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Thank you all so much for the input!

That's what I thought too @Melvin- Moderator in that study do you know if "pulling" on a hair is referring to someone using a surgical instrument for a pull or is it referring to pulling, rubbing, scratching with your fingers?

Hey all! Wanted to start a discussion around this study: Graft Anchoring in Hair Transplant Surgery (2006) (bernsteinmedical.com) The study showed: "The study showed that for the first two days, pulling on a hair always resulted in a lost graft, but the chance of the graft being removed started to decrease by the third day. By the sixth day pulling on a hair would no longer dislodge the graft. Pulling on an adherent scab always resulted in a lost graft through day five, with the incidence decreasing through day eight. However, by nine days post-op, grafts were no longer at risk of being dislodged." Wouldn't this mean... 1.) At day 9/10 you can wear a hat with no risk of it being dislodged? 2.) At day 10 you can exercise (lift, run) with no risk of the graft being dislodged through increased blood pressure and heart rate? 3.) At day 10 you could begin normal shampoo? Seems like a lot of clinics have over strict and arbitrary guidelines, so I am curious one's thoughts. This is the only research based article I could find.

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@BRITA-XL thanks man, another question for you- I haven’t been excersising but my heart rate has been like 80-95 beats per minute some times post op. Normally my resting heart rate is like 60. Could this compromise my grafts? Or is it normal as your healing to have such fluctuations?

Hi all, How long does the redness on the scalp stay post procedure? Do you need steroids long term for it to go away or does it resolve on its own?

Thanks @gillenator @sl! two questions for you while you are here: 1.) I've been indoor for the past few days but sweating a bit because it is hot here, nothing crazy. I am not excerising or sweating hardcore but i definitely notice some drops of sweat going down my head. Is this a big deal? It sounds like it can't compromise the grafts but if I sweat a TON, like run under the sun for an hour, it can cause infection. 2.) I am choosing not to use topical minoxidil going forward. My understanding, from this article (Do You Need to Use Minoxidil After A Hair Transplant - Benefits & Results - Wimpole Clinic) is that it is not going to affect the survival rate of my transplant hairs. Taking topical minoxidil would just prevent shock loss in my native hairs, speed up the growth of my transplanted hairs, etc. (I got PRP with my transplant which theoretically does those things anyway). Is my understanding correct? I lost a lot of hair from a thyroid problem that stabilized and haven't lost additional hair, so I am not too concerned about my native hairs. If my hair keeps thinning and I get another transplant, I would consider minoxidil a few years down the line. Thank you so much for any input

Hi all, I am day 5 post op. I haven't gone outside in 5 days lol. Just been walking around in my house when I am doing things like cooking, etc. When can I start going on longer walks outside when it is dark out? And how far can I walk? I don't understand this whole keep your blood pressure down and not exercise thing-is walking around the block for 2 miles "exercise"? Wouldn't carrying my bags and hopping on a plane be "exercise"? If anyone could help me understand that would be greatly appreciated

@Bucky O Hair hahaha. Got it, thanks man

Hi all, I am a few days post op and had a question about bending. My clinic told me to ensure my head was over my heart and never bend forward (like when you bend down to reach for something on the ground). Sometimes, I slightly lower myself to plug in a charger to the wall, etc., while I try to keep my head as high as possible and back straight-ish, but I never am directing my head at the floor like someone normally would when plugging a charger into an outlet without a surgery. Is that okay? Or can that cause you to lose grafts? Ty!

Y’all are the best. TY so much for the helpful information 🙏🏻 @gillenator @HappyMan2021 @shadowcast i will pay all this forward and help out people once I have gone through this process fully. But your answers have made this so much easier.

Thank you @Gatsby and @MisterBreakfast!

Thank you so much @shadowcast. Really appreciate it. 2 questions for you: 1.) I am staying at home for 7 days in a temperature controlled environment, ranging from 68-72 degree F depending on how I feel. Today I sweat a little for like half an hour before I turned the AC on. Then I did my day spray. Could sweat like this hurt the grafts? 2.) Also, what are the risks with flying? My flight is on day 8 post op-could it somehow dry out the grafts and lose them? Should I perhaps stay where I am longer? Ty!

Hey @MisterBreakfast thanks for the insight. I honestly would never want to take it due to potential side effects, only if I have to. Is it possible to just stay at a norwood 1.5-2.5? I am curious your thoughts on the pics-is it male pattern baldness? This article seems to suggest that for people with mild hair loss it may not progress to a full norwood 7: Norwood Stage 2: Photos, Treatments, Results | Wimpole Clinic

@HappyMan2021 Given my situation based on how it looks do you think it is absolutely necessary to go on something like Fin/Dut? To me it doesn't seem like I am on the verge of progressing to norwood 7 and could hold off on meds for a few more years and re-assess. And I could perhaps be one of those people who gets to a NW 2/3 and it stabilizes. But idk how that works.

Hi everyone, I think my surgeon said I was a norwood 1.5-2.5. I had thinning in zone 1 and zone 2 but it doesn't seem like typical male pattern baldness, hence my upcoming questions. I just got a transplant of 3000 grafts to zones 1 and 2 to take care of a "see through scalp" effect that can't be seen in these pics, except for the last one. I have attached my "pre" hair transplant photos. I am a 27 M-my dad had a full head of hair in his 50s. My mom's father was bald in his 60s/70s. My 23 and me genetics test analyzed my genes and said I didn't have a predisposition for male pattern baldness and 81% of people with my genes did not have massive hair thinning before 40. My clinic generally advices people to take topical minoxidil a week and a half after surgery ongoingly. How necessary is this do you think in my situation? I really don't want any side effects and I think my hair loss was milder and that I probably won't progress to a norwood seven (if I am wrong please correct me). I had a thyroid problem, which I resolved without medication, and 2 bouts of covid that accelerated some hair loss. Pics attached. Ever since my thyroid problem, the hair never grew back, even though my thyroid levels have been normal for years. Do you think I absolutely need to be on minoxidil long term? Any advice? This article here, helped me understand that minoxidil will just help me speed up the results of this hair transplant: Minoxidil After Hair Transplant | Beverly Hills Hair Restoration (beverlyhillshr.com) I can wait a bit longer without meds, I do not need the result asap. Open to any expertise. @HappyMan2021 @Rahal Hair Transplant if you have any insight as well pls do share. Thank you everyone

btw @HappyMan2021 some other post op questions that you may know the answer to. 1.) What is the purpose of the constant day sprays of saline-is it just to keep the scalp moist? Or something deeper? 2.) Do the day sprays enhance graft survivability? 3.) I find it a bit hard to hit all 3000 grafts with the spray and have to over spray to get them all-if I don't get them all perfectly each time what are the consequences? 4.) My understanding was that the grafts are already implanted deeply into the scalp and can be dislodged now only by head trauma. Would the pressure from my spray bottle be strong enough to dislodge grafts? It is on mist setting, but I feel a little bit of pressure when it hits my grafted area. 5.) What is the biggest factor in graft rate survival, is it how often we do our day sprays, sleep at the perfect angle, take our prednisone, etc., or is it mostly the skill of the surgeon/technicians and then the after care is like the final 10-25% of the result? Thank you so much for any help. I am doing the post op as perfect as I can but I don't understand the reasoning behind some of it and when I don't do something correct, like in question 3 like I mentioned, I worry I am dislodging my grafts and ruining them. Is that even possible without head trauma lol?

Thank you so much @HappyMan2021. So many instructions for post op but this helps me be a little less neurotic about it. Much appreciated 🙏🏻

Btw @HappyMan2021 my grafted area is zone 1 and 2. the bed or headboard cannot touch it due to my sleep set up (2 pillows behind my upper back/neck, and a travel pillow). So without the risk of my zone 1 and 2 getting hit and dislodging grafts, do I need to worry about anything if my angle is not exactly 45 degrees? I was more so wondering if the angle was important for fluid to drain and perhaps if the fluid doesn't drain efficiently, due to not sleeping at the right angle, it dislodges your grafts. Can you help me understand? I am confused haha.

Thanks! But what exactly does that mean though to sleep at a 45-90 degree angle-is it that my neck and head are elevated by pillows and above my back level? Or do I literally need to be in a recliner the whole time and not use my bed? @HappyMan2021

Hi everyone! I am 2 days post op and a few questions. I am trying to sleep at a 45 to 90 degree angle but a few questions. 1.) How important is this? 2.) What is the purpose of this? 3.) Does this impact graft survival rate? if so how? 4.) If I am sleeping with 2 pillows behind my back and a neck pillow, but I am at a 30-45 degree angle, will the swelling still drain? It is hard to know exactly what position I am at as I can't see myself. But the two pillows are behind my back and my neck has the travel pillow. 5.) Does any1 have any pics of how their sleeping angle looked? Thanks so much!

I use a spray bottle to do my shampoo and water to clean the grafts in the morning and night. But can the pressure of the spray bottle, which is on the mist setting, knock out any of my grafts? I am assuming it is OK and I am not sure how other people clean their grafted area for the first few days post op, but I want to make sure that if my spray bottle has a little bit of water pressure even when it "mists", that that is okay. Thanks for any advice!!

@Rahal Hair Transplant Does the saline spray help with graft rate survival? Like in any way does it provide them with moisture needed to fully secure and get the hydration that they need to survive the operation? Or is the saline spray just for infection?

Hi Hi AB2000, thanks for your response! I have been instructed to use follican graft enhacement, see this link: Folicangraft Enhancement It helps moisturize in addition to giving micronutrients. So I am obviously going to do it as instructed, but I am curious if moisture from the sprays is crucial for the grafts to survive and implant?