For how many days after HT, can you ruin new graft by shampooing too hard?

[rsn]

I am nervous about destroying a newly tranplanted graft. So after how many days is there nothing to worry about with shampooing hard, and using a regular shampoo for that matter instead of a gentle one?

[Levrais]

The answer you get will vary quite a bit from clinic to clinic but I would say 15 days or so

[Icecreamman]

Dr fellers clinic recommends shampooing and massaging grafts after 5 days or so...

[MTL30]

my guess after 10 days your are totaly fine

[MontyS]

I just had a transplant and this is what worries me. My transplant was performed by a well regarded coalition member who i trust, i was told after 5-7 days to start massaging the scabs and they should come off, or at least some.

 

Then i check these websites and some people saying its fine after 4 days, others saying i should wait 2 weeks and even then be extremely gentle.

 

While my doctor suggested 5-7, i started on day 9-10 thinking i am being safe....apperantly not so based on some opinions. The first 8 days i barely touched my head at all, i lightly drizzled water and shampoo on the back of my head letting it run down the front once again thinking im being extra cautious, then i see other responses saying you should do this for 2 weeks.

 

Anyway i shampoo'd as instructed but was told by now i could apply more force and i need to start getting the scabs off. Suffice to say while doing it for 5 minutes in a circular motion hair came out with the scabs. There was no bleeding or stinging so i assume the grafts are fine??? But there was hair stuck to the scabs so when they came off, so did some hair.

 

Still its scary. I trust what my doctor said, but it naturally worries you a bit when you hear other people and clinics saying you should wait two weeks.

Edited June 7, 2012 by MontyS

[rsn]

My doc said to lightly shampoo the hair 24 hours after surgery. His sheet said shampooing twice a day will help with scabbing.

I did. And now I am understanding opinions vary, and it seems to me that some docs believe this immediate shampooing might have cost me grafts.

My doc also said to apply Neosporin 3 times a day to the recipient area for the first 5 days. I thought maybe this was to keep the area moist and this will preserve more grafts, so I did. But now I am nervous this force so soon killed off some grafts.

 

I don't see why you can't just leave the scabs in for months till whenever they fall out on their own with no physical pressure, if this might give a higher yield.

[Levrais]

Monty, it sounds like what you did is fine and perfectly normal as far as the circular monitions and massaging the scabs, etc. Hairs will come out with the scabs and this is also normal. But your original question was how many days before you could shampoo hard without worrying. My clinic told me to wait until day 15 before using full water pressure in the shower and normal shampooing . The advice on this does very per clinic to some extent as some doctors are more cautious than others but that doesn't mean that one clinic or the other is wrong.

[aramis69]

I'm about 9 days post-op. The protocol I followed as instructed by my clinic was:

 

Post Op days 1 - 9 - Gently pour a cup or two of Johnson's baby shampoo on both donor and recipient area, but gently massage the donor area only. Slowly pour clean water over both areas and allow the hair to dry naturally.

 

I used Distilled Witch Hazel and pure Aloe Vera gel (almost liquid state) on my donor and recepient area during this time. This really helped in speeding up the healing process. Scabs formed on the 5th day.

 

On Post Op day 9, scabs are falling off with grafted hairs attached to them. This is normal. I am experiencing considerable shock loss.

 

Post Op days 10 onwards - I can resume with shampooing both recipient and donor area and encouraged to gently towel dry my recipient area too facilitate shedding and removal of scabs.

 

I believe grafts are anchored on about the tenth post op day. From then onwards you can have a normal power shower.

[Jotronic]

Always, no matter what, regardless of what anyone else says, follow the recommendations from your particular clinic. PERIOD! End of story.

[rsn]

Wow. At my clinic they do double sutures. They remove the first sutures anywhere from day 5 to day 7. The nurse I saw on day 5 told me the grafts are already anchored and can't be yanked out. She shampooed me pretty aggresively. I am a little nervous now that I hear other clinics take sutures out later and discourage aggressive shampooing for much longer.

[olmert]

Always, no matter what, regardless of what anyone else says, follow the recommendations from your particular clinic. PERIOD! End of story.

 

But a lot of clinics say not to bother doing laxity exercises. I doubt Dr. Hasson would think a patient getting a transplant at one of these clinics is better off not doing laxity exercises.

 

What about that guy with the ruined hair transplant that Dr. Shapiro re-did for free? Was that guy best off following his first doctor's advice, just because that first doctor was recommended here?

 

In this modern, internet day, we have seen that doctors are not deities.

 

Half of their recommendations are not based upon studies, but merely anecdotal evidence, which other doctors will disagree with. There has never been a study on how soon you can safely vigorously shampoo. If your clinic says 7 days, and another says 15 days, there is no reason to follow your clinic's recommendation instead of another's.

 

There is a whole industry out there of malpractice lawyers who make their living waiting for patients to do something their doctor never should have told them to do. Maybe your own doctor will forget you happened to be allergic to something. Maybe he just won't be current on the research. We have to be proactive ourselves. Patients have to realize that often they are better off defying their own doctor's orders when there are other people giving different advice.

Edited June 8, 2012 by olmert

[AllAboutHair]

My doctor adviced me to go for gentle rubbing after 15 days. I am extra careful and i want to do it after 20 days or so

[socbook1DB5]

My doc said two weeks use finger tips. Nothing too hard.

[s2thoudriver]

I'm sure due to the nature of the transplants, the 2 post op care regimes would be different, so you might want to check with your surgeon.

 

For what it's worth, here's the regime i was told to stick to...

 

First night: sleep at 45 degrees, no water at all to touch the head

day 2: same, but with bandage removed from the donor area to let it start drying out

day 3-day 6: scent free body lotion dabbed on the recipient area to help keep the skin supple and loosen the scabs without agitating them too much with fingers, leave for 30 mins, rinse, but don't rub (this was done back at the hospital for me to show me how to do it myself)

Day 7: scabs start coming off, don't rub, just pat with the towel after rinsing and let them come off naturally.

Day 8 - 10: stop the lotion regime, start gentle shampooing

Day 10 onwards: shampoo as normal, but try and be careful. Still advised to use no styling products (i kept my hair long on top)

 

No alcohol, no cigarettes, no gym, no sex, no direct hot sunlight (I was in Turkey), no rain to touch it, do not bang my head, sleep on my back for the first 10 days.

 

I'm using Alpecin shampoo to try and help stimulate the follicles as much as i can and also now taking hair, skin and nails vitamins to strengthen the hair.

 

Hope this helps.