Hair Transplant Help Post Operation

[andrew r]

Hi Guys, 

I have recently had a hair transplant in Australia. I had the operation about 48 hours ago and I have been told by my doctor to not wash or remove any blood from the donor or transplanted area until Tuesday which is about 5-6 days after surgery. He told me to keep the blood on the scalp as it will help the area heal. I have not been given any spray to keep the transplanted area wet which is what I see most clinics do. The doctor transplanted my hair using the FUE technique and did it all manually by hand. He did 500 grafts per day and I got 1500 grafts over a 3 day period. I am stressed if I do not clean or take any of the dry blood off my scalp I may get an infection or my grafts may be damaged, I was told by someone that they think my grafts may be damaged already. Here is a picture I took 10 minutes ago. I am very stressed and I want to be given the right advice. I have listened to my doctor but I want to make sure leaving the blood and not washing it wont affect anything. Any help would be appreciated! 

[TorontoMan]

I’m a little surprised that they have not given you anything, as I am actually 3 days out of FUE surgery and I’ve been given a saline spray that I spray on recipient area every hour. They told me explicitly that it was important to keep the grafts moist all the time for at least two weeks. You should consider picking up a saline solution from your local pharmacy, and find an applicator that will spray it on your grafts lightly. 

[ShadowMoon]

Can you post a before pic?  Taking 3 days to put in 1500 is a red flag to me, and that's a lot of area to cover as well.

[andrew r]

12 minutes ago, ShadowMoon said:

Can you post a before pic?  Taking 3 days to put in 1500 is a red flag to me, and that's a lot of area to cover as well.

This is the area before when it was grown out. The doctor told me he does 500 grafts a day. He does it all manually by hand. I don't know if thats why it took longer but thats what happened. I just feel I have been left in the dark and I am quite concerned as you can imagine. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do? Thanks 

[ShadowMoon]

8 minutes ago, andrew r said:

This is the area before when it was grown out. The doctor told me he does 500 grafts a day. He does it all manually by hand. I don't know if thats why it took longer but thats what happened. I just feel I have been left in the dark and I am quite concerned as you can imagine. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do? Thanks 

I would start saving some money for a second surgery if you want any semblance of density, as your surgeon didn't move enough hair to cover your degree of loss. Not saying it'll look bad or unnatural, it'll just look thin. 

[andrew r]

1 minute ago, ShadowMoon said:

I would start saving some money for a second surgery if you want any semblance of density, as your surgeon didn't move enough hair to cover your degree of loss. Not saying it'll look bad or unnatural, it'll just look thin. 

Okay. It was an expensive surgery as it was and I don't want to start saving for another surgery after the first, I feel like that was the point of the first surgery haha. I feel so stupid now but I can't change the past. Is there any chance you have an instagram or whatsapp so I can talk to you over the phone? I would really appreciate it as its a very stressful time for me. 

[ShadowMoon]

Just now, andrew r said:

Okay. It was an expensive surgery as it was and I don't want to start saving for another surgery after the first, I feel like that was the point of the first surgery haha. I feel so stupid now but I can't change the past. Is there any chance you have an instagram or whatsapp so I can talk to you over the phone? I would really appreciate it as its a very stressful time for me. 

I don't have either of those, sorry brother. Give it some time to heal.

[andrew r]

7 minutes ago, ShadowMoon said:

I don't have either of those, sorry brother. Give it some time to heal.

Okay no problem. Do you think the transplant will make it look like I had more hair than before in the previous photos?

[Gatsby]

@andrew r I live in Melbourne Australia. Is the surgeon an elderely chap, Dr M? Feel free to pm me and I'm happy to chat with you over the phone. Please don't panic or stress man.

[andrew r]

1 hour ago, Gatsby said:

@andrew r I live in Melbourne Australia. Is the surgeon an elderely chap, Dr M? Feel free to pm me and I'm happy to chat with you over the phone. Please don't panic or stress man.

Hi Gatsby, that would be great. It wasnt doctor M. I will private message you and give you a call. Cheers mate. 

[aaron1234]

Pour a cup of warm, sudsy water over the grafted area.  Hopefully that is just dried blood on your left side.  And @ShadowMoon is correct... you'll likely want another surgery after this one is done growing in.  Next time go to a doc who is equipped to do 1500 grafts in a day. 

[andrew r]

What do you mean hopefully it’s just dry blood? Do you think the grafts haven’t taken on that side? One side has a lot more blood than the other but I’d like to think the grafts are there.. can you please explain what you mean alittle further? Cheers

[DrTBarghouthi]

It is important in industry standards to make sure that dried blood or scabs are cleaned frequently and regularly. This is because the hair follicles within the first week of implantation rely mainly on blood supply by diffusion and dont have a developed blood capillary yet. So you really need the area around each graft as clean as possible with no solid obstacles in the way if you know what I mean. Did your surgeon do the entire procedure including implantation ? I agree that the density is lacklustre for this area and  the number of grafts can be done in one session usually. What concerns me the most is the post op instructions that you were given, which to me raises some concerns.

[Melvin- Admin]

I can understand your concern, and the communities, but let’s not make assumptions. You may end up happy, no one knows. It’s too early to say, I would use a cup of luke warm water with baby shampoo and pour it over your head, this will clean the dried blood. I’m not overly concerned, it looks like dried blood. 

[DrTBarghouthi]

I totally agree @Melvin-Moderator

@andrew r Please don't be concerned by some of our observations.  It is definitely early for any assumptions. It is great you came to the right place for advice and this will help a lot. It is important to follow what other members here have advised in terms of cleaning the dried blood. 

[LonelyGraft]

14 hours ago, DrTBarghouthi said:

It is important in industry standards to make sure that dried blood or scabs are cleaned frequently and regularly. This is because the hair follicles within the first week of implantation rely mainly on blood supply by diffusion and dont have a developed blood capillary yet. So you really need the area around each graft as clean as possible with no solid obstacles in the way if you know what I mean. Did your surgeon do the entire procedure including implantation ? I agree that the density is lacklustre for this area and  the number of grafts can be done in one session usually. What concerns me the most is the post op instructions that you were given, which to me raises some concerns.

How long does it take for grafts to develop a full blood capillary after surgery?

[DrTBarghouthi]

Usually a week after surgery is the estimated time.