A few unasked questions

[John M]

It's going to be 3 months since my procedure of 3280 grafts this Tuesday. I had a few questions that i'm curious about. Most original hairs from the grafts had shed within a month of the procedure. I noticed recently that there are a few thick, blunt short hairs that don't grow; they just stay in the scalp. Someone here suggested that if I tug on these hairs, they'll come right out. They did, and they have a club or hook at the end, which suggests that they were the anagen effluvium hairs. I also was told that they can cause irritation if they stay. My question to this is, if I leave them, will it hinder growth of the new hair, or will the new hair push the old one out? Second question is that assuming you go to a top rated doctor, do all grafts grow provided that they didnt get dislodged at the beginnig of the procedure, or do some die off in the scalp, and never grow? Third, which may be a silly question, but i'll ask it anyway; at 3 months after the procedure, are there still follicles that didnt begin producing hair yet, and are not poking through the scalp?

[John M]

It's going to be 3 months since my procedure of 3280 grafts this Tuesday. I had a few questions that i'm curious about. Most original hairs from the grafts had shed within a month of the procedure. I noticed recently that there are a few thick, blunt short hairs that don't grow; they just stay in the scalp. Someone here suggested that if I tug on these hairs, they'll come right out. They did, and they have a club or hook at the end, which suggests that they were the anagen effluvium hairs. I also was told that they can cause irritation if they stay. My question to this is, if I leave them, will it hinder growth of the new hair, or will the new hair push the old one out? Second question is that assuming you go to a top rated doctor, do all grafts grow provided that they didnt get dislodged at the beginnig of the procedure, or do some die off in the scalp, and never grow? Third, which may be a silly question, but i'll ask it anyway; at 3 months after the procedure, are there still follicles that didnt begin producing hair yet, and are not poking through the scalp?

[Bill - Seemiller]

John,

 

Hair growth rates are typically extremely high in the hands of a first-rate hair transplant surgeon - typically around 95%. That means however, that it is possible that some of the transplanted hairs may not grow.

 

Yes, it is possible that the black heads that don't grow are transplanted hairs that didn't quite make it and won't grow. These hairs however, will have no bearing on the other transplanted hairs that will grow. Since you pulled them and they came right out, I wouldn't worry too much about it unless you are seeing a lot of these hairs in which case I'd consult with your hair transplant surgeon.

 

Hair growth only typically starts between 3 to 5 months, so at only 3 months, you are only in the beginnin phases of hair growth.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Bill

[John M]

But it's not the blackheads that I was talking about. It's the hairs that were attached to the follicles that were used in the grafts. they're about 1/4"; the same size that they were when they were implanted. They never changed in length, and they come right out with a hook at the end. I'm assuming that they shed, but didnt phisically fall out, and that there's a new hair developing below it, and will be pushed out when the new hair starts growing.

[Bill - Seemiller]

JohnM,

 

It could be a graft that didn't take. If that's the case, there will be no hair growing underneath.

 

However, it could be that the hair didn't shed and the follicle is perfectly fine underneath and will be growing a new hair that will eventually push out these dead hairs.

 

Do you have a lot of these hairs that aren't growing or only a couple?

 

Bill

[John M]

I'd say I have about 50-100 of them. There was about 9 of them in a group by my left temple since I had the procedure done, and I pulled most of them out the other day. They look exactly like the hairs that shed within the first month.

[MrJobi]

John

 

At this point, I think it is best to just sit back and relax. If you went to a top notch doctor, most of your concerns are just speculation and worrying. I did the same thing my first 2 :

 

what if ? what's this? is this normal?

 

This doesn't mean you shouldn't know the answers but 90% of the time ( again, with a top notch doc) it is the healing and growth process.

[Bill - Seemiller]

John,

 

When in doubt, consult with your hair restoration physician of your concerns.

 

Feel free also to take a picture of the area in question and post it so we can get a better understanding of what may be going on.

 

Bill