post-op care question

[kg007]

Hey guys -

 

Just had a HT with Dr. Wong. We did 3000+ grafts and everything went well; i will be posting pictures pretty soon once I recover.

 

I do have a question for those who had a strip procesure and doc used staples to close the donor area. The toughest part for me is to get sleep with staples in my head. I find it extremely difficult to get sleep without putting pressure on the donor area. How did you guys dealt with it? I know the instructions say don't put pressure on grafted area, but what about the donor area? Is there a harm if you put pressure on the donor area other than it hurts like hell? Does it lead to more shockloss in the donor area?

 

Thanks!

[killbyinches]

you can roll up a towel and place it at the base of your neck. that'll help you sleep with minimal pressure on the donor area.

 

i'm curios when you had your procedure done who did the actual impants the doctor or the techs. i've been doing a lot or research and it seems most doctors have techs that perform the follicle implant. they're not even nurses just minimum wage help. so far i've found only two docs who perform the entire procedure themselvs. they are dr. thomas law in nyc and dr ray woods in australia, and both these docs have wonderful and consitant results.

 

i tried calling h&w but they wouldn't give me a straight answer as to who performs the implants.

 

your response is apprciated. thank you

[notgoing2gobald]

kg007,

 

congrats on your ht! I thought I remembered your name and I just researched your postings and I was right: this is your third procedure right? You seem to have excellent coverage on top already judging from your last photo update. Were you pretty happy with it?

 

I haven't had a ht yet and Im not being a smart ass here but can't you take sleeping meds after the transplant or do they conflict with the pain meds the doc persribes? If you can't then that would suck. I use them regularly.

 

 

KillBI,

 

from my understanding the techs are a far cry from minimum wage help. I would assume that most of them at LEAST are have a degree in nursing if not far superior experience. They are the ones that cut up the grafts at most if not all top docs clinics and they are the one's who handle the grafts. Improper handling of the grafts can lead to damage and increase the "kinnkiness" of the hair when it grows in. I personally don't think the actual placement of the grafts into the incisions is that important. I believe that making the actual incision sites is far superior in producing excellent results. It is the precise angling and "shingling" of the incision placement that creates a fuller look and less see through of the hairs...just my two 'n a half cents...

[WranglerSD]

Congrats on your HT with Dr. Wong. I had a 4200 graft procedure with him in February and am very happy with the results at 10 months. As for the staples I found them much more comfortable overall than the sutures I had for my first procedure. As for sleeping I chose to sleep propped up at a slight angle until they were removed. This was recommended at my first procedure and I followed through with #2 (even though H&W doesn't believe it's necessary) ... I just felt more protective of the grafts and believe it also helps with swelling. It's not the easiest way to sleep, but it does keep pressure off the donor area and protects the grafts.

[Jotronic]

KG,

 

It was nice to have you back with us last week. I'm glad you made it home alright. As said above you can use a towel rolled up under your neck. That should make a nice difference.

 

Kill,

 

There is no secret who does the graft insertion. The techs do. That is their job. There is no course in nursing or medical school on hair transplantation much less graft placement. At our clinic, once the incision is made the graft can not go in any other way. Angle and direction is dictated by the incision. There are however specifics as to how we train our techs to handle the grafts and we have technicians that specialize in this part of the job as we have technicians that specialize in dissecting the grafts.

[kg007]

Thanks guys. Yeah I already use the neckpillow, which helps somewhat. But I just find it difficult getting peaceful sleep with the head propped up.. and if I sleep on my stomach, I put the pressure on donor area.. I think I'll be popping some sleeping pills tonight.

[notgoing2gobald]

dat a boy! Sleeping pills are great...I like em.

[kg007]

Thanks guys...

 

Joe - Special thanks to you, Doug and Dr. Wong for great care..

[jojojo1]

Hi everyone,

 

i just had a little work done on my hairline and i have to say that the techs did about half of the insertion of grafts.

 

I had a small HT by Dr Knudsen in Australia and he had about 6 nurses working with him to work on me at once. (All very nice and friendly i might add).

 

Dr Knudsen basically did every single thing in the Ht procedure, except placing the 2's and 3's grafts that are behind the hairline, where he used mainly 1's

 

Only their qualified nurses with experience were placing the grafts. Whereas the other lower experience nurses were cutting the grafts.

 

The nurses placed most of the 2's and 3's behind the hairline in my temple area and Dr Knudsen himself constructed the hairline.

 

Before Dr Knudsen constructed the hairline, he checked to make sure that all the grafts placed by the nurses are placed correctly before he started the hairline.

 

At first i felt a little uncomfortable seeing the nurses work on my hair instead of the Doc himself, but then they told me they have had plenty of experience, which then made me feel a little more comfy.

 

After the work was completed i was very happy with how clean the work was and was very happy with the hairline he had created.

 

I have attached a photo of the day after the surgery. Sorry for the crappy photography.

 

Jojo

[Bill - Seemiller]

jojojo1,

 

Though I am pleased to hear that you've had a positive experience, I encourage you to post your experience and photos in a new thread so kg007's thread is not hijacked.

 

In fact, I hope you do post your experience and photos in another thread or hair loss weblog. I'd like to see more of Dr. Knudsen's work.

 

kg007,

 

Congratulations on your hair transplant with Dr. Wong. I look forward to seeing your photos.

 

You can apply pressure to the donor area though admittedly, it will be uncomfortable for the first several days. As already suggested, there are other ways to sleep without putting pressure on the area that might help make you more comfortable. I have found however, that an extra soft pillow helps the level of discomfort.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[jojojo1]

Hey Bill

 

i will start posting photos when i recover and start to see some results.

 

I am only about 1 week post op, and i have been taking photos.

 

Hey Kg007

 

sorry i got carried away a little with my HT. After the HT i slept on the side of my head and did not put any pressure on the donor area.

 

Sometimes i will also sleep face down tilting my head back slightly.

 

Jojo