Post op redness covered with concealer/heavy duty make up

[ZeoRanger]

I'll be getting my hairline lowered by 2cm via FUE soon. I'll have 3 weeks off work after surgery but i think my recipient area will still be red.

 

Can I cover up that red area with a concealer or make-up?

 

Or is that too soon and the make-up would damage the grafts/healing process?

 

I wish the clinic would let me keep my fringe - covering up would be no problem then. But it looks like they don't offer the no shave option.

[Rootz]

It will likely be very red for many months, and the redness may linger on for a year or more. What I found to work was using dermablend lightly just on the area where the redness started, to soften the transition to red. I think if you're 10+ days out and gently wash it off at night you'll be fine.

 

Try to have the clinic shave only the transplanted area and keep the rest of the hair at length so that you have bangs. It may look stupid at first, having a ~2cm area shaved at your hairline then normal length hair behind that, but it will give you more options.

[Garageland]

I echo what Rootz says you will be fine to use concealer/make up on the recipient area at 3 weeks but do wash it off to allow the skin to breathe and don't wear unless you have to. Rootz also makes a very good point that you should grow the hair longer behind to cover the work post op. Start brushing your hair forward now and then to get people used to the idea of you with a fringe if your hair is long enough.

[pkipling]

I tried the makeup solution myself and it didn't look right. Granted, it may have been user error, but it simply wasn't effective for me. In order to cover the redness, I had to use a lot of makeup... And when I used a lot, the makeup was noticeable. So I washed it out and opted for a hat instead. I wore the hat for a month before I felt comfortable going out without it. Even then it was still a bit red, but not alarmingly so. I found that even the few people who knew I had the transplant just felt that it looked like I was a bit sunburnt. Even now, almost 14 weeks post-op, the redness isn't completely gone but it's hardly noticeable anymore as the hair has started growing in (little by little)....

 

Is wearing a hat an option for you?

[Spanker]

I didn't have any redness after a very short time, but that's just the way I personally heal. I have olive skin. I also grew my hair out and combed it forward. I had strip so my donor was covered with the long hair too. It just depends on how you heal really.

[ZeoRanger]

I work in an office so can't get away with a hat. I hope my normal hair will grow 2cm+ quickly so I can just let the fringe cover it.

 

Sucks for me that I'm not olive... I hope the concealer will do the trick for the first weeks.

[pkipling]

I work in an office so can't get away with a hat. I hope my normal hair will grow 2cm+ quickly so I can just let the fringe cover it.

 

Sucks for me that I'm not olive... I hope the concealer will do the trick for the first weeks.

 

Just a thought, but I wouldn't rule the hat idea out completely. Technically, we can't wear hats at my job either, but Dr. Mohebi wrote me a note saying that I needed to keep my scalp covered due to surgery - and if it's dictated by a physician, I don't think they can object. Fortunately, I didn't even have to cross that bridge of what to do if they had said no, as my employers didn't even ask to see the note (I had it as more of a backup plan).... I simply explained to them that I had a minor operation and would need to keep my scalp covered for at least a month. They were more concerned about my wellbeing and health to really question it, not to mention it's generally in bad taste to push for more information when dealing with personal things of that nature. Sooooo..... I was able to get a nice, professional, hat (that my bosses and the owners of the company actually thought looked great and approved of), and I wore it until the redness went down (about 4 weeks). So it's worth a shot. I anticipated at least a little bit of push back, and got none... So you could be surprised. Ya never know until you ask.

[gillenator]

The post-op redness can also be related to a corresponding lower level of collagen. There are some topical steroidal creams that can help with the redness however the surface must be completely healed before applying it and generally used when the post-op redness lingers for several months or more.

 

Another idea is to simply use a cosmetic tan product which is a make-up to give the appearance of a facial tan. I know of several guys who used it for weeks on end and were quite please with how effective it hid the post-op redness.

 

There are high end quality of facial make-up products where you can actually blend the appropriate level of skin tone to match your own. One is a granule type based make-up and not a cream. I just cannot remember the brand name of it but most women will know what it is. Kind of pricey though.