Ok, I would have a near-perfect scar courtesy of Dr. Dorin, only I made one huge mistake: I didn't go back to their office and instead had the local medical center remove my stitches. So, 6 months after they were taken out, I discover that stitches were LEFT IN MY HEAD. In these spots, the donor area did not heal as well. I have read that this can affect scar tissue.

Overall, the scar is still very good. The little spots where you can see more scalp is where the stitches were left in. Most people have tiny imperfections when shaved down, so I think most people would see this as the average 27 year old's head.

I took these shots while I was in the process of giving myself a haircut. The donor area is shaved down to a #3, 2 and 1 guard although I stopped there and just used some of my girfriend's makeup to color in the area afterwords since I didn't want to commit to a #1 shave. It's not noticeable at all with the #3 buzz, but as I start to go down further you can detect a little spot above and a little past the back of the ear and end of the scar near my neck. If you move your cursor over these areas to block them out, the scar otherwise looks very acceptable IMO.
But just as a warning, have the HT surgeon remove your staples/stitches; it's worth it.

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All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice.

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Ok, I would have a near-perfect scar courtesy of Dr. Dorin, only I made one huge mistake: I didn't go back to their office and instead had the local medical center remove my stitches. So, 6 months after they were taken out, I discover that stitches were LEFT IN MY HEAD. In these spots, the donor area did not heal as well. I have read that this can affect scar tissue.

Overall, the scar is still very good. The little spots where you can see more scalp is where the stitches were left in. Most people have tiny imperfections when shaved down, so I think most people would see this as the average 27 year old's head.

I took these shots while I was in the process of giving myself a haircut. The donor area is shaved down to a #3, 2 and 1 guard although I stopped there and just used some of my girfriend's makeup to color in the area afterwords since I didn't want to commit to a #1 shave. It's not noticeable at all with the #3 buzz, but as I start to go down further you can detect a little spot above and a little past the back of the ear and end of the scar near my neck. If you move your cursor over these areas to block them out, the scar otherwise looks very acceptable IMO.
But just as a warning, have the HT surgeon remove your staples/stitches; it's worth it.

__________________
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All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice.

View my My Hair Loss Website

Great post! And your scar really has turned out well, even w/ the minor imperfections as a result of the staple-removal.

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That scar is well covered by your hair. So don't worry too much.

But, it is important to let the doctor who put in the sutures take them out. It give one more chance to make sure there aren't problems. Plus I encourage patients to come in at a month so see if their scar is on schedule. Occasionally we find an extruding deep suture, or place a small amount of steroid to help with any hypertrophy.

The person we are doing right now is flying back up here from Texas next week for suture removal. He is a bit more worried than most, having had 2 previous transplants by a large chain company and wants to avoid any widening if possible.

The keys to a good scar are:

Go to a doctor who can sew/staple well.
Keep the sutures clean in the postop period.
Gentle massage as I have blogged elsewhere after suture removal.
Nip small problems in the bud, don't wait for a big problem.

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

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William H. Lindsey, MD, FACS
McLean, VA

Dr. William Lindsey is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians

youngsuccess,

I remember you mentioning that the practioner who removed your sutures apparently left one in. Quite clearly, they didn't do a thorough job.

But kudos to Dr. Dorin for producing a pencil line scar that's barely visible even at a 3 clip.

I hope you don't let the minor imperfections that nobody will notice disappoint you. Your scar looks terrific!

Best wishes,

Bill

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Remember, true beauty radiates from within, not from the skin.

I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are my own.

Call me crazy, I really can't see anything that looks like a scar.

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Bill,

Before you hang the practitioner, it could be that no suture was left in, but rather a deep suture extruded. Extrusion is a statistical issue, and in my experience about 1 person in 30 extrudes a deep suture--whether it is hair surgery, facelifts, or skin cancer reconstruction. I have had patients that I myself took out there sutures, call me and say that I left one in; only to find that upon return to the office, that all they had was a bit of dry skin along the scar line.

Either way, this man appears to have a nice result.

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

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William H. Lindsey, MD, FACS
McLean, VA

Dr. William Lindsey is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians

Good points Dr. Lindsey. I'll keep the noose ready just in case :-).

Bill

__________________
Managing Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog and the Hair Loss Forum and Social Community

Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Subscribe to our Newsletters | How We Recommend Physicians

-----

To learn about how I restored my hair, view my my hair loss website.

Remember, true beauty radiates from within, not from the skin.

I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are my own.

Dr. Lindsey,
For alot of people it is not possible to go back to the doc whom performed thier surgery due to the fact they are traveling for these procedures. What I do feel is important though is to have a game plan and find a qualified doctor/nurse ahead of time in thier area who can do the removal of sutures/staples . That way you are not rushing around to find someone when you need to have them out. In a perfect world however we could all go back to the person whom performed the surgery.

How did you find out sutures were left in months later? How did you get them out?

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