I know shockloss and shedding is caused due to not only the life cycle of the hair, but trauma as well.

I was curious if keeping the swelling down and icing the forehead and donor area would aid in reducing the initial shock to the scalp and aid in keeping shockloss and shedding to a minimal.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

HairToday,

Some physicians believe the icing will help minimize the swelling of the scalp however, based on speaking to some physicians, the swelling is caused by injected fluid in the scalp during surgery in which case icing doesn't even help with that.

I haven't read anything that indicates that icing will help reduce shock loss. Because trauma to the scalp happens during surgery, I can't imagine that icing afterwords would make any difference on that respect.

Best wishes,

Falc

You should not ice the recipient area. This will not temper shockloss, as far as I know, and will only create complications as the grafts are setting. (Always discuss with your doc, of course!)

I wasn't actually referring to icing down the recipient area, rather the forhead. I would never directly touch the grafts so soon! But thanks for your reply and concern!

I'm just a little concerned. Im 5 days post op now, and i still have numbness around my crown and top of head where i did NOT receive grafts (grafts were placed in the hairline and front 1/2 of head).

Should I still be feeling numb in areas where i did no receive grafts? My entire head is still tight which i assume is from the swelling and tension.

HairToday,

Feeling numbness even in areas where no grafts were transplanted is normal. This is due to the nerves being cut during the harvesting of the strip. Over time, feeling will return, but it can take up to 6 months or even a year in extreme cases, and in many cases before.

I hope this helps.

Falc