Please Help Me! 2 weeks post op woke up to a bald patch.

[iwokeuptoabaldpatch]

Hi to everyone.Im new here and wanted to say hello and also urgently ask for advice.

Im so sorry to make such a desperate plea in my first post. But I had my second hair transplant 2 weeks ago to this day.

 

I had 2400 FUE Grafts put in on temple and mid top of the head done in the indian subcontiment. Most of the donor for this fue was from the sides and back obviously.

 

It all seemed to be going okay in the operation .

 

Its now been 2 weeks post op and my big problem is this:

 

However my problem is this.............i woke up this morning and immediately in the mirror noticed a eye shaped bald patch on the right side of my head, just above the ear not quite at the temple area. it was bald and the skin smooth almost like there had never been hair there.A definite bald patch from out of nowhere. I touched it and to my dismay loads of hair fell in my fingers almost like it had been cut in my sleep. I rubbed the area and more and more hair fell on my fingers I rubbed the area underneath and more hair came off in my fingers same as before. This resulted in the bald patch looking like a long sideways eye shape on the side of my head.

 

This specific spot was used as a donor area during the fue op. My fue op for 2450 grafts was spread over 3 days. So i guess all 3 days i had painkilling injections. My point is despite the apparent clean aboratory like facilities and 3 assistants who were members of the doctors family as well as the doctor, there is no escaping a 3 day op on the head, with so many injections and painkillers is a definite trauma to the head.

 

During the surgery i had been given loads of drugs such as dalacin and codeine and the usual injections. After the surgery i took an anti swelling drug and the swelling was totally subdued. It had all been apparently going as i read it should after 2 weeks. although the top of my head is obviously still totally numb......and my hair from being shaved for fue had been growing back (to conceal the strip scar from my previous small strip surgery 4 years ago (750 grafts)..now this happens to me all of a sudden and i am scared.

 

Last evening was the first day after 2 weeks i ventured to massage the back of my head, and also run my hands through the top of my numbed head........i dont know if this has any relavence.

 

Also for the first time in my life 5 days ago i started to use 5% regaine foam on my crown which has slightly thinning and didnt receive any hair in the fue operation 2 weeks ago.Again i dont think the regaine use has any relavence to a sudden alopecia arretea like bald patch on the right side of my head. Correct me if im wrong.

 

 

So my overall question is, is this phenomena on the side of my head what u guys refer to as donor area shock loss or shock loss and a common side effect....or is it just overall trauma from the operation.....or is it actually alopecia arretea......??

 

I am very scared if it is alopecia arretea and am bemused at why it is striking me now. I never had it before although in my late teens briefly i did have a bald patch on my throat beard which went away.

 

Any help is greatly appreciated, as I couldnt yet get hold of my doctor who did the surgery to reply to my email

Thanks

Edited December 7, 2011 by iwokeuptoabaldpatch

[Thehairupthere]

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. From the information you've given, it's very likely this is due to shock loss in the donor area. This happens to many people, some worse than others and it can last for a while unfortunately. To regain shock loss it could take up to 3 months, but it could also be less. I would suggest using some cosmetics until it returns, such as dermatch which can color your scalp and help it heal better. If you see this issue continue far after the procedure and by that I mean after 5-6 months, then it may not be shock loss and you should see a dermatologist to check if it's alopecia areata. I would speak to your doctor about this, but I believe you're experiencing shock loss.

[iwokeuptoabaldpatch]

thanks so much for the reassurance. I ordered dermatch today and will just pray the hair grows back quickly and that there isnt any more bald patches.

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Certainly sounds like shockloss to me as well

[iwokeuptoabaldpatch]

Thanks to both of u for the kind reassurance. I knew this forum seemed a great place full of kind people

 

I did some research on here and found several other fue patients suffered this most notably

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/147069-concerning-fue.html

 

Im just praying i dont wake up any day soon to any more bald patches and it will be just the one. It looks bad but im hoping when the hair grows on the sides i can comb it over and also use dermatch to help conceal it.

[iwokeuptoabaldpatch]

thehairupthere i cant thank u enough i ordered and recieved some dermatch and i am shocked at how great this stuff works. It has totally hidden the bald patch on the side of my head and so naturally that i am in shock.

In the past i always thought these things like concealers were a joke.

It also works great on covering my strip scar!

Thanks

[Thehairupthere]

No problem, always happy to help.