks or so. 

I’m glad that you're happy with your scar and I wish you a speedy recovery.

If you’d like to post some images showing your area of shedding and where your grafts were placed, our members and myself will be glad to comment more specifically on your situation.

Hang in there, sometimes it gets worse before it gets better.

Here’s some interesting reading about hair transplant  shock loss from the IAHRS Info Center:

*What Are The Possible Complications of Hair Transplant Surgery?*

*Female Hair Transplant Shock Loss - Will My Hair Grow Back?*

*Concerned About My Hair Falling Out From a Hair Transplant Procedure*

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## TeeJay73

Hey Denver Mint,

Can you share with us a little bit about your transplant experience with Bosley?  I had an initial transplant with Bosley in the year 2000 (the "dark ages"), and I was just curious to know if they have changed or anything?  How was the consultation?  

Best of luck for being on your way to an awesome head of hair! :-)

TeeJay

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## Denver Mint

Yeah, I guess I probably wasn't a typical hair transplant candidate in the fact that I have quite a bit of hair to lose but I started to notice my scalp was showing at the middle and top of my head.  It is hard to swallow when you look at pictures just 2 and 3 years ago and then look in the mirror.   Like I posted previously, the front has been thinning for a while.  I will post pics later on.

I was actually very impressed with Bosley.  I did not experience any pressure whatsoever.  I met with the consultant and the doctor on the same visit.  The doctor explained to me my balding category, which is 5 or 5A, I can't remember.  I left on my own terms and negotiated a reasonable price.  I realize the fees are inflated but the total price was about 20 percent less than what the fee schedule indicates.  

I was a little disappointed in that the doctor does not implant the hair.  He performed the incisions and the nurses and techs put the hair in.  I think they did a good job but I thought the doctor would do that as well.  I couldn't see but it seemed like he used a scalpel to cut little incisions all over my head.  It was not like the John and Kate plus 8 procedure where they punch holes in your head.  He did not explain that I could possibly experience shock loss.  I just wanted to get ahead of my hair loss and put a few hundred grafts in the area that was starting to thin, however I am anticipating the re-growth of my hair lost and new hair in the middle and top of my head.  I think I will need to have a second surgery to fill in the rest of top of my head and I am hoping that will be all that I need.  Like many others, I am nervous in how the end result will look like but there is nothing I can do but wait and see.

In looking at other pictures, I don't think I have alot of surface area to cover because the balding area is relatively small compared to many of the pictures I have seen.

Everyone was very courteous and they did everything I asked.  For some reason the anesthetic did not numb me very well so I had about 100 shots.  It was crazy but the middle of my scalp did not respond very well at all.

My biggest fear about hair loss is that I have wierd shaped head and I think it will look funny bald.  That is my main motivation in trying to curb the shedding.  

Like I said before, this forum has really encouraged me because I am able to read about others experiencing the same anxieties and worry as I am experiencing.

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## gillenator

Denver Mint,

The good thing is that it does not sound like your shockloss was substantial because for some, it can be, especially those with a diffused thinning pattern, commonly seen in women with MPB.

First let me inform you that I am not a doctor, but I do have nearly three decades of clinical observations and did work on the inside before.

I see and hear of many younger patients having surgery at roughly the same time they are starting Propecia.  IMHO this is not the ideal approach because as you found out, some guys can experience a massive shedding just from the active ingredient.  This usually occurs in the first 90 days of starting the drug IF the patient responds to the meds with shedding.

The problem is that the recipient incisions cause trauma to the scalp and the scalp often will respond with some level of shockloss to the exisitng native hair and you end up with a double whammy of loss, both from the meds and the trauma!  Thankfully most of it does grow back.  Your native hair and transplants should start breaking scalp at 3-4 months post-op.

The primary reason that a patient wants to wait on surgery is to see if in fact Propecia stabilizes one's hairloss.  But let's say for example it does not work and the patient continues with a rapid progression of hairloss.  Having surgery at that point IMO can do far more damage than help as far as any visual benefit is concerned.  Surgery at that point can in fact ADVANCE the rate of loss.  It's so unpredictable.  But whenever a new patient arrives with advanced hairloss at a young age, and then also states he/she is losing at a rapid rate ARE CLEAR INDICATIONS that this particular patient is at higher risk of shockloss, and even permanent shockloss.  And let us remember, women cannot take Propecia, only minoxidil.  But for these younger men losing fast, moving them right into surgery IMHO, is inappropriate.  The medicinal route should be tried first for the reasons I have mentioned, again my opinion, and you do not have to be licensed in medicine to see the prudent sense in that and act responsibly in the patient's best interest.

For the most part, those individuals who have family history of the advanced levels of MPB, and do not respond favorably to hairloss meds, should think twice about surgery because there is a good chance they will regret it should they move forward.  Something to think about.

All in all, I wish you the best in the months to come!

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## Spex

Shockloss is something that can be experienced when transplanting into existing hair although highly unpredictable. Shockloss occurs when the native hair is weak and isn't strong enough to resist the trauma thats going on around it. More often than not the hair that has gone into shock will grow back but after 3/4 months - after the resting phase
Hair that goes into shock and doesn't return is hair that was inevitably on its way out anyway and wasn't strong enough to return.
Increased trauma to a localised area will increase the chances of shockloss
Shockloss is unpredictable and there is no hard and fast rule to avoiding it - especially if you are transplanting into existing hair.

There are risk factors that either heighten or lessen someone's risk. Diffuse thinners seem more prone to shockloss than receders because the hair in a diffuse area is often less stable than that of a receder. Very often, a lot of the hair in a diffuse area is "on its last legs" and in the latter stages of the miniaturization process.

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## Codeman

Hi Denver Mint, my situation is EXTREMELY similar to yours. I am 26 yrs old and went to Bosley in Atlanta and had a transplant done (prior to doing enough research). I feel after doing my research on the back end that I would have not had a hair transplant had I seen all the threads that I have now seen. The hair transplant procedure that I experienced in Atlanta went well and the staff was very nice. I do however feel that I WAS somewhat pressured into the procedure and the possibility that I was not a candidate because I was so young was not even brought up. Nor was the possibility of shock loss, which I am experiencing. However I fear this loss may be more serious than shock loss. I had the procedure done in October 2010 and it is now February 2011 and I am noticing some disturbing loss of hairs that don't appear to be transplanted hairs. This is very frightening for me and I am concerned that I made an awful decision because I am a student living off of loans now and I do not have any cash to fix anything that ends up looking awful. I did not start taking finasteride until approximately 1 week prior to the surgery and was not notified that I could have waited 6 months to see if the hair loss would subside. I also feel that the doctor may have given me false hope in how low he could bring my hairline and provide adequate thickness at the same time. I am currently using minoxidil and finasteride as well as taking an SSRI to help with the anxiety I feel over the possibility that I have made the worst decision of my life. Maybe not... I surely hope not but all I can do is wait and see what my 1 yr results look like. Denver mint, how do your results look now? I think we had very similar situations and I'm trying to decide what to plan for in the future. Thanks

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## Denver Mint

Codeman:

I can feel your pain and sorry you are going through this.  My anxiety was like a roller-coaster for a long time.  With that being said, there is hope.  I actually quit taking propecia and haven't done so for about a year and half.  My shedding slowed down significantly and I don't really notice much shedding anymore...even less than before I had the procedure.  I think the shedding prior to the surgury was my hair pattern finishing out my "island patch" in the front.  

That being said, I can share with you what I have went through.  The back 2/3 of the top of my head still looks worse than before the surgery and I have come to grips with it.  It was a long emotional journey and I still feel the emotional remnants of it and I just passed my 2 year anniversary of the procedure.  My hair was too thin to wear any longer than a 5 guard without feeling self-conscious.  

In May of 2009 I really started researching strip-scar revisions because I came to the conclusion I could  not afford another surgery so my decision was to go shorter...ironically the reason I had the surgery in the first place because I didn't want to shave my head.  The problem is, you can't shave your head with a huge scar covering the back of your head.  The scar was concealed but I couldn't go lower than a 5 guard without it being noticeable.  So I was stuck with overly thinning hair on top or risk everyone seeing the scar and knowing I had the surgery.  

I am not sure if I can recommend surgeons on this site but I will mention who I went to.  I researched and found Dr. Cole in Atlanta.  I believe it is IHTI.  From what I read I had to put faith because I had nowhere else to turn to resolve it.  I went and had an FUE procedure which pulls individual grafts out without scarring.  There is supposedly a little scar that is left but unless you shave your head completely you will not notice it.  I had 200 grafts placed in the scar area...doesn't sound like much but it has made a huge difference.  

I am now able to shave my head all over with a three guard and the scar is undetectable.  With it down to a three, the thinning on top is not nearly as noticeable.  If you can get strip scar surgery I really think it can buy you some time.  It costed me $2,000 for the surgery but it was worth every penny, imo.  It is not perfect, but I can go anywhere I want without people seeing the scar.  

Another thing I discovered while I had the surgery was Toppek.  You may want to look into this.  The Toppek fibers work pretty well.  I used it when my hair was longer when I was still nervous about shaving my head and it really gives pretty good coverage.  It is a fiber that sticks to your hair.  The one thing to keep in mind is that it usually doesn't match your hair perfectly.  I have dark brown hair and if I over-applied it, it looked closer to black.  Because of fighting with putting Toppek on everyday, I decided to shave it.  I still use Toppek to fill in some thin spots with my 3 guard shave but I use a little spray nozzle which makes it very easy.  I have been able to shave the top of my head as low as a 1 guard and my side and back I can go as low as a 2 guard but I have to use Dermatch to put on the scar area.  Don't get too bogged down in the dermatch stuff, I was just experimenting with ways to see how low I could go.

All that said, I decided to put grafts into my scar and go shorter.  If nothing else it has bought me time to if and when I would like another procedure.  If I do decide it will be with FUE procedure, not Bosley.  If I wouldn't have had the scar in the first place, at least I would be able to shave it and move on.  I regret the decision to go and if I had it back I would've rather flushed the money down the toilet...that stinks to live with that kind of regret but I have to move forward.  My regret is because I have the scar, not for the hair thinning.  As I said before, the hair did stop falling out.  I would have had an FUE...if only I had done a little more research prior to them putting the knife to the back of my head.  

Hope this helped.  Hang in there and stay strong.  Alot of men have been through what you are going through and we have survived.

I wanted to add that the front portion that really needed the implant looks pretty good.  It is not as thick as I would've liked but I can't complain about it.  I actually have turf over my entire head and nobody knows or at least has looked at my funny or made a single comment about my hair looking different.

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## Denver Mint

I just looked over my post and wanted to clarify if I had to it over again I would not have transplanted in the thicker hair.  I indicated it wasn't for the thinning but obviously that is what concerned me.

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## dgman21

So you would recommend guys thinking of surgery just to accept thinning and balding?I'm 32 next month and I really can't stand my thinning hair,especially windy days or rain/swimming,seeing hairs on my shirt,etc.....I feel like its holding me back from doing things in life at my job and women,and other things. I keep looking in the mirror and comparing myself to other guys.

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## Denver Mint

In regards to Codeman, whom said he felt we were in similar situations, I recommended the strip scar *repair* surgery.  And only because that is what I did and I have found contentment in being able to have my hair at a certain length and not let it be hindrance to my self-confidence in appearance.  I may have been a little confusing in my original post.  It was getting late and I was typing fast.  

Because my one and only hair transplant surgery so far, transplanted hairs were transplanted in a region that did not need hair and caused thinning that was not thinning prior to the surgery.  He indicated he could not afford a major repair job.  I found it to be much cheaper to buy some years by being able to go shorter with the scar repair/scar transplant surgery as opposed to going back in and transplanting more hair on the top of my head and possibly causing more shock loss.   

dgman221, did you have shockloss also from strip surgery?

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## dgman21

Denver,
I am really contempalting getting strip surgery but after posts I get scared. I'm just so sick of seeing my thinning hair. It's like I'm afraing to take a shower or brush it due to more hairs falling out and more of my scalp being exposed. I just want to thicken it up. I've gotten 3-4 doctors opinions on the IAHRS website and they vary saying I don't need it yet to 600 grafts to 2,000 grafts. I wish I can get over this. I have to fix my hair a certain way so I don't expose my balding areas.

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## Denver Mint

dg,

I am only one person with an opinion, but I wouldn't tell my worst enemy to get a strip surgery.  FUE is more expensive but you don't risk the scar.  I am young but one day I may have to have chemotherapy.  I don't even want to think about dealing with having a scar from one ear to the other on the back of my head knowing my hair would probably fall out...to me, people knowing I had the surgery is even worse than going bald.  

Also, in the event you are not happy with the surgery and decide instead of chasing your baldness for years to come and spending thousands of dollars, now you may be stuck with dealing with your thinning hair, bad surgery and a scar to deal with to determine how you are going to proceed.

Keep doing research and think about it and you will make the right decision.  I am not against hair transplant surgery so I don't want to sway you but it is good to know the risks.

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## Codeman

Denver mint, How short is your hair right now? And how much did the scar transplant/repair cost you? You say it was worth it so apparently you would recommend it? I am ok with shaving my head as close as I can but need to know if Dr. Cole is affordable and if he gave you good results. I was hoping he could take my donor hairs from either my front hairline where the Bosley "doctor" placed them too low and too far apart. How is your scarring in the donor area? I actually scar little compared to others and have great healing skin. I just don't want noticeable scarring on my forehead, however I also don't want a patch of sprouts on my forehead that is isolated when it starts growing back out because I was too busy to shave EVERY DAY.

 I agree with what you said about not wishing the strip surgery on your worst enemy. It has really turned my life upside down. I have a lot going for me but it makes you CONSTANTLY embarrassed that you went through with it. I DID NOT do my research and sort of rushed into it. How stupid can one be?! I put my faith in other human beings and learned a hard lesson. One that will stay with me until the day I die. 

Scars do get better over time and my hope is to be able to shave my head with a razor and just have the scar which in a # of yrs will be skin color instead of pink. Lots of people have scars in visible places. Mine just happens to be on the back of my head now. I will own it and hope and pray that it is not as noticeable as it could be. I have a wife that loves me no matter what scars I have so I am extremely blessed. Everybody else that sees the scar can assume what they want about me and if they judge me then that is their sin. I don't really care. The people that matter are my family and those that love me and to those people, the scar is exactly that, just a scar! It still doesn't mean I don't want it to be as minimally noticeable as possible ha!

Thanks for your replies, information, and support DM. I am really glad you feel better about the whole situation and with the way things are only 2 yrs after THE PROCEDURE. If you have any pics you could share I'd love to see them. Really thinking about visiting Dr. Cole because I may could actually afford it. I am in graduate school and have no income for the next 2 yrs but I have some emergency cash put away that might take care of his fee. I sure hope so!

Codeman

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## Denver Mint

Right now my hair is at a 3 guard with a Wahl razor.  I shave it about once a week.  As I said before, I have actually had it down to a one on top and 2 on the back and sides.  It sounds wierd to have the top shorter but a 1 and 2 guard are so close that it doesn't look bad...however, I cannot go any lower than a 2 guard on the razor without the scar being noticeable.  

Info on the scar correction:  The transplanted hairs do not cover the scar completely.  Dr. Cole indicated it takes two or even three surgeries to get the scar where you want it to be, but he and is and his office staff told me not to expect to ever fully conceal it.  That is not to scare you away from getting the scar repair done.  I had one surgery and it has done wonders.

Dr. Cole did tell me if I wanted to have the implanted hairs taken out he can do that in the front.  There is however risk of minimal scarring but nothing like the strip scar.  Give them a call and get a consultation.

My repair surgery was $2,000.

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## Codeman

You are my Godsend DM. Thanks so much for the information. I actually have approximately that amount at my disposal. I live a good ways away from Georgia so I'm wondering if he could do an online consult and get adequate information to assess my situation. Did you drive over for a consult, then go back for the procedure. Also where did he take your donor hairs from? I may have a small ridge in one area of my scar but I doubt that changes whether or not he can help me. The Bosley "doctor" that did my surgery is a board certified plastic surgeon so I figured I didn't need to worry about him leaving me with a bad scar and that he would do his best to make the scar as minimal as possible. However, as rough and quickly as he sewed it up, I now know that he definitely could have put more care and effort into it. Oh well, what is done is done.

Codeman

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## shockloss

> Codeman:
> 
> I can feel your pain and sorry you are going through this.  My anxiety was like a roller-coaster for a long time.  With that being said, there is hope.  I actually quit taking propecia and haven't done so for about a year and half.  My shedding slowed down significantly and I don't really notice much shedding anymore...even less than before I had the procedure.  I think the shedding prior to the surgury was my hair pattern finishing out my "island patch" in the front.  
> 
> That being said, I can share with you what I have went through.  The back 2/3 of the top of my head still looks worse than before the surgery and I have come to grips with it.  It was a long emotional journey and I still feel the emotional remnants of it and I just passed my 2 year anniversary of the procedure.  My hair was too thin to wear any longer than a 5 guard without feeling self-conscious.  
> 
> In May of 2009 I really started researching strip-scar revisions because I came to the conclusion I could  not afford another surgery so my decision was to go shorter...ironically the reason I had the surgery in the first place because I didn't want to shave my head.  The problem is, you can't shave your head with a huge scar covering the back of your head.  The scar was concealed but I couldn't go lower than a 5 guard without it being noticeable.  So I was stuck with overly thinning hair on top or risk everyone seeing the scar and knowing I had the surgery.  
> 
> I am not sure if I can recommend surgeons on this site but I will mention who I went to.  I researched and found Dr. Cole in Atlanta.  I believe it is IHTI.  From what I read I had to put faith because I had nowhere else to turn to resolve it.  I went and had an FUE procedure which pulls individual grafts out without scarring.  There is supposedly a little scar that is left but unless you shave your head completely you will not notice it.  I had 200 grafts placed in the scar area...doesn't sound like much but it has made a huge difference.  
> ...


 I have experienced massive shock loss from my recent HT in 11/2010. All my native hair in the HT area are now gone. What left on my head (front and temple) are now those pin-hole from so the HT. Can you please let me know if any of your shock loss hair came back and how long did it take? Is your HT grow at all? Thx

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## Denver Mint

Shockloss:

As far as I can tell the schock loss hair did not come back.  As far as the HT hair, it will fall out but it should come back.  Surpisingly I never really experienced my transplanted hair fall out all at once.  

From my experience, it was true that it takes at least 6 months but closer to a year for the hair to finally achieve the result you are looking for.  Try not to get too panicked about the transplanted hair until at least May.  It seemed by about month 4 things started to dramatically fill in and by about 9 months I was pretty happy with the transplanted area.

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## Denver Mint

Codeman:

Dr. Cole's office actually encourages online consultation for those out of the area.  I was going to do that but I was traveling through Atlanta so I went to the office and had a consultation.  I will say this in case you decide to look into it further, the consultation staff seems a little quirky but Dr. Cole is very good...just in case you get scared away if you meet them for a consultation. 

They took my 200 hairs from the back (non-donor region) and sides of my head.  As far as the scar itself, I don't think that will be an issue because Dr. Cole was able to quickly assess what he needed to do to implant at the right place.  

Again, if and when I decide to have another procedure with Dr. Cole, I will also have him put a second round of hair in my scar region.  I think another 100 or so will "seal the deal" for my scar.  I am hopeful that at some point I can shave my entire head to a 2 (I posted previously I can go as low as a 2 guard but I have to use Dermatch).  Dermatch is actually cheap and goes a long way but it is messy and you will leave a dark spot on a pillow when sleeping through the night if you don't wash it off before you go to bed.  The problem is that when you go too short, the lightened color of the scar does become exposed.  He told me that I would probably need about 1500 grafts to repair the shock loss area on my head and fill in some areas where Bosley could have done better.  If I remeber correctly, he charges $10/graft for non-shaven surgery and $8/graft if you shave your head...needless to say 1500 grafts is about double what I paid at Bosley for my initial procedure.  If it were cheaper I would probably have done the repair surgery from the Bosley botch.

Considering all of the horror stories from HT and websites like this, it won't surprise me to see a TV special about Bosley procedures and future lawsuits.

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## gillenator

> I just looked over my post and wanted to clarify if I had to it over again I would not have transplanted in the thicker hair.  I indicated it wasn't for the thinning but obviously that is what concerned me.


 That's why for most of us, it's better to wait it out and get as much benefit from effective hairloss meds so we maintain as much natural hair as we can for as long as we can.

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## shockloss

Thanks DM. too many bad Doc who do not care about anything but money. People are scared for life because of all the bastards. Never do HT with cheap price, better yet.. don't do it at all.

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## Frankie Boy

My situation is different i just got my 4th Transplant and i noticed a week later alot of my previous grafts got shocked and im getting nervous but my doctor said it will grow back I thought Grafts could not be shocked 
Im feeling very down about this

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## shockloss

Franky boy
no worries, lots of mine hairline grow back in about three months but still most hair in the temples are missing. I have been through hell and I gave up thinking about it. I used laser comb and ropain to speed up the growing. I think it helps. It's still a lot less than my preop but that is the price I pay. Hopefully it grows more in future. how bad you have? i had full head of hair and after HT I lost 90% of all area (3in from the hairline) where i got the transplant.

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## Frankie Boy

What worries me is that these are grafts that got shocked not my native hair again I was told that they would grow back but I'm still worried  I was under the assumption transplant grafts can't be shocked but I as I know now they can. I look like I got a haircut and they cut too much on top. I wish a doctor on this forum can reassure me they should all grow back

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## shockloss

you should be worried about the native hair that got shocked and lost . Trust me the transplanted hairs will all grow back just like mine did unless the dr damaged the folicles by punch in them, which is not likely. By that, I guess it's also depended on how careful the Doc performed your HT too. Is this a well known or still in training Dr?

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## Frankie Boy

Thanks for the input i went to a doctor who is not on this forum
My 3rd Transplant i went to a doctor on this forum and did not get good results ....There alot of good doctors out there who are not on Transplant Websites. I did not make the Doctor shave my head because i had to go to work the next week also there is less of a chance of Transection. I hope all my previous grafts grow back and my new grafts grown in good

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## Condor

Hey Frankie, I'm in the exact same situation. I opted for a fourth, and last, transplant two and a half weeks ago, to fill out my previous transplants, and a lot of my previous hair grafts fell out, which I thought were shockproof. Now I look much worse than before the last HT. Sure hope everything will grow as the doctor says... :Confused:

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## Frankie Boy

It's been almost 2 months now and I see a slight improvment I hope all my previous grafts grow back and I also look worse than before

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## gillenator

Condor & Frankie & Condor,

Your shockloss should be temporary.  This can happen even though some of the shock was previous transplanted hair.

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## David s

I had a transplant done by Dr E Epstein in Richmond Va.in mid Aug. 2011 I had2969 grafts.2 weeks later I lost almost all the hair I already had on the top of my head.shock loss is what they said.I am very freaked but was told it will come back,,,is there a chance it won't and when will I see the new hair?which should come back first,,,the hair from the shock loss or the transplanted hair?Now I really am bald before it was just thinning.

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## Condor

I never thought my hair could look this thick or shiny. I am thrilled with my HT, although it was f%$king hell for a while. Hell. For a long time... I had tons of pimples on my scalp which I scratched during my sleep, my nails were filled with blood every morning, I was literally a bloody mess, I had to wear my hair in such a ridiculous way you can not even imagine, like Curly from the Three Stooges, except thinner. Bandanas, hats, everything. My scalp used to itch like I had a colony of ants in there. BUT... Now, it was all worth it. Hang in there. It's worth it. Now I still use Toppik, but so little, like a sprinkle, just close to the hairline, although if I weren't so vain, I could do without it. After all, I am in my forties... And looking GOOD!!! Wish you the best!





> Hey Frankie, I'm in the exact same situation. I opted for a fourth, and last, transplant two and a half weeks ago, to fill out my previous transplants, and a lot of my previous hair grafts fell out, which I thought were shockproof. Now I look much worse than before the last HT. Sure hope everything will grow as the doctor says...

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## David s

I had a transplant done by Dr E Epstein in Richmond Va.in mid Aug.2969 grafts.2 weeks later I lost almost all the hair I already had on the top of my head.shock loss is what they said.I am very freaked but was told it will come back,,,is there a chance it won't and when will I see the new hair?which should come back first,,,the hair from the shock loss or the transplanted hair?

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## Frankie Boy

> I had a transplant done by Dr E Epstein in Richmond Va.in mid Aug. 2011 I had2969 grafts.2 weeks later I lost almost all the hair I already had on the top of my head.shock loss is what they said.I am very freaked but was told it will come back,,,is there a chance it won't and when will I see the new hair?which should come back first,,,the hair from the shock loss or the transplanted hair?Now I really am bald before it was just thinning.


 It's been 7 months and my shocked hair grew back. It was grafts that were shocked. I belive most of your hair should grow . Maybe hair that was ready to fall out soon might not

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## Condor

Hey David, I was in the exact same situation as you. I also lost all my grafted hair following a transplant. I was devastated. And I am a model, so you understand. You cannot imagine. But sure enough, it all grew back. Slowly, but it did. And I did not exactly follow the doctor's orders, which was protein, green tea, vegetables and blah blah blah. I was too depressed about my hair loss. So it was French Fries, mayonnaise, and Jack Daniels for me for a while. But things got better. Hang in there. Things will get better, I promise. I now have a full head of hair.

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## VictimOfDHT

> Hey Frankie, I'm in the exact same situation. I opted for a fourth, and last, transplant two and a half weeks ago, to fill out my previous transplants, and a lot of my previous hair grafts fell out, which I thought were shockproof. Now I look much worse than before the last HT. Sure hope everything will grow as the doctor says...


 Never had shock loss after any of my HTs. What I had was much much worse than shock loss. My transplanted hair is falling out. This has happened for the fourth time. Not all of it but maybe half....so far.

BTW, how many grafts in total did you have in these 4 HTs and were they for the whole head or just a certain part ??

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## David s

> Hey David, I was in the exact same situation as you. I also lost all my grafted hair following a transplant. I was devastated. And I am a model, so you understand. You cannot imagine. But sure enough, it all grew back. Slowly, but it did. And I did not exactly follow the doctor's orders, which was protein, green tea, vegetables and blah blah blah. I was too depressed about my hair loss. So it was French Fries, mayonnaise, and Jack Daniels for me for a while. But things got better. Hang in there. Things will get better, I promise. I now have a full head of hair.


 Hey Condor,
Thanks for the reassurance ,,,,I am only at week 9 and wear a hat now because I am bald losing all my other hair to shock loss,,,waiting is the hard part,the HT took 8 hours but no problems or discomfort.it seems like I can feel little hairs just can't see it yet.

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## David s

> It's been 7 months and my shocked hair grew back. It was grafts that were shocked. I belive most of your hair should grow . Maybe hair that was ready to fall out soon might not


 Hey Frankie boy,
Which hair came back first ,,,the lost hair or the new HT,,,or could you tell,,,,was it all back in 7 months and how long before you could see the growth?

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## gillenator

Whenever hair shocks out, it's the hair follicles that go into the telogen (resting) phase and whether it's the existing hair follicles or transplanted hair follicles, they will rest for approximately 3-4 months and then re-enter the growth (anagen) phase and resume hair growth.

However, very debilitated hair that is thin and on it's way out may not come back and produce hair again.  But like many will tell you, that hair would not be around much longer any way whether shocked out or not.

So the transplants and the natural hair should cycle through togethor and that's where you will notice it visually and see the increase in overall density as well as coverage.

But remember, this all takes up to one year to see the result of regrowth.

Best wishes to you! :Wink:

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## Condor

Hey David s,
 I truly hope this helps. I wish I could send a picture of my hair right now. I actually have one of a week ago. Amazing. And I went through hell for it. Pimples, blood, gross itchy stuff the doctor never talked about. My last HT took 13 hours. But look at the results. I wish you the best luck!

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## Condor

[QUOTE=Condor;41907]Hey David s,
 I truly hope this helps. I wish I could send a picture of my hair right now. I actually have one of a week ago. Amazing. And I went through hell for it. Pimples, blood, gross itchy stuff the doctor never talked about. My last HT took 13 hours. But look at the results. I wish you the best luck!

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## David s

Well I guess it's just the wait now,,,,,thanks for your reply it took some of my freak out away with everyone telling me it will come back,,,but what a shock I got with the total shock loss I had,,,,I remember the doc telling me about that but did not pay much attention,,,until it happened,,,he said it was rare but I think it happens more often than what he said.

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## Condor

Oh I totally think shock loss happens way more often than what HT doctors say. And let me tell you, I freaked out. I was taking showers and big clumps of hair were stuck in my hands, not on my scalp. I was thinking "There is no way this hair is ever going to grow back", it was just too much loss. And then I kept reading about if the hair is already on it's way out, a HT just accelerates the process. Then the scalp pimples came!
It is a waiting game. It did all grow back. I am thrilled with the final results. I will post a post picture soon, it's pretty amazing. But man, the hell I went through... Hang in there.

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## Mr. 4000

> dg,
> 
> I am only one person with an opinion,* but I wouldn't tell my worst enemy to get a strip surgery.  FUE is more expensive but you don't risk the scar.*  I am young but one day I may have to have chemotherapy.  I don't even want to think about dealing with having a scar from one ear to the other on the back of my head knowing my hair would probably fall out...to me, people knowing I had the surgery is even worse than going bald.  
> 
> Also, in the event you are not happy with the surgery and decide instead of chasing your baldness for years to come and spending thousands of dollars, now you may be stuck with dealing with your thinning hair, bad surgery and a scar to deal with to determine how you are going to proceed.
> 
> *Keep doing research* and think about it and you will make the right decision.  I am not against hair transplant surgery so I don't want to sway you but it is good to know the risks.


 I couldn't agree more. I would NEVER suggest to anyone to have a strip procedure. SO much can go wrong, and no matter what you will be back for a 2nd round at some point in your life to cover up something that didn't come out right. 

My scalp is stretched so badly to account for the amount of donor taken in the back that my whole scalp has be unnaturally shift back. Pulling the scalp back has exposed much more of my forehead than has ever been exposed before the procedure. I will need 1500 graft to have my original look back from the front. FUE is the only way to go and that has a ton of risks, but you will never have to worry about having your scalp stretched unnaturally covering areas that it wasn't intended to cover. My scalp is so tight at some point during everyday since that loser doctor touched my head I haven't had a normal day pain free.  

If you read my thread on the "nightmare experience" I did a ton of research and still picked a loser doctor. Matter of fact the more research you do could possible lead you down the wrong road. It is hard to determine in a state of finding a solution for your hairloss and relying on what is rational or irrational on the internet or in person. 

I used this site and others and was still mislead. 

Great point Denver, just go natural and save your money

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## David s

Hey Condor,,,I'd like to see your pics,,,I'll post mine of before the HT and after,,,if I can figure out how to do it,,and then I'll just have to wait to post the finished outcome.

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## gillenator

David, you are just entering the third month post-op.  The regrowth should start showing any time now.  Usually 3-4 months before you start seeing anything.

It also sounds like you were experiencing a diffused thinning pattern.  Without seeing your before pics, it's hard to tell how diffused your existing hair was.  Obviously thare have been lots of miniturization going on for years right?

The weakest hair may not come back.  The stronger hair will regrow along with the transplanted hair.  Both the transplants and existing natural hair rests for 3-4 months once it sheds and enters the resting (telogen) phase.  It will then both regrow once the follicles re-enter the growth (anagen) phase.

Hang in there for awhile longer.  Feel free to email me your progress pics if you want my opinion as your journey through the regrowth.

Best wishes to you my friend. :Wink:

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## David s

I will try and send some pics if I can figure out how to do it. 

Thanks for your reply ,,,, I really freaked when I lost all the hair on top after the HT.

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## David s

Will I get pimples on my head when it starts to come back,,, I was told that but not seen any yet and should I break them open if they happen or just leave alone. Also would Rogain help it come back faster. I really don't want to use that life,,,, that is why I did the HT.

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## David s

Will I get pimples on my head when it starts to come back,,, I was told that but not seen any yet and should I break them open if they happen or just leave alone. Also would Rogain help it come back faster. I really don't want to use that life,,,, that is why I did the HT.

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## TheFirst17

> Oh I totally think shock loss happens way more often than what HT doctors say. And let me tell you, I freaked out. I was taking showers and big clumps of hair were stuck in my hands, not on my scalp. I was thinking "There is no way this hair is ever going to grow back", it was just too much loss. And then I kept reading about if the hair is already on it's way out, a HT just accelerates the process. Then the scalp pimples came!
> It is a waiting game. It did all grow back. I am thrilled with the final results. I will post a post picture soon, it's pretty amazing. But man, the hell I went through... Hang in there.


 Oh.. hearing your story makes me feel a bit better.
Did you have any donor loss? That's what's happening to me now...

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## gillenator

> Will I get pimples on my head when it starts to come back,,, I was told that but not seen any yet and should I break them open if they happen or just leave alone. Also would Rogain help it come back faster. I really don't want to use that life,,,, that is why I did the HT.


 Yes the pimples can appear as the new hair shafts are just about to break through the scalp.

Use a clean, wet, warm, wash cloth and apply to each pimple for several minutes, then gently squeeze the puss.  Do not scratch them open.  Do not pinch them open using your bare finger nails.

The pimples won't hurt anything as long as they are from regrowth and not a site infection.

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## David s

I have grown some light hair back at week 15 but still no where near what I had before the 2969 grafts.my head is still somewhat numb on the top. I have not had any pimples yet and hoping they come soon as that is what always happens when the new hair comes in or does that not always happen?the waiting is driving me crazy.can anyone tell me how to post pics from my mailbox.i would like you guys to see what is happening and what you think.thanks for the support and replies.
David

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## VictimOfDHT

I've had 4 HTs (all strips) and I don't think you can tell I've had any HTs. I can feel where the scar is but that's about it. My scalp hasn't shifted or nothing. I don't have a bigger forehead or anything and my hairline isn't higher. Of course not having an FUT beats having one any day but people, please don't exaggerate things and make FUTs sound like it's the most horrible thing in the world. 
The other thing, I'm thinking about getting yet another HT -thanks to my problem that some of you know about- and this time I'm considering an FUE but the doctor insists that FUTs are much better because of the much higher survival rate of the grafts vs that of FUEs. So, I don't know. Is it (the survival rate of FUE grafts) really that bad ? The % of grafts (in an FUE) that fail to produce any hair is really damn high from what he told me. 

Any info on what the survival rate (of grafts) is in FUE vs FUT ?

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## Tracy C

> I have not had any pimples yet and hoping they come soon as that is what always happens when the new hair comes in *or does that not always happen?*


 That does not always happen.

Yes, the waiting is the worst part.   :Frown: 






> Any info on what the survival rate (of grafts) is in FUE vs FUT ?


 I am pretty sure it depends on the surgeon.  A truly gifted doctor can create great results either way.

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## David s

I was told that my native hair came out from shock loss and will all come back in 4-8 months except for the ones on their last leg that I would have lost anyway.also I was told all the HT hair would fall out but come back 100% in 4-12 months.the hard part is waiting.especially since now I do look bald and it was only thinning before.hope in the next month I will see the HT hair come in ..I have already started getting my native hair back.
Can anyone tell me how to post pics from my mail box.i would like to show you guys that know what it looks like.
Thanks 
David

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## rogar6

> Yes the pimples can appear as the new hair shafts are just about to break through the scalp.
> 
> Use a clean, wet, warm, wash cloth and apply to each pimple for several minutes, then gently squeeze the puss.  Do not scratch them open.  Do not pinch them open using your bare finger nails.
> 
> The pimples won't hurt anything as long as they are from regrowth and not a site infection.


 My doc told me to place a q tip with alcohol on it over the pimple for several times a day. Is it better to pop it?

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## gillenator

Feel free to double check with your doctor but my guess is that he wants you to use a Qtip with alchol to make it sterile when sqeezing it.

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## gillenator

Victim,

Honestly, whenever I see any doc stating that he/she feels that FUT has a higher survival rate, they are for the most part generalizing the point on better yields overall within the industry.

Sometimes they are indirectly telling you that they have far more confidence in their experienced techs to dissect a strip microscopically keeping transection to a minimum.  In other words, their own skill in manual or robotic extraction methods are not as proficient and they have much higher transection rates when they themselves are doing FUE.

But like Tracy said, the proficiency of each doctor who is skilled in both arenas of strip and FUE can potentially produce a nice result for their patients.

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## jetfan11

> I was told that my native hair came out from shock loss and will all come back in 4-8 months except for the ones on their last leg that I would have lost anyway.also I was told all the HT hair would fall out but come back 100% in 4-12 months.the hard part is waiting.especially since now I do look bald and it was only thinning before.hope in the next month I will see the HT hair come in ..I have already started getting my native hair back.
> Can anyone tell me how to post pics from my mail box.i would like to show you guys that know what it looks like.
> Thanks 
> David


 David s,

Did your shock loss recover? If so when did recovery start and when did you back to even? I'm 3 months out and had terrible shock loss.

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## David s

It was in month 5 all my shock loss came back with new hair. I'm happy

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## jetfan11

Thanks David I really appreciate the response. I've been through hell with this. I'm right at month 3.

If you don't mind couple of more questions.

Did it start to recover at month 5 or was it fully recovered by then

Also how do you know it was shock loss recovering and not the new grafts growing in? I ask because I have reason to believe my new grafts will not be growing in so I'm counting on shock loss recovery.

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## jetfan11

> you should be worried about the native hair that got shocked and lost . Trust me the transplanted hairs will all grow back just like mine did unless the dr damaged the folicles by punch in them, which is not likely. By that, I guess it's also depended on how careful the Doc performed your HT too. Is this a well known or still in training Dr?


 
Shock loss,

Did your shock loss every recover? I am in months 3 and my hairline got demolished. I've been through hell these last 3 months. Did yours come back if so when?  Would love to know.

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## David s

Hey jeff ,,, it started coming in after 5 months with the new hair and only kept getting better,, I was totally bald on top from the shock loss and was freaking. You can not tell which is new and which is native coming back. After 12 months I was happy but freaking the first 4 months before it started back. My doc said be patient it will come back ,,, he was right but the wait was stressful . I am happy with the results ,,, if I new how to post pics you would be amazed ,,, what r your transplants not coming back ,,, cause you won't get back the native from shock loss that was on its way out ,,, you pushed that forward with the shock from the transplant .. Good luck you will see it start back in about 5 months and will be able to feel the little hairs coming up before u see them

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## jetfan11

David S,

Thanks again for your response. Feels good just to hear it.  I'm pretty sure 90 percent of the hair I lost was previously grafted hair from 2 Bosley procedures I had in 2004 and 2008 so I'm not too worried about native hair.

My concern is I only had 1000 grafts in the front and I shed my transplanted hairs really early like in first 5 to 10 days even. I kinda don't remember them even being there. My 1st 2 procudres with Bosley they stayed in for 2 weeks or so and were clearly visible before they shed.   I may just be paranoid but have little faith in new grafts.

At this point I'm just hoping olf grafts from Bosley grow back and I get back to even. I'd settle for that.

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## David s

My grafts came out right away then all the shock loss came out,,I mean all the hair on the top of my head after a month,,, talk about freaking but at five months it started coming back and continued for about 12 months I then had a second HT 2600 grafts a year later with hardly any shock loss and again at 5 months it started growing in and is still getting thicker. You just have to be patient and it's hard to do ,, it was a stressful ride but I'm happy now ,, I'm 62 years old and have full head of hair on top now more than when I was 40

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## jetfan11

Well that's encouraging to hear. How soon did the newly planted grafts fall out?  Man its reassuring to hear the story. Really appreciate your response.  I hope the same is true for me.

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## David s

It started at months and all came in together don't know what wAs native or what was new but kept coming for 12 months ,, the grafts came out at about 3 weeks never got pimples just tiny hairs popped up and grew

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## David s

Started at 5 months

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## jetfan11

Thanks for all your insights. When you say your grafts came out at 3 weeks do you mean the ones you had planted in the suurgery?

See mine must have came out really early bc I never noticed them so I feel like I'm counting on a shock loss recovery.

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## David s

I assumed the grafts came out with the shock loss because I never really noticed them either I lost all my hair on top and was pissed I did it till it all came back starting at 5 months. I lost it all after a month ,,, what kind of grafting did you have cause they cut the strip out of the back of my head and I think once it's done even if you lose the hair it almost always comes back and it's forever

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## Denver Mint

Just checking back in after several years.  I am still on my first transplant, which happened all the way back in 2009.  Needless to say, I jumped in on paranoia of losing hair.  I really haven't lost much hair since I finally saw the "fruits" of the finished product.  I have been blessed to find a 1.5 Wahl guard which I use to cut my hair about once a week on the top.  I use a 2 guard on the back and sides.  It surprisingly covers my strip scar by using the extension on the wahl clipper for the scar area.  In 9 years, I have only had one person make a comment about my strip and it was because of wierd lighting and they asked me if I was wearing a hat that day, which I recall I cut it a little too short that day.

I hope all of you gentlemen have continued on with contentment in your current hair status.  I am getting close to 40 now and the "bald idea" isn't so hard to swallow now...amazing what a little age and wisdom can do.  

Of course I still regret the strip scar surgery but it really doesn't have much impact on my daily life anymore.  What a blessing.  Best regards fellas.

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