Hairpiece after a hairtransplant?

[Scandinavian]

Hi

 

Is there anyone here that used a hairpiece over the transplanted hairs after a hairtransplant and then later when the results came removed the hairpiece?

I have heard from doctors that you need to not Use the hairpiece for 4-6 weeks after. Has anyone done this and what is your experience?

 

I am currently using a hairpiece.

[gillenator]

I wore hair systems for 11 years before my first HT procedure. And it was a full system which covered the entire top of my scalp. My first procedure involved grafting in my frontal third zone and my surgeon advised me to not wear the system post-op due to the possibility of stunting the regrowth.

 

The thin native hair that I did have in the frontal zone before the procedure stopped growing as a result of wearing the full systems for such a long time. And the interesting thing was that once I stopped wearing the system post-op, that native hair started growing again along with the grafts. I never wore systems again.

 

My recommendation would be to not wear them once you have the procedure done. I know it's hard to do especially since you are going from having lots of hair to having to wait for the procedure to fully grow.

 

So the best thing to do IMHO is to buzz down before your procedure so others will get used to seeing you in a very short hair style.

[Dr. Michael Beehner]

Around 15 years ago I was talking with a couple of veteran hair surgeons about this issue of what to do with the hairpiece patient who has a hair transplant procedure. I had a few of these patients who went to wearing the piece a couple of days after the transplants who had poor growth later on, and they stated they had also seen this happen and had changed their policy to having the patient not wear the hairpiece the first week after surgery, and then switching the hairpiece to a clip attachment method with the two way tape in front. I have followed this policy during the past 15 years or so and have had pretty good results with hair growth in these patients. However, I have noticed that 5-10% of these men did have what seemed to me somewhat less-than-ideal growth.

I always am grateful when hairpiece patients say they will throw the piece away after their first procedure, but these are in the minority. Most have to get back to work and don't want that drastic of a change in their appearance. Some patients don't shed the hairpiece until after two or even three transplants.

One more thing: the positioning of the clips on the hairpiece have to be changed every 2-3 months so that the clips aren't pulling on the same small group of hairs, which can cause a small bald circle. I also advise these men to take their hairpiece off as soon as they get home from work or other social engagements and only wear it when you absolutely have to.

There has been much talked about over the years as to the cause of the poor growth that sometimes happens for hairpiece wearers. My own best guess is that the "shuffling" of the piece on the grafts somehow interferes with the grafts becoming rooted and supplied by nutrients in the vascular system of the scalp. Others have wondered if bacteria under the piece or the increased warmth of this area could be causative agents.

Mike Beehner, M.D.

[ZeoRanger]

Does this mean you cannot wear a hat in summer as it would generate warmth as well?

 

 

This would be extremely difficult because you need to cover the recipient from UV at the same time

[Dr. William Lindsey]

We had 2 guys who swore they didn't use adhesive....who had poor results after our transplant...and every picture we have at followups appear to have adhesive...despite their protests that no adhesive was used. SO, I personally am not interested in taking a chance with hairpiece wearers and do not offer them surgery at this point. Twice bitten, twice shy I suppose. But I want it to work almost as much as the patient does.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[Dr. Michael Beehner]

Regarding the issue of wearing hats, I have never found any problem with that, whether it is a baseball cap or a ski cap ("beanie") in the winter, they are fine. The only problem issues in my experience are hairpieces and tight fitting helmets. After one week we let patients resume using a helmet, such as a construction worker who works in a "hard hat" zone.

Also, regarding the two-way tape, I advise the patient to cut it down the middle and make the width of the tape very narrow, and just put enough at the far front aspect of the hairpiece to hold it in place. Usually the hairpiece goes down further than the line I will transplant at, so there is some room beyond where the transplanted grafts are, so that the tape doesn't pull them out.

Mike Beehner, M.D.

[Scandinavian]

Thank you for the good answers.

 

I dont think I can be brave enough to throw away the hairpiece right after the transplant before any results. Going from a lot of hair to almost bald.

I have a job that is very social and public and cant take all of that attention.

 

I have acctually been thinking about quiting my job and apply for a new job and ask for a 2 month period before starting at the new job.

 

Dr Mike Beehner. Very good advice in regards to using clips and a very narrow tape at the front.

In your opinion how long of a "vacation" would I need to take in order for the hairpiece not to affect the results? Could 2 months be enough?

 

I have been wearing the piece for 6 years now, since the age of 20. It is time to do something about this.

I have currently taken proscar for 2 months and hoping it can improve my situation. I am planning to do a HT in March after 6 months Use of proscar. And hopefully this time next year I can be confident enough and throw the hairpiece in the trash. What a feeling..

I will Ask my hairdresser to thin out the piece a little before the transition.

[Dr. Michael Beehner]

Scandinavian,

I would say that having a one or two week period after surgery during which you don't wear the hairpiece at all is necessary. After that, as I said, it's more a matter of just trying to have it off your head any time periods that you can do so, such as after you get home from work, while sleeping, or times you can be out and around with a baseball cap on. It's actually the rare patient of mine who elects to just throw away the hairpiece after the first surgery. We realize you have to live in the real world and not shock those around you.

I will add one thing though: Many of my hairpiece patients over the years told me that no one knows they have a hair piece, and then, after the transplanted hair grew in and they did finally get rid of the piece, many of them would say that friends and relatives confided to the patient that they knew all along.

Mike Beehner, M.D.

[gillenator]

You know a funny thing happened to me after my first HT in 1996. I decided to pitch my hair system immediately post-op after wearing it for 11 years and it was a full system front-to-back.

 

I realized that as hard as it was to not wear it post-op, I would at some point have to part with it. Later, several of my colleagues approached me and in confidence shared with me that they knew all along that I was wearing a hairpiece. In a way it surprised me and in a way it did not.

 

The nice thing was that when my grafts grew in, the same guys came to me and told me how nice my transplant looked. And I truly believe that will be the experience of other guys who are trying to make the transition from hair system to their own hair growing once again...

 

Hair systems have come a long way since the 90's and as Dr. Beehner stated, clips are better suited than polyfuse. And I agree that it is a good idea to take it off whenever possible as the new grafts grow in.

 

Just be sure to go to a reputable surgeon so when the grafts do grow in, they look good and natural...

[curiousgirl]

I'm so glad I stumbled on this thread because I have to worry about wearing a hairpiece after my procedure. I've had to wear a hairpiece ever since I was a little girl because of an accident when I was a toddler. First I wore bonnets that my mom & grandma made for me, but after I got out of that cutesy phase, I grew into hairpieces. I've gotten a new one every year or so, & it's only for the top of the head, not an entire system. I've always clipped mine on with a few bobby pins cuz I never liked adhesive. I already have a session scheduled for next week & was planning on wearing one after the first week or 10 days. I assumed I would take it off as much as possible & do it anyway cuz they're annoying & get itchy. I rarely sleep with it on & certainly won't after a HT. But there's NO way I can just shave my head & go to work without people wondering.... Unless I were going for the Sinead O'Connor look, which wouldn't work well on me at all I guess I'll call or send an email to my Drs office & see what they think. Not wearing my hairpiece just isn't an option. Plus I live in Texas & won't be able to wear beanie hats until maybe December, but I won't be able to wear them at work half the time anyway :-/. I guess I should've scheduled it earlier in the summer if I had known this little detail ahead of time....... Ugh, advice please, or I don't need to worry about it? :confused:

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Curious girl, I feel your pain. I guess it depends on the doctor you go with but we CONSISTENTLY have low growth in hairpiece wearers, yet not any trouble in 4 fighter pilots who were back in the helmet at 12 days...

 

So I will not offer surgery to system wearers...and almost weekly I see a celebrity on TV that we did....who swore he would not wear a system postop...and have 2 cases with me...wearing the same unsightly hairpiece he has always worn...and he never returned after suture removal. Drives me crazy as its an AWFUL hairpiece. Everyone in the country knows its a wig.

 

We do have a few female patients who have easily gotten by with scarves postop with no problem.

 

Good luck to you.

 

Dr. Lindsey

[curiousgirl]

Dr Lindsey, thanks for your response. I had my procedure today & talked to my doctor. He said definitely not to wear anything for a week or so, but that I can wear the hairpiece when needed next month. I did enough reading & am going to trade it off with scarves & loose headbands, just to be on the safe side. It makes sense to let the head breathe. I found these headbands, which seem like a good choice because they're thin, cover from the sun, & wide enough to cover the area... & have fun designs too. And they have good reviews on Amazon for many uses!

 

https://alphadefensegear.com/shop/5-for-15-face-shields-dom22/#product-zoom

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Congratulations. Post some pics so we see your starting point and your journey. Who did your case and how many grafts?

 

Dr. L

[curiousgirl]

Thanks! I had an FUT with Dr. Arocha & his staff in Houston. They did 2000 grafts & it went well. My head's a little sore today, for obvious reasons... & my jaw too, which I wasn't expecting. I'm gonna get my blog setup this week.

[SADbutTRUE]

Congrats on your recent procedure curious girl, heal well and heres to a great result ,

[curiousgirl]

SADbutTRUE, thanks! The healing process is going pretty well so far... & it's been nice not to have to wear my hairpiece all week