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21 hours ago, BeHappy said:

so in theory there is a possibility of not getting optimal growth if you start smoking too soon after the hair transplant

is this statement still true if all the grafts have anchored and the hair follicles have survived?

if smoking can inhibit the grafts from reaching optimal growth, will the grafts reach optimal growth once you quit smoking? or will the grafts be permanently stunted. 

thanks for the input!

27 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

In theory, if all grafts survive, they grow just as any other hair would on your scalp.

I think this answers my question. Thanks again, Melvin.

if I could ask a follow-up question: since the surviving grafts, in theory, will grow just as your native hair grows, then why do hair transplant surgeons recommend that patients quit smoking indefinitely? will smoking adversely impact the hair grafts, even after the grafts survive? in other words, why can’t a hair transplant patient resume smoking, at about one-month post-op, once the grafts have survived?

56 minutes ago, BeHappy said:

Basically the hair will grow the same way it was growing before it was removed from the donor area and will continue to grow just as it would have if you hadn't moved it from the donor area to the recipient area. As you get older if the hair in the donor area on the back and sides starts to thin out, then the transplanted hair will be thinning at that time as well. The transplanted follicles have the same life span as they would have before and will react to medications, external forces, etc just as they would have reacted if they had not been moved and transplanted.

 

yeah, that makes sense. so, in other words, the transplanted hairs will only be adversely impacted if the condition is severe enough to adversely impacted my native hair, correct? so, in theory, inadequate blood flow should only inhibit the growth of my transplanted hair if it would similarly inhibit the growth my native hair. is that essentially what you’re saying?

29 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

There are some underlying conditions which can affect survival of the grafts. Conditions like Lichens planopilaris (LPP), which is a condition where the immune system attacks the hair follicles for unknown reasons, similar to alopecia areata. These conditions are rare, a scalp biopsy can rule these conditions out. 

I apologize if I’m not being clear. I’m asking you to assume that all of the grafts have survived. please assume that the grafts have survived and are fully capable of growing. please further assume that all of the grafts have shed. are there factors, such as an unhealthy scalp, that can cause the grafts to grow back at a slower rate?

if so, once you remedy the underlying condition, will the grafts begin to grow? or can they be permanently stunted?

thanks again. 

edit: my use of the word “unhealthy scalp” could simply mean dandruff or an inflamed scalp, not necessarily a medical condition. 

7 hours ago, BeHappy said:

It sounds like you're asking of there's anything a person can do or not do to make the grafts grow or not grow. Assuming everything was done right and the grafts are going to grow, there isn't really too much you can do that will affect it unless you are really trying to. Once the scabs fall off you should mostly just treat it as you would your normal scalp and hair except for maybe trying to stay out of the sun a bit more than you normally would and cut down or stop smoking if you smoke because that can restrict blood flow.

 

yes, this is exactly what I’m asking. thank you for clarifying.

assuming someone is a smoker, will that prevent the newly grafted hair follicles from growing? if so, will the hair begin to grow if the person quits smoking? or, alternatively, will the smoking permanently stunt the newly grafted hair follicle?

edit: this assumes that the hair follicles have successfully anchored to the scalp, survived, and are capable of receiving blood flow

9 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

There are several factors that fan hinder growth, yes poor blood supply can hinder growth. However, it’s not likely, unless there’s severe scar tissue. There’s no guarantee that the graft will grow, even when it’s anchored.

If the graft was harmed or damaged during the extraction or transplantation, it’s not likely to grow. You can minimize the risk by going to a quality surgeon with a reputation of producing high-density results. 

thanks for weighing in, Melvin. I’m asking to assume that the graft was not harmed or damaged. In other words, assume that the hair follicle has survived and is capable of growth. are there factors, such as an unhealthy scalp, that can delay growth? if so, once you remedy the underlying condition, will the hair begin to grow?

11 minutes ago, HTHope said:

I’m very curious to know if inflammatory skin/scalp issues like dermatitis can harm grafts. Maybe the immune system would be involved?

good question. healthy skin definitely helps promote hair growth; thus, unhealthy skin probably inhibits hair growth.

my question would be, assuming the grafts have anchored to the scalp, and assuming their growth has been inhibited by a skin condition, if you treat the skin condition, will the grafts begin to grow? or, alternatively, will they be permanently stunted? hopefully someone can shed some light on this. 

3 minutes ago, lovinitl9 said:

if the graft was not hydrated properly or held out of the body for too long,  i think that would prevent it from growing 

thanks for the reply! yeah, I think that’s right. however, in that case, the graft never would have anchored to the scalp. I’m wondering if there are any instances where a graft can fail to grow AFTER it has successfully anchored. any ideas? thanks again. 

1 hour ago, HTHope said:

Great question I’m very curious about this too

thanks for the co-sign, HT! hopefully we’ll gain some insight into this matter

Or are there factors that could prevent it from growing? For example, assuming the hair grafts anchor to the scalp, could a lack of bloodflow permanently prevent the hair from growing? Or will the hair begin to grow once the proper bloodflow is restored? Thanks for your help.

I had a hair transplant 4 months ago. 2600 grafts were used to cover a 64cm area (hairline and temples). It wasn’t until after surgery that I noticed the density was only 41cm2 overall (50cm2 in the hairline and 30-35cm2 behind the hairline). Based on my research, this seems like the bare minimum in terms of density. Not to mention, my hair caliber is only 51 microns.  should I be considered about the density? do you think I will require a second procedure? thanks in advance. 

1 hour ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

A single pimple is fine even a couple. In my experience it was usually a sign of growth. At 4 weeks it’s most likely an ingrown native hair.

good to know! thanks for the help

thanks, man! that’s really helpful. 

Can a single pimple (not folliculitis) on the recipient area adversely impact the grafts at 4 weeks post-op? Thanks in advance!

apparently it’s a “vegan” product, but i’m not sure if that makes it safe for use. the ingredients are listed on the website 

is the following shampoo safe for use:

https://www.target.com/p/acure-simply-smoothing-coconut-marula-shampoo-12-fl-oz/-/A-52532707

i don’t see alcohol listed in the ingredients; however, I did not see alcohol listed on head&shoulders either, so i figured it’s listed under a code name. 

awesome. thanks for the help!

what ingredient do they both contain that makes them harmful to hair transplants? any insight would be greatly appreciated.

thank you for your feedback! you make some valid points. 

what is your position on post-op saline spray? do you think that doctors are warranted in their belief that post-op saline spray contributes to graft survival?

solid advice. your help has been invaluable. 

thank you so much for the detailed response! I really appreciate it. 

I just want to clarify a point that you made. You said, “once the graft is in the scalp, there can not be dryness.” When you said “...in the scalp...”, do you mean when the graft is anchored, or are you simply referring to the initial placement?

Another way that post-op differs is in washing. I see that some surgeons instruct their patients to gently massage the recipient area during cleaning in order to remove the scabs early on. I was instructed not to touch the recipient area for two weeks. Instead, I was instructed to spray the recipient area with baby shampoo. As such, my recipient area is still very much littered with crust. Is there a benefit to removing the crust early?

Thanks again!

I am 12 days post-op, and naturally, I began browsing the internet for guidance in the immediate post-op phase. I began noticing that post-op instructions vary widely between doctors. For example, my doctor instructed me two spray saline on the grafts every two hours for two weeks in order to prevent the grafts from drying out (which I plan on doing). However, I noticed that other doctors do not require saline application at all. I’m curious to hear if others were required to apply saline as part of their aftercare regime. Also, do you believe that saline can promote graft survival? I look forward to hearing from you guys! Thanks in advance!