removing sutures 10 days versus 14 days

[azn_guy]

Hey guys, quick question

 

I was reading this article

 

http://www.regrowhair.com/hair...ter-hair-transplant/

 

and Dr. Beehner makes a comment which I would like clarification on.

 

he says

"What is actually happening when a hair loss? patient goes those extra 4-6 days with the sutures in place, you give time for the hair-bearing scalp above and below the suture line to start to relax and stretch out. In this process the remaining hairs become infinitesimally further apart, which the human eye can't detect. Keeping the sutures in keeps the wound scar from being pulled apart on from above and below during those early days when the tension is the greatest."

 

What does "In this process the remaining hairs become infinitesimally further apart, which the human eye can't detect." mean?

 

So to make things nice and simple, Is it better to have the sutures taken out at 10 days or 14 days after the HT surgery

 

Assume this is a first time HT, and the tension is normal (nothing extreme)

 

I am having my sutures (not staples) removed exactly on the 14th day

 

Has anyone had them removed past 14 days and encountered any issues? I noticed some folks saying that if you keep the sutures in too long that it could lead to additional scarring and possible temporary shockloss

[azn_guy]

disregard this post there has been thousands of questions pertaining to this topic

[azn_guy]

followup,

 

I was told by Dr. Cooley's office they want my sutures in for 3 weeks, (21 days)

 

Okay, question answered

 

I tried scheduling based off some of the information on here where people have had them removed 10-12-14, or even 16 days.

 

I'll stick with my Doctor's recommendation here

[hair_me_out]

Interesting. Did they say why 3 weeks?

[azn_guy]

nope, but when I noticed some comments on the site based on other doctor's recommendation,(some remove them at 7 days, some at 10, even at 14)

 

I spoke with Ailene (Dr. Cooley's Patient Coordinator) and she found out I made reservations to have my sutures removed at 12 days (I tried to do an average)

 

She said, "we really want your sutures to be in for at least 3 weeks, especially with a megasession such as yours"

 

I read that keeping them in too long is bad too, but I will go with what they say. I am worried about the long term effects of keeping sutures in too long though.

 

Obviously this decision was made by the doctor's office. I wonder if it has anything to do with my physiology? I am asian, however I have really good laxity.

 

Ailene said "we want the best possible scar possible and the longer the sutures are in, the better. I know it can be annoying and irritating but it's worth it"

 

Anyone here have any thoughts on this? I 100% believe them and trust them, but I'd like to get some opinions about this from either experienced HT patients or even other Coalition Doctors

 

The Post Op Instructions provided to me said suture removal should be 2-3 weeks after the HT surgery.

[hair_me_out]

Dr. Hasson had me remove mine after 14 days. I'd trust your doctor though as I'm sure the timing is tailored to your needs.

[azn_guy]

Due to the fact that I had my HT across the US, I couldn't go back to see Dr. Cooley for the suture removal.

 

Ailene (the wonder she is) hooked me up to go see Dr. Tom Rosanelli

 

He'll be removing my sutures, checking on my donor scar and recipient area to see if everything is okay.

 

I could have seen a generic Urgent Care Doctor but I told myself "why not just see another Coalition Doctor"

 

I was told that Dr. Rosanelli's office will also brief Dr. Cooley's office with how things are going

 

Glad to see Coalition Doctors helping each other out. It's like one big happy family, haha.

[Dr. Michael Beehner]

Azn guy,

When I made that comment about the hairs afterwards being every so slightly further apart, I was referring to the fact that removing a donor strip obviously removes a given number of hairs from the back of the head, and yet fortunately the loss of height of hair on the back of the head is only reduced by around 10% of the height of the strip that was removed. Dr.Cole and I in two separate studies around 9 years ago, using tattoo dots, were able to prove this. Thus there are less hairs in almost the same square area. The other reason I know this is true is that when I have a patient come back for a second or a third procedure, I always measure the FU/cm2 density before doing the procedure, and the density almost always decreases slightly from one procedure to the next. But you can't tell there is a decreased density in looking at the patient.

The matter of when to remove the sutures is a personal one for each doctor. The bad side of taking them out too early is that the wound may not be that well formed and may stretch too much. The bad side of leaving them in too long is that the skin sometimes starts to grow over the sutures, making them hard to find. I have gone three weeks a couple of times when I thought the risk was worth it because I had a reason to worry about scar stretching in that particular patient. The two reasons most of us would leave sutures in longer are one, a tight closure, and two, a hyper-elastic, stretchy scalp.

Mike Beehner, M.D.

[Dr. Ricardo Mejia]

I generally remove sutures in two weeks. I have had some come back in three weeks with excellent healing. You should not be worried about the three weeks. Dr. Beener has summarised it well.

[TakingThePlunge]

I had mine out at seven days and I'm very happy with the way my scar healed.

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Listen to what your doc says. We all have reasons for suture duration. We almost never leave them in beyond 7 days; but that does not make leaving them in longer wrong. Your doc, who has done lots of these cases, will have a reason for the duration.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[John Malloy]

I've had 2 Ht's. In my first Ht, I had the staples removed after 7 days. In my second, I had them removed after 14. Now, my second Ht was a better Ht in the receipant area by far. But, even though my first Ht was performed by a less skillful doc, my scar ( the one where I only waited 7 days) is undetectable as oppossed to my second that is not so great. Weird Huh?

[Maxxy]

Hey John Malloy,

 

Do you not feel the reduced laxity may be responsible for the wider scar after your second transplant?

[azn_guy]

I agree with you Maxxy on this...

 

Also one thing to note, people keep discussion "how many days"

 

I believe with staples, you HAVE to have them removed at a certain day. Sutures can be left in longer than staples

 

just an FYI

[sweetmafia]

I just had my HT 2 days ago and I am going out of the country 6 days (July 12) so that would amount to 9 days if i decide to have it remove a day before I leave. I was wondering if there would be some or any complications if i decide to remove my sutures before the 2 week that my doctor recommended?

 

I have to remove it because i don't trust my traveling companions in removing the sutures themselves.

 

hope to hear from you guys soon. Thanks

[aaron1234]

This thread reminds me of a Feller repair patient who had his staples in for about 9 months. He kept getting a new set of staples every two weeks or so. Mind boggling!

[orlhair1]

Yep......follow what your surgeon tells you.......you chose them for a reason. I had my staples out in 10 days as instructed by my surgeon.

[Dr. Ricardo Mejia]

Only your surgeon can advise you properly. Only he or she knows whether it s a single or double layered closure and whether there ws significant tension or not during the closure. Generally speaking some surgeons remove sutures at 7 days. We do not know whether you are on medications that affect wound healing or a smoker. Consequently, you should take your advise from your surgeon based on his her closure technique etc etc.