Did it work? Or is Seiji doomed to a defiantly giant forehead forever?

About a month and a half has passed since our Japanese language reporter Seiji Nakazawa, hating his steadily depleting M-shaped hairline, decided to get hair transplant surgery. He underwent an outpatient procedure and struggled with an absolutely torturous post-op experience, all in the hope that his big forehead would finally be covered in lush locks.

▼ Pre-surgery M-shape

But just the other morning, Seiji looked in the mirror and couldn’t stop himself from cursing aloud. His forehead looked huge again! Just in case it was an optical illusion, he pulled back his hair to get a better look at the former bald spots, and…

There it is!! The M is back! He could clearly see it in the mirror. The hair that had been so carefully implanted into the balding parts of his head, which had appeared to grow in so lush just 10 days after the surgery, now looked pitifully thin and sad, seven weeks later.

He had heard that some of the transplanted hair might fall out over the course of recovery, but he’d never imagined it would turn out like this. Feeling doomed to have his giant forehead forever, Seiji fell into a pit of despair.

“Isn’t this too thin?” he wondered, chewing on his fingernails anxiously. “Will it really grow in?” “There are going to be parts that’ll just stay bald forever, aren’t there?” Seiji was so worried about the state of his “M” hairline that he had to consult with the doctor who performed his surgery.

▼ Meanwhile the back of his head, from which the transplanted hairs were removed, is as lush as always, curse it.

But the doctor’s response was reassuring: “It’s normal. Did the hair grow back well at around two weeks after the surgery?”

▼ The answer was “Yes”.

“In that case, it will grow back again. Don’t worry.”

▼ The progression of the transplanted hair after 3 days, 1 week, 10 days, and 2 weeks, and then every week after that

So the doctor said Seiji’s situation is normal. Yet he can’t help but worry. It does look much thinner than before; every time he starts to think that his particular thinning might be the exception to the rule, he gets so anxious he can’t sleep at night. He would be absolutely devastated if even surgery couldn’t fix his baldness.

Will Seiji be able to escape the evil reaches of the “M”? Only time will tell. In the meantime, a little kinako powder might not hurt.

Photos © SoraNews24
[ Read in Japanese ]