gillenator

Are these from manufacturers outside of the US because I knew there were products like finpecia made overseas.

I would wait until your recipient area completely heals and is free from all scabbing and crusts before applying any cosmetics like Toppik. After that, you're good to go...

Really.. interesting not heard of it. What is the average cost?

IMHO, I would never put an antiseptic on my recipient area, pimples or not. The pimples are usually an indication of new hair shafts coming through however it seems rather early in your case. I wonder though if this hibiscrub is herbal based? If so, then I would change my mind.

To my knowledge there is no generic form of Propecia that comes in a 1 mg tablet or pill. It is possible that your pharmacist filled a script for Proscar which is 5mg strength per tablet? I don't believe Proscar has a generic form either.

RR, Scabbing is a normal aspect of the healing process and really cannot be avoided but can at times be managed successfully. What I mean by that is many doctors/clinics will advise their patients to keep their grafts or the recipient area moist by spraying the area with saline or some other form of post-op healing spray such as Graftcyte to facilitate the healing process. The idea is that "the more the healing process is facilitated", the sooner the scabbing and crusts can be removed. Water in itself can help facilitate the healing. Saline is often recommended because of its sterile solution and can be purchased at very little cost. A few doctors are not of the opinion that spraying the area with saline will keep the grafts moist but if the application is done frequently enough throughout the day, they can. I know this firsthand from my own experience having 4 separate HT procedures. Solution spaying is usually recommended for at least 3 days following the procedure. Pouring a diluted shampoo mixture over the area will also be of benefit and is also frequently recommended in most post-op care instructions. Scabs and crusts are two different things. Scabs are dried blood and crusts are dead graft tissue from the tips of the grafts above the scalp line. Most post-op instructions will advise their patients to allow the crusts to remain for at least one week or so post-op (7-10) days depending how the healing manifests. The recipient incisions for the most part are micro in size and heal rather quickly for most individuals and why after one week, the crusts are ready to be removed. Scabbing usually comes off sooner than the crusts. Crusts can be removed by getting in the shower and getting the recipient area covered with shampoo suds with room temp water for five minutes or so to soften the crusts. They can be removed more easier that way by simply using your fingertips to rub them off and rinsing. Hope this helps answer your concerns...

SbT, Areas of the scalp that are directly neighboring the recipient area can experience some level of shock loss but it is rare and not as likely because the trauma is more confined to where the recipient incisions are made. And if you were to experience some mild shock loss outside of the frontal recipient area, very unlikely that it would impact your crown. Another possibility is that some individuals experience some shock loss and/or thinning in the donor zone. With FUHT, it sometimes occurs just above and/or below the donor scar, and with FUE, it can potentially happen in the adjoining areas where the extractions are made. Again, not prevalent but an exception. My observations have been that those individuals that have a more diffused type/pattern of loss can be a little more at risk for shock.

It's unusual to lose a graft 13 days post-op. I opened your pic in a new window to enlarge the photo and I agree that it's not a graft. Looks more like the dead tissue above the scalp line. And it's true that when a complete graft does come out in whole, there is a steady stream of blood that oozes from the recipient site where the graft was placed. So if you did not see a strong trickle or stream of blood oozing down your scalp, you have nothing to worry about. Conversely, dead graft tissue (crusting) does shed roughly 2-4 weeks post-op. Congrats on your recent procedure.

POVNW2, It's really not unusual to receive varying graft estimates because each doctor may have a different idea of the total surface area involved where the proposed grafts would be placed. Presently you have mild recession going on in the temporal areas. Typically the doctor will draw in the starting point and all along the perimeter where you would like filled in. So the surface area would first have to measured and then the level of density calculated for that same area. In addition, the base point where your grafts would commence are done with single hair grafts. Single hair grafts do not provide as much visual coverage as doubles, triples, for the obvious reasons so that will also raise the graft count as well. You would not want anything above single hair grafts where your hairline starts. Regardless, your case would not involve a large number of grafts and at the same time you want to be careful that your existing hairline is not brought down too low where the single hair grafts start. How is your crown? Any thinning there or is the recession mostly in the frontal zone? I also see that this is your first post so welcome to this community...

Low dose finasteride can help slow down the rate of MPB over time. The thing about donor issues is something to seriously consider. If we do not have what would be considered viable donor or enough, than the procedure really should not be done. I think your doctor is trying to save you from regretting doing the procedure(s).

Hair caliber maturation will also help produce the visual coverage greatly.

Could not agree more ontop...

I meant 3-4 months from when the shock loss occurred.

Magnum, That can be difficult to ascertain. Usually the best way is to look at any other possible scars in the scalp. And I mean smaller thinner scars to see if they were raised or red and angry looking, etc. Scars in the scalp can heal differently than say scars on the arm, abdomen, etc. So if you ever cut your head in the past from a mild accident like bumping it, etc., that might be a more fair comparison. Also, if your overall physical make-up is healthy without having any other medical condition(s) or current meds that could affect how you heal, that's also a good indicator.

I would recommend that you take your time in researching docs skilled in repair that can potentially remove some of the grafts and obviously add some. Any graft removal comes down to either excisions (scalpel) or extractions (FUE). And if some are in fact going to be needed to be removed, remaining visible scarring becomes a critical factor to consider. This is why you want a doc who is skilled at both methods along with a good track record in repair. Hope everything works out for you hairymama.

Yep, that's why they require an anesthesiologist to be licensed in most states and they in fact monitor the person's vitals throughout the surgery process and even immediately post-surgery to confirm everything is stable, i.e. heart rate, blood pressure, and the like.

The redness dissipating is usually a good sign that healing is taking place...

Saline is normally recommended for at least the three days following a HT procedure primarily because of its sterile solution while keeping the grafts moist. The tingling or slightly stinging sensation from tap water may be due to the tap water having ammonia, fluoride, and who knows what other additives are added to the water supply that comes out of the faucet...:rolleyes: The other guys make a good point in that being past one week post-op, your crusts are probably ready to come off. Did you get some post-op instructions from your clinic/doctor? They probably want you to start mild shampooing at this point in time so it would be a good idea to see what their advice is at this point in time. Congrats on your recent procedure and happy growth to you...

ZeoRanger, General anesthesia can however have an impact on the oxidization in the blood supply which can impact the oxygen to the grafts so not that I am providing any medical advice, it's the specialist that would be able to address the potential impact that it may have on grafts, especially during the critical survival stage. This adds credence to both what Paddy and Voxman touched on. You guys would be amazed at how infrequent the patient's complete medical history "is not" reviewed and sometimes never even documented including past and current medications. And this is prior to the procedure whether in the consultation or taken by a staff member. Tony, you are welcome and it was nice to see Paddy apologize. You never know when a doctor will come on and provide some very relevant and helpful information/advice. In fact, I just read some posts that Dr. Feller recently did this week which contained a lot of critical clinical information and advice concerning the effects of FUE as compared to FUHT. One other recommendation that can be helpful is to go in and have a complete physical exam with a complete blood workup/labs before enrolling for a HT procedure. For example, if an individual recently came down with type 2 diabetes but did not know it, could have a very high glucose level which could potentially have a negative impact on the procedure. Once the blood sugar levels were treated and at manageable levels, the procedure could get the green light to proceed. l am a diabetic and on my last two procedures, my docs tested my blood sugar immediately before the surgery to make sure it was within acceptable ranges. Or what if the individual had Lupus, thyroid issues, or things like that? Some men are not amiable to doing physical exams yet it sure can make all of the difference in the world to know ahead of time. And the exam is covered by health insurance. I think am starting to ramble on here so will wrap it up but I think you get the idea...

Sometimes newly implanted grafts will remain in the growth phase momentarily and continue to grow, however as time passes, they will shed and enter dormancy, rest for 3-4 months and then enter the growth phase once again.

Blanc1, Providing the surgeon is competent whether FUHT or FUE, scarring is more related to one's physiology more than anything else. 3,000 FUE is no longer considered a large session in the hands of a good FUE surgeon. So that being said, if you want to wear a buzzed hair style, than FUE would be more appropriate, providing you go with a skilled FUE surgeon. In my own case, I heal very well, never intend to wear a buzzed hair style so I had four separate FUHT procedures for a grand total of 6,900 grafts. I strongly would suggest that you consult with your doctor in regards to using both finasteride and dutasteride at the same time. If finasteride is working efficiently for you, then there is really no reason to take DUT. Usually, a doctor would only suggest using DUT if you were not responding favorably to low dose finasteride. You could potentially cause some issues with your prostrate using both concurrently and also could build a resistance to both drugs. So you really want to get the advice and direction from your doctor before commencing a regimen like that.

Yes, it is possible to experience shock loss in the adjoining areas. And when grafts are placed both ahead and behind of the mid-scalp, it's not totally unusual for the untouched area to undergo some level of shock loss. The good news is that the area should thicken up again but may take 3-4 months from now to occur. Are you starting to see some regrowth in the recipient areas? That should be occurring just about now. Congrats on your procedure...

Nerves and blood vessel run throughout the entire scalp so what you are experiencing is multiple severed nerves and blood vessels. For most, the pain level is not as acute because the level of invasiveness from the tiny recipient incisions are much less than what occurs in the donor area. Congrats on your recent procedure...

If it were me, I would wait until the procedure completely matures. You can always start the injection after waiting for the regrowth to occur, but your donor is limited.

Dave, I agree that 300 grafts won't really be of much visual benefit. Adding only 300 grafts could even cause more eye drift to the area. You have a wide color contrast so any grafts added are going to be more noticeable against your fair complexion. In other words, the added 300 grafts could work against what you are trying to accomplish. It really comes down to the level of density achieved in a defined surface area. And if the starting point is mostly a barren surface, the required graft count is going to be much higher in order to achieve an adequate level of visual coverage. What you and your doctor need to do is to start by defining and measuring the area that needs grafts with adequate visual coverage. Density can then be defined by the amount of FUs per cm2 of surface area. Typically this would be roughly 50 FU per cm2 for your situation in order to attain any level of coverage that you would potentially be happy with. Yet a critical aspect of your case is the fact that you are defining your new hairline which requires many single hair grafts. Single hair grafts do not produce as much visual coverage as multiple hair bearing grafts. But you can't put 3 hair grafts on your hairline because that would not look natural. This is why you need far more work than 300 grafts. Now, I am not an advocate of borrowing money or using credit for HT procedures, but if you can afford a loan right now, you may want to consider it to get your graft count up to the proper level to make your next procedure clinically appropriate and a visual success in the end result. IMHO, you and your surgeon need to sit down and have a meaningful realistic discussion on your game plan or find one that will. Best wishes to you Dave and hope things work out for you.