If you are dealing with hair loss and have tried various remedies to no avail, it may be time to consider a hair transplant. Medical hair restoration with a transplant is the only proven solution to hair loss. But before you are willing to spend the money on a hair transplant, you rightly want to know if it’s worth it. Do hair transplants really work? What kinds of results can you expect from a hair transplant? What can you do to make sure you get great hair transplant results?
The best way to get such questions answered is to talk with a patient who has just undergone the procedure. David, a 34-year old Nashville Hair Doctor patient, had his NeoGraft hair transplant in July 2018. Just six months later, in January of 2019, he is very happy with his results so far. We wanted to know what his secret was to get such great results relatively early, and whether he had any other tips and tricks for the recovery. You can see his answer to this and other questions in the interview below.
Interview with Hair Transplant Patient
Q: What made you want to get a hair transplant?
A: Basically, I started noticing that the crown of my head was showing. It’s not a spot you typically see, so I had no idea that I had this bald spot. I actually always thought I had good hair because of genetics, so it was quite a shock to learn otherwise.
Q: When you decided to have a hair transplant, what were you most concerned about going in?
A: I wasn’t really concerned about the procedure. Maybe the fact that I had to sit there for 8 hours, I was a little wary of that.
Q: Did the procedure last longer or shorter than you expected? How did you pass the time?
A: It was just about as long as I thought. I got to watch TV most of the time, so looking back it doesn’t seem that long at all. I had a remote control and could turn on whatever I wanted. I had to sit in different positions depending on where they worked.
Q: Was it painful, or how would you describe the feeling?
A: They numbed the areas they worked on with lidocaine, so I didn’t feel much of anything. I could sometimes feel a little pinch from where they extracted hair, or a little pinprick where it was inserted. But it was easy to manage because I was in control of the pain level.
Q: What was your recovery like, i.e. did you have any discomfort afterwards, how did you sleep, was there any swelling, etc.?
A: My recovery lasted about a week. I wasn’t in any pain, but I waited about that long before showing myself in public again. I had some swelling that started at the top of the head and came down to the jaw on the 2nd day. I slept with my head elevated, and this is a big deal. When you lay flat is when you swell. One night I slipped off the pillow and slept normal and that is when my face was swollen. It took 1-2 days to disappear again. They recommend sleeping in a recliner for the first 7 days, and if I did it again, that’s what I would do.
Q: Was your head itchy afterwards? How long did you wait before washing your hair?
A: The back of my head was itchy where they extracted the hair. I kept a squirt bottle to spray water on it whenever it felt itchy. I waited 3 days before washing my hair. After that I used a cup to pour soapy water on my head, just like Shauna at the Hair Doctor had instructed me. I got a set of instructions on when I could wear a hat again, how to wash my hair, etc. My tip is to follow those instructions. If anything, I was even more careful. I would say the secret to good hair transplant results is to “baby” your hair that first week and not do anything that might harm those grafts. Whatever they tell you not to do, don’t do it!
Q: Did people notice anything afterwards?
A: For the first week of course it’s very noticeable, your head is covered in red dots. After a week you still have the scabs so people can see, then they turn into itty bitty hairs at the front hairline. I was confident talking about it so this didn’t bother me. It stops when the new hair falls out at around the 1-month mark#. After that nobody notices that you’ve had anything done, you just get compliments!
Q: When did you see the first results, and were they as expected?
A: I would say at about 2-3 months. At 6 months I’m definitely further along than I anticipated. I think it’s because I did everything like instructed. I didn’t wear tight fitting hats at all for the first few months.
Q: How soon after your procedure did you return to work?
A: I went back after 1 week. Physically I could have go sooner but I wanted to give time for swelling and scabs to go away.
David had a hair transplant using the NeoGraft technology, which uses a concept called Follicular Unit Extraction. He had 2,800 grafts transplanted in a one-day procedure that lasted approximately eight hours. Below you can see the timeline, in pictures, of his hair transplant results up until the 6-month mark, with more growth still expected up until around 14 months.
*Results may vary from person to person and are not guaranteed*
*Results may vary from person to person and are not guaranteed*
We hope that you were able to learn more about hair transplants and the Dos and Dont’s during hair transplant recovery. If you are interested in learning more, we invite you to upload your picture to receive a free quote.
#Yes, your transplanted hair actually falls out around 3-4 weeks post-op; this is completely normal. The roots (follicles) are still there and will start reproducing your hair.
