along with graphs in the crown (see pics) i had about 300 graphs put along my front hairline. i awoke this morning (3 1/2 days after surgery) with my forehead swollen all the way down to my eyes. i assume it is the numbig agent that somehow has filtered down from the front hairline. any others have this issue? should i call the doc? thanks in advance

justme,


Swelling is perfectly normal after surgery. Try not to lay flat on your back or front, but instead, sleep with your head propped up. Swelling will go down after a few days.

P.S. you didn't attach a picture.

Falc

Hi,

Not all patients experience swelling. If you do, it normally starts 72 hours (day 3 post op)
after surgery. It starts at the top of your forehead, the next day it moves down your face to just above your eyebrows, then just below your eyes the day after. So, it takes good three days to rid your swelling. We give our patients Prednisone and also instruct them to ice their forehead for the first three days after surgery to minimize their chances of swelling. Swelling will not hurt your grafts, it does make you look odd for few days.

It doesn't sound like you got all the information from your doctor on what you should be expecting post operatively. I saw another posting of yours on scabs. Each clinic has slightly different instructions on post op care. You should find out exactly what your doctor recommends.

Justme... I'm 8 days post-op so I know all too well what you are going through. The swelling did start with my forehead and on day 3 my eyes swelled up so much, I had to wear sunglasses for two days. You could only see half of my eyes it was so bad. My kids kept asking me to take them off because they wanted a good laugh.

I was told to massage them downward, but did very little of that thinking it wouldn't help. Lo and behold 2 days after that my eyes were back to normal and I had only a little swelling in my cheeks. IMO, even if you do nothing, the swelling should go away in a couple of days, but gently massaging the area helps spread out the fluids that were pumped into your forehead for the procedure.

Good luck with the rest of your recovery!

thanks so much for the response! this is an awesome site!!

Yeah some Star Trek fans call it the "Klingon effect". It does make you look a bit like them. I found that spending some time with a bag of frozen peas on your eyes and forehead makes wonders. If your eyes get really bad and almost shut completely, try that. 6 or 7 days after surgery day there should be no more swelling whatsoever.