Two days ago I had the staples removed by a nurse at my local doctor's surgery. All 44 of them (see photo). It was 'her first time', but she was very good about it, and said the way the donor area had been joined together was “beautiful”.



A few of the staples smarted a little, and were a bit 'sticky' coming out. So they definitely shouldn't be in much longer than the recommended 10 days (this was day 11).



The safe removal of the staples, and the knowledge that the scar was looking good, was a big lift; an important milestone in the recovery process. I also slept much better that night without those lumps of metal digging into my head.



The scabs have been a bit slow to come off, so I have been following Falceros' washing instructions the past few days, very gently massaging the recipient area. Most have gone now, with those on the crown proving a bit more stubborn for some reason. Transmed says 90% should have gone after 10-14 days to ensure the healing proceeds as intended.

I had one tiny pimple appear just inside the hairline on the left side, on day 10. I left it alone, and it had scabbed over by the next day, with two hairs sticking out the scab. It is visible in the photos. Hopefully it won't have damaged the hair follicle.



Yesterday, was my first day out with friends – wearing a cap of course – which felt fine. Another milestone of sorts. It was also my first alcohol since the operation – pretty good discipline eh?

Front view

Top

Vertex

Staples

Scar - this isn't the clearest shot, but it's quite hard taking a photo like this one-handed with an iPhone!