Things to Consider

Besides having some sort of plan for financing your hair transplant, there are a few things to consider before booking an appointment for surgery. Personally, I was desperate to get this procedure completed ASAP so I didn’t allow anything to damper my enthusiasm or make me reconsider my decision to proceed at this time. My motto was “Hair first, and the Universe will take care of the rest.”  But for those who are not inclined to adopt such an attitude, here are a few things to consider:

Pets.  Do you have a cat or dog at home? You will most likely need to sleep elsewhere and either visit your pet every day or so, or hire a pet sitter for 2 weeks. Reason for this is mainly because you want to keep your head free from contaminants, especially until the sutures are out. My cat likes to sleep on a ledge close to my pillow so the last thing I want is for her to start licking my head while I sleep. For extra precaution, I stayed at my girlfriend’s for an entire month and chose to visit my cat every couple of days.

Self-care. Do you have a great spouse, friend, or family member that can wash your hair every day for the next 2 weeks? Keep in mind this person will probably need to do a lot more! Unless you have eyes in the back of your head or are extremely agile in front of a mirror, you will need someone to apply Polysporin twice daily on the sutures in the back of your head for the first two weeks. The only thing you’ll be able to do by yourself is apply the saline solution (spray) and MAYBE tie the surgical hat behind your head. Besides caring for your scalp, you’ll also be prohibited from lifting anything for 2 weeks. That means you may have to ask this kind soul to also help you do your laundry and carry your groceries.  In my case, I was blessed enough to have a partner do this all for me, and let me tell you, it’s a very humbling experience!

Work/Finances. You WILL need to take time off work for sure. And after that, you’ll probably have to wear some sort of hat if you don’t want everyone to know you just had a hair transplant. I thought I’d be ready to go back to my regular work after a month but I simply could not, as it was still way too obvious I just had surgery. Sure, the doctors will tell you that physically you’ll feel fine within a day or two, but BEWARE! You WILL most likely experience extreme swelling during that first week. In my case, I was stubborn and because I hadn’t planned my finances as well as I should have, I still accepted a gig just two days after my surgery. Although I looked fine the day immediately following surgery, I woke up looking absolutely HORRIBLE on the day I had to work!  My face was so swollen I could hardly recognize myself in the mirror! I braved it to honor my commitment and because I desperately needed the money, but I felt very embarrassed the entire day. Not only did I look like a freak, but I also heard lots of bad jokes and unwanted questions (eg. ‘Who kicked the shit out of Santa?”, “Why is Santa Claus so beat up?”, “Is that makeup or is that for real?”). So take my advice: unless you work from home, plan your finances ahead so that you can afford a good amount of time off. Looking back, I ended up having to “limit” my work opportunities for at least 4 months (meaning I could not dabble into everything I usually do)..but in a way that became a blessing in disguise because it allowed me to gain some clarity on my career. Would I still get the procedure done? Yes, for sure. Just have a plan.

Time @ Home. Needless to say, you will have lots of time on your hands for a number of weeks. I suggest making the most of this time, especially if you can’t work. Is there a book you’ve been wanting to read?  An online course you’ve been wanting to take? A DVD you’ve been meaning to watch? Some kind of project you’ve been wanting to finish?  Perhaps there is a hobby you haven’t made the time to enjoy for some time… or a musical instrument you haven’t played in a while? Perhaps you need to organize the files on your computer or the pictures on your camera? You’ve got some inevitable “down time” coming your way, and these are just some of the ways you can make the most of it. You can still be productive even if you can’t do your usual work.

I hope these ideas will help you prepare realistically for this very special time in your life. With amazing results, you will never look back!