Londinium

Okay, so, I know all about hair transplant pimples and I've been getting them and losing them but there's one pimple that ABSOLUTELY refuses to go away. It's a month old and is just hanging there in the recipient. It doesn't hurt and I doubt it would hurt because the area I had the transplant into is completely numb (not from the surgery). What do I do? There's still hair growing around it but I'm worried of potential long term damage. Thanks.

Hello, it has been awhile since I last posted but since then I've been experiencing a lot of changes with my hair transplant. The recipient (into scar tissue) is growing nicely, although I feel I'm certainly going to need a second pass as was mentioned by my surgeon. That isn't my concern anymore, my concern now is rather the donor scar I received from the procedure. Prior to opting for a HT, without any knowledge, I was convinced by a rep that the scar would be very hard to notice and that I'd be able to continue wearing my hair close to what I generally do (a #3 buzz rather than my once typical #2 buzz on the sides). As time progressed I did get a lot of shock loss around the scar but my fears were quickly addressed by helping posters on this forum who said things would get better in 3 - 4 months. My scar itself is very thin, well, thin from when last I could see because it now completely matches the skin. My donor area has recovered some hair but as of now (4 1/2 months) I still have a lot of hair missing. One side is basically covered while the other half still has a lot of thinning around it, even tiny bald spots, which makes it difficult to hide with short hair. it is worst at the edges of the scar. The right side of the scar has a line of thinning hair running directly up from the scar while the left side has a bald spot above and below it. There is some growth on these spots but barely anything. Here are my questions: 1. Will it continue to improve or is 5 months the point of no return? 2. Should I apply rogaine? I ask because my procedure was to fix a childhood scar, not for hair loss, but I read a lot of posters who suggest using rogaine. Does using it SPEED up healing or does the hair never come back without it? This is perhaps my most important question. 3. Have any other suggestions that could help? I feel like if I get 100% regrowth I might be able to do a #3 buzz, that's at least what my barber said. So, I'm really, REALLY, hoping it fills out. Thanks.

The area around where I feel the piece of whatever it is at the end of my donor scar is apparently thick with hair. I'm assuming that's a good sign? Thanks for the reply, Dr. Charles, but I was also wondering if a potential lingering suture would have any effect upon shock loss around the donor scar? I'm still at the point where I have some amount of thinning around my scar which, despite the thinning, is difficult to spot but I'd obviously still like to see that area fill out again. I apologize if it's a stupid question but I read that a lot of what causes donor shock loss has to do with tension from sutures.

So far I'm at 68 days (give or take a day) post-op and I've experienced some limited growth in the recipient area (I had hair transplanted into a childhood scar) as well as shock loss around my donor scar. Since my procedure I've been experiencing mild sensitivity around my donor scar, it's difficult to explain. It isn't painful but it isn't comfortable either and on occasion if I turn my head in a certain angle it can still hurt my donor scar or make it feel uncomfortable. I've always attributed this to tightness, etc., of the donor scar - it feels like pulling or something. Anyway, I've been surfing around trying to see if anybody else has been experiencing any odd pain such as weird stinging pain above the actual donor scar and I think I found a post where one hair transplant patient mentioned he had a staple or stitch left over in his donor area. I'm thinking the same may apply to me, which has me worried, and I noticed when I feel my scar there's a slight thread like substance felt above the very edge of my donor scar. What is it? I have no idea as I've never noticed it until now and nobody has ever mentioned it despite the number of people I've had inspect my scar to assure it wasn't stretching during the initial first month or so. I'm planning to go back to my surgeon to have him take a look but I wanted to know if anybody else has had an experience with this. Will this cause any damage to my donor scar? Make it stretch? Will it effect my donor shock loss? I appreciate any answers. While I'm happy to feel the stubble and hear from others about the signs of growth on my scar so early on the back of my head, I'm now finding this enthusiasm overshadowed by worries of what negative impact a left over suture could have on my donor. :confused:

've been getting pimples (well, just two) since a month out from my transplant procedure. They have largely cleared up and the pinkness is beginning to disappear (I'm on day 45) and am just wondering if the pimples are a sign of early growth or something else. I also have a few hairs still hanging around but I can't tell if they have grown or not as the transplant was onto the back of my head and obviously I don't have eyes on the back of my head. My roommate claims they've been growing but he said these were the hairs along the edges of the scar that I had the hairs transplanted into (the recipient area). This could either mean merely returning donor hair or continual growth of hair grafts but honestly I can't tell because as I said before I can hardly tell what's going on back there without somebody else looking at it. I'm HOPING it is early growth because my biggest worry is that my scar doesn't have sufficient blood supply for the hair grafts, a fact that my surgeon brought up a few times both pre-op and post-op. Anyway, I'd just like to know what's up with these early pimples and stubborn grafts that haven't fallen out yet. Thanks.

Thanks for the reply, Stagger, I've been doing mostly push ups and pull ups (not behind the back like you suggested) and avoid exercises like dips, sit ups, and anything that'd obviously pull on the scar. I've personally noticed some pressure on both the scar and around it while doing these exercises to the point I've forced myself to stop midway. It's doing a number on my fitness but it is what it is. Running also an issue? Before the surgery I enjoyed running, it kept my mind clear, but I'm willing to hold it off for another month or two if it means a better scar line at the end of the road.

Hey, I have a few questions regarding my hair transplant that I had roughly a month ago on January the 8th. I had grafts placed via FUT onto a scar on the back of my head and have since then gone through everything from shock loss, which as far as I can tell what thankfully minimal, to bad scabbing. My main issue was the heavy shedding that began happening all over my head but thankfully that stopped. Throughout it all I've found that you guys have been able to help me extensively through a lot of it and have in addition provided me with a wealth of information that has kept me well informed and on top of both my donor scar and recipient area. Anyway, I've returned to ask a few more questions: 1. It normal to still have hair grafts in the recipient area? My scar on the back of my head (which I got from an accident, not a previous hair transplant) is currently still covered in a number of hair transplant hairs. They feel like short hairs, sometimes porcupine..ish but have felt soft after a shower, and my roommate says they've even grown. I personally can't verify if they have or haven't because I obviously can't see the back of my head. Are these dead hairs or hairs in the process of growing? 2. I have a pimple back there that appeared roughly 1 month post op that has since shrunk down significantly but I can still feel it back there. Funnily enough my mom was the first one to point it out. 3. My scar, okay, I know this is going to bother some people as it has come to bother me but I had a very small procedure at the expense of a FUT scar. I did roughly over 300 grafts, I say roughly over because the doctor doing the procedure harvested a little over the necessary amount of grafts, I think it was 70ish. When I went to see him about the scar, as I'm extremely worried about it stretching .. I didn't go to them to fix one scar to get another that can be noticed, he said it was healing well and would not be noticed. What do you guys think? This is my first procedure, I'm 21, and it was a small amount of grafts. Will it be tiny or can even it stretch to a ridiculous size that'll be a pain to hide? 4. Should I begin exercising now or should I wait 3 months? I found a lot of mixed answers on this and honestly this has been initially the biggest downside of getting FUT, I say initially because I don't know how my donor scar is going to turn out. People have gone so far as to say that the donor scar won't be safe for up to a YEAR after surgery. I don't know if I could wait that long but it'd keep me weary when doing exercise down the road instead of doing full on ab exercises that'll pull on the area. I spoke with my doctor about these and he said I could exercise and that my scar looked to be in ideal condition, they closed it with staples, and that it'd be hard to spot down the road. He did however voice concern over growth on my scar tissue but this is something he told me before I even opted to do the procedure. Thanks and sorry for the wall of text.

No, I didn't, the scar the hair was transplanted to is just above my neck and the hair was taken from above my right ear. It's possible that during my procedure from the strip so much trauma was caused that it is causing shock throughout my entire head. I'll try to remain patient, Get, but I'm sure you understand how difficult that can be especially when so early in the game. I'm still, as far as I can tell, in the shock loss phase and while the shedding has significantly stopped I can still notice a few strands of rogue hairs here and there on my hands and when getting out of the shower. The thinning of my hair is also difficult to stomach but I'm doing my best to keep a clear mind. A friend suggested I should begin taking vitamin E pills and doing things to reduce stress because she suggested my problem could be due to not just physical but mental stress as well. I'm honestly inclined to believe her because while I've never suffered hair loss like this before in my life, I've also never been in this much of a panic in my life, lol. A appointment was made with my doctor for Monday and I also plan to see a dermatologist specializing in hair as well as potentially an independent HT surgeon who can look over the work already done on my head. I fully plan to continue using this forum as a means to update my progress and truly hope to see improvement around the 3 to 4 month mark. I wish you luck as well in your road to improvement, Get.

Okay, just a little personal update, but I got off the phone with my doctor at Bosley, Dr. DiBiase and spoke with him about the shock loss issue. He said anywhere from 4 to 5 months I could expect my hair to come back from shock loss but he himself said it's unusual for me to be getting shock loss to the top of my head because the transplant was to the back of my head and the donor area came from an area above the ear. He suggested this could be due to MPB but I doubt it or at least want to doubt it because I wasn't having any sign of baldness, although my hair was supposedly in the process of it, until 2 weeks or so after surgery which seems to correlate with when shock loss tends to occur. I think it's the fact my shock loss is happening in unusual places that's making me most worried because my doctor said he's only had one other case of this happening where a patient who had a hair transplant on the back of his head later experienced shock loss everywhere else, my doctor said the persons hair later came back which reassured me but I know very well that no two heads of hair are alike. Anybody else have an experience like this where they suffered shock loss in areas completely foreign to where their hair transplant happened? And can MPB be accelerated by a hair transplant? I apologize if it seems like I'm in panic mode but I kind of am at this point.

Oh, I'd like to also add that today I looked in the mirror and noticed I was able to pull my hair apart on the top of my head and have what essentially looks like a line. I did some research and found out this is a sign of diffusing hair, I also heard people with diffusing hairlines are more at risk from shock loss than people who recede. Can I expect that hair to come back from the shock loss? I KNOW for a fact that the line wasn't there pre-op and I'm hoping somebody can give me some helpful information. Thanks.

Are people who're young more at risk of permanent shock loss than people with more advanced hair? Thanks.

Thanks, guys.

Anybody?

So, earlier this morning I took a shower and while pulling off my shirt I noticed a lot of hair on the backside - it was a little bit of a surprise. While showering and running my hand through my hair on the top of my head I noticed a lot more hair than usual sticking to my hand. I'm 21 years old and had a hair transplant on the 8th (15 - 16 days ago depending on how you count it) to correct a scar from an accident and I'm wondering if this is normal. When can I expect the shock loss to stop? Is it even shock loss? I still have plenty of hair on my head but balding does exist in my family, my older brother is proof of it, but I'm still way behind the years in terms of when genes say I should start to experience it. Should I use any product on my head? Am I worrying to much about it? I heard I'm suppose to be in the clear within the first month and I'm hoping that's true because it means I'm almost home free from waking up to a horrible surprise. Thanks.

You guys are the best, I mean it.