secondtryuser

Well my doctor told me to continue to use fin to prevent transplanted hairs thinning.

You are right that he isn't my doctor, but it is MY OPINION as an actual medical professional that he hasn't been forthcoming with his credentials to any degree. As i said patients can take the information(that he hasn't even started a residency in any field) however they want. But they should be aware of it.....

 

I think with older patients who aren't familiar with health care there may be a little confusion on what is standard in practice and training. 70 years ago there were occasional med school grads who only did a year(or two) of post-med school training and then practiced in a meaningful capacity in primary care. Because of this, med school was structured different and students did receive useful training that would get them closer to practice ready(if they only did an intern year). But those days are long long gone, and it's widely acknowledged now that one doesn't "learn to be a doctor" in medical school today. What happens is you learn how to be ready to begin internship, residency, and then possibly fellowship in some fields. Those are the periods in training today where one learns how to practice medicine. So when someone leaves medicine before they even start the training where one learns to be a doctor, I would view that as very relevant information if they insist on passing themselves off as a medical professional of sorts(even considering this is a unique field)

Well you completely missed my point. I stated quite clearly that it was your tone that was disrespectful and rude. I'll restate it: learn some manners.

While it is perfectly legitimate (and indeed advisable) for any patient to question their doctor's credentials, I find the way Carolinapride800 has done this to be rude and disrespectful. Ever heard of that adage, 'it's not what you say, it's how you say it'?

Blake is not your doctor and while politely asking is ok the way you've done it is inappropriate. Learn some manners.

Blake - that you responded so calmly suggests you'll have great pillow talk....I guess you're in the right job!

I seriously wouldn't worry. A little strange that your doc would say the redness should be over now, but I've read many times how redness can linger on even up until a year. Plus you have hair to put over it. I'm at a similar stage post-op and still have a comparable amount of redness. It isn't ideal but we just have to let the scalp heal itself. Not sure if any ointment you buy will aid this healing process.

...but if you're norwood 5 and you're only having hairline and frontal third, this will already result in an 'island', no?

justgotfue,

 

The hair stubbles that grew are the grafts that continued on in the growth phase and did not yet go into dormancy. Otherwise they would have shed or just not grown any longer in length.

 

The stubbles that are not growing are probably grafts that did go dormant but for some reason have not shed the graft hair yet. Eventually they will.

 

So at 2-3 months post-op, new growth is on its way and eventually the hair will shed. If the stubbles won't pull out, then I would just leave them alone and check them again in another month or so.

 

I am assuming that the stubbles you are referring to are the graft hair right?

 

Soon you will be seeing lots of new growth especially when you get beyond the fourth month post-op...

Thanks Gillenator. YEs the stubbles are the graft hairs.

I'll report back in a month, maybe asking what to do again or hopefully telling you that they've fallen out!

Thanks. Just to inform you, my doctor thinks it's highly unlikely any problems occurred. He said the damage caused by sun is when there is an unambiguous clear sunburn, and being under glass for a couple of hours, while not a perfect sunblock, shouldn't pose any risk to the grafts.

I also did more searching and found on the UK cancer website that if under glass, skin damage is caused by perpetual long term build up. Obviously this is in reference to skin cancer, but I'm taking from this that a couple of hours max in a conservatory doesn't cause the skin much if any harm.

I'll update in 6 months!

I wouldn't automatically jump to that conclusion, to be honest. First of all, I would advise you call your doctor to get his opinion. He'll also potentially be able to evaluate you and monitor any potential damage that may have been caused.

 

However, the main question I would have is if you actually got a sunburn on your scalp, as that's where I believe the biggest danger lies as far as the survival of the grafts goes in relation to sun exposure. While it would've been ideal for you to have your head covered and/or wear sunscreen, given all the other circumstances (the fairly moderate temperature, the double pane glass) I think there's a very good chance that your grafts are just fine.

 

Unfortunately, there's nothing that can be done about it either way now, so don't add any additional stress to your life and beat yourself up over it. My gut says that you're most likely fine, but that's something that could only be determined with an evaluation. Try not to assume the absolute worst and see if you're doctor can evaluate you. In the meantime, do what you can to not stress about it and wait it out....

 

Hoping for an unbelievable amount of growth for you.

 

When was your procedure, btw? And how long ago did this happen?

Hey, thanks. I'm hopeful there hasn't been any sunburn - my skin hasn't changed colour and there is no stinging associated with sunburn (I've had sunburn in the past as many people have so I'm familiar with the symptoms). Since this concern, I've read the UVA rays that are able to penetrate glass are used by sun tanning lamps/beds, so a sign UVA rays have had an impact are the changes in skin colour. As I haven't experienced this on my head I'm hopeful that no damage was done.

I'm just over five weeks since the transplant and the potential sun exposure happened at pretty much the five week mark.

Graft survival is dependent on the transplanted follicles getting established to a new source of blood supply. Without that occurring, whether from damage from UVA or not, they will perish.

 

So the risk of UVA rays is the potential of sun burn and/or exposure beneath the outer layer of scalp tissue and damaging both the graft tissue as well as the underlying follicles.

 

My understanding is that the healing process in the deeper layers of scalp (dermis) are slower than the epidermis outer layer.

 

This is why wearing a cap or hat that fully covers the recipient area is recommended when exposed to the UVA rays for more than 10 minutes in duration. The higher the UVA rating implies a quicker burn ratio yet a full cover with a cap/hat prevents this potential damage from occurring.

 

Most docs will want their patients to avoid direct exposure to UVA rays for at least 3 months post-op, some feel 6 months and still others 9 months.

 

I believe this is due to giving the transplanted follicles enough time to fulfill a complete resting cycle and enough time for all of the follicles to manifest into an ongoing growth cycle that produces full regrowth of the hair shafts.

Looks like I may have damaged my grafts then. Wish I could start over again. I've been so careful with everything else. I was indoors so it just didn't register.

Just reading this thread now and getting really scared!

[Link removed by moderator]

After the info I've found in this thread, I can say that I've just inspected my recipient and there doesn't appear to be any small white dots surrounded by more tanned skin. Could I deduce from this that the sun didn't affect my grafts?

Also, my recipient is still red, but doesn't appear to be more red (I've also compared photos before and after the time sitting in the conservatory).

I've also read that glass stops UVB but not UVA. Which is the most harmful to the grafts?

I covered up from sun rays for 6 months after each of my Hts. And to be honest even after you dont really want to be exposing any skin to strong sun light !

Did you also cover up under glass (conservatory, greenhouse, car etc)?

I covered up from sun rays for 6 months after each of my Hts. And to be honest even after you dont really want to be exposing any skin to strong sun light !

True. Only became concerned after I read someone on here was worried after being under glass. I started to envisage the hair transplant being for nothing and all the hair frizzling away in the sun

Its much more likely to damage the grafted skin area as opposed to the grafts themselves.

Thanks. Before I posted my question I did a bit of research and found an old forum where doctors like doctor Feller et al posted and they were generally stating the same thing, that sun damages the skin rather than the grafts.

Cheers Johnboy. Is the problem with the sun that it effects scaring or can it actually damage the grafts?

Hi,

So at approximately one month after a HT, I was sat in a conservatory for about 1hour 30 minutes. I never even considered sun could penetrate through the glass, so I didn't wear a hat - my scalp was completely exposed. The glass was double. Normally I wouldn't think it would pose a problem but I happen to read something on this forum where someone stated you need to keep a hat on if under glass. Is this conclusive or is the jury out?

The sun was shining on that day but it was't too strong (24degrees celsius), but inside the conservatory it was warm.

Could this damage graft survival?

I would have worn a hat had I known then what I know now!

Hi, could you explain what it is exactly about blond hair that you feel makes the transplants unsuccessful? Is it just the lack of successful transplants that you've seen online where the guys are blond?

Think about it rationally, of course, the colour should have no effect on the success. If you go for consultations with surgeons, they can examine you properly and tell you before you make a decision if they feel your hair has the right characteristics to make a transplant successful.

Also, I'd rethink your views on finasteride. If you're not prepared to take it, I wouldn't bother getting a transplant. The side effects are very rare. In my opinion, finasteride should always be your first call, and it really does work. Most people see their hair loss stop (although few experience new growth). Good luck and keep people updated. You'll find a lot of users here very friendly, helpful and knowledgable.

Yeah I get what you're saying, but I just can't help thinking that loosing grafts due to scratching has to be inherently bad.

.....but it's the shape that concerns me. In fact, they're exactly the same shape as in the 'Hairtransplant Network.com' logo.

More today....

I guess my main worry is that if it is possible for a dead graft to 'sit inside' the scalp, there could be many more dead grafts that will come out too when they're ready

Hey guys,

So this morning, after a shower, I found a graft. The photo attached isn't very clear, but there is a hair coming out of the thicker end of the white thing on the photo.

It's definitely a graft, and the white thing is obviously the dead skin. There was no blood. The way it looks on the photo is the way I found it, ie white and obviously dead. The only way I can explain it myself is that it had been in my hair since the operation and I found it today, but it had been out a while. Otherwise there would be blood, right? Or is it possible for dead grafts to still be anchored in the scalp and then eventually come out?

Does anyone know why I could find a dead graft on day 13?

Thanks

Thanks for your reply. It's a relief to stop with the spray as feeling the water run across my scalp while not being able to scratch it was like torture!

Thanks guys!

Hi Squatch, thanks for your reply, although I'm not sure if you meant to post it here?

Does anyone have any experience of experiencing a slight tingling/burning sensation from transitioning from saline solution to water? Could it be all in my mind?!

Hi,

I'm 8 days post op. Ran out of saline solution today, so started using tap water in its place. In the post-op care instructions it says this is ok.

I've notice a tingling sensation when I spray water on the recipient (maybe even a very very low level mild burning sensation). I never noticed this with the saline solution. Should I stop all together with the spray, or just carry on with the water?