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A normal appearance after a hair transplant depends on the procedure method and the patient. Significantly less invasive than past hair transplant methods, today's options still leave superficial wounds. Patients must follow all post-procedure instructions to both foster recovery and, thereby, encourage the best results possible.
Most patients pick between two major types of hair transplantation: Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). FUT is the older and requires greater invasiveness, leaving a large orbital scar from the graft extraction that requires upwards of three months to heal. FUE, meanwhile, uses diffuse extractions that cause far less trauma but still require care.
FUT and FUE both also have no-shave options. These variants are perfect for busy professionals and patients with longer hair, as hairstyle alone can cover extraction and recipient areas. No-shave FUT has been around for awhile while no-shave FUE is comparatively recent. This makes the latter particularly important, as it allows for better precision and is less burdensome to the patient post-procedure.
Whatever method the patient picks, they must be active and aware to encourage recovery. FUE will leave scabs in both the donor and recipient areas, the latter naturally falling off after three to five days and the former falling off in seven to ten days. A hair transplant specialist well aware of the importance of recovery, Dr. Cole also has designed a clinically-tested, all natural hair care line, Hair Cycle, that facilitates faster and better healing from hair transplants while also encouraging overall hair retention and health.
Hair transplant recipients should also be aware of temporary discoloration. All patients will have a pink tinge in the recipient area. Severity depends on complexion, but some lighter skinned patients will have to wait up to three months for this discoloration to fully fade. After a month most patients of these patients can comfortably dab some concealer for a more uniform tone. No patient, however, deals with permanent discoloration in the recipient area. Questions? Contact us today!
Your scabs will fall off the donor area within 3-5 days and the recipient area in 7-10 days. We have products that can speed this up. You can purchase a post-op kit from us with products containing antioxidants that absorb the free radicals, thus speeding the healing process. You can also find the Haircycle KIT online or visit the Hair Cycle website for more information on post hair restoration treatments.
If you chose not to purchase the kit, you will need to mix a special salt water mixture to “mist” the recipient area and keep them moist. We can give you the correct ratios to mix. You will also need to shampoo with only baby shampoo for 2 weeks and do not use any styling products since they contain alcohol, fragrance and chemicals that can dry out and damage the grafts. You may have a pink tinge in the recipient area for up to 3 months if you are light skinned. A dab of make-up can easily hide this and it is not really all that noticeable anyway. Your hair will grow back at what ever speed your hair usually grows.