Regular Member growmehair Posted January 17, 2009 Regular Member Share Posted January 17, 2009 Dr. Rahal suggests not touching them and they fall off after 2-3 weeks. I read and saw on youtube where people are gently removing there scabs after a week. So can you remove them? Also i am getting very paranoid about touching my recipient area. Yesterday i brushed my baseball cap against the scabs and nearly had a heart attack! thinking i had dislodged them. I am 3-4 days post op. Are the grafts in place now? I can relax about wearing a baseball cap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GilesLavery Posted January 17, 2009 Regular Member Share Posted January 17, 2009 yes there does seem to be alot of different opinion , i have been over analyzing allmost everything i did in the first 2 weeks or so , from maybe sleeping on the recipent area by accident to wearing a baseball cap too soon (after 5 days post op) to accidently touching them or showering my head too soon. just how easy is it to damage new grafts and at which point are they safe? , this is the hardest thing becasue it is the wait to see them grow and not knowing if its going to happen or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member lost my swagger Posted January 17, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted January 17, 2009 grafts are considered 'secure', gererally at about 8 days.... you want to be very careful before this time period and IMO it cant hurt to be careful for a little bit after too.. why risk it?? i would NOT suggest wearing a hat til ATLEAST day 14..... but for sure not at 4 days.. im suprised your dr did not inform you of the specifics here.. when you grazed the grafts with your hat was there blood visible in the area?? if not your most likely fine also dont worry about the scabs for now.... let the grafts settle, be carful, and in a few weeks when there is no doubt the grafts are secure, then a GENTLE massages during a light wash can help loosen the scabs in time, dont dig, and just use your TIPS not nails......this is my advice... its always best to call your doctor and follow HIS instructions *** RESULTS WILL 100%, without a DOUBT, VARY*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member growmehair Posted January 17, 2009 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 17, 2009 Lost my swagger no there was no blood but i felt a brush. My Dr. said that i could wear a loose baseball cap but nothing tight. But i find it is hard to manage even with a loose cap! So what can i use to cover!!!? I can't go out with my new head of "hair". I did bump my head the first day on an airplane which lead to bleeding. Meaning i might have lost grafts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member growmehair Posted January 17, 2009 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 17, 2009 Also is it really necessary to wash twice a day? once is not ok? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member lost my swagger Posted January 17, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted January 17, 2009 a bandana is another option for you... but honestly if i were you id just lay low for just a few more days, you payed good money for this procedure a few days of inactivity to help ensure YEARS of good hair growth.... i was given a "loose fitting ball cap by my doc but this hat was ridiculous(cause it had to be) it was huge and made no contact with my grafts... i did not wear it out.. too goofy... if this is what your dr meant by 'loose fitting' i dont know, i can just tell you, as i understand it, its best you dont put anything that actually rests or touches the grafts for ATLEAST 8-10 days.... i was never told to wash twice a day but as i said ITS ALWAYS BEST FOR YOU TO FOLLOW YOUR DOCTORS POST OP INSTRUCTIONS..... be gentle with your washes too i was told to pour water from a cup rather then the shower stream directly. i rubbed shampoo into a wash rag, then lightly placed it over my grafted area for about 13 days following my procedure.no rubbing, or heavy washing at all for the first 10 days.... if your going to error here error on the side of caution IMO.. its too important not to.... all the best *** RESULTS WILL 100%, without a DOUBT, VARY*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member wantego Posted January 17, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted January 17, 2009 Grow I cant speak for anyone else but myself but keep in mind I'm overly cautious in regards to my HT. I let the scabs fall off naturally. It took me 3-4 weeks. I did not wear a baseball cap. On the few occasions I had to go out to the grocery store I went to a store not in my neighborhood (so I would not be seen) and I only wore the very light fitting blue surgical hats the doctor gave me. I had 2 people ask me if I was a doctor. You might consider following the paper directions 100% (that is what I did) or if you have questions call/email Dr Rahal so that you have piece of mind. 4374 grafts-7/2/2008-Dr Rahal 485 singles 2336 doubles 1526 triples 16 quads 9809 total hairs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member lost my swagger Posted January 17, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted January 17, 2009 oops *** RESULTS WILL 100%, without a DOUBT, VARY*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member growmehair Posted January 17, 2009 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 17, 2009 wantego Looks like i need to go out and find where i can get more of those blue caps that Dr. Rahal gave us. He gave me only 3! Any ideas? His instructions say wash twice daily but its such a hassle! I am only doing once a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member youngsuccess Posted January 17, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted January 17, 2009 The reason why some doctors encourage patients to prevent/remove scab build up is because studies suggest that there is a greater chance of loosing grafts that have the scab attached IF some kind of abrasion occurs. And it's got to be enough to actually pull the adherent scab off. Just having the scabs alone is not a big deal; it's just that you don't have to worry as much about babying the area post-op if the scabs are gone early on. Personally I'll cut myself shaving and have a scab sometimes for like a week, so I'm not going to expect the recipient area to be entirely scab-free at 3 days post-op or whatever the expectations seem to be. ------- All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice. View my My Hair Loss Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member latinlotus Posted January 17, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted January 17, 2009 Once the grafts are secure, usually after a week, the faster the scabs are gone the better it is for healing and regrowth. Also it reduces the risk of noticeable scars at the recipient sites. Yes, there is such a thing as too overly cautious for your own good. ******** I am not a doctor. The opinions and comments are of my own. HT with Dr. Cooley on Nov 20, 2008 2097 grafts, 3957 hairs Proscar, 1.25 mg daily, skip the 5th day, started Nov 2007 My Hair Loss Blog - Hair Transplant with Dr. Cooley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member growmehair Posted January 17, 2009 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 17, 2009 Now people are saying different times for when grafts are "secure" I hear a week, 2 weeks? Dr. Rahal's instructions mention not touching/showering the grafts for a month! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c$ Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 I just got my second x-plant. I had an amazing result from the first, and my post-op instructions were to shampoo 2x daily starting Post op day 1 (day 2)- including gently rubbing of the scabs in the shower and wearng a hat the day after surgery (it was loose, but not that lose). I didn't pick scabs off until day 14. Just got my density procedure and the literature is all over the place on scabs. I'm a doctor, but everyone gives different info. My advice- after a week, your grafts are probably set. Searching the internet for info everytime you put on a hat, scratch your head by mistake, or read something different, will just make you crazy, paranoid, and you still won't have an answer. I'll admit, I scratched a bit on post-op day 7 this time, lost a few scabs, and decided to just try my best to not touch for a few more days. If you bump 10 or 20 follicular units off your head out of a couple thousand, it won't make a damn differrence. Listen to your doc, but don't drive yourself crazy. This isn't silicone on a girlfriend, they're a couple hairs on your head. Although I'm an MD, this is not meant to be professional advice (obviously) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member waveskier Posted July 24, 2010 Senior Member Share Posted July 24, 2010 c$ Good post. I think that is what I needed to hear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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