hair transplant recovery

[ratan]

how long is the post operative period where some one would notice that a person had hair transplant procedure done?

when the transplanted hair eventually falls out, what does the area look like? Is there noticeable scarring or no signs of previous hair transplant surgery?

[Dr. William Parsley]

Dear Ratan.

Usually the grafts are not very noticeable after a week if one shampoos and keeps the area free of crusts. I have had many patients where it is not that visible the next day. The two things that can be noticeable are general redness and crusts over the grafts. I have found that frequently spraying the scalp with a light saline solution during the transplant reduces the redness while keeping the grafts free of crusts. Frequently spraying the scalp after the transplant with water or GraftCyte also can help.

If a person has light skin and dark hair, the little hair stubbles can be a little noticeable. When possible, start wearing a cap a couple of weeks before the transpant so that wearing one afterwards won't draw so much attention.

Forget scarring after the hairs fall out. This is virtually unnoticeable as visible scarring is rare.

Hope this helps.

Dr. Parsley

[Guest]

For me it was about 3-5 days if even at all noticeable. On very close inspection someone might have noticed that I had tiny hairs were there were none before. When the recipient areas shed they looked absolutely indestinguishable from when they were bare previously.

 

The visual post-op results were my biggest concern and for me, turned out to be a non issue.

[Pat - Community Publisher]

Ratan,

 

Welcome to the forum. And thanks for the good question.

 

I think 3 to 5 days is unusually fast healing. Although with all micro follicular unit work the healing time has improved as the incisions are tiny with less trauma to the scalp.

 

Keeping the area hydrated with saline solution or procyte may also speed healing and keep scabbing to a minimum.

 

I generally tell people that if they are transplanted in a bald area they need close to a week before the surgery is not a visible issue.

 

After a week the scabs have generally cleared away and the redness has diminished. Often you will still have some residual pinkness on the scalp that can last for a few weeks. This pinkness can be subtle, like a light sun burn.

 

Some times a person will also experience some swelling in the forehead area, especially if their hair transplants were extensive and in the front.

 

I had swelling after my first surgery because I did not apply ice or cold packs to my forehead after surgery. I thought no swelling so no need for ice, right? Wrong!

 

Play it safe and apply cold packs Before you get any swelling. Normally surgeons will also prescribe a drug to help control any potential swelling as well.

 

Even after the first week a patient will still generally have small 1/4 hairs on the scalp from the transplanted follicles. However, once the scalp has healed these hairs don?‚??t really seem all that visible.

 

Most if not all these hairs will shed within two to five weeks. At this point (if your surgeon did good work) your scalp should look just like it did before surgery, with no pitting, cobble stoning etc.

 

At this point, if you are like most of us, you begin to wonder what you just paid all this money for.

 

Now comes the hard part - waiting, waiting, and waiting. Your patience and faith will be tested.

 

Best to forget and be pleasantly surprised in 3 to 4 months as the new hairs slowly grow in. At first they will come out thin (just like they went away) and by 6 months virtually all your transplanted hairs will be growing.

 

Now you are no longer a thinning balding man but a thickening man.

 

If you liked playing with Chia Pets as a child you will love this time in your life. It is pay back for all those years you suffered watching yourself go bald year after year.

 

From 6 to 12 months these hairs will get continually thicker in diameter as they grow out. So from 6 to 12 months your hair will appear to get fuller and thicker. At 12 months the hair will be fully mature and what you see is what you?‚??ve got. Congratulations!

 

I hope this helps - Pat - Publisher

 

Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

[Guest]

After a week, my scabs were gone, swelling was gone, and I looked about the same as before the surgery except for a lot of stubby little hairs. I didn't have any redness, but some do. Most of mine shed in 2-5 weeks, just like Pat said.

 

Hey, "thickening man", that's a pretty good one, Pat!

[Guest]

If a patient follows post operative instructions closely, recovery from hair restoration surgery should take no longer than 7-10 days. After this time period you will look similar to before having the procedure. How noticeable the scabs are that form on each graft depends on how much original hair you have going into the surgery. The donor incision and sutures should not be visible when you leave the office. With the newer follicular unit grafting the recipient incisions are so small and delicate that they normaly do not form scars.

[Guest]

I did forget to mention swelling as Pat mentions. This took approx. 7-8 days to fully clear (pretty bad for me). I was able to get away with sunglasses after the first 5 days. The surgery itself left very little to be seen.