HT/exercise

[thinkingaboutit]

I am considering an FUE or fut this summer in early june although I have not yet made any formal arrangements. I have not yet even gone for a consult.

 

At 48 I want to correct some temporal recession. I am considering a high density procedure over a small area so that I might reduce the possibility of excessive shock-loss and so that I might monitor the procedure a bit before I make a stronger commitment. I estimate that I might need 500-800 transplants to satisfy me at this time.

 

How long might a procedure like that take?

 

I am a long distance cyclist,..how soon after the procedure would I be able to engage in very strenuous physical activity without risking optimum results?

 

Who is currently using the smallest diameter tool used for placement of the follicular units?

[thinkingaboutit]

I am considering an FUE or fut this summer in early june although I have not yet made any formal arrangements. I have not yet even gone for a consult.

 

At 48 I want to correct some temporal recession. I am considering a high density procedure over a small area so that I might reduce the possibility of excessive shock-loss and so that I might monitor the procedure a bit before I make a stronger commitment. I estimate that I might need 500-800 transplants to satisfy me at this time.

 

How long might a procedure like that take?

 

I am a long distance cyclist,..how soon after the procedure would I be able to engage in very strenuous physical activity without risking optimum results?

 

Who is currently using the smallest diameter tool used for placement of the follicular units?

[Robert_]

thinking,

 

The absolute BEST source of information about this topic would be the physician that performs your HT. Since you have not decided yet, however, I will link you to a thread that was dedicated to this topic a few months ago:

 

Working out post op?

 

Once you do decide on a hair restoration physician follow his/her directions to the letter and you should be fine.

 

-Robert

[Smoothy]

Thinkingaboutit.

First I would not bother with a HT for just 500fu, go for 800-1,000 to make it more economical and worth the donor scar.

Shock loss is a thing that 50% do not experience so dont let that weigh your decision. This is a day procedure with 7-10 post op recovery.

You should not excercise for 2 weeks, then start back light-- cycling I would say in 4 weeks you would be back to normal, but you shouldnt lift weights/strength train for 8-10 weeks to prevent donor stretching.

[chris2b]

If your just getting your temples done, I doubt you would suffer much from shock loss, because their probably isn't hair around where there putting the grafts anyway. As for excersising, I'm a weightlifter and my doctor told me no to raise my heartrate over 100 for a week and not to lift anything over 40lbs for a week, but after that he says I'm fine ease back into my routine.

[Robert_]

Chris2b,

 

Since you are a weightlifter I would like to draw your attention down to our newest forum Physical Fitness Issues.

 

I think that it has been getting a bit overlooked since it is at the bottom but if you have any advice that you think other members would be interested in that would be great.

 

-Robert

[Dr. Michael Beehner]

I would agree with the one responder who said to go by what your own hair surgeon recommends. Each of us becomes comfortable with a certain set of guidelines that work for us over the years. Those of us who have been hair transplant patients ourselves probably have an even better idea of what is a reasonable, practical limit of time before taking on full sports activities.

In my practice, I tell my patients to lay off of "heavy" exercise for 5-6 days and swimming for around 8 days. When the patient asks what I mean by "heavy", I mention lifting weights and sports or exercises which include vigorous running. Obviously, any sport that has a risk for getting hit in the head would be out until all the scabs had fallen off (football, team racketball, etc). Simple things such as a brisk walk, hitting a tennis ball back and forth, or golfing with a cart (sorry golfers, but it isn't really exercise!) I let them do the next day if they want to.

If I had to think about the actual "medical" reasons for having these limitations, I guess my main two that I tell the patients are one, that vigorous exercise raises the blood pressure while you are engaged in it, and if there was a small spot somewhere in one of the recipient sites or along the edge of the donor area that was barely being contained with the blood's coagulation, you wouldn't want that increase of blood pressure to be the difference between having a small artery branch bleed or not (probably most important actually for that first night after the surgery; I doubt it means much after that.) The second is that one sweats quite a bit with exercise, and sometimes the body becomes dirty with contact with dirt flying, etc in some sports, and could that possibly increase infection risk? I must say that I can't recall anyone in my 15 years of transplanting who broke one of the above rules (and I'm sure many of them did! I ran 10 miles the day after my second transplant in 1982)and had a subsequent problem.

The commonest thing that actually does happen,which has nothing to do with the topic of limiting exercise is that many, many patients - who have never hit their head in their entire life - will hit their head on a car door or any of fifty other things during those first few days. Rarely, there will be a little bleeding and sometimes they knock a graft or two loose, but usually there is no harm. Short of putting some sort of suspended helmet on all patients post-op, I don't know of any prevention for this. Also, men with hard-hat jobs, we have them not work for at least a week after the transplant.

The last reason for having the physician stating some limits, I suppose, would be for the doctor to take himself off the hook in case anything did go wrong that first week and the patient blamed something on an activity which he thinks the doctor should have told him not to do. So I suppose the main difference between doctors' different regimens is how much risk they want to take for being blamed in this regard. I have a hunch that we could probably have patients do whatever they want as soon as they want, short of team contact sports (including basketball), and there would be no problems. But, I am not willing to take that small risk.

Mike Beehner, M.D.

[Dr. Michael Beehner]

A quick edit to my previous post: I re-read it and saw where I stated that after my ten mile run the day after surgery, I had a problem. I meant to say I had NO problem! Not recommending it though!

Mike Beehner, M.D.

[MDM]

Hi Dr Beehner,

Thank you so very much for taking time out of your busy scehdule to provide excellent information. It is input such as yours that makes sites such as this one so informative and helpful!