What to expect post-op?

[hairiam]

Hi, I'm a 32 year-old man, Norwood Type II, considering getting a hair transplant of about 1000 grafts. I want to keep the procedure private from most of my friends and colleagues, but I can only stay away from work and other social settings for so long. So I was wondering whether people are likely to notice something if they see me, say, five days after the procedure, ten days later, and twenty-five days later. For what it's worth, my hair is dark and thick and there's still enough of it in front that I could wear it down to cover evidence of the transplant.

 

Relatedly, I've been advised that staples are better for the long-term healing of the donor site, but they're also more conspicuous during the initial post-op period. Would it be fine to get sutures instead?

 

Thanks for your help.

[Janna]

Being a nwII and having a relatively small procedure, you should be able to comb your native hair over the transplanted area without people noticing even a day after surgery. It's surprising how quickly the redness diminishes within a few days but this will depend whether you have light or dark complexion. Lighter the complexion, the longer the redness can be detected if hair isn't covering over the work.

 

As for the donor closure, as long as your hair in the back is at least 1/2 an inch long or longer, staples or sutures will not be noticeable. Get the closure your physician feels is best for you. Good luck with your surgery.

[hairiam]

Thanks, that's very helpful (and encouraging). One more question: Would it be fine to go swimming about ten days after the procedure? (And, if so, would the scar and grafts be much more visible when my hair is wet?)

[Janna]

That depends on how short or long your hair is. The shorter the hair the more chance the grafts and scar will be seen through the wet hair. Double check with your clinic that they are okay with you swimming 10 days post op. Some clinics say to wait two weeks. You're close at 10 days.

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

I do not think that some casual swimming 10 days post op will harm anything. However, that is casual swimming were your head is not continually in the water for long periods of time. I do not recommend swimming laps for at least 3 weeks. I have done comparison studies with half staples and half sutures on the same patient. There were no consistant differences. In fact, I often had a better result on the suture side.