ZeoRanger

After 3.5 months it's still there but my fringe is long enough again to cover it up. It fading but slowly. Was expecting it. When I bruise my shins for example to lasts for ages.

Most brands will say that their products allow the skin to breathe. But every dermatologist will say that's non-sense because skin doesn't absorb oxygen.

I think the real issue here is that in the healing phase the use of anything you put on could unnecessarily lead to an infection.

I think make up could work really well to conceal that annoying redness but there must also be a reason why it's not widely adopted for HTs.

My redness looked like a Batman logo tatooed to my forehead. Since I was forced to shave for the procedure it was a double whammy. I ended up using a flesh toned sports bandage together with double sided tape and wrapped it around my forehead. Just so that it would not touch the grafts but sit high enough to cover up the redness. Played the whole thing down as a minor sports injury that will however take a long time to heal.

I should add it was a toppik concealer not make up but I believe the concept is the same. Don't clog your pores - may be a risk according to some (not all) surgeons.

I think the main problem here is that there (as always it seems) is no solid research for a definite answer. But I'd rather play it safe.

I don't want to freak you out but the advisor from my clinic told me NOT to do that because the grafts are still growing and "need oxygen".

I always thought the grafts would get oxygen from the blood stream but I would not go against advice from my clinic.

I did research on this a found a thread where a surgeon warned against concealers. Because they clogged pores slowly but progressively causing a mild infection which was not detected in time. Ultimately it caused a poor result.

...but many clinics still use saline spray instead to avoid infections.

With HTs there seem to be two world views... Some doctors say everything is DONE after surgery and you can do only damage by pulling them out or hitting your head, while others have a very strict post op regimen that doesn't practically does not allow you doing anything for the next 3-6 months. (No sweating, no sports, no sex, no dusty areas, not applying anything other than prescribed potions) because ANYTHing can harm grafts. I'm exaggerating a bit but you get the picture.

Anyhow that ATP spray is supposed to give grafts nutrients while they are vascularising.

That's good news then. Ask the doc if you miss out on anything by not using the ATP spray.

Did your actual procedure take longer because you were bleeding more?

I feel for you and am sorry this happened.

Whenever it comes to infections everything goes silent - I guess there is simply not much knowledge on this subject. But I noticed that surgeons like to play the 'mystery infection card' whenever there's bad result. A lot of times these infections seem to be without symptoms and won't be noticed until it's too late. Just an observations by viewing threads here with the term "infection".

I was also given antibiotics after day two (for 5 days) and not exactly told why. But I did not get any pimples or anything. At month 3 everything seems on track but I'd be feeling much more confident about my procedure if I really knew why I was given ABs suddenly after day 2. Makes the waiting game much more unnerving and I'm already saving up for HT #2 just in case.

In your case you're lucky it was discovered early and that the surgeon is targeting it.

I would not worry about the ATP spray. A lot of clinics are not using it, so I think it's more of a gimmick to round up the experience.

Can someone explain why alcohol consumption post-op is allowed?

My understanding is that the new grafts weakened for months after surgery and they basically feed on blood.

So if alcohol (or other drugs/meds) enter the bloodstream, wouldn't that harm those frail grafts?

I noticed strange bumps in my donor area (8 weeks post op). The other night I realized they are actually mosquito bites.

I don't think they attacked the recipient area yet. Could they kill grafts??

Sorry for typing "couple find" in my earlier post. It was meant to be "could not find". That's autocorrect for ya.

I could not find ANY written statement supporting that theory. It just came out of the mouth from 1 particular nurse and I hope to high heavens that she was just misinformed or tried to scare me to make sure I won't hit the gym too soon post-op.

Would be great if some experts could weigh in. But considering that saline spray is often used directly post op by many clinics I don't think salt is a graft killer.

Pls delete. Double post

Interesting question.

A nurse at my clinic instructed me not to sweat for the first 4(!) weeks cause salt may harm the crafts.

Then again there are many clinics asking patients to use saline spray post-up. So that this advice with a grain of salt (no pun intended). My post op instructions stated avoid sweating for 10 days.

I believe docs give out that advice to keep the area clean and avoid infections.

If salt/sweat was that dectrutive patients in warmer regions would always have a poorer result. Avoiding sweating for 4 weeks is impossible!

Edit: btw I was panicked because of the very subject. I searched a lot of HT forum and couple find a single legit post confirming that sweat/body's own salt is a graft killer. I hope the nurse was just trying to scare me off so i won't hit the gym too soon post op.

Why do you say that?

Because your hair loss may progress further. Finasteride tends to stop or at least stabilise it. Your native hair could also be more prone to shock loss in the recipient site.

When you consider a HT, you should also consider finasteride to combat future hair loss.

You're in your thirties now, so your hair loss reached a certain degree of stability which is a plus.

Don't let the finasteride side effects deter you. They're not very common. I never experienced any and been using it since my early twenties. I didn't even need it. Just took it as a preventative measure. 10 yrs on I'm glad did.

I'm 4 weeks post op and get the occasional pimple in the recipient area.

They are pretty much like pimples in face that grow bigger if I don't pop them.

Can I pop them with a clean needle and then treat the area with Betadine or bepathenol to promote healing (and avoid infection)? Or are those creams bad for the grafts? They don't contain alcohol.

How did you manage to scratch yourself on the 1st night after your operation? Accidental scratch during sleep?

If you had no other episodes of bleeding it's prob early shedding.

I noticed a bald patch in my grafted area as well after day 10 when I lost all scabs. I panicked but I recalled that I never had any bleeding during that period which means no grafts were lost. At least according to the research I did in this forum.

If you lose proper grafts at this stage there would be a trickle of blood running from your scalp. If there is no blood it's a combination of early shedding and losing scabs.

Your grafts are secure after day 10 please don't force scabs or crusts off before that. At least that's what I've been told :]

After all crusts/scabs washed out 10 days after surgery, it seems like there are hundreds of grafts missing. It just looks sparse - I received 2000 grafts into the hairline.

I never had massive bleeding, pain or founds loose grafts anywhere. Nor did I start sheeding yet. Most scabs that came off were hair free.

Is it possible that a lot of grafts 'secretly' washed away at the first hair wash at the clinic (about 18 hours after surgery) WITHOUT any noticable bleeding??

Could there be any conditions (e.g. lots of scabbing or crusting) that would prevent the grafts from anchoring so they can be washed off easily in the first days?

Great thread. This should be sticky because people are wondering about this all the time.

So this graft was pulled after day 2?

Your grafts should be fine after 2 months. However if you still have post of redness a sunburn will not help your skin's recovery. I believe that's the main reason doctors advise you to avoid exposure after a HT.

Regardless of your grafts you should ALWAYS avoid sunburns as they can lead to skin cancer.

The doc looked at it and said it looks good and I'm experiencing a common side effect for dense packing. I didn't get a proper answer on whether I'm experiencing an infection, inflammation or something else.

I've been given an antibiotic pill to take every 12 hrs. Looks like it's clearing up.

Hi all,

I had a 2000 graft FUE procedure 36 hrs ago. After surgery I was not given any antibiotics.

It kind of puzzled me but I trusted they would do what's best.

The next morning I had my first washing and all seemed fine. During that day my forehead continued to swell and I had a headache for most of the day but the discomfort eased after getting some rest.

Then today the doctor noticed some yellowish dried up discharge in the recipient area and gave me antibiotics to take every 12 hours.

How bad is this and is it an oversight by the clinic that I did not receive any antibiotics right after the surgery? Really worried now.

Sorry if already asked...

Can you get scars in the recipient area from the incisions when they plant the grafts?

I know there's tiny scars in the back due to the extraction with FUE. I was wondering if the same principle applies when the grafts are inserted.

I work in an office so can't get away with a hat. I hope my normal hair will grow 2cm+ quickly so I can just let the fringe cover it.

Sucks for me that I'm not olive... I hope the concealer will do the trick for the first weeks.

I'll be getting my hairline lowered by 2cm via FUE soon. I'll have 3 weeks off work after surgery but i think my recipient area will still be red.

Can I cover up that red area with a concealer or make-up?

Or is that too soon and the make-up would damage the grafts/healing process?

I wish the clinic would let me keep my fringe - covering up would be no problem then. But it looks like they don't offer the no shave option.