How long before an FUE procedure looks undetectable?

[KLHT]

Hello everyone,

 

As the question suggests, I was wondering how long does one approximately need after an FUE procedure to get away with the "I just shaved my head" phrase when asked by other people who do not have much knowledge about hair transplants.

 

Thanks

[Dr Blake Bloxham]

Kalab,

 

Like Spex said, it really comes down to a few things: 1) how well you keep the recipient clean and free of scabbing in the post-op; 2) how long you experience the "redness." This is actually affected by cleaning, in my opinion, as well; but it very much comes down to skin type/tone. If you have tan skin tones, the redness can fade incredibly fast. If you're lighter skinned, the pinkness can definitely "linger."

 

What I tell most hair transplant patients in general is roughly what Spence stated above: 2 weeks. At this point, most of my patients go back to "everyday life" -- school, work, etc. Sometimes they may have a little bit of an excuse for a shorter haircut or some slight lingering pinkness (the old "sunburn" excuse works quite well here), but you can usually get back to it without much notice at this point.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Kalab,

 

If you've shaved your entire head, it could take anywhere from a week to a couple of months, depending on how well the donor area heals, any postoperative redness (pale skin can show extended redness moreso than dark skin), etc. But if you heal well and rapidly, you could probably get away with pulling off the "I just felt like shaving my head" phrase after a week or two.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[KLHT]

Thank you all for your valuable advice.

 

One more question, when can I start wearing a baseball cap? Is it safe to wear one 1 week post-op, noting that I will loosen it up?

[mosd]

around 6-8 month i felt comfortable going on without worrying people will know i had an transplant.

[pkipling]

Thank you all for your valuable advice.

 

One more question, when can I start wearing a baseball cap? Is it safe to wear one 1 week post-op, noting that I will loosen it up?

 

You can start wearing a baseball cap the day of surgery (I was sent home wearing one from Dr. Mohebi's office). However, you do have to make sure that the cap isn't too tight fitting, is high/tall enough not to touch the scalp, and be very careful when putting the cap on and taking it off.

 

For example, I wore a relatively firm, tall, snapback so that I could make it as loose as I needed, and when putting it on, I placed the front part right on the forehead, then gently lowered that hat down onto my head. Then when taking it off, I lifted from the back first and then gently lifted the hat forward until it was off my head. You can also just unsnap the hat when removing it to be extra careful as well. (I hope this explanation makes sense... ) In short though, yes - you can wear a hat as long as you're very careful and avoid any contact with the donor area. I also wore a cloth 50s style paper boy hat as well for the first month or so after my procedure, which was professional enough for me to wear to work.

 

In addition to the hat helping you conceal the fact that you've had a HT, it also protects the grafts from sun exposure, which is extremely important. You need to avoid direct sunlight for 6 months.

 

As for the original question, my donor area healed quite rapidly. My main area of concern was the recipient area, which even though it healed quite fast, I did have the lingering pinkness longer than I would've wanted. However, I believe part of that is due to me being hyperaware of the pinkness and intensifying its prominence in my mind. My friends who were aware of my HT said they didn't see anything out of the ordinary, even though in my mind it was all I could see. (We're always our own worst critics....)

[pauli]

I'm almost 3 weeks post op, but my HT looked undetectable after a week, when both redness and scabs had disappeared.

[ontop]

Skin tone is a huge factor IMO darker your skin the less likely the redness will show.

whereas the lighter tone guys, this may linger for several months.