Almost 1 month post op after FUE 3500 grafts. Still a lot of redness on the donor area. Any suggestions? (photos)

Dear SamWeed,Thank you for writing in with your question. The short answer is that this is normal. You appear to have fair skin, so the redness is going to persist for a bit of time (up to 2 months in some patients, in my experience).Also consider that you may have had some shedding from the donor area itself. This phenomenon is called “telogen effluvium” and tends to more commonly occur in younger individuals (e.g.: men under 35 or so). From your picture you appear to be 35 or younger. When 3500 follicles are removed from your donor area, the body must then heal all those wounds, all at once (because they were created all at once). Well, with all that healing comes physiologic changes under the skin. These changes, in some people, can cause telogen effluvium, and thin out the hairs around the sites from which the FUE grafts were removed. This has the obvious effect of making the donor sites more visible. When you combine a mild case of telogen effluvium and extended redness of the donor sites in a man with fair skin, you may run into a look such as the one in the picture you submitted. A tincture of time will help; I would re-evaluate at 6 months. The hair that was shocked out of place due to the procedure should be mostly back by that time, and the redness should have faded by that time. I hope this information is helpful to you.

Redness or pinkish color in either the donor or recipient areas is certainly a normal part of the healing process after a hair procedure. In most patients, this is resolved by 3 weeks. In some cases it lasts longer for one of the following reasons:
- Lighter skin color
- Excessive sun exposure
- Chemical irritation (from shampoo, creams, medication or other scalp products)
- Mild dermatitis
- Some other active skin condition
If it has been more than 3-4 weeks, contact your surgeon as some simple things can be done to help get your scalp back to normal. If you are unable to contact your surgeon, reach out for an appointment with another experienced hair surgeon or dermatologist.
Hope this helps!

Redness is common in the FUE donor site as healing takes place. This is more noticeable in lighter skinned patients. It takes time as the small scars go through their normal healing phases. I would see your surgeon to make sure there is no folliculitis or irritation going on that could exacerbate the problem. 

Hi and thank you for the questions.
Since we have switched over to using Laser Cap treatments after the SmartGraft hair restoration procedure, I am not seeing a lot of this because of the rapid healing and hair regrowth that these two techniques help us and the patients enjoy.
I would suggest reaching out to the MD or office that performed the hair transplant to help suggest an option to help relieve this.

Dear SamWeedThanks for the question. There is nothing to worry about. As far as I can see even there are some new hair coming up in the area in which you request surgery. I wish you all the best.

Hello there. Thank you for your question. We see this commonly in some skin types. The redness usually disappears at month 3. We see this less and less now as we use PRP after the surgery to speed up healing. Don't bother with any lotions and potions they will probably make it worse. Your body knows how to heal itself.

Redness is normal at this stage and it is nothing to worry about.  Given the size of your treatment, it could take weeks to months for all of the redness to subside.

One month after operation is not enough time for the healing. Your head is still at the healing process. Before using any oil or ointment i would suggest you to talk with your doctor.

Postoperative erythema is a normal phenomenon from the donor area and persist up to 3 months.  Other causes to evaluate can include an allergy, infection, ingrown hairs, and other causes.  See your treating surgeon for best results!!

Hello, Thank you for your question and posting your photo. It is normal to have redness and itchiness in the donor area after the operation. This redness generally disappear in the 2nd and 3rd months. You have to give some time to recover your skin. Please apply to your surgeon for the itchiness.

Prolonged redness at the donor area after FUE hair transplant procedures is common. Most patients will allow the hair to grow long enough that this is not an issue and will not be visible. The redness does not require treatment unless there is any infection, which only your doctor can determine in person, and would be very uncommon. Itching can be treated in a variety of ways including topically and with oral medications.
All the best,