To shave or not to shave?

[SADbutTRUE]

Question to patient reps ,docs n patients , it seems that if you dont have to shave down hairtransplant area ,the ugly duckling period would be less , in two weeks time , you would look like pre op, for the most part but does this method lessen shockloss n compromise growth ? Any patients have experience in this method,your input greatly appreciated , i wonder how many docs plant grafts without shaving , also is one method better then another in planting grafts ,stick n place vs traditional way of planting grafts .

 

[Bigmac]

I've had quite a few procedures now, FUE, beard FUE and FUT, probably around 10 in total. The largest was around 1600 graft Fut. I kept them on the smaller side so Id be able to keep them secret from everyone which worked. I never had the recipient area shaved down, just trimmed shorter. It never affected my growth at all. I think if the clinic are experienced and take their time then the growth is not jeopardised.
So I can say it does help post op, however, if it's a large surgery it's best to shave down.
Ps, I've also had temporary and permanent SMP.

 

[SADbutTRUE]

Thnks for info bigmac

 

[Save my Hair]

Some of the results I see on here where no shave has been utilised look excellent.... If I walked past them in the street I wouldn`t give a secondary look.... If the donor is shaved for FUE, it looks to require several days to settle down before a normal appearance will resume.

 

[janna]

I can understand when patients want to be discreet as possible so they don't want to shave the recipient or the donor areas. For FUE, shaving the donor is a must unless you plan on doing a very small procedure of 500gr or less of "long hair" fue.

In the recipient area, it's definitely more challenging to go through hairs when making incisions or placing grafts. It's not just the hairs that get in the way but add bleeding to the to the mix as each incision is made or grafts are inserted. Some patients bleed more than others so the whole procedure will take way longer than working on a patient with a clear field of view. One of the main problems when placing grafts with long native hairs in the way is either missing the incisions altogether or you double or even triple up the incisions with grafts because it's difficult to see if a graft was placed into it. Using high magnification to help place grafts is necessary but many clinics don't utilise good loupes for the placers.
A patient can have a procedure without shaving down the recipient area but they should be prepared to have a smaller size session.

SADbutTRUE,
I know of few stick n place methods - 1) where as soon as an incision is made by the physician a graft is inserted right away by assistants on both sides of the physician. 2) where grids are drawn in the recipient area for certain number of incisions. The techs make the incisions and they place the grafts after making set number of incisions into each grid. I can't say I'm a fan of #2 method for obvious reasons.
Which method is better? It really depends on the skill set of the clinic's team.

 

[SADbutTRUE]

Thnks for ur input janna, how do u like in uk in maitland clinic ?

 

[janna]

It took a little while adjusting to the wet and windy winters here. It was also a big adjustment work wise but it's going very well. Thanks for asking.