donp

I have been on finisteride and minoxidil since last two months now. A month ago, I had my HT on crown and temples. Since then I'v noticed that my miniatirizing hair on the temples are totally gone. Crown has become somewhat more visible too.

Is this very normal, or it happens with only a few?

you have posted some great questions, it would be interesting to read the answers from those with better knowledge. I'd say:

for #1: I would not have a friend do it. I would try to find a salon in your area that caters to hair transplant patients and would be willing to at least partially sterilize its instrument (using a spray of some kind). After coming home, I would immediately wash head and apply bactobran on the donor site.

for #2: I would not use a bandage, but instead wear a hat. (It would be interesting to see after a close haircut/shave how much visible the scar is)

#3: just an antibiotic ointment (bactobran), and optionally vitamin E (few days after stitches come off). I would be interested to hear about Mederma?, I hear its very good in general for smoothening scars?

Certainly contact your doctor and get his opinion.

certainly a dumb response, who would not know that

Week 2 you can do 50% of your exercise plan per dr guidelines, but I'm wanting to know actual experience of members also, as that is an invaluable info.

10 day post-op, can you at your home:

- run on treadmill at moderate speed (say at 5 mph at 3 degree incline)

- run outside (wearing cap to protect UV's) at moderate speed

Thanks for the helpful info. How about the suture knots as you see in pic attached ... I have still few days left before sutures go away and I am having trouble sleeping due to them ... they pinch in the head as I turn during sleep.

wearing a proper cap (that doesn't disturb grafts) is a better idea from day1 as it will be a protection

I got varying estimates, 8.5k to 12k for 3k grafts. In my case I picked the 12k surgeon ... not because higher is better, but I based my decision on the surgeon's education and experience and publications

redness is for a significant part dependent on your skin color, the more lighter skinned the longer it would take. If you are very light about 3 months, for olive skinned, I think 2-3 weeks.

Itchy is usually first 2 weeks ... you should celebrate having not felt it. You can minmize it by keeping scalp moist.

(b/w: your stages of HT list is pretty handy)

I happen to have some aversion for needles and pain ... so I prep properly:

- how much pain you feel during suture removal?

- at 2 weeks removal, is there a risk that skin might have formed over the suture threads?

- any tips one can use to minimize pain during/before removal procedure?

Also when I sleep to my side, there are some knots of suture thread (attached pic), that does hurt me, is that normal? (i mean they wont be piercing into scalp and scarring it right!)

Hi all, I am somewhat new to all this, though glad to just have had my HT. To best understand all the options available to manage the after-care in particular on the vitamin side.

Can you please add/challenge the list below:

1. Shampoo that is conducive for hair-growth: Good options: a) Head and shoulder, b) Revita, c) Nizoral When to begin: A week after HT?

2. Prescription Meds: Finasteride When to begin: to continue and never stop

3. Topicals: a) Rogaine, b) anything else?

4. Vitamins: I hear: a) Biotin: Dosage: ? b) B-Complex (to prevent greying): Dosage: ? c) MSM (what does the hell that stands for?), Dosage: ? Any quality but economical brand that has all these in one easy to swallow tab?

5. Any other after-care to make the transplant a success? like going out in the sun (after scar heals), I think sun makes hair healthier with a nice shine?

6. Red Laser: "following the HR procedure", what do you think on that?

thread moved to: Hair Restoration Q&A

It could as well depend on age and hair-loss extent of a patient, and a reputable doc wont do it, and if you think about it analytically from a future vantage, you WILL realize that it was the right decision of theirs at that very time. As matter of fact, I was refused as a candidate 10 yrs back. But now at my this rhinoceros age, a well-acclaimed doc agreed to work on me.

I was doing the same mistake earlier, i.e. taking benedryl in tablet form, its the "spray" form that will help!

hm... I wouldn't risk applying olive oil, haha... b/w: for others, benadryl "spray" in addition to post-op spray does help.

Its been 2 days since my transplant. I am starting to have serious ITCHING right now and its not going away. Benadryl is not helping either. What could I do to relieve it? (I am putting a post-op spray regularly and that seems to help for a while but then itching starts again).

some more questions also:

whats the purpose of post-op spray, every 2 hrs

I'm feeling bit strange (expected I think) and laying down most of my time. When I put my head on pillow, aren't I putting stress on the grafts? (like they might go in too deep due to pressure of me laying down or something else going wrong)

Guys, I just had a transplant 28 hrs ago. I'v marked a hair shaft that I think is coming out, could you also see that, is this something that I need to be concerned off or is this something normal?