“Daryl’s Hair Journey ~Part IV of VI”

• October 27, 2020
• By Pen n Daryl
• 4 Comments

Tomorrow, it will be six weeks since Daryl had his hair transplant surgery. I know! Where does the time go?

The big guy has been doing very well, after those first ten days, which were a bit rough. This is a year-long Journey, so he has a ways to go. He is well beyond the painful part, now. That would be pain in his scalp and his pocket book.

Now, six weeks later, when asking Daryl if he is glad he had the procedure done, I get a resounding yes! This is an upgraded statement from earlier on, where a grumble may or may not have been all I heard as an answer. The headaches, the scalp pain and difficulty sleeping (sitting up for several nights following the surgery) were the reasons for understandable grumpy-ness. Daryl is seldom in a bad mood, so I knew this operation wasn’t for wimps.

Daryl is now beginning a 30-day vitamin ritual, which is a supplement to support hair growth. In addition, we got clarity on one of the rules, we misunderstood from before. Daryl IS allowed to get a haircut when needed, BUT, he is ONLY allowed a scissor-cut, The no on cuts was NO Clippers/Sheers. This is great news, and Daryl got his first scissor-only cut, today.

One thing I can report about Daryl new hair, implanted into his balding areas, is; the new growth has come in dark, not gray or white. It appears, when his hair is finished coming in, fully, it will be a nice sexy blend of salt n pepper! Mama likes! 😍

Recently, I got my hair cut at a salon, and the stylist was a man who had the same hair transplant procedure done as Daryl, a few years before. Firstly, we would not have guessed, and secondly, he had plenty of hair, pulled back in a pony tail. I asked him if he was pleased with his final results and he said yes, with a big smile.

The Healing Process:

Daryl has long since completed the course of medicines for pain, swelling, and circulation; all within that first (difficult) week. He did well and did not require any additional or extended meds. Also there were no complications. He continues to use the special shampoo, but the spray-on lotion has been used up, as is normal by this time. All meds and scalp products are included in the cost of the operation ($2,800). The shampoo use is ongoing, to clean and maintain the scalp, so the hair growth will be strong and healthy. The shampoo and lotion are made with plant extracts, and natural oils. There are no perfumes, alcohol or additives; zero chemicals.

The Recovery Period:

Daryl discovered his hair was falling out! This is a bit hard to swallow, but it is okay and part of the long process of hair growth. By now, Daryl is experiencing the “falling-out” phase of his newly implanted hair. This new hair growth is called “Baby Fluff.” The hairs are still weak and the body rejects them. This, again, is completely normal. The number of rejected transplanted hairs depends on a few factors: blood circulation of the scalp, sensitivity of the scalp, the grafts, proper meds taken, and instructions followed. From what I can see, Daryl has way more than 75 percent of his implanted hairs still on his head. (4,800 hairs we transplanted) I notice the new hair is not grey or white; they are darker. Almost all the transplanted hair was dark, as it came from the back of his scalp, where his hair is still thicker and not grey, yet. Incidentally, the 10,000+ hairs which were removed (harvested) from thicker hair portions on daryl’s scalp have mostly returned, without issue, already.
Daryl is still a numb-skull…I mean, his head is still numb. This is normal and expected for the first three to five months; post-op. Also, the redness on his scalp may take up to nine month to normalize.

We want to take moment at this time to thank nurse Hilal and her staff for their “know how,” professionalism and care. Hilal works in the capacity of what we call a PA in our country. (Physicians Assistant). She’s the best! We highly recommend her services if anybody is interested.

Eight to ten weeks, after the operation, is called the “Resting Phase.” During this phase, new hairs should be growing through….. so, the active growth phase will start in and around two weeks from now!

Stand by for more updates then!

Daryl had his Hair transplant operation, here in Istanbul. To recap back to the first blog at the very beginning, here is a link: http://A Different Kind of Trip ~”Daryls Hair Journey” ~Part I