Susan's Place Transgender Resources

It's now about 7pm at night on the 4th day since my hair implants and once I describe the experience then you will know why it has taken me 4 days to make the post.

Wednesday at 8am after fasting since midnight the night before I arrived at the clinic and was greeted by Dr Kerry who took me directly to a private consulting room where he marked out the area for  the implants to go. I then had a drug cocktail and was led into a very quiet private room. Now from this point on, I have only snippets of memory. Walking into the implant theatre, feeling something pushing into my scalp on the top of my head only briefly, getting an injection and then very little till later that evening. I can remember being told by Dr Kerry that it had gone well and that he had inserted over 1200 implants. He was very pleased and was quite certain I will be happy with the result and may not need the second lot of implants in 6 months or so. I was basically out to it for most of the evening coming in and out of sleep at home. My head was bandaged so I could see what had been done but I could feel it.

Day two: I woke and had swelling on my forehead which was to be expected, I went back to the surgery where I had my new hair washed and blow dried. I also purchased the most expensive shampoo and conditioner I have ever bought in my life...$70 for both...but when you consider what it just cost me that was nothing and I only have to use it for 30 days...totally organic no phosphates or other badies in it.

Wasn't feeling the greatest both physically and mentally for that matter. I had a horrible 4 or so days prior to all this with Dysphoria ruling my life and making me miserable and all I wanted to do was curl up and sleep. But no, I get a text from my Father for a Skype and due to the very strained relationship we have since I came out and other circumstances I won't go into in this post, I had to Skype him and by the time I had finished this call I was in no fit state to do anything but a cursory look.

Day 3 3:30am: I am up because the back of my head hurts on the pillow and I feel uncomfortable. I don't turn on any lights or anything other than a small nightlight. I make a drink and know I am up for the day, which isn't a bad thing as I have already had 5 hours which is better than normal...but girl my face feels weird and I am dammed if my right eye feels a bit closed. This is possibly not the smartest decision I have ever made but I went up to the local 24 hr Petrol Station, bought some milk for my coffee and as I approached the counter the guy behind it gave me the weirdest look and with genuine concern asked me if I was ok and did I need an ambulance...I told him no it was just a bit of swelling in reaction to some local anaesthetic...he didn't seem that convinced and when I got home a few minutes later I could see why.

The swelling had moved down from my forehead and into my eyes which where both now a fiery shade of red turning to purple with the one on the right all but closed over and the one on the left barely a slit. Within 2 hours of this my eyes were huge and I struggled all day to keep the swelling down enough to be able to see but for most of the day I only had vision out one eye which played merry hell with my depth perception.

Day 4: Swelling remains but has moved from my forehead and now starting to go down past my eyes and into my cheeks and the rest of my face. I am quite literally unrecognisable and because I have had such swollen eyes for two days I have not been able to put my glasses on so haven't even been able to have a good look at the implants...maybe tomorrow as I have not iced my eyes for 3 hours now and I can still see, so it would seem the worst is over with the swelling in my eyes.  It was like looking at the world through a thick-rimmed pair of goggles.
Once all this swelling goes away I will be able to get a better idea of exactly how things look. From what I can see I will have lost the thin look I have where normal MPB appears and my hairline is slightly straighter than a standard male one. He has tried to give me as much bulk as he can at the front so I as much as I can to work with. I will appear from the front and back to have a full head of hair...I may still look a bit thin when looking down on top but it is not anything that I am going to have to really worry about. The second part of 1200 implants will be to completely align the hairline with a normal female one and to thicken the front up even further to make it look even better. He also suggested that I may well be happy with what he has done especially if I can find the right hairdresser. 6-9 months will tell.

So that is it for now I am taking photo's and will post a photo timeline in a few weeks so you can see the progression.

Liz K

So here we go again..went to see my implant surgeon today and we discussed how to move forward. He asked where I was with my transition and I told him waiting on my hair and Electrolysis. In the mean time HRT is going to work. He claims to have noticed some slight changes in facial features. Anyway I digress...The last lot of implants are 98% finished so I can have my next round in November. So away I go for the next round on the 9th November. That means by Early next year I will be able to start styling my hair. I am waiting on Photo's which I can used for a before and after.

I am so happy with the current result but once I have the thickening layer put in it will look even better. No Wigs for me!!!...not in the near future anyway. I asked abut HRT regrowth and he smiled at me and said my scalp was like a desert nothing there to grow. He needs to bring in the "Soil and Plants" to get anything going so 9th of November away we go

Liz

Good on you Liz,
If I grew my hair I would look an unconvincing friar tuck.
You are very brave and also I admire your resolve.
I have had lots of surgery to repair broken bits but to do it voluntarily, you have my admiration.
I look forward to hearing how the growth goes.



Cheers Sue.

Quote from: SueNZ on August 10, 2016, 04:45:46 AM
Good on you Liz,
If I grew my hair I would look an unconvincing friar tuck.
You are very brave and also I admire your resolve.
I have had lots of surgery to repair broken bits but to do it voluntarily, you have my admiration.
I look forward to hearing how the growth goes.



Cheers Sue.

Sue that was exactly my problem...the friar tuck look. I was not bald but very thin from my crown forward. Hair has always been a trigger for me...having either too much or not enough. I know for some people wigs are fine...I can't do wigs Psychologically...I trigger just about every dam time so I have to manage it as best I can...which isn't great...but I manage. I am not a great one for medical procedures but if it means zero wigs and total freedome to color and cut own my hair then 10K all up is relatively cheap. I can't function when I my Dysphoria is bad and having to wear a wig makes my dysphoria worse.  Much Worse

Hugs
Liz

Hey Liz,

I have been following your journey and it sounds like things are really looking up. I think you are doing great - I will keep an eye out for the before and after pics.

Best of luck.

Steff

Quote from: dazedAndConfused01 on August 21, 2016, 06:20:54 PM
Hey Liz,

I have been following your journey and it sounds like things are really looking up. I think you are doing great - I will keep an eye out for the before and after pics.

Best of luck.

Steff

I don't have any appointments prior to this round of implants but will get the Dr to give me the series from day one through to current implants. That won't be until November so will post them as soon as I can get my hands on them...to be honest i forgot to ask for the copies at my last appointment 3 weeks ago.

Liz

So here we go tomorrow I have my next round of implants done. Since having my first round done 6 months ago the difference has been huge for me. With this second round we are looking at going for thickening up action and defining a hair line a bit more. I was so happy with just the results of the first 1250 implants only 6 months ago. I don't look like I have receding hair from the front. 

I will have more photo's and will get copies of them when finished and you will be able to see the full set from bald horse to flowing locks...well kinda

Liz

First update

Am still a little groggy so please forgive the ramblijng nature of the post

HE gave me a new hairline and thickened with my other hairs up

I keep coming too with things like ^^^^^^^^^^ on the page so I hope you get my state of mind as I dose off with a finger on the key

Hugs
Liz

So Possibly not my best work above.

This morning I am having the dressing from my head removed and will have a gentle examination of the implant areas and a shampoo and conditioner wash. I Paid for 1250 implants plus a little extra to have any left overs follicles prepared and also implanted rather than being discarded. The final count being about 1300 for this session. I can't wait to see how it looks. Whilst the last round filled in my balder spots this time we are supposed to have a flattened out hair line as well as volume at the front.

I am so excited to see what it looks like. I will get an idea today but it is really going to be about 3 months to get the full effect and have all the swelling go etc.

Stay tuned for a set of pics from prior to my first implant right through until this latest. I was looking at th4ese yesterday with the surgeon and his nurse and they were both astounded as to the volume of hair. I am also sure I have had some dormant growth since HRT...some follicles are new and not implanted. You can see the difference easily once you know what to look for,

The only down side so far is that my neck and skull skin feels tight as they removed a strip of skin from the back of my head to harvest the hairs. Last time this took a good couple of weeks to come right and now I don't even feel it,

Won't see how this lot look until later this morning when I see the surgeon again and have the bandages removed. Great I cannot wait!!!

Will Post again once I have seen the end result this morning.

Liz

Had my first proper shower in two days...yahoo...that was nice

My head is still numb and will be for some time. I can see where the implants have gone in. My hair is already sitting differently and will only het better with time. I could see no loss of implants in the shower today and there was none on the bandage yesterday so we got another 100% hit rate. He put in somewhere near 1300 implants this time which is what has flattened out and lowered my hairline...With a smart hair style it should be fine.

They will be grown in and making as real difference by the time I go full time on 17 May next year. I should have my Rhinoplasty sorted by end of January giving 3 months recovery. I will do the hair style, brows , lip fillers and tattooing all in time for my date in May. My wife and Daughters have suggested we do some kind of dinner to "draw a line in the sand" for going full time, maybe invite the nearest and dearest friends, make it a fairly small but significant occasion... I am not entirely convinced that it is necessary but I am starting to warm to the idea. 

I can see what my hair will be like and I am excited to say the least...my days of wigs are all but gone..at least for a good number of years anyway.  ;D

Will update again tomorrow...should have the first pics next week as Dr is going to give me the whole series start to finish.

Liz

Wow!  Congratulations, Liz!  You are going to be SO ready for full-time life, and I bet you'll be very successful at it, especially with such great support.  (I fell into it, not a great start, but doing OK.)

Hugs!
Michelle

Quote from: ElizabethK on November 10, 2016, 07:59:26 PM
Had my first proper shower in two days...yahoo...that was nice

My head is still numb and will be for some time. I can see where the implants have gone in. My hair is already sitting differently and will only het better with time. I could see no loss of implants in the shower today and there was none on the bandage yesterday so we got another 100% hit rate. He put in somewhere near 1300 implants this time which is what has flattened out and lowered my hairline...With a smart hair style it should be fine.

They will be grown in and making as real difference by the time I go full time on 17 May next year. I should have my Rhinoplasty sorted by end of January giving 3 months recovery. I will do the hair style, brows , lip fillers and tattooing all in time for my date in May. My wife and Daughters have suggested we do some kind of dinner to "draw a line in the sand" for going full time, maybe invite the nearest and dearest friends, make it a fairly small but significant occasion... I am not entirely convinced that it is necessary but I am starting to warm to the idea. 

I can see what my hair will be like and I am excited to say the least...my days of wigs are all but gone..at least for a good number of years anyway.  ;D

Will update again tomorrow...should have the first pics next week as Dr is going to give me the whole series start to finish.

Liz

Hi Liz,
Great to hair (:-))your transplant has gone so well. Your updates certainly make me feel good as you are so strong and I wish I had the strength to be who I am as you have done.
You have my empathy and support.
Thank you.
Sue



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great to hear Liz  :)

Quote from: ElizabethK on November 10, 2016, 07:59:26 PMMy wife and Daughters have suggested we do some kind of dinner to "draw a line in the sand" for going full time, maybe invite the nearest and dearest friends, make it a fairly small but significant occasion... I am not entirely convinced that it is necessary but I am starting to warm to the idea.

Transition is in many ways a ritual, especially the way the "RLE" is constructed. Might as well be deliberate about ritualizing it then!

Dinner is nice.  Some kind of symbolic act, however, might be better.  I'd suggest burning a wig, but there are environmental implications to that.  Hmm, maybe burying one?  Or burning some significant artifact of your previous life, maybe slips of paper with certain poignant words on them of things you're truly letting go of (though obviously not while you're at the restaurant). 

And this is something your family could participate in, too.  Into the fire could go slips of paper with the old pronouns on them, your old name (in quotation marks), doubts, worries, fears. 

Just something to consider.

Hey Liz

Glad to hear the latest implants went well!

You are going to be more beautiful... Xoxo


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well  a better nights sleep...at least I spent a good part of it actually in bed. Night before I spent at the table. My donor site is on the back of my head and due to complications of the internal medication pump I can only lie on my back which means the suture line is right where I lay mead head, which as you can imagine is uncomfortable and after awhile, just painful. It will be another 48 hrs before the pain from the donor site is such that I can lie on it without any real pain and get some proper sleep.

There is little to no pain from the actual implant site as this area is numb. It will take about 3-4 months before sensation will return.

I am over the worst of the swelling with it now sitting as bags of fluid under my eyes. The majority of it has gone and I would expect over the next 24 hrs for the rest to fade out as well. I am due to have Electrolysis on Tuesday and will be really annoyed if there is too much swelling as the Dentist won't give me the injections I want and I won't be able to have the Electrolysis.

Finally my head is now starting to itch which as we all know is a good sign of healing.

The next thing to contend with is the ingrown hairs as the implants regrow their first hair...kind of like having huge pimples on your head...can be very unpleasant and last about a month...then sensation begins to return, the last of the swelling begins to subside and the hair grows  :)

Liz

Quote from: ElizabethK on November 12, 2016, 02:42:44 PM
Well  a better nights sleep...at least I spent a good part of it actually in bed. Night before I spent at the table. My donor site is on the back of my head and due to complications of the internal medication pump I can only lie on my back which means the suture line is right where I lay mead head, which as you can imagine is uncomfortable and after awhile, just painful. It will be another 48 hrs before the pain from the donor site is such that I can lie on it without any real pain and get some proper sleep.

There is little to no pain from the actual implant site as this area is numb. It will take about 3-4 months before sensation will return.

I am over the worst of the swelling with it now sitting as bags of fluid under my eyes. The majority of it has gone and I would expect over the next 24 hrs for the rest to fade out as well. I am due to have Electrolysis on Tuesday and will be really annoyed if there is too much swelling as the Dentist won't give me the injections I want and I won't be able to have the Electrolysis.

Finally my head is now starting to itch which as we all know is a good sign of healing.

The next thing to contend with is the ingrown hairs as the implants regrow their first hair...kind of like having huge pimples on your head...can be very unpleasant and last about a month...then sensation begins to return, the last of the swelling begins to subside and the hair grows  :)

Liz

You'll be good in no time :) happy healing babe !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So here we go I have the final Pics for you to see...You have to remember when looking at the latest one from today which is a front on view which most people will see is that there is no impact from my new implants yet. They were placed to thicken and even out my hair line, Noticeable growth is still another 2 months away. But I am sure you will get the idea

http://imgur.com/a/c3qRb (http://imgur.com/a/c3qRb)

Hope fully you will be able to see the them. I will post a further one in about 2 months so you can see the impact of the last round on implants.

Liz

 :wow thats impressive you have good strong ...and long hair ....i want to get implants too  but my hair is so fine

Quote from: markie on December 07, 2016, 09:04:09 PM
:wow thats impressive you have good strong ...and long hair ....i want to get implants too  but my hair is so fine

HRT is very good for your hair and my hair was also very fine, it has started to thicken up recently. Growing it out to that length has taken from about May 2015 as it was a number 1 buzz cut. The implants won't really begin to impact the shape for another 3 months...don't give up Markie...talk to hair specialist. If wigs make your Dysphoria worse then this is about the best solution. I don't know but I have wondered wether all the implants new growth along with HRT as a combination were responsible for the new in non-implanted follicle growth I have gotten.

Liz

Thanks Liz   yes  it would be true about wigs for me and it would   not work well for me out in 50c temps where i work
I ,m planning to see a specialist  when i go to thailand  i,ve been using dutasteride (postrate hypertrophy ) and regaine for a couple of months now and it appears to be working  I'm  going to start  taking firide at the recommended  dosage as the dutasteride  is not doing the job re the hypertrophy  and i belive  firide is much better for hair growth
I,ll be starting hrt when i go to thailand as blood tests etc are cheaper as is seeing an endo etc i could start today but i want to make sure with blood tests first....just have to evaporate  the last bit of t in my system
So i really hope that hrt will help
Excuse the typos. ...touch screens  dont always catch my key strokes

So how long would say is it obvious that you've had transplants put in?

It depends on how long your hair is but it is 3 months before it had enough length. If you are trying to go stealth and your hair is not too long then it really depends how quick your hair grows. If you have a look at the last photo and compare it to the first one showing the implants its about 8 months and I really don't want to cut it if I can for another 6-12. By that time the shortest hairs will have some length to have my hair styled. I think more likely it will be in about 3 months. I can color it from January but not really worth it until I can get some length in it.

Hope that answers your question

Liz

Let me be more precise -- how long is there redness or discoloration around each graft site?

Quote from: Sophia Sage on December 08, 2016, 11:23:21 PM
Let me be more precise -- how long is there redness or discoloration around each graft site?

After about 4 days the head is no longer read at the insertion points and has small scabs all over it. You need to let these fall out but being careful it may be a further week before no scabs are left. You just can't get in there and give them a good scratch for about 3 weeks. The implants will then break off as they have done their job. Next and much worse part is something no one mentions...the new follicles collect a heap of sebum which accumulates under the scalp with only one place to leave and that is through the follicles as they grow new hairs. Some will erupt with a hair in the middle some just form large red pimple like lumps which will eventually break through just like ingrown hairs. You do need to let these erupt and they are gross. I don't need to go into details, I am sure you can imagine how gross that is...and a bit painful...however as that is released you tend to get sensation back.

The first round this went on quite intensely for about 3 weeks and was all cleared up by about 5 weeks. 2-3 new ones each day. It is recommended you wear a hat whenever you are heading outside for the first 3 months but doing that also makes the whole "lump issue" worse.

This time I have tried to keep inside more and I have noticed a huge reduction as I have not had to wear the hat to protect them. Careful combing and no one ever knew but me.

Hope that answers your question.

I do have pics if you really want to see but they are a bit gross.

Liz