grizzlyadams Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Hey everyone, this is my first time posting on this forum. One week ago I had my first hair restoration surgery, about 3000 grafts. I’m experiencing quite a bit of paranoia about whether or not my surgery was successful. My surgeon didn’t mention anything to me about nicotine intake being detrimental for the grafts until the day of surgery. I’ve been a half pack a day smoker for the past four years so receiving the news that I have to quit all forms of nicotine very abruptly was a real piss off. I haven’t smoked at all since the day of surgery, but I was smoking quite a bit right beforehand. After doing some research, I’ve learned that it’s recommended not to smoke for a month before surgery, which is giving me some cause for concern. After one week, it appears as though the density of my grafts have subsided, especially in the middle, but I’m not sure if everything is actually looking perfectly normal? So, please give me your honest opinions. Any feedback is much appreciated. I’m going to see the surgeon tomorrow but would like to get a non-biased opinion first. The first photo is from day two and second photo is from day seven. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dboy318 Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 At one week. Most of your scabs should’ve fallen off by now. Have you been applying conditioner on the scalp and washing lately. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grizzlyadams Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 I was instructed to leave the scabs for the first week and then start applying baby oil lotion. I’ve been cleaning it daily though with water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member fortune11 Posted January 21, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted January 21, 2018 your surgeon will give you the best opinion since he is actually seeing your hair in person . very hard to tell from these pics . just follow his post op regimen strictly and then revisit this forum in a month or so when your scabs have all fallen off . as to smoking / nicotine , that is not advisable for any medical procedure (pre and post op), so I would lay off on that as well as far as you can. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FUT #1, ~ 1600 grafts hairline (Ron Shapiro 2004) FUT #2 ~ 2000 grafts frontal third (Ziering 2011) FUT #3 ~ 1900 grafts midscalp (Ron Shapiro early 2015) FUE ~ 1500 grafts frontal third, side scalp, FUT scar repair --300 beard, 1200 scalp (Ron Shapiro, late 2016) http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185663-recent-fue-dr-ron-shapiro-prior-fut-patient.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dboy318 Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 The scabs look like they are infected, but you need to see your doctor and ask him. Dark scabbing can lead to unhealthy graphs. Try washing twice a day with conditioner leave in 5 minutes then lightly scrub with fingers and rinse. It will help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member aWidowsPeek Posted January 21, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted January 21, 2018 Take some long hot showers or baths and start gently working those scabs off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member lukeyb1687 Posted January 22, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted January 22, 2018 I'd also suggest applying fractioned coconut oil to the scabs over night...or baby oil. Help loosen up those scabs. The scabs seem very thick and dark which is a little unusual. Have you been working the scabs off twice daily in a gentle motion in the shower? 12/2017 - 3500 Grafts- Dr. Emrah Cinik Follow my progress: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Ernie Posted January 24, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted January 24, 2018 Hey everyone, this is my first time posting on this forum. One week ago I had my first hair restoration surgery, about 3000 grafts. I’m experiencing quite a bit of paranoia about whether or not my surgery was successful. My surgeon didn’t mention anything to me about nicotine intake being detrimental for the grafts until the day of surgery. I’ve been a half pack a day smoker for the past four years so receiving the news that I have to quit all forms of nicotine very abruptly was a real piss off. I haven’t smoked at all since the day of surgery, but I was smoking quite a bit right beforehand. After doing some research, I’ve learned that it’s recommended not to smoke for a month before surgery, which is giving me some cause for concern. After one week, it appears as though the density of my grafts have subsided, especially in the middle, but I’m not sure if everything is actually looking perfectly normal? So, please give me your honest opinions. Any feedback is much appreciated. I’m going to see the surgeon tomorrow but would like to get a non-biased opinion first. The first photo is from day two and second photo is from day seven. Thanks! I smoked through both of my procedures, and my results were exceptionally good. I wouldn’t stress it man :-) 1 3185 FUT with Dr. Rahal on 2/17/16 http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/182611-fut-3185-dr-rahal-day-after-pics.html 1204 FUT with Dr. Rahal on 3/27/17 http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/186586-round-2-rahal-1204-fut-frontal-third-same-area.html ---> total of 4389 grafts to my frontal third via FUT ---> 1mg finasteride daily since 1999 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member sadhairlossman Posted January 24, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted January 24, 2018 The scabs look like they are infected, but you need to see your doctor and ask him. Dark scabbing can lead to unhealthy graphs. Try washing twice a day with conditioner leave in 5 minutes then lightly scrub with fingers and rinse. It will help. Never heard of this one.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hsrp10 Posted January 25, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2018 I smoked through both of my procedures, and my results were exceptionally good. I wouldn’t stress it man :-) Yeah, quitting smoking is generally recommended, but if you go with an elite surgeon like Rahal for FUT then everything should work out ok. The work looks pretty dense from the pics. Who was the surgeon? And yes the remaining scabs are an issue so try to gently remove them as letting them remain can interfere with the growth process. go dense or go home Unbiased advice and opinions based on 25 plus years of researching and actual experience with hair loss, hair restoration via both FUT & FUE, SMP, scalp issues including scalp eczema & seborrheic dermatitis and many others HSRP10's favorite FUT surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr Hasson, Dr. Rahal HSRP10's favorite FUE surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Erdogan, Dr. Couto (*indicates actual experience with doctor) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member mattj Posted January 25, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2018 The darkness is not typical, but people have posted similar photos before and I don't see any reason to believe that there's an infection. Do as others have advised to gently remove the scabs. I am a patient and representative of Dr Rahal. My FUE Procedure With Dr Rahal - Awesome Hairline Result I can be contacted for advice: matt@rahalhairline.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member pkipling Posted January 25, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2018 It's interesting to me that you weren't given more clear instructions on post-care... Not that it will necessarily impact your grafts, but only washing your hair daily with water doesn't seem very thorough or efficient. Are you sure this is all you're supposed to be doing? Every clinic has their own set of post-op care which I find incredibly confusing that there's no consensus in the HT community. We have our patients wash their hair twice a day with a gentle shampoo we provide them (in a very particular way with a sponge for the recipient area and soft bristles for the donor). I would double check and make sure you're not supposed to be keeping your scalp cleaner than you currently are. I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff. Check out my hair loss website for photos FUE surgery by Dr. Mohebi on 7/31/14 2,001 grafts - Ones: 607; Twos: 925; Threes: 413; Fours: 56 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Hassler Posted February 2, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted February 2, 2018 Hi there, My opinion is - you need to get your scalp cleaned up, you really don't want scabs like those lingering on top of your head, I would say time is now of the essence. Try soaking your scalp in large amounts of conditioner (doesn't matter which one) morning and night, leaving it on for 10-15 mins each time and it should soften those scabs and they should fall off. I did this religiously and after 3 days post-op you couldn't tell I'd had a transplant, although you must have walked out the clinic with an awful lot of blood on top of your head for those dark scabs to form (I had nothing like that, thats down to the care of the surgeon during the op and clinic before you leave, I'd be disappointed if I was sent home like that). Hope it goes well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member mattj Posted February 5, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted February 5, 2018 It's been a couple of weeks. How is it looking now? I am a patient and representative of Dr Rahal. My FUE Procedure With Dr Rahal - Awesome Hairline Result I can be contacted for advice: matt@rahalhairline.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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