Is it required to share/trim hair for FUE?

[pcg]

I am planning to get HT done in the fall.

My doctor is insisting that I have to shave my head before the transplant (FUE).

Is this a requirement or just a convenience to the doctor?

[1978matt]

every follicle has to be cut short in order for the FUE punch to be placed over it. Imagine a doctor having to find a 3 hair follicle, trim all 3 of the hairs, use the punch, next grab some tweezers to pull out the follicle...

 

If he takes 20 seconds to do that for every follicle, 1,500 grafts will take 8 hours!

 

The best chance of a no shave is up to 500 grafts, probably singles for hairline work.

[pcg]

Thanks for the response. I guess only the donor area needs to be trimmed.

Since I am planning to get back to work within 2 days of the transplant, I don't

want to look funny with a red donor area!

What's the maximum length of hair allowed to be able to do the harvesting?

[Stuart01]

When doing FUE procedures the donor area needs to be shaved down to a length equivalent to about #1. Some doctor also require the recipient area to be shaved, but that area really does not need to be shaved. The reason some doctor do shave the area is that it does save time when doing a procedure.

[Dutch]

Can't go back to work within two days & not expect to look funny or for anyone to notice anything. Unless you have enough in the front to comb forward you'll need a week or two off.

Edited June 6, 2014 by Dutch

[johndoe1]

I am 3 months into a 1500 FUE. Per the prior comments, people WILL notice 2 days in. For me it was 14 days of time off. Heck, between shock loss and redness, for me it was around the 2/3 month mark where my head went back to "normal".

 

Not trying to scare you...I'm happy I got a HT...just trying to set your expectations correctly

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/174273-1500-fue-grafts-dr-diep.html

[pcg]

If only the donor area needs to be shaved, I am wondering if I let the hair just above the donor area grow long enough so that it cover most of the shaven donor area.

 

For the front, since I use Toppik, I assume this won't be visible. Does anyone know if Toppik could damage the new transplanted hair? My doctor doesn't think so since Toppik is made of natural Keratin, but thought of asking this extremely knowledgeable and helpful board.

[johndoe1]

what would be helpful is if you shared the # of hairs.

 

Anyhow there are plenty of pics of the donor area right after HT. See the link I sent you for my own pics. The donor area can be large, even for 1500 hairs, so I highly doubt you can somehow cover it all up with longer/existing hair. See my day 1 pics - a pic is worth a thousand words.

 

Also I would NOT put Toppix or any other chemicals on the recipient area. Google Toppix ingredients and you will see plenty of chemicals in it. Before my FUE I read the "post op directions" for at least 10 different, trusted docs and as a rule of thumb, they all say to keep the transplant area free of harsh chemicals/dyes for at least 30 days. For the first 2 weeks really only indirect saline/water. *Maybe* at say day 14 when all the wounds have fully closed. I would say toppix is okay.

 

Trust me when I say this....a HT is a large investment in time, pain, and $. You do NOT want to take a chance of hurting hair growth during the critical first 10-14 days by putting chemicals on the open wounds. Be conservative here....treat each transplanted hair like it is the most precious thing on earth

[pcg]

what would be helpful is if you shared the # of hairs.

 

Anyhow there are plenty of pics of the donor area right after HT. See the link I sent you for my own pics. The donor area can be large, even for 1500 hairs, so I highly doubt you can somehow cover it all up with longer/existing hair. See my day 1 pics - a pic is worth a thousand words.

 

Also I would NOT put Toppix or any other chemicals on the recipient area. Google Toppix ingredients and you will see plenty of chemicals in it. Before my FUE I read the "post op directions" for at least 10 different, trusted docs and as a rule of thumb, they all say to keep the transplant area free of harsh chemicals/dyes for at least 30 days. For the first 2 weeks really only indirect saline/water. *Maybe* at say day 14 when all the wounds have fully closed. I would say toppix is okay.

 

Trust me when I say this....a HT is a large investment in time, pain, and $. You do NOT want to take a chance of hurting hair growth during the critical first 10-14 days by putting chemicals on the open wounds. Be conservative here....treat each transplanted hair like it is the most precious thing on earth

 

Yes. You are correct. Toppik does contain Ammonium Chloride which could cause scalp irritation. But looks like Naofibres have no harsh chemicals. But as you said it's good to keep the transplanted area free of any chemicals for at least 2 weeks.

 

I have decent donor area - 250 sq cms (10X25). My doctor says he can get 3000 grafts from this.

[Paulygon]

what would be helpful is if you shared the # of hairs.

 

Anyhow there are plenty of pics of the donor area right after HT. See the link I sent you for my own pics. The donor area can be large, even for 1500 hairs, so I highly doubt you can somehow cover it all up with longer/existing hair. See my day 1 pics - a pic is worth a thousand words.

 

Also I would NOT put Toppix or any other chemicals on the recipient area. Google Toppix ingredients and you will see plenty of chemicals in it. Before my FUE I read the "post op directions" for at least 10 different, trusted docs and as a rule of thumb, they all say to keep the transplant area free of harsh chemicals/dyes for at least 30 days. For the first 2 weeks really only indirect saline/water. *Maybe* at say day 14 when all the wounds have fully closed. I would say toppix is okay.

 

Trust me when I say this....a HT is a large investment in time, pain, and $. You do NOT want to take a chance of hurting hair growth during the critical first 10-14 days by putting chemicals on the open wounds. Be conservative here....treat each transplanted hair like it is the most precious thing on earth

 

true. my doc says "it is a sin to waste a single donor hair"

[WHTC-7706631290]

This isn't an unreasonable request from your doctor.

 

A degree of trimming is always required to harvest a decent size amount of grafts in a single typical FUE session. On the other hand, shaving isn't required for FUE, depending on your clinic and the size of your session. There must be a donor area in order to hide the extraction sites so the donor hair must be adequate in length. Obviously each case is unique and should be treated as such.