motow Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 I'm hoping that some of you can share, based on your own experiences or other known cases, if this donor area looks normal after less than a day of having the stitches removed. Does this ever have the potential to become more narrow again though the healing process? The first image is just a few hours after having the sutures removed. The second image was taken about 13 hours after that. To me it looks like it's spreading quickly and I still feel a fair bit of tension in my scalp. Thanks! I really appreciate any feedback. I'm flipping out a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Slush Posted March 10, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted March 10, 2017 I am sorry that I cannot answer your questions directly. I will say that it has been a week since I had my stitches removed, and I definitely still feel tightness. I was told to "respect the scar" and not put any unnecessary pressure on it, such as snowboarding or weight lifting. I understand why. Attached are two pics from immediately after my stitches came out. I haven't seen the scar since then, so I'll try to get a new picture or two. I wish I could speak to the apparent increasing size of the scar. It may be just skin settling. I have no expertise to speak to it, but can only give you a recent comparison. I would definitely call your doctor. Good luck My HT Journey The FUT surgery experience and results Disguising my FUT Scar Medications and Supplements Supplements: Biotin, MSM 5% Minoxidil Foam Regenepure Shampoo (re-starting 1mo after HT) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motow Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 Thanks for the photos Slush! It looks like your line was tighter than mine to begin with. No idea how you've been able to avoid checking out your scar every day. Do you know if you had a trichophytic closure? I emailed my photos to my doctor and got a response from one of his assistants. She said that she had shown the photos to the doctor, and not to worry, that everything looked normal. But, my gut is telling me otherwise, so I'm looking for more opinions/experiences. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Speegs Posted March 10, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted March 10, 2017 You have a two week old wound at the back of your head, you need to give it some time before appraising it, you're healing. Hair loss patient and transplant veteran. Once a Norwood 3A. Received 2,700 grafts with coalition doctor on 8/13/2010 Received 2,380 grafts with Dr. Steven Gabel on 9/30/2011 Received 1,820 grafts with Dr. Steven Gabel on 7/28/2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Jdog Posted March 10, 2017 Regular Member Share Posted March 10, 2017 Mate, I was freaking out too about donor site. Give it a few months to heal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Slush Posted March 10, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted March 10, 2017 I do believe my doctor did a trichophytic closure. I haven't looked at the scar much because I've been far more obsessive about the transplanted hair and masking the shaved donor area. Haha! After looking at your pics again, I wouldn't worry if I were you. You're zoomed in really closely and it's still not much. I agree with the post above, give it time. Last night I had my gf snap a new pic since this thread made me curious. It's looking good. This is the "worst" of it. Based on what I have seen over the last decade, both of our donor areas look really good. My HT Journey The FUT surgery experience and results Disguising my FUT Scar Medications and Supplements Supplements: Biotin, MSM 5% Minoxidil Foam Regenepure Shampoo (re-starting 1mo after HT) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member YouOnlyLiveOnce Posted March 10, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted March 10, 2017 Looks normal to me, its still a fresh wound. Either way, just gotta be patient since the staples have already been removed. You'll be fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member gillenator Posted March 10, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted March 10, 2017 There looks like some shock loss on both sides of the strip scar. Don't worry as it will grow back with time... 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...
Senior Member Slush Posted March 11, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted March 11, 2017 Motow, since you're not far behind me you may want to chime in here: Disguising my FUT Scar My HT Journey The FUT surgery experience and results Disguising my FUT Scar Medications and Supplements Supplements: Biotin, MSM 5% Minoxidil Foam Regenepure Shampoo (re-starting 1mo after HT) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motow Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 I know that the scar is going to change as it heals. My biggest concern was how quickly it widened after the sutures were removed. I'm trying to figure out how common this is, and if having it stretch early is any sign that it will be more susceptible to stretching during the later phases. On the far end of the scale I was worried about dehiscence, as this was only over the course of 1 day. But, it appears about the same today. Posting another photo just to document it here in case it ends up helpful to anyone else. Thanks for your comments, guys! And thanks for the updated photo Slush! Looks pretty good to me. More like what I was expecting for myself, or hoping for at least. It looks like I'm only 5 days behind you (Feb: 27), but they removed my stitches on day 9. I haven't gone past finding decent loose fitting hat to wear when I have to go back to work on Monday. But, given my shock loss, I'll likely be on that thread soon. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motow Posted March 14, 2017 Author Share Posted March 14, 2017 Well, this continued to stretch. Over the course of 4 days it went from 1mm to 4mm. Last night I applied a steri-strip in an attempt to keep it from spreading open farther. I wish I had known about these things on the second day! The strip compressed the scar a bit. At this point I'm not sure that it will help it to heal smaller, but I intend to leave it there for a few weeks with my fingers crossed. I finally met with my doctor today (after emailing twice). He said the only way to fix it is to either remove it now and risk infection and possibly a larger scar, or wait to have it reworked (cut out and stitched back up). He said that I must be a slow healer and that 9 days wasn't long enough in stitches for me. Though, I think it's possible that donor strip size and wound tension also played a role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Slush Posted March 14, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted March 14, 2017 Do you plan to have another HT in the future? Many people have their original scar removed at that point. I don't think I'd touch it now while it's healing. Remember that if you're unhappy the scar can be reworked in the future. The only caveat is that it can never be removed completely, but all of us that have had FUT accept that reality (I admittedly still struggle with it a little). Don't feel overwhelmed or stressed. It is what it is, and your hair covers a lot. I'm eager for mine to have there much coverage. My HT Journey The FUT surgery experience and results Disguising my FUT Scar Medications and Supplements Supplements: Biotin, MSM 5% Minoxidil Foam Regenepure Shampoo (re-starting 1mo after HT) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member YouOnlyLiveOnce Posted March 14, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted March 14, 2017 I would leave it. If you have it cut out and re-sutured you run the risk of damaging grafts that you'll likely need in the future. Right now its at it its worst. Eventually the color would fade into a more flesh colored tone and unless you wear your hair super short, it probably won't be noticeable.. In a year if it's too problematic, have it cut out/repaired, otherwise deal with it in a future surgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member gillenator Posted March 14, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted March 14, 2017 It is probably just more shock loss going on...it may get worse before it recovers. 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...
motow Posted March 15, 2017 Author Share Posted March 15, 2017 The pink area is not shock loss. It's an indented gap where the seem stretched open. I wouldn't want other people to get confused about what shock loss looks like. The hair below the scar has become quite thin. That's shock loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member gillenator Posted March 17, 2017 Senior Member Share Posted March 17, 2017 Understood...I was not referring to the scar itself, just the lost hair that is obviously shocked hair. 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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