specialzd1 Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Hello, I ride a road bike about 10 hours a week, and am going for a HT surgery on 12/10. How long will I have to wait before I can wear a helmet and not worry about damaging the graphs or their survival & growth rate? And not disturb the closure (going FUT)? I usually willl ride 5+ hours at a time on a saturday or sunday. I was told 2 weeks by the doctors office. Just want to make sure. I really don't want to stay off much longer than that, as I am a competitive racer and a month off of training is a huge loss. Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MrMatt Posted December 2, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted December 2, 2015 Funny you should mention this, I'm 12 days post op & was thinking of wearing a bicycle helmet or hardhat to protect my grafts (while working). Since I have bumped my head at least 5 times (in the recipient area ) worst being the flight back hitting my crown area on the overhead compartment. Halfway home i noticed blood seeping through my hat. Once home I found about 4 hairs & some flesh inside my hat.I'm sure this was no help to my procedure but then again I don't believe it will have a major negative impact on my results . What's strange is I'm not a clumsy person, may hit my head one time in the last year. In conclusion I would see more good than harm wearing a helmet of some type as long as it is suspended over the recipient area as most are to give the cushion effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. David Josephitis Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Two weeks after a HT surgery is usually a good time for most activities to resume including sports. The skin surrounding the grafts is healed and there is little /no risk for losing grafts. After two weeks we usually even encourage patients in the shower to gently massage any of the remaining scabs that may still be lingering on the scalp. Having said that, wearing a hard hat or helmet that will cause much friction and/or pressure on the newly grafted area is not always a good idea. A short amount of time is fine, but hours of rubbing on the healed scalp could result in irritation/ infection of the area. A solution to this problem for a bike helmet is to possibly wear a skull cap or bandana over the grafted area followed by the helmet. This will reduce any amount of friction over the area. With regards to the hard hat it is a good idea to make sure none of the straps are directly putting pressure on the newly grafted areas. Dr. David Josephitis is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MrMatt Posted December 3, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted December 3, 2015 @ DrJosephitis I figure I may have lost 2 or 3 grafts from the bump on the overhead compartment. What is your opinion of the effect it may have on the surrounding grafts ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member mav23100gunther Posted December 3, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted December 3, 2015 @ DrJosephitis I figure I may have lost 2 or 3 grafts from the bump on the overhead compartment. What is your opinion of the effect it may have on the surrounding grafts ? Jeeze the world really can be a cruel cruel place. I bet you have never ever bumped your head on the plane before - then the one time you do..... That's rotten rotten luck mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member gillenator Posted December 3, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted December 3, 2015 Don't forget about the potential tension that the helmet could put on the scar. Most bike helmets fit pretty snug on the head and you don't want any undue tension put on the scar even though the sutures have been removed. If it were me, I would forego wearing a helmet for a good three months just for keeping any tension free from pulling on the strip scar. Gillenator Independent Patient Advocate I am not a physician and not employed by any doctor/clinic. My opinions are not medical advice, but are my own views which you read at your own risk. Supporting Physicians: Dr. Robert Dorin: The Hairloss Doctors in New York, NY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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