my temples are still red but I decided not to care about that. also no one mentioned anything to me about it. I had about that time off after surgery as well about 25 days. I will say that the donor area was quite red after that and thin, I guess what people refer to as shock loss. I used toppik on the back which was a life saver, couldn't have gone back to work without it. Also used dermatch on top for my own well being but the top would have been fine without. Good luck with your surgery