time off from work

[ak9000]

Hi Guys,

I am thinking about a procedure and wondering how much time is required to take off before returning to work, without any visible signs. Would 5 days be enough?

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

It depends on what area you are having the transplant in. Also, how much hair do you currently have to camouflauge the transplants? Usually I tell my patients that in 7-8 days you should be fully recovered. The only thing that could still be noticable after that time is some slight redness. It may look like a small sunburn in the transplanted area. Depending on your skin and hair type 5 days might be pushing it. I use purified ocean water spray and Graftcyte spray to speed up the healing process. They really work well. Good luck.

[TeeJay73]

I can share with you my experience in returning to work after my hair transplants.

I have had 2 very successful hair transplants. Going into the 1st one, I was about an advanced Norwood III, perhaps even Norwood IV. Weak hairline and almost entirely eroded crown. I had maybe 15-20% density on top of my head.

After my 1st HT, I was back at work on the 10th day after the surgery, and no one noticed a thing.

After my 2nd HT, I was back at work on the 9th day after the procedure. However I had to wear a hat for 2 weeks. This was NOT because the effects of the surgery were visible, but rather because my doctor shaved away my hairline, so I had stubble in my frontal hairline area. It reached a level that allowed me to blend it in nicely with the rest of my hair in about 2 weeks; hence the hat for 2 weeks. If my doctor did not shave my hairline, then I would have not had to wear a hat when I returned to work on my 9th day after surgery, and no one at my work would have noticed.

By the way, shaving your head or any area of it IS NOT necessary for a hair transplant, in my experience. A few doctors seem to prefer it, but even they will yield to NOT shaving if their patients insist.

TeeJay

[Dr. Lindsey]

We tell all patients to expect a week of downtime for frontal procedures, less for crowns. Most folks have significant swelling around the eyes on day 3-5 up front; and that would make it difficult to be in the public eye early on. Surprisingly, we did have a 2200 frontal last May who placed second or third in a local charity golf tournament the day after his procedure....but that is not something I'd recommend as postop rest.

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA