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3 months since 2nd surgery
Thought I’d add a quick update:
Things are going ok. I’m finally starting to see some tiny new hairs pop up. They’re essentially translucent so it’s not helping me aesthetically but I’m just relieved to see something happening.
I stuck with red light therapy 3x per week for about a month after the surgery but admittedly I just got tired of driving over there so often. I’m still taking biotin daily and I started taking Vital Proteins Marine Collagen as well 4-7days a week. And I started eating meat again for the first time in 3.5 years which I don’t feel great about but I’m so desperate for my body to have enough protein to support hair growth, so... :/
I don’t have any photos to share this time since my camera won’t capture the new hairs yet but hopefully by next month I can share a proper update. But all is well. I didn’t have any problems with ingrown hairs or permanent nerve damage or anything, yay!
Things are going ok. I’m finally starting to see some tiny new hairs pop up. They’re essentially translucent so it’s not helping me aesthetically but I’m just relieved to see something happening.
I stuck with red light therapy 3x per week for about a month after the surgery but admittedly I just got tired of driving over there so often. I’m still taking biotin daily and I started taking Vital Proteins Marine Collagen as well 4-7days a week. And I started eating meat again for the first time in 3.5 years which I don’t feel great about but I’m so desperate for my body to have enough protein to support hair growth, so... :/
I don’t have any photos to share this time since my camera won’t capture the new hairs yet but hopefully by next month I can share a proper update. But all is well. I didn’t have any problems with ingrown hairs or permanent nerve damage or anything, yay!
Donor area photo update
Here’s a before and after so far of the donor area: next day vs almost 3 weeks after.
2 patches were shaved, this is the biggest one. For only 500 grafts these are huge areas to be shaved so I’m a little sad about that but I should be able to get microbead hair extensions in 4-6 months from now.
My hair was a little bloody and stiff in the first photo so the whole area isn’t visible - sorry about that!
2 patches were shaved, this is the biggest one. For only 500 grafts these are huge areas to be shaved so I’m a little sad about that but I should be able to get microbead hair extensions in 4-6 months from now.
My hair was a little bloody and stiff in the first photo so the whole area isn’t visible - sorry about that!
Almost 3 weeks post FUE (second procedure)
Alright, going on 3 weeks and my shock loss has already started which is pretty devastating. I’m losing the hairs from my first surgery... My cousin is getting married in less than a month and I’m worried I won’t be able to go looking patchy so I’m feeling a little depressed.
It’s troubling seeing things online about it because some reports say that shock loss can continue for 9 months (if I’m still losing hair 9 months from now I’m going to have a mental breakdown), some say that the lost hair will never grow back, some say it will start to grow back in 3-4 months, some say 12 months... what did I get myself into...
I’m doing everything I can to keep my hair healthy right now. I’m still using the ATP spray a couple times a day, I doubled my protein intake, and I’m taking biotin and collagen supplements, iodine, lots of vitamins, doing red light therapy at SMG 3x per week. Trying not to stress... I kinda wish I had started Propecia or something but I’m worried it might be too late to start now...? And is it even worth trying Rogaine or will that cause even more shedding?
The weird thing is that I’m losing the hairs from my first procedure but hardly any of the hair from this second procedure have fallen out yet... After my first one the hairs fell out early - at about a week - and now these ones are pretty locked in. Which is nice for the long term but not great for now because they’re pretty dark/short/blunt so compared to the hair I’m losing in that area it doesn’t look natural at all.
The only other issue I’m having is some nerve damage (temporary, don’t worry!) so I’m having pain all around the top of my head and behind my ears which has made sleeping difficult, however it’s starting to lessen a bit now which is nice.
Anyway, these are both very unfortunate but fairly “normal” problems... This is just how my body chose to react. All of this aside, everyone at Shapiro Medical Group is really helpful and friendly & I'm happy with my choice to use Dr Paul again. I recommend him as a surgeon, but just prepare yourself (especially you, ladies) and be aware that this is a very, VERY long and difficult healing process. It will be at least 2 full years of recovery for me between these two procedures, and I’m fortunate to have a job that I can wear a baseball cap to every day, but if I hadn’t been able to cover my forehead daily all year........ yikes.
It’s troubling seeing things online about it because some reports say that shock loss can continue for 9 months (if I’m still losing hair 9 months from now I’m going to have a mental breakdown), some say that the lost hair will never grow back, some say it will start to grow back in 3-4 months, some say 12 months... what did I get myself into...
I’m doing everything I can to keep my hair healthy right now. I’m still using the ATP spray a couple times a day, I doubled my protein intake, and I’m taking biotin and collagen supplements, iodine, lots of vitamins, doing red light therapy at SMG 3x per week. Trying not to stress... I kinda wish I had started Propecia or something but I’m worried it might be too late to start now...? And is it even worth trying Rogaine or will that cause even more shedding?
The weird thing is that I’m losing the hairs from my first procedure but hardly any of the hair from this second procedure have fallen out yet... After my first one the hairs fell out early - at about a week - and now these ones are pretty locked in. Which is nice for the long term but not great for now because they’re pretty dark/short/blunt so compared to the hair I’m losing in that area it doesn’t look natural at all.
The only other issue I’m having is some nerve damage (temporary, don’t worry!) so I’m having pain all around the top of my head and behind my ears which has made sleeping difficult, however it’s starting to lessen a bit now which is nice.
Anyway, these are both very unfortunate but fairly “normal” problems... This is just how my body chose to react. All of this aside, everyone at Shapiro Medical Group is really helpful and friendly & I'm happy with my choice to use Dr Paul again. I recommend him as a surgeon, but just prepare yourself (especially you, ladies) and be aware that this is a very, VERY long and difficult healing process. It will be at least 2 full years of recovery for me between these two procedures, and I’m fortunate to have a job that I can wear a baseball cap to every day, but if I hadn’t been able to cover my forehead daily all year........ yikes.
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