3 MONTHS after strip surgery and no improvements!!!

[pitomtl]

Hi guys

I'm from Montreal and I have a few things to share:

I had my strip surgery on July 5th with Dr. Sabourin. He told me I needed two sessions so I paid 3 200 $CAN for the first one (about 3000 front of the head) http://www.docteursabourin.com/ the site is in english as well.

Well, after almost 3 months I haven't notice any changes. In fact, it looks like I lost alot of hair due to shock loss. There's a lot of redness as well due to sun exposure I guess ( I really had no choice, I'm a waiter and I had to work outside two weeks after my operation and baseball caps are not allowed)

I remember a month after surgery my girlfriend gave me a VERY soft head massage and the next morning all the incisions looked irritated (looked like I had round red spots all over my head) Then, two weeks after that I was blind drunk at some party and I had a one night stand with some girl I met (yeah, I know I'm a bastard but I can barely remember what happened :freaked: ) and she really grabbed my head hard...the next morning, guess what...my head was all red again.
My question is: Any of these events could have affected the growth of the new hair or is it maybe the doctor who didn't do this right?
Please tell me this is ok and that I just have to wait. I don't know what to do, really...I've been reading some of the posts and some people can see a difference after 10 or 12 weeks. I'm on my 11th week and all I see is maybe a dozen new hair and nothing else.

 

[ShedMaster]

I'm no expert but I thought it could take 6 months to see results?

 

[techprof]

3 months is too early. use minoxidil and msm to speed up transplanted hairs.
judge yourself in another 3 months
(btw i am 3 months postop).

 

[Thinning fast]

" remember a month after surgery my girlfriend gave me a VERY soft head massage and the next morning all the incisions looked irritated "

Holy crap! you can still see incisions after 1 month post op?

 

[Follically Challenged]

I'm 3 months post-op with no improvement. Like ShedMaster said, give it 6 months. That is when you'll probably start seeing alot of new hairs poking through. After 8 months most of the new hairs will be up. It can take up to a year (or even a little mroe i've read here) to see all the hair sprouted and good and thick.

 

[LookingGood!]

I hate to be hardass but this Doctor still does micro grafts which is somewhat dated. Mid 90's technology. I hope for your sake your yield is good.

 

[pitomtl]

Micrografts

Hi Looking Good:
What are the new techniques used by docs right now? I never thought micrografts were that outdated.
Thanx for replying. maybe for my second operation I'll do even more research.

 

[CCS]

It is normal not to have any hairs at 3 months, and shock loss is kind of normal, and if it happens, probably will not start growing back in until much after 3 months.

As for the redness, it is normal for your scalp to be very pink for 2 months, and it is mostly faded by 3 months and gone by 4.

I'd be much more concerned about a woman putting force on the donor area than the recipient.

I am a bit surprised you saw a change like that at 1 month. Mine did not get redder. Though when I removed the crusts at 3 weeks, it was redder underneath. But at one month I think it would be much less responsive to touch. Still not out of the question. I'd have to see what you are talking about. Maybe you did not expect pinkness at all. It takes months to go away, maybe more time than the numbness.

 

[Guest]

Did your doctor counsel you or provide you with post-op instructions advising you to protect your grafts from exposure to the sun?

 

[pitomtl]

Redness

Hi:
In fact,I'm not sure it was after a month or less but maybe it got irritated on the surface. I don't think I messed up the roots or anything like that...well I hope not.
As for the post op indications, one of the Doctor's asistants told me a few things about the healing process and what not to do but if you visit their website that I just posted on my first message they say that sun exposure is good for the healing process

 

[CCS]

gillenator,

I've been coving up with a hot, and limiting my sun exposure, but 3 months post op I've been going out without a hat. I ride my bike to and from class, which takes 5-10 minutes each way. Am I putting my grafts at risk? I don't sun bath or walk around in the sun. Just building to building on my bicycle. No helmet.

 

[LookingGood!]

gillenator,

I've been coving up with a hot, and limiting my sun exposure, but 3 months post op I've been going out without a hat. I ride my bike to and from class, which takes 5-10 minutes each way. Am I putting my grafts at risk? I don't sun bath or walk around in the sun. Just building to building on my bicycle. No helmet.

It shouldnt be a problem. I did the same after I had my grafts in July, just dont bake in the sun. The skin is sensitive and traumatized by the surgery for up to 3 months so the sun could aggravate it. My 2 cents

 

[Guest]

I am not a doctor but I beg to differ in opinion regarding the exposure to the harmful ultra-violet rays on grafts post-op.

Any other doctor I have spoke to or any reserach done all state that over-exposure to the sun post-op is a big no no for the obvious reasons. Most want you to wait for at least four months, some say three, but better safe than sorry.

It is highly advisable to not expose your scalp to those harmful rays for any more that 10 minutes at a time. And that's true whether it's post-op or not. :wink: