Help!!! I slept on grafts!!!

[Justhadtransplant]

So i had a hair transplant surgery recently. I slept with my head on two pillows. I slept on my sides and not in a reclined position on my back. My doctor was not very clear with me on how i should sleep after surgery. My surgery ended at 2 pm. I lay down at 3 am. What is the possibility that I lost grafts if i lay on my side where some of the grafts were touching the pillow for the first few days after a procedure. I saw a few hairs on the pillow on the days after but i am pretty sure they were shock loss hairs and not implanted graft hairs. They seemed too long to be grafts I slept on an extremely soft pillow but the grafts were touching the pillow. PLEASE ANSWER POLITELY. Thanks to all who answer, ESPECIALLY DOCTORS

[chris39]

We're a nice and polite bunch on here for the most part .

 

As to your question , there is virtually zero chance of any damage being done . Not sure why you think there would be .

[Justhadtransplant]

Thanks, but could sleeping on grafts on your first night after a transplant dislodge them?

[chris39]

Highly unlikely . Some Dr's say to sleep incline the first few days post op . others say to sleep as normal .Personally , I slept as normal .

 

If the hairs that were shed were longer , that would likely be normal shedding . If you do lose a transplant post op , it will also bleed . Was there any bleeding on the scalp ?

[Justhadtransplant]

The blood i had on my pillow was blood that i couldnt tell was from my suture or from not washing hair ( i didnt wash my head until about 24 hours after operation was complete). I dont recall any new bleeding on the scalp, just blood on the pillow that probably came naturally as i had sprayed the scalp just before bed. It's good to hear that someone else slept normally like i did. I was just concerned about rubbing my head against the pillow and losing grafts. I did lose a couple of grafts on day 2 or 3, one from bumping my head and another just came out, so i know what they look like. I dont think what i saw on the pillow were graft but still i have stressed a lot after this procedure and know very little about all of this, which is why i am on this site to learn more

[chris39]

You'll be fine . You're currently in the post op paranoia stage , which may last for a good few months !

[Justhadtransplant]

its true, lol. So true, thanks

[farmcat]

I never slept in a reclined position after my transplants and I had great results on the first one.....I'm only a little over 6 weeks post op from my second. I think you are fine.

[pkipling]

I agree that you are most likely fine, as any dislodged graft will produce blood. However, considering you hit your head and have dislodged a couple grafts, I would be extra cautious for the next few days - and try to sleep up right if you can. This will help your peace of mind if nothing else.

 

Aside from that, try not to obsess too much over your hair the next several months. The first few months following a hair transplant are often the most difficult. The tendency will be to check your scalp several times a day to check for any new growth, and you'll end up driving yourself crazy and convincing yourself that the procedure didn't work. The absolute best thing you can do is to commit to not even expecting even the smallest amount of progress until you're about 4 months out - and no substantial progress until month 6. (Personally, I told myself not to expect to see anything until the 6th month, and then found myself pleasantly surprised when I had early growth.)

 

Happy growing!

[Justhadtransplant]

So you guys are agreeing that it's generally okay the same night of a hair transplant to sleep on some of your grafts?

[pkipling]

So you guys are agreeing that it's generally okay the same night of a hair transplant to sleep on some of your grafts?

 

No, I wouldn't recommend that personally. I slept upright and was extremely cautious the days immediately following the procedure. I personally wouldn't want to risk abruptly tossing and turning in my sleep with my grafts on the pillow and causing friction. I was only speaking in terms of whether or not you seemed to have done damage the night before with what had already been done. Moving forward, I would be extra careful with the grafts and err on the side of caution. So sleep upright, try your best not to bump into things, etc. and within a couple weeks you'll be out of the woods.