stubble growing?

[Getsome1]

I am two months post op, I had 1000 grafts to the hairline. I have had a lot of shockloss and actually look worse than before the procedure. I hope this corrects itself, I'm pretty nervous. Anyway I can feel a lot of stubble on my hairline. I can see little hairs poking through too. Is this new growth? And if so is it the shocked hair, transplanted hair or hair just cycling in? I also have a spitting stitch on the donor which is annoying to. Does anyone know if this can stretch the scar?

[Thehairupthere]

Shock loss is very common and you are right around the time when things start to come back. The stubble will be some native hair that is coming back and you may even be seeing some of the new transplanted hairs, but not much as those tend to come in around 3-4 months. The scar may be a little thicker around the stitch, but at two months you shouldn't have any stitches, you should see your doctor.

[Getsome1]

Thehairupthere, Thank you for your comment. It is a relief to know that the hair coming in is native hair as I experienced a lot of shock loss. This dissolving stitch has been a nuisance. I will make an appointment with my doc to have it checked out. Last time I went in the tech snipped it which caused a lot of swelling. It seems to have popped through the skin again which helps with the soreness and swelling but seems a bit odd at 2 months and 10 days.

[jerzig]

Definitely get that stitch checked out asap. It shouldn't be there after this long and may lead to an infection and/or keep your scar from healing properly.

[Getsome1]

I got an appointment for tomorrow to get it snipped by the tech again. I talked to her today and she said the dissolvable stitches can take three months to dissolve but if it's popping through it might not. So she is going to snip it again tomorrow. Hopefully that will clear that issue up. I guess I will ask her about my shock loss as well while I am there. Thanks for your help guys.

[steve0580]

Aside from that stitch, everything sounds completely normal. The stubble is new growth.

 

Remember, it's going to grow in thinner at first. Over time, it will grow in thicker. You're already seeing minimal regrowth and it will be considerably better at 6-8 months. Have patience, It can take 12-18 months before you have the complete results.

[Getsome1]

Thanks for the reply steve,

One question, do you think the growth is native hair that was shocked and is returning as it had only been two months once the growth started and I experienced a lot of shock loss. Or do you think the growth is transplanted hair starting to grow?

[steve0580]

I'm very confident that it's the transplanted hair starting to grow.

 

I know you're anxious to see the results. Unfortunately, there's no quick way to do it. It's all about time and patience at this point.

 

By the way, welcome to the forum.

 

I looked at your profile but I don't see photos. Maybe you could consider posting some before and after photos?

[Getsome1]

Hey Steve,

If you do a search for 1000 grafts to hairline there is a thread there by me where I posted two pictures. They aren't great pics but they do sort of show my situation. I also tell my story at the top of the thread. If the new stubble is the transplanted hair starting to grow when would you expect that the shocked native hair will start to grow back? Thanks again,

Get Some.

[steve0580]

I couldn't find your pictures using search. It might be easier if you could add them to your profile. If you have time, take a couple of pictures today and add to the album. People like seeing the progression over time.

 

As far as the time frame for shocked native hair, quite honestly, I really don't know. It would be a guess on my part. I'm going to punt on this one and say "It depends".

 

The area suffered trauma, so it has to heal first. Some people heal faster than others, some people have hair that grows faster than others as well.

 

One of the hair transplant docs could field this question better than I can.

 

I will say that even though you're not seeing visible regrowth in certain locations right now, doesn't mean nothing is happening below the surface. It's living tissue, so you just have to give it time.

 

No matter how many times you look at it in the mirror, at two months in, it's extremely difficult to get much of an idea about anything. You can feel the stubble and you can see that a few grafts didn't fall out after surgery. In light of that, you can be sure that it's growing - so take heart.

 

It sounds like your biggest issue right now is simply being overanxious and I completely understand that. Been there. Unfortunately, there's no way to speed things up. You just have to wait it out.

[jetfan11]

Get some,

 

Did your shock loss recover? If so when did recovery start and when did you back to even? I'm 3 months out and had terrible shock loss.

[jetfan11]

Get some,

 

Did your shock loss recover? If so when did recovery start and when did you back to even? I'm 3 months out and had terrible shock loss.

[Getsome1]

Hey Jetfan11,

I am almost six months post op. Around months three and four my hairline grew in provide nice coverage. I am hoping it will still thicken up and create more density over the next six months. I am not sure if my shocked hair grew back or if it was all new transplants but I think it was both or at least some of my native shocked hair came back. At least I hope so but it is hard to tell what is what. I hope this helps.