How long after a strip surgery before work, etc...

[Rick055]

I am considering a transplant.

 

Option #1 is to start off with a small FUE session so that everything is pretty much undetectable soon after surgery. I work in sales.

 

Option #2 is just to do a strip surgery, especially considering I probably only need maybe 1500 ish grafts total.

 

But what's the real down time? How long until it is unnoticeable that anything was done?

[Rick055]

I am considering a transplant.

 

Option #1 is to start off with a small FUE session so that everything is pretty much undetectable soon after surgery. I work in sales.

 

Option #2 is just to do a strip surgery, especially considering I probably only need maybe 1500 ish grafts total.

 

But what's the real down time? How long until it is unnoticeable that anything was done?

[davyj]

hey there rick...if you get work done on the hairline, there is usually a red/pink coloring where the grafts went in...kinda like a sunburn. this is normal. also, i have found that many of the best surgeons will shave the area where the grafts will go, so that they can better 'blend' the grafts with the host hair. so, for me, i just had work done with Dr. Hasson. the top of my head is shaved, and much work was done to my hairline and just behind the hairline. i will be wearing a hat for the next few months. i just felt like replying to you, because i understand your position. believe it or not...i went into work today, and told my boss that i had just flown to vancouver for a hair transplant. he was WAAAYYY cool about it, and i fell a huge relief. anyway, this is just my opinion, and maybe your situation is different. good luck bro..

[Rick055]

Thanks for the reply.

 

I'm in sales and can't wear a hat for months. I have the ability to take off a week and that's it.

[TheHairLossCure]

Rick,

 

The scabs in the recipient area take about a week to flake off. You will have fading pinkness in the recipient area for a few weeks to a few months. You can concealed the surgery (a) with surrounding hair immediately after surgery (depending of the length of the hair and the size of the grafted area) or (b) with concealers or make-up after the grafts shed. Please check with your physician regarding what you can apply and when you should apply it (if appropriate).

 

Shaving the recipient area can be important if the session is big and/or the recipient has pre-existing hair. Placing grafts into small incisions is a tedious process. If a surgical team must place grafts between longer hairs, the process will go slower. This is not necessarily a problem. Not shaving can be impractical, in terms of the duration of the surgery, with larger surgeries.

 

Now, if you wish to treat a small area in the recipient zone, shaving may not be a requirement. Furthermore, if you wish to treat a totally bald area (i.e. receding hairline, etc.), there is no reason to shave.

 

If you need 1,500 grafts, as you suggest, I suspect shaving and concealing the recipient area will be a relative non-issue. Hope that is good news

[TheHairLossCure]

Regarding FUE versus strip:

 

Generally speaking, strip surgery is actually easier to conceal post-op. The surgery involves removing a strip of tissue and closing an incision, as I am sure you know. The edges that are sutured or stapled together are hair-bearing. You should be able to comb your hair over the suture line and totally conceal it, unless your hair is cut very short in the back.

 

Typically, FUE involves shaving the donor area. So, while the donor area heals markedly faster with FUE, the small donor incisions are visible after surgery. This problem is not a persistent one, though, as, like I said, the incisions shrink and heal rapidly.

 

For all intents and purposes, the recipient area will look the same with FUE and Strip. If you work with your doctor, I am sure, together, you can come up with a strategy whereby the donor area is concealed, within reason.