please help with my new transplant questions

[bobbycreek]

ok i am very sorry for this post but i can not get any real answers. ok 9 days ago i had my transplant for my hairline, temples, midscalp, 1750 graphs. literally for the first 3 days i did not do anything to my hair except spray that graphcyte stuff on, i didnt even touch my head. so fourth day i started to realize my scabs were very easy to remove just by slighly brushing my finger across my head. now when i first had the transplant done it looked so full and now it looks like i have some hair growing and gaps with no hair at all. how do i know if i pulled the follicles out and damaged my graphs?

[bobbycreek]

ok i am very sorry for this post but i can not get any real answers. ok 9 days ago i had my transplant for my hairline, temples, midscalp, 1750 graphs. literally for the first 3 days i did not do anything to my hair except spray that graphcyte stuff on, i didnt even touch my head. so fourth day i started to realize my scabs were very easy to remove just by slighly brushing my finger across my head. now when i first had the transplant done it looked so full and now it looks like i have some hair growing and gaps with no hair at all. how do i know if i pulled the follicles out and damaged my graphs?

[wishicouldgoback]

no . it takes more than that to pull them out. ive had two hts and youre fine. but i must say think about it before you have another. hairtransplants are an elusion. dont let them talk you into more procedures. in the end you will end up with a scarred up head and an unnatural looking hair

[bobbycreek]

but why am i losing the hairs so early? around day 4 it started to look like i was losing the hairs already. and that new hairline was gone...im so upset because i was so careful, and now at day 9 i look like im receding again

[Bill - Seemiller]

bobbycreek,

 

It's important to be careful with the transplanted hair for the first 10 days, but as long as you were gentle with the scabs and there was no blood when they came off with some of the hairs, you will be fine. If you lost a graft, you would know it by the sign of pain and blood.

 

Hair shedding of the transplanted hair is normal and typically occurs between 2 and 4 weeks. It can however, start before this.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[bobbycreek]

see the thing is i never saw any blood, when you saw blood would it have been a noticable amount...im just so nervous the im already shedding and i was so careful...i never picked the scabs just slightly rubbed.

[wantego]

Originally posted by bobbycreek:

see the thing is i never saw any blood, when you saw blood would it have been a noticable amount...im just so nervous the im already shedding and i was so careful...i never picked the scabs just slightly rubbed.

Bobby i was told not to do any rubbing and they would fall out in 2-3 weeks on my paperwork. Have you been given any instructions by your doctor? Is there a need to rub them in the first 10 days before they are fully secure?

[Bill - Seemiller]

bobbycreek,

 

Losing one graft would only present a little bit of blood, but you would feel a bit of a sting.

 

Each surgeon's postoperative instructions are a little different in terms of scab removal, but the below is what I used. Hopefully you can use this as a guide and judge whether or not you rubbed too hard or not.

 

-----

 

How Should I Wash My Hair After a Hair Transplant?

 

Keep in mind that every hair transplant clinic has their own hair restoration postoperative instructions and they vary. Therefore it is always best to get detailed postoperative hair washing instructions directly from the hair transplant surgeon.

 

That being said, I thought I'd share my personal experience with hair washing after hair transplant surgery that worked well for me.

 

Day 0: (day of hair restoration surgery): Just relax. Do not wash your hair at all.

 

Day 1: If at all possible, visit your hair restoration clinic for a postoperative hair wash. If not, fill a cup with water mixed with shampoo and pour it gently over your head several times. Gently massage the shampoo into the donor area, cleaning the area around the scar.

 

Day 2 and 3: Fill a cup with water mixed with shampoo and pour it gently over your head several times. Gently massage the shampoo into the donor area, cleaning the area around the scar. Wash donor area normally working around the scar with care to work off any dried blood. Apply as much pressure as needed however, avoid using so much pressure that it causes pain.

 

Day 4: Assuming that your shower pressure is reasonable and not too harsh - let the water from the shower head hit your head normally. Massage shampoo in your hands until it lathers. Gently touch the grafts with the shampoo in the palm of your hands and gently touch with your finger tips. Avoid any massaging of the transplanted hair at this point. Continue washing donor area normally from this point on paying extra attention around the scar as to work off any dried blood and keep the area clean.

 

Day 5: Repeat the instructions from day 4 however, add very gentle back and forth motions with your finger tips through the transplanted hair. Avoid using your nails at all costs.

 

Day 6: Resume normal hair washing but be extra gentle with the hair grafts.

 

Day 7+: Begin showering twice a day normally however, use a little extra care of the follicuar unit grafts. Spend 10 extra minutes in the shower both in the morning and evening massaging with shampoo the hair grafts in a circular motion with your fingertips in order to start working off the scabs. Avoid using your fingernails at all costs. Do not apply a lot of pressure. The trick is to apply a constant circular motion to gradually work off the scabs rather than simply picking them off. Picking the scabs should be avoided at all costs. Whatever scabs don't come off in the shower will come off after subsequent showers and circular massaging. Additionally, when you come out of the shower and after looking in the mirror see some loose scabs, feel free to perform additional soft circular massaging over the scabs in front of the mirror to work off loose scabs. Scabs still tightly secured to the scalp should not be worked too much. These scabs will come off after subsequent showers in the coming days. Patience is important and don't force anything off.

[wantego]

I think its also good to speak to your own doctor and get his instructions on paper since many doctors instructions vary.

[charlie_08]

Hi there,

 

I dont mean to be rude but wouldnt your doc tell you what you need to do?

[Bill - Seemiller]

wantego,

 

You are absolutely right. As I said above, always check with your own hair restoration physician to get their immediately postoperative instructions.

 

The above is what I used.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Janna]

Bobbycreek,

 

Unless you tramatized your head right after surgery, it doesn't sound like you lost any follicles so try not to be alarmed. It may also make you feel better if you spoke to your ht doc.

[wantego]

Originally posted by Bill - Associate Publisher:

wantego,

 

You are absolutely right. As I said above, always check with your own hair restoration physician to get their immediately postoperative instructions.

 

The above is what I used.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

 

Slightly off topic but I was curious how many days do you think it should take a doctors clinic to answer an email question?

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

Slightly? A day or two for most

[bullitnut]

who the hell is wishing i could go back ive had two of the worst possible butchered hts and im not sticking my two pence worth in on every topic telling folk not to do any more and basically pissing on poor patients bonfires that have just had life changing surgery OK WE GET IT YOUR NOT HAPPY BUT REALITY CHECK MATE THOUSANDS ARE!!!!!!!im sorry for getting annoyed but come on if id just spent thousands on an operation the last thing id want is someone who hasnt even seen my head telling me its going to turn out crap how the hell would he know, im going to say this once NOT EVERY DOCTOR IS THE SAME AND NOT EVERY HT IS THE SAME THERE ARE GOOD AND BAD IN BOTH AS THERE IS IN EVERYTHING IN LIFE.Right back to the topic i think you will be fine mate take a chill pill listen to the good guys/girls like janna who has years of experience with GOOD hts and not two poor ones buddy good luck and all the best

[wantego]

Originally posted by PLEASE GROW PLEASE:

Slightly? A day or two for most

 

Well some advice was to contact his doctor to ask his questions so the question of how long it should take a doctors clinic to respond to an email or two popped in to my head.

[Janna]

Yup, very appropriate question (ignore the guy ).

 

I'd say 2 days tops unless the clinic happens to be closed for whatever reason.

[wantego]

Originally posted by Janna:

Yup, very appropriate question (ignore the guy ).

 

I'd say 2 days tops unless the clinic happens to be closed for whatever reason.

 

 

Thanks Janna!

[bobbycreek]

so im assuming its safe to say that when i was told the follices would be fused into my head within 48 hours was bull crap?

[Dewayne]

Originally posted by bobbycreek:

so im assuming its safe to say that when i was told the follices would be fused into my head within 48 hours was bull crap?

 

No, no. What they meant was they are "set". The blood sets the grafts in the first day or two. After five days the grafts are generally implanted as you are free and clear. After 10 days I think you can resume scrubbing your head and can pluck the "shafts" or whisker hairs out. Those aren't the ones that grow. The follicles are down below.

[fixing-it]

Relax bobbycreek,you just lost little hairs with the scabs not the actual follicle-It happens.

If you lost a follicle you would have a small stream of blood trickling down your head.

[Bill - Seemiller]

wantego,

 

Though I agree that a day or two at the most would be optimal to get a return email, I have found in many cases that emails get lost for a number of reasons. If you have emailed a clinic and are not hearing back, I'd consider giving them a call to tell them you've emailed them and are waiting a reply. It's possible it got lost in SPAM or they are having time keeping up with all of the emails they are getting.

 

Of course, you may decide that further pursuit is really only necessary if you really have your heart set on a clinic.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Scooby]

wantego,

 

Just wanted to add on a side note about the gaps in hairline you mentioned early on, my doc said sometimes with dense hairlines the hairs clump together producing a channeling type of look. It appears as thought there are gaps in the hairline but its not anything to worry about!

[hairthere]

Regarding contacting the clinic post-op: after both of my surgeries I was given ways to contact the doc directly either by phone or email. It's not a bad idea to try and secure that info so there's no chance of getting the run around....