Washing/brushing Hair Years after Transplant

[Windjammer]

I'd read all kinds of questions pertaining to how to take care of your hair days, weeks, and months after a hair transplant; however, I have not read much about how people take care of their hair years after having surgery.

 

I had a FUT procedure several years ago now that consisted of ~1100 grafts to my frontal third zone. I ask the above question because my recipient zone has never felt the same after my procedure. The area in question gets red and inflamed very easily from doing minor brushing or washing of the area. After six months, I thought I was just a slow healer, but after the 1, 2, and 3 year mark nothing has gotten better. To this day, I still have to brush and wash my hair/scalp very gently for fear of doing damage to the grafts/skin around the recipient zone and also just plain pain from everything being too sensitive.

 

Is this normal? I have always read that people should be able to return to how they took care of their hair just a few months post-operative. The rest of my hair across my scalp is fine and does not behave similarly at all. I would not think it to be normal to have to "baby" your transplanted hair the rest of your life.

[gillenator]

Welcome to this community and every now and then I hear of this. Sensitivity to the recipient area, random flashes of redness and tenderness. I do believe it is more rare and difficult to dtermine the cause.

 

Have you seen a dermatologist for any opinion and what kind of feedback has your HT doctor provided you?

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

I would say your situation is not common, but not unheard of either. In most cases patients will eventually return to a relatively normal condition regarding pain, numbness, and discoloration.