Hair Restoration Blog

Picture taken During a Hair Transplant -- when transplantation of single hair grafts for hairline are almost completed

Hello Doctor how are you?

Thanks for giving me my pics.  I cant wait to start my blog. I attached some post op pics. Dr.Mohebi just a quick question, what is that white stuff during my post op?just curious since my brother brought it up when i showed him the pics.i was looking around the net to see other post op pictures,i wanted to find out what it was,but i didnt seem to see it on other patients.

thanks Dr.Mohebi.

A:

Hi there,

The white part of the grafts that you can see is the top part of the graft that is above the skin level.  As you know, a hair transplant does not implant hair but an entire organ.  This includes the collagen band around a follicular unit, microscopic muscle, small supporting vessels and a small portion of epithelium (superficial layer of skin) within each graft.  The white portion on the picture is the skin part or epithelium.  During hair transplant surgery, the goal is NOT to bury the grafts.  Buried grafts may folliculitis, sebaceous cysts and/or dimpling of the skin.  Here at US Hair Restoration, in order to prevent those complications, we make sure to keep the grafts slightly elevated from the skin surface.  Obviously the white part that you can see will dry up and fall off after a few days after a hair transplant surgery but this little mechanism alone can certainly prevent many problems that are seen by buried grafts.

Have a great weekend,

Best,
Parsa Mohebi, MD

Q:

I had a hair transplant two days ago and would like to use Bromelain to aid in reducing inflammation. I have heard that bromelain interferes with fibrin which holds the grafts in place. Do you know if this is true or not?

A:

Bromelain is a combination of some enzymes that are naturally found in the pineapple juice and stalk. One of the uses of Bromelain is for its improving effects on swelling, bruising and irritation of skin after surgical procedures and injuries. You are right about the fiblinolytic (dissolving fibrin) effect of Bromelain and for the same reason you should not use it on the transplanted areas of your head. Microscopic clots that initially form around the transplanted grafts are necessary to seal the follicular grafts in place within the first few days after surgery, when grafts are still fragile and can get dislodged.

There are some medications that can improve your swelling and redness after the surgery such as steroids that are proven safe for the growth of hair grafts. You need to ask your hair transplant surgeon about what to use to decrease the swelling and redness after hair transplant surgery.