Rocky

I am 5 weeks post op. I was casually running my fingers through my donor area last night and I felt what appeared to be bare skin. Feeling a little concerned, I checked the area with a mirror and noticed that I had significant ( 1-2cm )shock loss below my donor scar. I was pretty worried by what I saw. I have my hair quite long in the area and previously wasn't aware of any problem below my scar since the surgery. I have had previous surgeries and my scalp felt quite tight after my last HT on Jan 14. Have other parients experienced anything similar? I am aware that shock loss can occur at the donor site but is this reasonably normal? At 5 weeks, can I assume that this shedding/shock loss will have stabilised? I am not aware how long it has been like this. Please tell me everything is ok and that,like my little babies on my hairline, the hair will grow back in after their rest cycle. Please feel free to offer any advice etc. Rocky

Personally, I am grateful that Dr Charles takes the time to respond to my posts. Thanks again Dr Charles, and much appreciated.

I know this is the great unanswerable mystery, but are there predictable time parameters regarding male pattern baldness. I started losing my hair at about 23. I am now 43. I have had several surgeries over a 15 year period ( starting when I was 28). I had my most recent surgery in mid January ( 700 hairline grafts) I have not noticed any real thinning in past 5 years. Do you think it would be fairly safe to assume that my baldness has stabilised? Back to my original question, is a 15 or 20 year balding cycle about it? Is the initial stage of MPB usually the most aggressive or can it get a little nasty after an extended time , as in my case, after 20 years? Any tips would be appreciated.

I know this is the great unanswerable mystery, but are there predictable time parameters regarding male pattern baldness. I started losing my hair at about 23. I am now 43. I have had several surgeries over a 15 year period ( starting when I was 28). I had my most recent surgery in mid January ( 700 hairline grafts) I have not noticed any real thinning in past 5 years. Do you think it would be fairly safe to assume that my baldness has stabilised? Back to my original question, is a 15 or 20 year balding cycle about it? Is the initial stage of MPB usually the most aggressive or can it get a little nasty after an extended time , as in my case, after 20 years? Any tips would be appreciated.

Well, I might as well reply to my own post. Don't worry, Rocky, it will clear itself up in a day or two. And it did. Cheers.

Well if anyone had a consultation with Dr Shapiro during the middle of January you would have needed to be in Sydney. Repeat: Dr Shapiro is an excellent surgeon in every way.

Hi guys, I am day 24 after having a fairly minor procedure ( 730 gratfs in hairline). Everything has been going well. Just a question or two though. My recipient area is obviously scab free. At 2 weeks post op I had quite a few small hairs left. In the past week, many of the small hairs have, as expected, fallen out. My recipient area is a bit red. I also assume that this is quite normal. Q: 1 About when can I expect the reddish tinge to Fade? This morning, when I had my usual check on my implanted thatch,I noticed a dark red spot, the size of 1 graft, in the area. There was no apparent bleeding and, at 3 weeks+, I know all the grafts are secure. Q:2 Could it be an ingrown hair or maybe a slight infection? It is not causing me any concern, but it looks different and I am curious. Any clues would be appreciated. Rocky

Hi guys, I am day 24 after having a fairly minor procedure ( 730 gratfs in hairline). Everything has been going well. Just a question or two though. My recipient area is obviously scab free. At 2 weeks post op I had quite a few small hairs left. In the past week, many of the small hairs have, as expected, fallen out. My recipient area is a bit red. I also assume that this is quite normal. Q: 1 About when can I expect the reddish tinge to Fade? This morning, when I had my usual check on my implanted thatch,I noticed a dark red spot, the size of 1 graft, in the area. There was no apparent bleeding and, at 3 weeks+, I know all the grafts are secure. Q:2 Could it be an ingrown hair or maybe a slight infection? It is not causing me any concern, but it looks different and I am curious. Any clues would be appreciated. Rocky

I can understand sea water could be a problem..... .. especially if you can't swim !!

Dr Shapiro is an excellent surgeon and a great guy. Choose whoever you feel is the right person but, from my own experience, the proof of Dr Shapiro's worth is when he is in his operating rooms. On that score, he gets full marks. If you were put off by what happened when you contacted his offices, so be it. But as Mr T said, he can't be everywhere doing everything.

Well then, to rephrase the question a little. When seawater? Or maybe.... What are the benefits of no seawater over seawater?.... Am I getting warmer?

Just curious, but why no seawater? There seems to be a lot of differing opinion on what is and is not advisable after surgery. My Dr said that the grafts are basically set after 7 - 10 days. He said that there is really not a whole lot of damage that can be done from this point on. Obviously sun burn on tender and pink skin would not be real clever. But, I am wondering if some people are unnecessarily being a little too cautious and putting the brakes on their lives a bit. I would have thought that sea water would have, if anything, been beneficial. I live in Australia ( Newcastle) and our beaches are clean. Is it that some of the sea water you are referring to is polluted? I don't understand the drama about seawater. Please enlighten me.

From personal experience, I would recommend Dr Knudsen. He does quality work, is a good guy and his prices are very reasonable.

Dr Feller, 'Chuffed' is an expression meaning very happy. Thanks for the advice regarding the little hairs.

I had it done at the Clinic of Hair Transplantation in Sydney. I had 700 grafts in the hairline area only. If all of the little babies grow, I will be chuffed. A quick question for some of our transplant veterans: I've noticed that as some of the grafts have come off, little hairs remain. Does this mean that they will continue to grow and not go through the initial shedding stage? In other areas, the scab with the hair has come off. Just curious.

Well, 9 slow days have passed. Each day has been very interesting. Most of the scabs have disappeared and I'm feeling much more relaxed about the whole after care thing now. Anyway here is my implanted cranium with the post shower slick look.

Well, 9 slow days have passed. Each day has been very interesting. Most of the scabs have disappeared and I'm feeling much more relaxed about the whole after care thing now. Anyway here is my implanted cranium with the post shower slick look.

Bigboy, I am 42, have been losing my hair since my late 20's and have always taken a keen interest in what can be done to get a decent and natural head of hair. Most of the available information, I have found, tends to focus on the procedure, the surgeons and the finished product etc, rather than what to do immediately post op, when the responsibility of looking after the hair is all yours. My Dr, by the way, was fantastic and gave me clear instructions and has been very available since for advice. I am just one of those guys who likes to understand things thoroughly rather than leave things to chance. I also think that guys, like the ones on this forum who have been through the procedure, know the deal. Everyone has their own slightly different take on what to do and the way to do things and I find it really helpful. I just have to learn how to kick back and relax a bit and......wait.

Guys, I am going through a severe case of double checking everything I do regarding my new grafts. Basically, I want to do the right thing. My surgery was to add a small number (730)of grafts to my very high and uneven hairline and to thicken and define my side area. I have a reasonable covering of hair through the bridge and crown area. My hair is also quite long at the moment so I should be able to hide the recipient area fairly well. I am 7 days post op, have small and gradually disappearing scabs in my recipient area and I go back to work in a week's time. ( 14 days post op). I admire the guys on this site who cut their hair short and don't give a rat's, but I just don't have the bollocks. Now for my questions: 1.When do you think it would be okay to use a hair dryer ( cool temp) to dry and style my hair? This way I can conceal my surgery. 2. Would it be alright to use gel etc to style my hair and, if so, would two weeks post op be okay? 3. What effect, if any, would products like gel and other styling products have on the grafts after two weeks?

Guys, I am going through a severe case of double checking everything I do regarding my new grafts. Basically, I want to do the right thing. My surgery was to add a small number (730)of grafts to my very high and uneven hairline and to thicken and define my side area. I have a reasonable covering of hair through the bridge and crown area. My hair is also quite long at the moment so I should be able to hide the recipient area fairly well. I am 7 days post op, have small and gradually disappearing scabs in my recipient area and I go back to work in a week's time. ( 14 days post op). I admire the guys on this site who cut their hair short and don't give a rat's, but I just don't have the bollocks. Now for my questions: 1.When do you think it would be okay to use a hair dryer ( cool temp) to dry and style my hair? This way I can conceal my surgery. 2. Would it be alright to use gel etc to style my hair and, if so, would two weeks post op be okay? 3. What effect, if any, would products like gel and other styling products have on the grafts after two weeks?

Dr Charles Thanks for the reply. Basically, I am just double checking that I am going about things the right way. I suppose I just needed a bit of reassurance that everything will be Okay. Thanks again.

I am currently 7 days post op and have been very pleased with all aspects of my surgery to date. Thanks to research and the fantastic advice given by the posters on this forum, I have a fair idea of what to expect over the next 6 months. My question involves the survival rate of grafts. Apart from the obvious problem of bumping or dislodging grafts, what other factors influence the survival rate of the grafts? My Dr said that I didn't have much bleeding during the surgery, is that necessarily a bad thing? I would have imagined that blood supply to the grafts would be the critical factor. I am 42, in good health etc and am sure that I have sufficient blood supply to the recipient area. I know the thing to do is sit back, relax and let nature take its course. But basically, I want my little babies to be healthy, so any information would be greatly appreciated. Also, what % of my grafts can I realistically expect to grow? Cheers, Rocky

I am currently 7 days post op and have been very pleased with all aspects of my surgery to date. Thanks to research and the fantastic advice given by the posters on this forum, I have a fair idea of what to expect over the next 6 months. My question involves the survival rate of grafts. Apart from the obvious problem of bumping or dislodging grafts, what other factors influence the survival rate of the grafts? My Dr said that I didn't have much bleeding during the surgery, is that necessarily a bad thing? I would have imagined that blood supply to the grafts would be the critical factor. I am 42, in good health etc and am sure that I have sufficient blood supply to the recipient area. I know the thing to do is sit back, relax and let nature take its course. But basically, I want my little babies to be healthy, so any information would be greatly appreciated. Also, what % of my grafts can I realistically expect to grow? Cheers, Rocky

Oops, sorry! Forgot the attachment.

The scabs are definitely getting smaller and small hairs ( 3 mm )are poking through . I expect to lose the hairs when the scabs come off, but I have been told that some hairs might continue to grow. What has been the experience of others? What can I expect over the next week or two? Thanks guys.