Seth- Goodbye Stitches

On the 10^th day after my hair restoration procedure, I went to get my stitches removed.  This was a happy day, as the sutures and the suture line are probably the most uncomfortable part of the whole experience.  Trying to sleep when you have those stitches in the back of your head isn’t great, and it still gets sore along that part of my head.  So I was looking forward to getting these out.

I went to a walk-in clinic near my house to get the removal done.  When my name was called, I was greeted by a young male nurse.  He took me to an examination room and asked me about the stitches. 

Nurse:  “So, you have some stitches to take out?”

Me: “Yeah, I have some stitches along the back of my head here…” (I point out the area on my scalp).

Nurse:  “Oh, did you have hair restoration?”

Yes, that’s right - he knew exactly what was going on.  It turns out that he had had three smaller procedures done over the course of the last several years in an effort to stay ahead of his hair loss (I know, bad pun), and had all of them done by Bosley in Seattle.  He knew Dr. Winans and the staff at the office.  And, I have to say, his hair looked fantastic.  This guy is smart – get to it early, get a series of smaller procedures, and stay in front of the hair loss.  I never in a million years would have guessed that he suffered from hair loss or even a receding hairline.  I truly think that if you can pull it off, this is the way to do it.

So after we talk for a while about Bosley, hair loss, and hair restoration, the doctor came in and removed my stitches.  It took him about 15 minutes.  It was a little painful at times (he was a bit less gentle than I would have liked), and when he was done he vigorously rubbed the suture line with dry gauze.  I have to say that I don’t recommend this plan of action.  It hurts.  He cleaned up the area, but I’m pretty sure there would have been a way to do it that wasn’t quite so unpleasant for me.  However, he didn’t seem to respond to my cries of “Ow” or my squirming (he was old-school), and after about a minute of that we were done.

When I got home I laid down just to feel the back of my head against my pillow without the stitches.  Mmmmmmmmm…felt nice…

-Seth