Senior Member tkotko Posted May 2, 2003 Senior Member Share Posted May 2, 2003 Hey all- Was wondering what your experiences are/were with regards to the visibility of the donor scar when your hair is wet. I'm only 11 days post op, and just had the sutures removed yesterday. I was hoping that once they were out, that when my hair is wet that it would be undetectable, but I can see a line fairly clearly. When it's dry it's not visible, just wet. I'm an avid water skier so I'm hoping this isn't an issue come summer, so I'm hoping that it's just still early in the game and in the healing process. Any thoughts? Thanks tkotko Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member tkotko Posted May 2, 2003 Author Senior Member Share Posted May 2, 2003 Hey all- Was wondering what your experiences are/were with regards to the visibility of the donor scar when your hair is wet. I'm only 11 days post op, and just had the sutures removed yesterday. I was hoping that once they were out, that when my hair is wet that it would be undetectable, but I can see a line fairly clearly. When it's dry it's not visible, just wet. I'm an avid water skier so I'm hoping this isn't an issue come summer, so I'm hoping that it's just still early in the game and in the healing process. Any thoughts? Thanks tkotko Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vocor1 Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 tkotko: Yes, it is an unfortunate fact that the donor scar is quite visible when wet after an HT unless you've got really long hair back there. I went through that too, and it is normal. The good thing is that the pinkness and redness of the donor scar goes away with time. So people seeing your head when wet will be no big deal. For now, try to let your hair grow out a bit to mask the redness of the scar when wet. Other than that, time will literally heal this wound. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member EastCoast Posted May 2, 2003 Senior Member Share Posted May 2, 2003 I stretched in one spot. Have to get scar reduction. The rest is undetectable when wet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 It's not always true that the scar will be visible when wet. Mine has healed so well that I can hardly find it, wet or dry. But I heal very well and my scars tend to fade with time, and I had an excellent surgeon (Dr. Sharon Keene). The best thing you can say about the scar is that it will vary by individual, and depends on the skill of the surgeon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member tkotko Posted May 5, 2003 Author Senior Member Share Posted May 5, 2003 Thanks guys. I'm hopeful that mine will not be visible when wet once it has healed thoroughly, but in the meantime keep the hair a little longer so I can enjoy some summer activities. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 You must let your hair grow over the donor areas. There really is no way two ways around this. Over time about 4 months It will fade away and the redness will go away. Hang in there..... Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Joe Transplant Posted May 6, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted May 6, 2003 I'm now 4 months into my first HT, my scar is also noticeable when wet, and I still have a little hat head when dry. From what I can tell, it's from the hair just around the scar. Some of it is still shorter from the rest because of the trimming, and some I BELIEVE went into shock and they are now just growing out (I even have some ingrowns in the donor area.) I have a reletive that had two HT's before me and a third one with me. After his first two, spaced over a year apart, his scar was still noticeable in certain areas. Mainly on the left and right side of the back (if that makes sense.) It seemed the scar stretched in those areas. His scar now looks great after his third, but the is is a little portion on his left temple that shows only when wet - I just told him to say it was a small scar from fight where he beat up six body builders all by himself. Anyways, hopefully in your case, and mine, the hair will grow out and there wont be too much, if any, stretching of the scar. If there is hopefully is will be resolved with my next procedure, or with a scar reduction. Hope this gave you a little more insight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member tkotko Posted May 7, 2003 Author Senior Member Share Posted May 7, 2003 Thanks, it does give me additional insight. I'll stay patient and hopefully in a couple months it will not be noticeable when wet. On the topic of stretching, is there a time period that you know of or heard of where the threat of stretching is gone? I've been restricting my activities tremendously so far just in case, and will do so for at least another few weeks, such as no golf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vocor1 Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 Hat head is hard to completely avoid. I think it is a phenomenon of the scar width. My opinion is that 2mm or less for the scar is ABSOLUTELY the goal. You could relax this goal if you wear your hair longer. Longer hair is more styling options and opportunity to cut the hair to mask any appearance of "hat head". So in that case, a slightly wider scar (for whatever reason) may be just fine. Also, more people than you expect have scars on their head, I've began to notice. But the key here is that the scar is localized, and does not wrap around the head or is especially long. Anyway, if scar size is a concern to you, that is what my post is about. I'm in the military and short hair is absolutely mandated. A small, thin scar is the only acceptable solution. That appears to be what I'm getting. I'll post picts at some point, but it is hard to get a good pict back there and not as important and the frontal picts IMO anyway. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vocor1 Posted May 7, 2003 Share Posted May 7, 2003 tkotko: Oh yeah, as time passes, the scar's color will more closely match your scalp color. The scar is much more noticable post op because it is pink or red. Unless your scalp is very pale and your hair very dark, the change of color of your donor scar should be a welcome event. It'll get harder to see the scar at that point as opposed to post op when it's redness often contrasts with the native hair color. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member tkotko Posted May 7, 2003 Author Senior Member Share Posted May 7, 2003 I'm probably jumping the gun in being worried about it. He actually said he went thinner than usual, as the technicians commented as well. So you've help reassure me that I shouldn't worry just yet. Just will have to wear my hair a bit longer for this summer anyway so I can enjoy a little wakeboarding. I appreciate your comments as usual, you are definitely a wealth of knowledge. By the way on my progress - I'm 2 weeks, 2 days out, and shedding has not taken place. I would almost take my results as they are cause it kind of fills in the receded area, and looks pretty cool. I take that as a positive sign for things to come - hopefully enjoying similar success as you have enjoyed. My scar seems a little rigid on one of the ends, not sure what that's about yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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