I am in the process of researching Dr.'s for repair work. When I had my first HT 15 yrs ago I recall that my forehead was very swollen for about five days. I remember looking like Herman Munster. Wiht the new techniques used today do you get the forehead swelling? I have not seen anyone mention this problem on the board.

altair..its a pretty normal occurence...its merely the saline from injections most surgeons use to "inflate" the scalp a bit during surgery, to allow for more accurate placement of the grafts..the saline then has to drain somewhere...

some people will absorb it before it gets to the forehead and upper face...some wont...it dissipates within a couple days usually...

I'm not sure, but I have seen some posts that suggest that swelling tends to be the worst after the first procedure.

The whole dang procedure has evolved quite a bit since your first go-round, Altair, so expect a big difference in your next experiences. The procedure you underwent was shockingly crude, compared to what the best guys are doing today.

I didnt experience any swelling. I asked about this and Dr. Cooley said that heavy swelling can come from Docs using amounts of saline in the 500mL area. He told me that he used approx. 30 to 50mL in most of his procedures, so it actually dissipates very fast.

same here. Two HT's and no swelling! Not sure what really goes on with that.

Well, when A whole lot of saline is used, it has to dissipate somewhere, and 500 mL is quite alot, so it naturally will run down the forehead and into the face area before being absorbed. This is the cause of that swollen face look a lot of patients have after an HT.

Had the opposite experience of Hairworthy, despite the same clinic, one month ago. After about 5 days my forehead swelled up around the eyes so that I bore a striking resemblance to Porky Pig for about 5 days, during which I skulked around behind wrap-around shades as well as the obligatory baseball cap. But it passes ( and you stop grunting, too...)