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I Had A Hair Transplant Today

Y

Young 50

Member
Your hair looks wonderful. It is very encouraging. I had my first PRP with Dr. Rappaport in NJ. I have a followup in one month. I was also given a monistat.
Will keep you all posted.
 
MsNaturalcurl82

MsNaturalcurl82

Well-Known Member
VinDieselsWifey said:
I had a transplant today with Dr. Cooley from Carolina Dermatology in Charlotte. I got 2,000 grafts for the crown of my head. He's one of the best hair transplant doctors in the country. @ilong recommend him to me & I'm so grateful.

I've been dealing with hair loss for 8 years now. When I was stationed in South Korea back in 2008, unbeknownst to me I got bacterial infection under my scalp. The Air Force had me living in unsanitary living conditions in mold infested dorms & the water came out the faucet brown. It would eventually turn clear.

I arrived in Korea in February & by December I noticed a small thin spot in my crown. I thought it was from stress so I would massage the area & use stimulating essential oils but nothing helped. Over time it got a little bigger but it wasn't itching, red, or sore so I didn't think much of it.

In 2010 I deployed to Honduras for 6 months & when I came back I separated from the military a month later. A few months later the thin spot started being very, very itchy, red, and sore. I would get this grayish crusty scaling too.

I was made an appointment with the VA hospital but it took about 3-4 months to be seen by a primary care dr. I thought I had ringworm or some type of infection but she thought it was just seborrheic dermatitis but thankfully she referred me to dermatologist. It took another 4 months to be seen by the derm.

When I told her what was going on she immediately did a biopsy. It came back that I had a bacterial infection & lots of inflammation. She said there was very little scarring so she saw no reason why my hair shouldn't grow back. She put me on an oral antibiotic, topical antibiotic, and a steroid. It helped a little but still wouldn't completely clear it up. I saw her every 6 months for about 1.5 years.

Another member here recommended I use colloidal silver for the infection & that cleared the infection up but the thin spot kept getting bigger. I tried every natural remedy, essential oil, Megatek, monistat, garlic, onion juice, etc but nothing helped.

I ended up moving to another state & it took months to get into the VA system to get an appointment. They did a biopsy & said I had scarring alopecia & nothing could be done about it.

I saw a civilian dr last year & she tried the scalp injections for 6 months but they didn't do anything but leave a dent in my scalp. By now the thin spot was the size of a fist.

I read about PRP and was hoping that could help me. I talked to @ilong about the procedure since she had it done & it was successful. She found Dr. Cooley for me & I had a free consultation with him. He said I would be wasting my money with PRP since the infection & inflammation killed my follicles.

I had to get a loan to help pay for this surgery but for me it was worth it. It took 10 hours but he said it went perfectly. Since I got so many grafts & coming far away my hotel stay was paid for. The grafts will go into a dormant phase in about 2-3 months & then start growing. It can take 9-12 months to see the results. I should get back 50% density of what I lost.

I can't wait to get my confidence back & not worry about the wind blowing & showing my bald spot. I couldn't wear my hair in styles that I used to. Since my hair is so thick no one knew I had a bald spot unless I showed it. I used to hate when people would tell me well you can't see it so it's no big deal. It was a big deal for me.

I've been praying for years to healed & now I am & I'm so thankful.
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I currently worked for the VA. I am sorry to hear about your hair loss. I recall a friend of mine who was in the Army and she was also stationed in Korea. I remember her telling me she was having problems with hair loss and skin issues after being stationed there. If you haven't considered already, I would highly suggest you file a claim for service connection for hair loss with the Veterans Benefits Administration.
 
ilong

ilong

God's Own
VinDieselsWifey said:
It’s been 1.5 years since the surgery
View attachment 421297
View attachment 421299
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Oh my goodness @VinDieselsWifey - your progress, hair and journey is AWESOME!! What a beautiful living testimony that our hair can be restored to its previous (if not better) glory! Dr. Cooley will be elated. You have your 18 month check-up coming up soon, right? Thank you again for sharing. I'm sure your journey and progress is an inspiration to many!

BTW - Happy New Year!
 
ilong

ilong

God's Own
divachyk said:
@ilong thank you so much for reading, showing love and checking up on my sister. :2inlove: Her hair has filled in nicely and her confidence is on point. She even picks out her own wigs now. She's at a point where she can stop wearing wigs but she wants to gain a little bit more thickness before doing so.
Click to expand...
@divachyk - how is your sister?
 
VinDieselsWifey

VinDieselsWifey

Well-Known Member
ilong said:
Oh my goodness @VinDieselsWifey - your progress, hair and journey is AWESOME!! What a beautiful living testimony that our hair can be restored to its previous (if not better) glory! Dr. Cooley will be elated. You have your 18 month check-up coming up soon, right? Thank you again for sharing. I'm sure your journey and progress is an inspiration to many!

BTW - Happy New Year!
Click to expand...

Thanks!
When I saw Dr. Cooley last year for my one year check up he said I didn’t need to see him again unless something comes up. He said I’m good.
 
ilong

ilong

God's Own
divachyk said:
Hello @ilong, her hair filled in quite nicely in comparison to what it once looked like. It's not 100% though. The dermatologist said she's reached her max. She hasn't given up hope though. She continues to care for it in hopes it continues to fill in. Thanks for asking.
Click to expand...
Glad to hear the good progress report. I'm glad she continues to fight and is optimistic. Doctors have been proven wrong, so it's possible that growth may continue.
 
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