Please help me clarify my shedding!

[BrightIdea]

Hey all,

 

This is my first thread. Thanks to everyone that has been so helpful in making my FUE decision.

 

I'm worried about my FUE procedure. I'm 16 days out. Out of an abundance of caution, I didn't touch the grafted zone days 1-6 except to apply ointment. After that, I began being a little less conservative in removing crust and flakes. Most hairs that have come off in the process of applying ointment or flicking off crust seem to have a bulb-like structure, or something that could perhaps be a crust or dried flesh attached. It's not just a hair. It's kinda like a drumstick-type structure attached to a hair, or in some cases, it's only this crust/flesh-like structure without the hair. I did follow directions and have been very gentle in handling the grafted zone. I understand that shedding can begin between 1-5 weeks.

 

I'm wondering if these are grafts that didn't take or grafts that I possibly damaged when gently removing crust, or maybe they're native hairs shedding. Maybe they're what normal shedding looks like. Does anyone have any images of hairs or follicles they lost after their procedure to compare?

 

Can anyone describe what their hair looked like when it came out after their procedure? Was it just the hair, or was there something attached to it?

 

I visited the doc on Day 9. My doc wasn't in that day. It was either wait or have another doc inspect the scalp. Another doctor and 2 technicians examined my head and said they didn't see any blaring gaps where grafts could've fallen out. Furthermore, doc said the grafts are pretty much anchored after 4 days. No one was alarmed.

 

Any input would be great. I just want to know if this is normal or not.

[Curious]

Based on that photo, it appears that you lost some grafts. The study done by Dr. Bernstein indicated that you could dislodge a graft up to day 10.

[jimbrann]

Can anyone chime in?

[Justin77]

BrightIdea, I believe you went to Dr. Konior correct? Did you email him the photo? He's the best person to ask about this for sure, and in my experience he is great with communication so you'd probably hear back from him pretty quickly.

 

Not sure whether or not those are lost hair follicles, but I can say that when I was shedding it started later, and it was only the hairs, no bulbs attached.

[mattj]

Just to clarify: how many days after surgery did you start seeing these hairs?

[mattj]

And did you have any bleeding?

[JohnCasper]

The grafts would have found a blood supply and firmly attached after about 72+ hours or so. It sounds like you did everything expected and explained by your doctor. I was wondering if you took the residue/supposed grafts in the picture back to your doctor to be inspected? I suspect you’re fine and this is a normal occurrence. If they were grafts, the result will be inconsequential if only a few were shed. Everything will most likely be fine but return to your doctor with the questioned grafts (if you still have them) for a consultation if you’re still concerned.

[BrightIdea]

BrightIdea, I believe you went to Dr. Konior correct? Did you email him the photo? He's the best person to ask about this for sure, and in my experience he is great with communication so you'd probably hear back from him pretty quickly.

 

Not sure whether or not those are lost hair follicles, but I can say that when I was shedding it started later, and it was only the hairs, no bulbs attached.

 

I've been in touch with my doctor throughout. His communication is excellent.

 

My hairline still looks great. I did have a lot of grafts put in to thinning areas. At this point, I'm not really able to distinguish my native hair from my grafted hair. They did an amazing job. Thanks for your input.

 

 

Just to clarify: how many days after surgery did you start seeing these hairs?

 

I didn't touch the grafts at all days 1-6, except for light misting, gently pouring water using a plastic cup on the back of my head and letting it flow over the front. Day 7, when I started tending to the area a little more, is when I noticed these structures. I may have been overzealous in the removal of crusts.

 

And did you have any bleeding?

 

No bleeding whatsoever.

 

The grafts would have found a blood supply and firmly attached after about 72+ hours or so. It sounds like you did everything expected and explained by your doctor. I was wondering if you took the residue/supposed grafts in the picture back to your doctor to be inspected? I suspect you’re fine and this is a normal occurrence. If they were grafts, the result will be inconsequential if only a few were shed. Everything will most likely be fine but return to your doctor with the questioned grafts (if you still have them) for a consultation if you’re still concerned.

 

My doc wasn't in the day I reached out, but gave me the option to stop by his office and consult with another doctor and the techs. Of course, I just couldn't wait, so I elected to see another doctor instead of waiting one day (I know, I should've just waited another day). While there, one of the techs were inspecting my scalp with a q-tip and similar structure came loose. I collected it from my forehead and showed the doctor, to which they replied, "Yea, but there's no follicle."

 

My doc advised me not to stress about it if the grafts weren't touched 4-6 days after surgery. He viewed the image above and said they do look like follicles. He eluded to the possibility of the early healing bonds' integrity being compromised if there was forceful manipulation of the grafts.

 

There's nothing to be done at this juncture except wait with respect to regrowth. He also assured me multiple times he'd correct anything I was unhappy with. They really did an excellent job. My hairline still looks good and I marveled at how clean it was post-op. I had been anguishing at the possibility that I may have done something to compromise the beautiful job they did.

 

 

Thanks for your input everyone. Though this doesn't seem to be normal shedding, I was able to find one case on the internet where someone was losing these type of structures - kinda fleshy/crusty pieces with hairs attached, and they reported their HT turned out fine:

 

https://www.baldtruthtalk.com/threads/18068-Crusts-scabs-falling-out-look-like-grafts-after-hair-transplant

 

Just gotta wait and see I suppose. If anyone went through something similar, please chime in and let me know how it turned out.

[pkipling]

Glad this seems to have worked out. I will add that regarding the Bernstein study mentioned above that even though it is possible to dislodge a graft on day 10, the likelihood of this happening and the amount of force/trauma that it would take for this to happen is significantly smaller than the much more crucial 3-5 day window your surgeon mentioned. I think this is going to work out just fine for you. Happy growing!

[BrightIdea]

Glad this seems to have worked out. I will add that regarding the Bernstein study mentioned above that even though it is possible to dislodge a graft on day 10, the likelihood of this happening and the amount of force/trauma that it would take for this to happen is significantly smaller than the much more crucial 3-5 day window your surgeon mentioned. I think this is going to work out just fine for you. Happy growing!

 

 

Thanks for this input. It's encouraging. I was extremely ginger and followed directions. Looking back, I would've not touched the area for 2-3 weeks and let nature do it's thing, but I'm not sure that's the correct care with regard to crusting.

 

I'm far from it having "worked out" for me. I won't really know until a year. And that's the pain of it all, but I'm not gonna count hairs or obsess. I've done enough of that leading up to the procedure to know it's not productive. Whatever happens from here on out, I know I took action on something that's bothered me for a really long time. I've done all I can, so I'm gonna do my best to be at peace with it and exercise patience. All the results I've seen from my surgeon have been outstanding. He's assures me I'll be happy when this is all done, and I believe him.

[pkipling]

Thanks for this input. It's encouraging. I was extremely ginger and followed directions. Looking back, I would've not touched the area for 2-3 weeks and let nature do it's thing, but I'm not sure that's the correct care with regard to crusting.

 

I'm far from it having "worked out" for me. I won't really know until a year. And that's the pain of it all, but I'm not gonna count hairs or obsess. I've done enough of that leading up to the procedure to know it's not productive. Whatever happens from here on out, I know I took action on something that's bothered me for a really long time. I've done all I can, so I'm gonna do my best to be at peace with it and exercise patience. All the results I've seen from my surgeon have been outstanding. He's assures me I'll be happy when this is all done, and I believe him.

 

That's the best attitude you can have, tbh. Most of the work in achieving a successful hair transplant is done on the front end in regards to proper research and education in terms of choosing a top, qualified surgeon with a proven track record. As this seems like something you did quite well, I think you're right in your decision to lay back and let your body and the hairs do their thing.

 

Also find some comfort in the general rule that in order for a graft to be lost, their will be blood involved... So not having any bleeding should be very reassuring for you.

 

Hopefully that helps. Keep up the positive attitude.

[mattj]

I'm glad you're remaining positive about this. I do think that you saw some lost follicles as they look exactly like grafts before they are placed into the incisions. It sounds like your doctor thinks the same. Normally bleeding occurs when grafts are lost, but I suppose there can be exceptions.

I count five or six. Even if there were more, you most likely haven't lost enough to make a significant difference to your final result.

[matt3480]

Would not worry, at all......

 

Trust me, even if those 5 don't grow, it's like 10-15 hairs total.....something you would never in 10 million years be able to notice. It's akin to having $10 million dollars and going out and putting $0.50 in for a soda.

[bennyt89]

Thanks for this input. It's encouraging. I was extremely ginger and followed directions. Looking back, I would've not touched the area for 2-3 weeks and let nature do it's thing, but I'm not sure that's the correct care with regard to crusting.

 

I'm far from it having "worked out" for me. I won't really know until a year. And that's the pain of it all, but I'm not gonna count hairs or obsess. I've done enough of that leading up to the procedure to know it's not productive. Whatever happens from here on out, I know I took action on something that's bothered me for a really long time. I've done all I can, so I'm gonna do my best to be at peace with it and exercise patience. All the results I've seen from my surgeon have been outstanding. He's assures me I'll be happy when this is all done, and I believe him.

 

What did those grafts you posted the photo of feel like to touch? Were they hard?

[BrightIdea]

What did those grafts you posted the photo of feel like to touch? Were they hard?

 

 

The hairs and structures collected in the image were captured fresh out the shower. I believe the tissue pictured was more "scabby" in texture and form, or even crust-like, but they look clear/transparent because of how wet my head was after a shower. The feel of the structures was more like wet scab attached to hair.

[bennyt89]

The hairs and structures collected in the image were captured fresh out the shower. I believe the tissue pictured was more "scabby" in texture and form, or even crust-like, but they look clear/transparent because of how wet my head was after a shower. The feel of the structures was more like wet scab attached to hair.

 

I had something similar looking after washing my hair but it was more soft and basically disintegrated after putting a little bit of force on it. I have a lot of flaky dry skin on my scalp so I'm hoping it's that.

[BrightIdea]

I had something similar looking after washing my hair but it was more soft and basically disintegrated after putting a little bit of force on it. I have a lot of flaky dry skin on my scalp so I'm hoping it's that.

 

 

How long after the HT did you observe this? Have any pics?

[bennyt89]

How long after the HT did you observe this? Have any pics?

 

10 days, no pics unfortunately

[bennyt89]

How long after the HT did you observe this? Have any pics?

 

Happened to me today. I'm not sure if this is the same as your case? Or just hair attached to a normal scab

[BrightIdea]

Happened to me today. I'm not sure if this is the same as your case? Or just hair attached to a normal scab

 

 

Hmm, not sure what to make of that. If you must know if these are grafts, I suggest saving the structures and showing your doc if you get the chance to see him.

 

Definitely don't touch or pick at the area. Just keep the attitude of letting nature do it's thing. Everything will fall off when it's ready. I've seen cases where some dudes are battling crusts for over a month after the HT, but they just let it be, and ended up with an amazing result. Here's a good example:

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/184961-konior-hairline-restoration-6.html

[Goldenboy]

I have the same as bennyt89, pretty sure it is just scabs? Not sure about your's Brightidea, they look slightly different, although as others say nothing to worry about.

[bennyt89]

Hmm, not sure what to make of that. If you must know if these are grafts, I suggest saving the structures and showing your doc if you get the chance to see him.

 

Definitely don't touch or pick at the area. Just keep the attitude of letting nature do it's thing. Everything will fall off when it's ready. I've seen cases where some dudes are battling crusts for over a month after the HT, but they just let it be, and ended up with an amazing result. Here's a good example:

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/184961-konior-hairline-restoration-6.html

 

My doc is overseas so not possible. I did send him the photo though of mine and he said it's normal for the hairs to be attached to the crusts. He's a well respected doctor on these forums so I'll take his word for it. After a quick google search it seems to be a very common occurrence in a lot of patients. And mine came off after gentle massaging, definitely no picking.

 

And as others have said, even if not it's not even 1% of the total grafts planted so it's not going to have any noticeable cosmetic effect.