Help Please. Little dots on my head

[franklin202]

Hi all. I had a hair transplant about 4 and a half weeks ago. I was told by everyone that the scabs would fall out in about 2 weeks. At 4 weeks, 75% of them were still in. I went into the doctor who informed me that I had a sebum build up and then, he removed them. Alot of my hairs have not fallen out (which I was also told would happen). I'm kind of freaked out because at all the graft sites are little dark dots. You can see them really well in some lighting, not at all in others. Has anyone had an experience like this? Will these dots go away? I have light hair, and the front of my head looks like a wierd grid of dots. Anyone who can help with advice would be really appreciated. Thanks.

[franklin202]

Hi all. I had a hair transplant about 4 and a half weeks ago. I was told by everyone that the scabs would fall out in about 2 weeks. At 4 weeks, 75% of them were still in. I went into the doctor who informed me that I had a sebum build up and then, he removed them. Alot of my hairs have not fallen out (which I was also told would happen). I'm kind of freaked out because at all the graft sites are little dark dots. You can see them really well in some lighting, not at all in others. Has anyone had an experience like this? Will these dots go away? I have light hair, and the front of my head looks like a wierd grid of dots. Anyone who can help with advice would be really appreciated. Thanks.

[Jotronic]

Dots? Would you be able to post some photos for us to look at?

[Pat - Community Publisher]

Franklin,

 

Typically most patients who are getting truly state of the art Ultra Refined Follicular Unit Grafting find that, besides hair stubble and perhaps some pinkness in the recipient area, their transplanted area looks decent. Normally a week is plenty of time to go back to work in public.

 

I would also like to see a photo to get a better idea of what you describe as little dark dots.

 

Any other details you can provide will also help.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Maybe you are a lucky one where the grafts don't fall out? Though, if the black dots you are referring to don't look normal, or like hair, that doesn't sound right. Echoing Pat and Joe's concern...please post pics.

 

Bill

[damo]

With my 1st procedure about 50% of my grafts stayed in.

 

Damo

[SorleyBoy]

. . . and with my first procedure in July of this year I would say 80% or more stayed in - (they all seem to be slowly growing now). . . so shedding most of the transplanted grafts is by no means a foregone conclusion.

 

Best of luck,

 

Sorleyboy

[Gorpy]

I noticed some of my grafts just kind of broke of at the base, leaving a stub of hair. Of course that looks like a dark dot. Maybe that is what you are seeing.

[Guest]

Originally posted by SorleyBoy:

. . . and with my first procedure in July of this year I would say 80% or more stayed in - (they all seem to be slowly growing now). . . so shedding most of the transplanted grafts is by no means a foregone conclusion.

 

Best of luck,

 

Sorleyboy

 

80%!? Do you mean that they didn't grow to start with and were just stubble for months before starting to grow? I would be very pleased if >50% of my grafts remain...

 

PB

[Guest]

Originally posted by damo:

With my 1st procedure about 50% of my grafts stayed in.

 

Damo

 

Did they start growing immediately?

 

PB

[SorleyBoy]

Originally posted by SorleyBoy:

. . . and with my first procedure in July of this year I would say 80% or more stayed in - (they all seem to be slowly growing now). . . so shedding most of the transplanted grafts is by no means a foregone conclusion.

 

80%!? Do you mean that they didn't grow to start with and were just stubble for months before starting to grow? I would be very pleased if >50% of my grafts remain...

 

PB

 

PB . . . Yes, you are about right. Retrospectively, I think the mechanism went something along the lines of a slowly decelerating growth of all implants and a little shedding of a few dozen of them over the first 2 -3 weeks. (I put this down to moderate implant density of only ~25-30 per cm2 which I think minimised capilliary damage).

 

Into the second month the implants had gone into stasis - however shock loss continued at a slow rate for at least a further 2 months.

 

It's only at the 4 - 5 month stage that I have seen both the lengthening 'shadow' of implant growth (particularly looking straight ahead) and the gradual regeneration of the shocked region around the excision area.

 

It has been a lengthy process but what used to be quite 'slick' areas on both crown and frontal regions (2 -3 sprays of Minox used to run straight off!) now feels quite 'wooly'.

 

Regards.

[Brav989]

So when you guys say your grafts fell out..you do mean the hairs right? Not the follicle?

[Robert_]

Originally posted by SorleyBoy:

Originally posted by SorleyBoy:

. . . and with my first procedure in July of this year I would say 80% or more stayed in - (they all seem to be slowly growing now). . . so shedding most of the transplanted grafts is by no means a foregone conclusion.

 

80%!? Do you mean that they didn't grow to start with and were just stubble for months before starting to grow? I would be very pleased if >50% of my grafts remain...

 

PB

 

PB . . . Yes, you are about right. Retrospectively, I think the mechanism went something along the lines of a slowly decelerating growth of all implants and a little shedding of a few dozen of them over the first 2 -3 weeks. (I put this down to moderate implant density of only ~25-30 per cm2 which I think minimised capilliary damage).

 

Into the second month the implants had gone into stasis - however shock loss continued at a slow rate for at least a further 2 months.

 

It's only at the 4 - 5 month stage that I have seen both the lengthening 'shadow' of implant growth (particularly looking straight ahead) and the gradual regeneration of the shocked region around the excision area.

 

It has been a lengthy process but what used to be quite 'slick' areas on both crown and frontal regions (2 -3 sprays of Minox used to run straight off!) now feels quite 'wooly'.

 

Regards.

 

Grafts generally take on the softer, more "pliable" feel of naturally-growing hairline hair, so I don't think it will be an issue over time, but are the grafts that stayed in pretty "stubbly" or "wirey"?

 

Around 30% of mine stayed in and grew, maybe less. I found that they were a bit thicker and more wirey than those that shed and regrew.

 

-Robert

[Robert_]

Originally posted by Brav989:

So when you guys say your grafts fell out..you do mean the hairs right? Not the follicle?

 

Exactly. It is perfectly normal for around 80% or more of the transplanted hairs to shed around 2 to 3 weeks post-op. The follicles themselves stay behind and firmly implanted. After around 8 to 10 days those grafts are there to stay.

 

-Robert

[SorleyBoy]

Grafts generally take on the softer, more "pliable" feel of naturally-growing hairline hair, so I don't think it will be an issue over time, but are the grafts that stayed in pretty "stubbly" or "wirey"?

 

Around 30% of mine stayed in and grew, maybe less. I found that they were a bit thicker and more wirey than those that shed and regrew.

 

-Robert

 

Robert - the original grafts (all 80% or so that remained in place) most certainly felt quite 'stubbly' or spikey to the touch for several months (I guess through being healthy originals with at least some discernible shaft diameter).

 

Over recent weeks this sensation has diminished considerably as each hair has started to lengthen - and although there is still only 1/4 - 3/8" of growth evident (at the front at least . . . can't assess the crown yet!) the effect is such that I've been able to kiss goodbye to that F***ing comb-over!

 

If nothing else - now that I am seeing $9,000 worth of surgery come to fruition - the psychological lift that this has engendered would have been cheap at twice the price.

 

Regards . . .

[Robert_]

I can definitely relate that it is great to see the procedure come to fruition. Like I said, the characteristics will more closely match native hair characteristics over time, so things will only get better and better for you.

 

Frankly, I'm just quite impressed that you narrowed down your percieved percentage of growth to a startlingly perceptive "1/4 - 3/8" of growth." Get away from the mirror, SorleyBoy!

 

-Robert