HAIR TRANSPLANT FORUM

Great healing!, the donor looks almost totally clean...very impressive for only 5 days post-op. You are going to go back to work and look like you never had any surgery.
Congrats!

PS: Do you permit us to post these photos on another forum?

TheVoice, you took the words out of my mouth! can this super-healing to be expected with most patients?
This is just unbelievable....i have seen strip and other fue patients but nothing that come close to this.
after 5 days he almost looks normal, fitlock and forhair what are the reasons?

The first week of healing here really tells the tale of how graceful the FIT procedure can be.

If we look at the progression of the photos, we see that incision heal by primary intention and the wounds contract. Sometimes we hear people claiming that FIT incision can increase in size post op. We find that the opposite is true in all case we have see. That is, the extractions shrink in size immediately post op.

The nice donor contraction that Swaynetrain is experiencing is usual and should be expected with any FIT patient. It is the result of 1) typical healing and 2) FIT technology.

Aside from the small, near invisible incisions in the donor, Swaynetrain is also cosmetically benefiting from minimal scabbing on the back of his scalp. In other words, he does not have large scabs/crusts over the extracted area. Even when many scabs do form, it is not really an indication of poor healing and it is temporary. But it is great to see that this donor is nearly undetectable even this early on. Donor scabbing tends to go away a bit faster that the scabbing of the recipient any way. I suppose Swayne is doing well in part due to his physiology and in part due to the his application of the Hair Cycle products. We have noted that Hair Cycle Biotin Spray and Donor Gel are great aids in physical and cosmetic healing. One should expect scabs to dissolve faster when using HC post op.

Day 6: Crusts and scabs are coming off at an insane pace
This is a long post but so much has happened. Its Day 6 Post Op (12/26/06) and our Christmas gathering was a challenge yesterday. It was a very rainy Christmas day in Baltimore so the weather justified a jacket and a baseball cap. My sister-in-law got a new camera and was taking photos like crazy. Remember…I have told no one about the HT surgery. Would she ask me to take the hat off? My nephew commented on my Ravens Superbowl hat (I know its an old hat)…would he take it off of my head jokingly? When we posed for photos, would one of my three brothers take off my hat for me? I averted each potential disaster. Whew! It all worked out. No one suspected a thing. Last night the scabs and flakes were popping off my grafts like a skilled bartender can easily pop beer bottle caps. It was nuts. Seriously, it is like an alien movie where something morphs into something else. The movie would be called “Alien Hair Graphs and the Men Who Love Them”. What is in that HairCycle biotin spray anyway? Woh! If I had to guess, I’d say that 15% had already fallen off, last night’s washings removed another 50% and this morning another 20%. It was so freaky that I waited until noon to take photos because I was convinced the remainder of the scabs would come off in the next hair washing. Wow! What an instantaneous turn around! Incidentally, I have been rubbing very gently...can’t have any pits on this dome. After the 3rd or 4th washing this morning, I decided to take photos. You can still see some crusts but I’m certain that most (if not all) will be gone by the end of the day. So…the suspense is killing me. Can I completely recover in 8 days AND shave my head before returning to work? Not sure but this is fun stuff. I haven’t had this much excitement since my cab driver got locked up right in front of me…but that was last week and another story. I digress. I trimmed the grafted hair a bit with clippers. My observation is that the HairCycle biotin spray actually made those grafted hairs grow in their new location. I didn’t expect that but that means they have taken root. If they have taken root and are growing safely then I should (in theory) be able to safely shave them shortly. Anyway, you can see the hair pretty clearly but the surrounding skin is really dirty. The old hair that was in the center was so miniaturized that the Hubble Space Telescope could barely find it. The new hair is strong, vibrant, and erect. What you see in the photos is new hair. Any shock loss is hair that was dying off anyway. Besides, I’m going to shave it again anyway so no harm no foul. Anyway, I scrubbed the crown hair behind the grafts with my finger nails and layers of dead skin and debris scrapped right off with it. I believe this tells me that when I shave the grafted area, it will take the dirty skin off too…leaving a clean shiny beautiful dome again. Looks like it will be a little pink though...have to cross that bridge when I get to it. Day 6 photos below.

Forhair...if Dr. Cole wants to use my photos then he is welcome to them. Just no TV commercials...lol. But seriously, if I can assist him in any capacity, just say so. I have more photos (by-the-way) in folders designated for each day. I only posted certain ones. If Dr. Cole wants me to send him a CD with all of my photos, I would be happy to ablige.

Day 7: All Scabs are gone
The scabs all disappeared last night. That was pretty amazing how they washed right off. Freaky. However, there is less excitement in this post. This is a roller coaster ride. In the photo there are a few marks but they are the skin that was under the scabs. The donor site is OK for concealment. The box marks are slightly visible but no big deal to me. There is an issue that I have noted several times regarding the recipient site where the discoloration exists. I took photos of my scalp before I shaved it. But I have to say...this is a buzz only situation for returning to work because the skin that was under the scabs has not healed completely. It is rough. Now...I do recall someone from Dr. Cole’s office pointing out that I could probably do a buzz. This must be the reason. Everything is going extraordinarily well in the donor region (from a healing and concealment standpoint)...the discoloration in the recipient site is a small set-back for me. But it can't be all roses. Due to the fact that the scabs just came off last night and there is an issue with the color, I am thinking that I will probably need a few more days to recover before returning to work. Photos below.

Swaynetrain - your donor looks amazing especially after only a week. congrats!

Wazzup...I really appreciate your kind words. I've seen your photos and things really worked out for you. My case is strange (perhaps its just me). I embrased my baldness years ago. Eight years ago, I had hair on a Friday and shaved it all off on Sunday night. A few thought I was crazy. I accepted it and was happy for many years with that look. At a time when everyone is shaving their heads, I (now) decide I want my hair back. I am bass ackwards for sure. This is going to be a difficult journey filled with ups and downs. It will be emotional and I'm already feeling the effects. But...I know I am in good hands and that consoles me. That's why I came here.