Post Hair Loss Questions and Get Answers

If you’ve had a hair transplant, you know that the transplanted follicular unit grafts aren’t rooted in the scalp until approximately ten days after surgery.  Proper care of your transplanted hair and scalp therefore are critical during this time.  But what is the best way to care for your hair restoration surgery?  What will help facilitate healing?  What should you avoid?

Click here to see what patients have learned about what you should avoid for the first ten days after surgery.  You are encouraged to add your own thoughts and experience on proper care after your own procedure.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: hair transplant, follicular unit grafts, transplanted hair, hair restoration

In hair transplant surgery, if one experiences “shock loss” in the donor area, will it grow back?

This question was posed by a hair loss sufferer on our hair restoration forum and answered by Dr. Michael Beehner of Saratoga Springs, NY who is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians. His professional answer is below.

My sense is that in the majority of cases of donor hair shock loss, the hair mostly returns. I have had this happen three times in my career, none within the past 8 years, as I have gotten smarter with age, I hope.

In all three cases the hair grew back and there did not appear to be any permanent hair loss. I have personally seen four cases of extensive permanent loss above and below the donor scar in work done at other hair restoration clinics, and have heard of many others that colleagues of mine have seen come to them for repair.

One thing I have learned over the years is that, if at least one attempt has already been made by anybody to try and cut out the bare area, whether it’s from permanent shock loss or a wide scar, it is fruitless to attempt another excision procedure. Follicular unit extraction (FUE) into the scar is then the best option, even though the survival of grafts into this kind of tissue is less than the usual 90% we enjoy elsewhere.

Mike Beehner, M.D.

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Technorati Tags: hair transplant, donor hair, shock loss, hair grew, hair loss, donor scar, hair restoration, Follicular unit extraction, FUE

What is the difference between hair growth at 12 months and 18 months after hair transplant surgery?  How much more hair growth can I expect?

This hair loss question was posted directly to Dr. Raymond Konior of Chicago, IL, who is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.  See his professional answer below.

In my experience the final result for hair density following follicular unit grafting is seen around the one year mark.  This is especially true for healthy first-time hair restoration patients who have the benefit of excellent blood circulation.  Patients who have had prior procedures, especially those who have undergone minigrafting or old-fashioned hair plugs, tend to have more scar tissue and compromised circulation in the previous graft zones.  These patients may take much longer to reach their peak density, in which case the 18 month result could look better than the 12 month result. 

Another example where one may see a distinct difference between the 12 month and 18 month result is in those patients who develop a texture change in their hair during the early hair regrowth phase.  The reason that a hair shaft assumes an altered texture following hair transplantation is poorly defined, but I believe it is related to the healing dynamics between the follicle and graft insertion site.  Insertion openings for follicular unit grafts are typically less than 1 millimeter in length.  Although this very small opening appears to heal very quickly, one has to understand that scar formation still occurs between the follicle and the scalp.  After all, it is scar tissue that mends all soft tissue injuries.  Even though the graft insertion site is a very small wound, the scarring process has the capacity to alter the physical characteristics of the follicle for some patients, in which case the result is a kinky or highly textured hair shaft. 

Technorati Tags: hair growth, hair transplant, hair loss, hair density, follicular unit grafting, hair restoration, minigrafting, hair plugs, hair regrowth, hair shaft, hair transplantation, follicular unit grafts

A few days ago, I had hair replacement surgery to cover my hair loss and am having difficulty sleeping on my back.  At what point can I sleep on my stomach again?  I’m concerned about hurting the transplanted hair.

You can sleep however you are comfortable however, for the first 10 days, make sure you do not sleep with your newly transplanted hair touching or rubbing up against the pillow.  This will take some strategic planning and placement of your head.  As a stomach sleeper myself, I learned quickly how to put my head on the pillow without rubbing up against the follicular unit grafts.  I’m sure with some practice you can too.  10 days after hair transplant surgery, the hair grafts will be fully secured and you will no longer have to worry about it  :-)

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: hair replacement, hair loss, transplanted hair, follicular unit grafts, hair transplant, hair grafts

I had my hair transplant surgery for my hair loss five days ago. I would like to know if I massage my hair with oil if my new transplanted hair roots will be affected or not?

The first two weeks after hair restoration surgery are extremely critical as the scalp is still healing.  By day 9 or 10, the grafts should be tightly secured and you can apply anything that you would normally apply to your scalp.  Some hair transplant patients however, do apply oil to their scalp to help loosen the scabs during the first 2 weeks.  If you are going to do this, apply the oil with a dropper and don’t touch the transplanted area for the first 9 days.

Bill Seemiller - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: hair transplant, hair loss, transplanted hair, hair restoration, hair transplant patient

After hair transplant surgery, are there any drugs that the hair loss doctors recommend or prescribe to get a good amount of hair growth or is it just surgery that causes the new hairs to grow?

The good news is, transplanted hair will grow on it’s own and does not require any use of hair loss or any other kind of medication.  Some physicians believe however, that using Rogaine 5% (minoxidil) for the first 3 months after hair replacement surgery might help “jump start” early growth however, it is not required for the hair implants to grow. 

Hair loss drugs such as Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine with minoxidil however, are typically used to help maintain any “native” or natural hair you might have left.  Remember that hair transplant surgery does nothing to stop the progressive and unpredictable nature of male pattern baldness.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: hair transplant, hair loss, hair growth, transplanted, hair replacement, Hair loss drugs, Propecia, finasteride, Rogaine, minoxidil, male pattern baldness

I have some hair in the front of my head and if I were to get hair replacement in the front, is it necessary to shave my head?  I see most hair transplant photos with the recipient area shaved.  Does shaving provide a better chance for survival? Does it make it easier for the doctor to operate?

Though I feel that shaving the recipient area creates an optimal work environment for the hair restoration physician, in my opinion, it isn’t always necessary.

Where shaving appears to be most helpful is when transplanted hair is placed in between and around a lot of existing native hair. Around sparse natural hair, shaving is most likely not going to be as much of an issue.

The type of recipient incision made also may be a factor here. Whereas cases can be made for both perpendicular (coronal/lateral) and paralel (sagital) incisions depending on the hair loss patient, I have heard many physicians argue that sagital incisions do a much better job of sliding in and around existing hairs to avoid transection then lateral incisions. This certainly makes a strong case for physicians who do not require shaving of the recipient area.

At the same time however, those who don’t typically require shaving admit that surgery can take much longer when transplanting in between and around existing natural hair which could then potentially make larger hair transplant megasessions exceeding 4000 follicular unit grafts near impossible to perform in a single day.

Technorati Tags: hair replacement, hair transplant photos, hair restoration, transplanted hair, native hair, hair loss, sagital incisions, lateral incisions, natural hair, hair transplant megasession, follicular unit grafts

How many follicular unit grafts are available for hair transplant surgery over a patient’s lifetime?

This hair loss question was answered on our hair restoration forum by Dr. Paul Shapiro of Bloomington, MN who is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.  His professional answer is below.

In our experience most hair replacement patients have 6,000 to 8,000 follicular unit grafts that can be safely transplanted over their lifetime.

This brings up the basic question of what we are doing in hair transplantation. We are redistributing a limited amount of donor hair to a potentially expanding bald or thinning hair recipient area.

For the readers of this hair loss blog who are not familiar with the concept of limited donor supply or just want a good review, the Hair Loss Learning Center has a good animated video called “recreating a full look”. This video reviews the concept of moving a limited amount of donor hair and also has an interactive hair graft calculator to help you approximate the number of grafts you will need.

This hair transplant video can be viewed by clicking the link above and explains well the concept of limited donor.

Paul Shapiro, MD

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Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: follicular unit grafts, hair transplant, hair loss, hair replacement, hair transplantation, donor hair, bald, thinning hair, hair loss blog, hair graft, hair transplant video

I’m 5.5 months out from hair transplant surgery and not happy with my results so far.  On one side of my head, my hair seems to be growing much faster.  Is my hair transplant a failure?

Honestly, what you are experiencing sounds quite normal to me.  5.5 months is way too early to evaluate your final result.  Most patients only start experiencing hair growth of the transplanted hair between 3-5 months and it takes up to 1 year to mature. In addition, the average patient at 6 months is only seeing about 60% of their final result. Hair will also grow at different rates and may patients experience uneven hair regrowth.

I know you are anxious to see the final hair restoration result, but patience is extremely important.

Bill Seemiller - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: hair transplant, hair growth, transplanted hair, hair regrowth, hair restoration

This question was posed by a hair loss sufferer seeking hair loss help on our hair restoration forum and answered by Dr. Jeffrey Epstein of Miami, FL who is an elite member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.  His professional answer is below.

We do not require any of our hair transplant patients to shave the hair in the balding recipient area, for a few important reasons: first, it makes it difficult to resume regular activities for the first few weeks after the hair restoration procedure, and second, during the course of the procedure, I find the presence of the existing hairs allows me to more accurately determine the relative thinness of different areas of the scalp. Yes, it may take as much as an additional 90 to 120 minutes longer to perform a procedure of 2500 plus follicular unit grafts when the hair is present, but this extra time put in is a small price for the advantages of leaving the hair alone.

Dr. Epstein

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Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: hair loss, hair loss help, hair transplant, balding, hair restoration, follicular unit grafts