Hair Transplant Without Shaving Results: Does Working Around Existing Hair Limit Density?

The question usually arrives sideways. Someone has spent months quietly measuring their hairline in the bathroom mirror, has finally booked a consultation, and then realizes the part nobody warned them about: the clippers. A shaved head for weeks, at work, at a wedding, in every photograph. For a lot of people that is a bigger obstacle than the procedure itself.

So they type a second question into the search bar, and it is a fair one. Hair transplant without shaving results: are they really the same, or is the unshaven route a compromise dressed up as a convenience? The honest answer has more texture than either camp admits.

Working around existing hair changes how a surgeon harvests, how long a session takes and how many grafts can safely be moved in a day. Whether that limits your final density depends less on the clippers and more on what your scalp can give and how many sessions you are willing to plan for.

Is it possible to do a hair transplant without shaving?

Yes, and it has been possible for longer than most people realize. The confusion comes from the fact that the two main transplant methods have very different relationships with the razor.

A follicular unit transplant, often shortened to FUT, removes a thin strip of scalp from the back of the head and divides it into grafts under magnification. A graft is a tiny bundle of one to four hairs that grow together from the same spot, which is how hair naturally arranges itself. Because the strip comes from a single line, only that narrow band is trimmed, and the hair above it falls over the wound. FUT was, in effect, the original no-shave technique.

Follicular unit extraction, or FUE, works differently. Each graft is punched out individually with a tiny circular blade, typically well under a millimeter across, from a wide area at the back and sides. To see the angle of each follicle and avoid cutting through its neighbor, surgeons traditionally shave the whole donor zone to a stubble. That is the shaved head people picture.

An unshaven FUE, sometimes marketed as U-FUE or a no-shave transplant, keeps the surrounding hair long. The surgeon either trims individual follicles one at a time before extracting them or works through parted, clipped-back hair. The recipient area at the front or crown is often left unshaven too, with grafts placed between existing hairs.

The NHS describes both FUT and FUE as standard options and notes that a session usually takes about a day and that some people need more than one session (NHS). The unshaven variant does not change what a transplant is. It changes the pace, the workflow and, as the next sections explain, the practical ceiling on a single day’s work.

How a no shave hair transplant actually works, step by step

Picture a gardener transplanting seedlings from a dense bed without disturbing the plants around them. That is close to what an unshaven session asks of a surgical team.

The day begins much like any transplant. The scalp is cleaned, local anesthetic is injected so the procedure is not painful, and the team maps the donor area, meaning the ring of hair at the back and sides that is genetically resistant to pattern thinning and therefore keeps growing after it is moved (MedlinePlus).

Then the methods diverge. In a fully shaved FUE, the surgeon sees thousands of stubbly follicles at once and can move quickly from one to the next. In the unshaven version, an assistant parts the long hair, clips it aside, and the surgeon trims a handful of follicles down to a few millimeters so their exit angle is visible. Only then is each one scored with the punch and lifted free. The parting shifts, and the process repeats. Some teams instead shave small hidden windows beneath the longer hair, which is the partial shave approach covered later.

Harvested grafts rest in a chilled holding solution while the recipient sites are prepared. Tiny incisions are made at the angle and direction the surrounding hair grows, and each graft is placed by hand. Leaving the recipient area unshaven means the team is working between existing strands, which demands more care to avoid nicking healthy follicles.

Aftercare instructions, bandaging of the donor area and a review appointment follow in the usual way. Nothing about the biology is different. What differs is time. Every extra minute spent parting, trimming and navigating existing hair is a minute not spent moving grafts, and a working day has a fixed length.

Why working around existing hair slows the surgeon, and what that means for density

Density in a transplant is a matter of arithmetic before it is a matter of artistry. The surgeon has a finite number of safe donor grafts across a lifetime, a finite number that can be moved in one day, and a recipient area of a certain size. Divide grafts by square centimeters and you have your density.

Unshaven harvesting touches the middle number. Because each follicle must be found and trimmed individually before extraction, the hourly harvest rate drops. Surgeons who describe the technique consistently report that a no-shave session yields fewer grafts than a shaved session of the same length. The exact gap varies with the team’s experience, the patient’s hair caliber and how much scalp is exposed, and there is no published head-to-head trial that pins it to a reliable figure, so any specific percentage you read online is an estimate rather than evidence.

There is a second, subtler effect. In a shaved donor zone the surgeon can see the whole field and distribute extractions evenly, avoiding a moth-eaten look. Long hair hides that pattern during the procedure, which can tempt over-harvesting in the exposed window and under-harvesting elsewhere. Careful teams manage this by rotating the parting systematically, but it adds another layer of concentration.

What this does not mean is that unshaven transplants are inherently thinner. A graft placed well grows the same whether the hair beside it was long or short on the day. The limit is per session, not per lifetime. Someone who needs a modest hairline refinement may get everything they want in one unshaven visit. Someone with extensive crown and frontal loss who wants maximum density may face a choice: accept a shave for one large session, or plan two or three smaller unshaven ones spread over a year or more (MedlinePlus).

Hair transplant without shaving results vs a shaved session: what the evidence actually shows

Patients often ask for a simple verdict, and the truthful reply is that the evidence base for cosmetic hair surgery is thinner than for most medical treatments. Large randomized trials comparing shaved and unshaven FUE do not exist. What we have are surgeon case series, consensus opinion and the broad guidance published by health services.

Within that limit, a few points are consistent across sources. Graft survival depends on gentle handling, short time out of the body and correct placement, not on the length of neighboring hair. Healing of the donor area is governed by wound size and hygiene. Final growth follows the same biological clock in every technique, with new hair appearing around six months and the full picture emerging at roughly twelve to eighteen months (NHS).

Factor	Fully shaved FUE	Unshaven or partial shave FUE
Grafts per session	Higher; whole donor field visible	Lower; follicles trimmed one by one
Session length	Usually one long day	Same day length, fewer grafts, or split across visits
Visibility in first weeks	Shaved head and visible dots	Long hair covers most donor marks
Donor distribution control	Easier to spread evenly	Requires systematic parting
Graft survival	Depends on handling	Depends on handling
Final growth timeline	About 6 months to first growth, 12–18 months full	Same

The table is deliberately free of percentages because none of the allowed sources publishes a graft-count difference. What matters most, in this writer’s view, is the middle row: the trade is visibility now against grafts today. Nothing in the biology penalizes the unshaven patient at the eighteen-month mark if the total graft plan is completed.

Who a no-shave hair transplant is usually for, and who is usually asked to wait

The unshaven approach suits a particular kind of goal. It works well for people with early, well-defined thinning: a receding temple, a slightly high hairline, a modest patch at the crown. Their recipient areas are small, their graft needs are moderate, and they typically have long enough existing hair to hide the donor marks. Many of these patients can finish their plan in one session without any shaving.

It also suits people whose work or life makes a shaved head a real problem, and who accept that extensive coverage may take more than one visit.

The people usually asked to wait, or steered toward a shaved session, fall into several groups. Anyone whose thinning is still actively spreading is a concern, because grafts placed today may end up as an island once the surrounding hair recedes further. Hereditary pattern loss, called androgenetic alopecia, tends to progress with age, so surgeons prefer to see a stable pattern first (Mayo Clinic).

Very young adults are often asked to wait for the same reason. Someone with a limited donor supply and large bald areas may be told that a transplant of any kind cannot deliver the density they picture, and honesty at this stage prevents disappointment later. Scarring hair loss conditions, in which inflammation destroys follicles, are generally treated medically first, since transplanting into active disease can fail.

Medical factors matter too. Uncontrolled diabetes, bleeding disorders, certain autoimmune conditions and heavy smoking each raise the risk of poor healing or graft loss (Cleveland Clinic). None of these is an automatic bar. They are reasons for the treating team to assess, stabilize and decide, sometimes in partnership with a dermatologist, a skin specialist who can diagnose the type of hair loss before anyone picks up a punch.

Partial shave hair transplant: the middle path most people never hear about

Between the fully shaved head and the painstaking one-follicle-at-a-time harvest sits a compromise that many surgeons quietly prefer. In a partial shave, the surgeon clips one or more horizontal strips of the donor area down to stubble, then leaves the hair above them long so it drapes over and hides the work. From the outside, especially with hair a few centimeters long, little or nothing shows.

The appeal is practical. Inside each shaved window, the team can harvest at the speed of a normal FUE, seeing every follicle angle clearly and distributing extractions evenly. The graft count per session therefore lands closer to a fully shaved procedure than a true unshaven one does, while the visible cost is much smaller. It is the option a surgeon might suggest when a patient wants both discretion and a meaningful number of grafts in a single day.

There are trade-offs. The windows must be placed where hair will reliably cover them, which favors people with longer, denser hair at the back. Someone with a very short haircut or fine, sparse donor hair may find the strips show through for a few weeks until the stubble grows back. The recipient area is often still left unshaven in a partial approach, so the slower, more careful placement between existing hairs remains.

Which of the three approaches fits you is a conversation about your hair length, your donor density, how many grafts your plan calls for and how much visibility you can tolerate, not a matter of one method being superior. The NHS advises finding out how many sessions are likely to be needed before agreeing to treatment, and this is exactly the point at which to ask (NHS).

Does the donor area heal differently when it isn't shaved?

The wound biology is identical. Each FUE extraction leaves a small circular opening that closes within days and fades to a pale dot over months. Whether the hair around it was long or short on the day does not change how the skin knits. What changes is hygiene and observation.

Long hair traps blood, crusts and anesthetic fluid against the scalp in the first two or three days. It also makes it harder for the patient to see the area and for the team to spot a problem early. Surgeons who perform unshaven procedures typically give slightly more detailed washing instructions for this reason, emphasizing gentle rinsing rather than rubbing and avoiding styling products until the openings have sealed. MedlinePlus notes that the scalp is usually tender for a few days and that most people can wash their hair within a day or two of the procedure, following the surgeon’s specific guidance (MedlinePlus).

Infection risk is low in all techniques and is not thought to be meaningfully higher in unshaven procedures when aftercare is followed, though no allowed source quantifies the difference, so it is fair to call this a clinical impression rather than a proven fact. Bleeding, swelling and temporary numbness occur at similar rates.

One genuine advantage of leaving hair long is psychological rather than medical: the healing donor area is covered from the first day, which spares patients the weeks of visible red dots that can be socially awkward after a shaved session. A genuine disadvantage is that if a graft site does become inflamed, the patient may notice it later.

Over the long run, both shaved and unshaven FUE leave the same scattered micro-scars, invisible under hair of ordinary length but potentially noticeable if the head is later shaved to a very close cut (NHS).

The first two weeks after a no shave hair transplant: what the days usually look like

Day one tends to be anticlimactic. The anesthetic wears off over the evening, leaving a tight, sunburned feeling across the donor area and mild tenderness at the front. The team will usually have you sleep with your head elevated for a few nights to limit swelling, which can drift down toward the forehead and eyes around days two to four before settling.

The recipient area develops small crusts around each graft. In an unshaven procedure these sit among your existing hair, which is convenient for privacy but means being careful not to catch them with a comb. Most teams ask patients to avoid touching, scratching or wearing tight hats for the first several days while the grafts anchor. The NHS notes that many people return to work around three days after the procedure, though those in physically demanding jobs may need longer (NHS).

Around the end of the first week, gentle washing begins to lift the crusts. This is where long donor hair earns its keep and also demands patience: rinsing thoroughly takes longer than it would on stubble, and the temptation to scrub must be resisted.

By day ten to fourteen, the recipient area usually looks pink but tidy, and the donor dots have largely closed. Strenuous exercise, swimming and anything that causes heavy sweating are commonly held off until this point or a little beyond, on the team’s advice (Cleveland Clinic).

Then something happens that catches unprepared patients off guard: the transplanted hairs begin to fall out. Far from being a failure, this shedding is expected, and the next section explains why.

Shock loss, shedding and the awkward months before unshaven FUE results appear

Between roughly two and six weeks after surgery, most of the transplanted hairs shed (NHS). The follicle beneath the skin survives; it has simply been jolted into a resting phase by the trauma of being moved, and the hair shaft it was carrying lets go. This is the same mechanism as telogen effluvium, the medical term for widespread shedding after a physical or emotional shock, in which many follicles enter their resting stage at once (Mayo Clinic).

Unshaven procedures carry a related risk that deserves plain discussion: shock loss of the existing hair around the grafts. When incisions are made between healthy follicles, some of those neighbors can also be pushed into rest and shed temporarily. In most cases they regrow over the following months, but hairs that were already miniaturized and near the end of their life may not return. This is one reason surgeons are cautious about dense packing into areas that still have a lot of thinning hair, and why some prefer patients to be on stable medical treatment beforehand. The decision belongs to the treating clinician.

Months two through four are often described by patients as the ugly duckling phase. The recipient area can look no better, or briefly worse, than before surgery. Because unshaven patients have kept their surrounding hair, the contrast is usually softer than after a shaved session, which is a small mercy.

New growth typically begins around month six, fine and sometimes wiry at first, then thickening in caliber over the following months (NHS). Photographs taken in the same light each month are more reliable than the mirror, which tends to exaggerate the slow days and miss the gradual gains.

What happens 2 years after a hair transplant?

By two years, the transplant itself has finished its work. The NHS puts the full result at twelve to eighteen months, so the additional months mainly allow the hair to mature in thickness and for any second session to catch up (NHS). Grafts that have grown at this point are generally considered permanent, because they came from the donor ring that is genetically resistant to pattern thinning (MedlinePlus).

The more important story at two years concerns the hair that was never transplanted. Androgenetic alopecia does not pause because a surgeon has visited. The original, non-transplanted hairs in and around the recipient area continue to follow their genetic program, and if that program is progressive, the field around the grafts can thin. This is why a hairline that looked seamless at eighteen months can, in some people, begin to look isolated at four or five years unless the surrounding loss is managed or further grafts are added.

For unshaven patients this matters in a specific way. The technique is most often chosen by people with early loss and plenty of remaining native hair, precisely the group whose native hair has the most future thinning ahead of it. Their two-year picture is usually excellent. Their ten-year picture depends on the plan around the transplant.

Mayo Clinic notes that the medical treatments used for pattern hair loss work only while they are being used and take several months to show an effect, which is why many surgeons discuss them as part of a long-term strategy rather than an optional extra (Mayo Clinic). Whether, when and what to use is a decision for the prescribing clinician after examining the individual scalp.

Why is Gen Z losing hair, and why that changes the timing conversation

The impression that younger adults are losing hair earlier is partly real and partly a trick of visibility. The biology of pattern loss has not changed; it is hereditary, driven by follicle sensitivity to androgens, the male-type hormones present in everyone, and it can begin in the late teens or twenties (Mayo Clinic). What has changed is that people now see their own hairline daily on front-facing cameras, compare it with filtered images, and talk about it publicly rather than quietly.

Some contributors to shedding are more common in young adulthood, and they are worth separating from genetics because they are often reversible. Telogen effluvium after illness, rapid weight change, restrictive dieting or intense stress causes diffuse shedding a few months after the trigger and usually resolves once the trigger is addressed. Low iron, thyroid disorders and certain medications can also contribute. Traction alopecia, hair loss from tight styles held for years, is a mechanical rather than hormonal problem (Mayo Clinic).

This is why the age of the person asking about a no-shave transplant matters so much. A twenty-two-year-old with a receding hairline may be in the earliest chapter of a long progressive story, and grafts placed to match today’s hairline can look out of place a decade later. Most surgeons prefer to establish a diagnosis, rule out reversible causes and watch the pattern for a period before operating.

None of this means young adults should be dismissed. It means the sequence matters: diagnosis by a dermatologist first, discussion of medical management second, and surgical planning built around a realistic view of where the hair is heading. The unshaven approach can then be evaluated on its merits rather than as a way to hide a decision made too soon.

Medicines, alternatives and what a transplant of any kind cannot do

A transplant redistributes hair. It does not create new follicles and cannot stop the process that caused the loss. Every reputable source makes this point, and it is the single most useful sentence a prospective patient can carry into a consultation (MedlinePlus).

Two medicines are commonly discussed alongside surgery for pattern loss. One is a topical treatment, minoxidil, which is thought to prolong the growth phase of follicles and widen miniaturized hairs; it is applied to the scalp and its effects take months to appear and fade if it is stopped (Mayo Clinic). The other is an oral 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor, finasteride, which lowers the scalp level of the androgen most responsible for follicle shrinkage in men; it also takes months and carries potential side effects that a prescriber will discuss. Neither is a recommendation here. Both are decisions for the treating clinician, who will weigh the type of hair loss, sex, age, other conditions and personal preference.

Other approaches exist at various levels of evidence. Low-level laser devices and platelet-rich plasma injections are offered widely, and the honest summary is that studies are small and mixed, so they should be described as experimental adjuncts rather than proven treatments (Mayo Clinic). Scalp micropigmentation, camouflage fibers and hairpieces are non-surgical alternatives that some people prefer.

Where this connects to shaving: a person considering the unshaven route often has meaningful native hair to protect. Managing that hair medically, if a clinician judges it appropriate, can matter more to how the transplant looks years later than whether the donor area was clipped on the day. The graft count is one variable in the density equation. The fate of the hair you already have is the other.

What people often get wrong about hair transplant without shaving results

Myth one: unshaven grafts grow less well. There is no biological reason for this and no evidence for it. A graft’s survival depends on how gently it is handled, how long it spends out of the body and how well it is placed. Hair length nearby is irrelevant to the follicle.

Myth two: no-shave means no visible signs at all. The donor dots and recipient crusts still exist for a week or two; they are covered rather than absent. Someone with very short or thin donor hair may find them noticeable regardless.

Myth three: a single unshaven session can match a single shaved session graft for graft. Surgeon experience consistently says otherwise, and the reason is simple time arithmetic. Anyone promised identical numbers should ask how the team achieves that in a working day.

Myth four: the hair that falls out at week three is lost. It is expected shedding of the shaft while the follicle rests, and new growth typically appears around six months (NHS).

Myth five: the result at twelve months is the result forever. The grafts are durable, but the surrounding native hair follows its own genetic course, and that course is the main variable in how the head looks at ten years.

Myth six: unshaven is a marketing gimmick with no real value. For a person whose job or circumstances make a shaved head untenable, the ability to have treatment discreetly is a legitimate clinical benefit that removes a barrier to care.

Myth seven: there is a clear winner. There is not. The right choice depends on how much coverage is needed, how much donor hair exists, how many sessions the person will tolerate and how much visibility they can accept. Someone who tells you the answer before examining your scalp is guessing.

Questions to ask your care team before choosing an unshaven or partial shave approach

A good consultation should leave you with fewer questions than you arrived with, not more. These are the ones worth bringing in writing.

• What type of hair loss do I have, and has a dermatologist confirmed it? Pattern loss, diffuse shedding and scarring conditions call for different plans (Mayo Clinic).
• Is my hair loss stable enough to operate on now, or would you prefer to watch it for a period?
• Roughly how many grafts does my goal require, and how many can you move in one unshaven session, one partial shave session and one fully shaved session? The gap between those figures is the honest cost of discretion.
• If more than one session is needed, how far apart would they be, and does that change my total donor use?
• How do you ensure even donor harvesting when the field is hidden by long hair?
• What is the risk of shock loss to my existing hair in the recipient area, and how do you minimize it?
• Which medical treatments, if any, do you think I should discuss with a prescriber to protect my native hair, and why?
• What will the donor and recipient areas look like at day three, day ten and week six, and can I see unretouched examples at each stage?
• Who performs the extraction and placement, and how will I reach the team if something worries me after hours?
• What would make you advise against surgery for me?

The NHS specifically recommends asking about the surgeon’s experience, the number of sessions likely to be needed and the risks before committing (NHS). A team that welcomes the last question on the list is usually one worth trusting with the rest.

When to call your doctor after a hair transplant

Most recoveries are uneventful: some tenderness, a little swelling, crusts that lift within a fortnight and the expected shedding a few weeks in. A small number of problems do need prompt attention, and the covering of long hair in an unshaven procedure makes it slightly easier to miss them, so check the scalp deliberately rather than waiting to notice.

Contact your surgical team the same day if you have bleeding that does not stop with gentle pressure after several minutes, spreading redness, warmth or increasing pain in either the donor or recipient area, yellow or foul-smelling discharge, or a fever. These can signal infection or a bleeding problem, both of which are uncommon but treatable when caught early (NHS).

Seek urgent or emergency care if you develop swelling of the face or lips that affects breathing or swallowing, hives across the body, severe headache with vision changes, chest pain, or a sudden feeling of being very unwell. Allergic reactions to anesthetic or antibiotics are rare but require immediate assessment.

Call within a day or two for things that are not emergencies but should not be ignored: numbness in the donor area that is worsening rather than easing, small bumps or pimples around grafts that are multiplying, a patch where crusts have been knocked off and the skin looks raw, or shedding of existing hair well beyond the recipient area.

Do not stop, start or change any medicine you were prescribed around the procedure without speaking to the prescriber first, even if you suspect it is causing a side effect. Photograph anything that concerns you in good light and send it to the team; a picture at day four often answers a question faster than a description. Every decision about what is normal, what needs treatment and what comes next sits with the clinicians who examined your scalp, not with a search result.

Frequently asked questions

Is it possible to do a hair transplant without shaving?

Yes. Strip surgery (FUT) has always required only a narrow trimmed band hidden by the hair above it, and follicular unit extraction can be done unshaven by trimming and removing follicles individually beneath long hair, or with small hidden shaved windows. The trade-off is that these approaches usually move fewer grafts per session than a fully shaved procedure, so larger goals may take more than one visit.

Are no shave hair transplant results permanent?

The transplanted grafts are generally considered permanent because they come from the donor ring at the back and sides that is genetically resistant to pattern thinning. The technique used to harvest them does not change this. What is not permanent is the native hair around the grafts, which continues to follow its own genetic course, so long-term appearance depends on managing that surrounding hair and, in some cases, on further sessions.

Do unshaven FUE results look less dense than shaved FUE?

Not graft for graft. A well-handled graft grows the same regardless of the hair around it on the day. The difference is that an unshaven session usually yields fewer grafts in a working day, so a single unshaven visit may produce less density than a single shaved visit. Completing the full graft plan over more than one session can close that gap, according to surgeon consensus rather than trial data.

What happens 2 years after a hair transplant?

By two years the transplanted hair has fully matured; the NHS puts the complete result at twelve to eighteen months. The grafts are durable, but the non-transplanted hair around them may continue to thin if hereditary loss is progressive. That is why the two-year picture is usually strong and the longer-term picture depends on medical management of native hair and whether additional grafts are planned.

Why is Gen Z losing hair earlier?

The biology has not changed; hereditary pattern loss can begin in the late teens and twenties, and it is now simply more visible thanks to daily selfies and open discussion. Some shedding in young adults is temporary telogen effluvium after illness, stress, restrictive dieting or rapid weight change, and conditions such as low iron or thyroid problems can contribute. A dermatologist can distinguish reversible causes from genetic loss before any surgical planning.

What disqualifies you from a hair transplant?

Few things disqualify outright; more often they prompt a delay. Actively progressing thinning, very young age, insufficient donor hair for the goal, active scarring hair loss, uncontrolled diabetes, bleeding disorders, certain autoimmune conditions and heavy smoking are the common reasons a surgeon asks someone to wait, treat medically first or reconsider. The decision rests with the treating team after examining the scalp and reviewing your health.

How long does a partial shave hair transplant take to hide?

The shaved strips are usually hidden immediately by the longer hair above them if that hair is a few centimeters long and reasonably dense. Stubble regrows over the following weeks and the small extraction dots close within days and fade over months. People with very short haircuts or fine donor hair may find the strips show for a couple of weeks until the stubble catches up.

Does a hair transplant without shaving head hurt more?

No. Local anesthetic numbs the scalp in every technique, and the wound size per graft is the same. Some patients report the unshaven procedure feels longer because trimming individual follicles takes time, and the donor area may feel tight or sunburned for a few days afterward. Pain that increases rather than eases, or is accompanied by redness, warmth or discharge, should be reported to the team.

Will my existing hair fall out after an unshaven transplant?

Some temporary shedding of existing hair around the grafts, called shock loss, can occur when incisions are made between healthy follicles. Most of these hairs regrow over the following months, though hairs that were already miniaturized may not return. Surgeons reduce the risk with careful spacing and angle, and some prefer patients to be on stable medical treatment beforehand, a decision that belongs to the prescribing clinician.

Can I combine an unshaven transplant with medical treatment for hair loss?

Many surgeons discuss medical management alongside surgery because a transplant redistributes hair but cannot stop the underlying process. Mayo Clinic notes that the commonly used treatments take several months to show an effect and work only while they are used. Whether any medicine is appropriate for you, and when to start it in relation to surgery, is a decision for the prescribing clinician based on your diagnosis and health.

References

• NHS: Hair transplant
• MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Hair transplant

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.