FUE - How inconspicuous can it be?

[blkblk]

Hi,

Last year I had an FUT surgery of 3300 grafts and am happy with the results however I would now like to go back and have some more work done. Unfortunately I won't be able to take another full month off work as I had done before so I don't think strip is an option for me this time.

I would like to go down the FUE path but am unsure what this would look like 1 week after surgery and have had trouble tracking down many examples from this site which show both donor and recipient areas 5-10 days after surgery.

I normally have my head buzzed down to a #4 around the sides and back and long on top. I am thinking of getting 150-200 grafts in each temple to thicken them up and around 800 grafts into the crown.

So, what I'm wondering is how well I could keep it hidden that I've undergone FUE if I only have 9 days off work after surgery. Will the donor area still be red after 9 days? Will the recipient have many scabs? Can the grafts be extracted without shaving donor down so far that my strip scar will be really visible? Can they be implanted without having to shave the recipient area?

If it is a lot less visible to do several small 'lunch time sessions' then I'm fine with this too. I'm very interested to hear your thoughts.

[Mickey85]

Originally Posted by blkblk

Hi,

Last year I had an FUT surgery of 3300 grafts and am happy with the results however I would now like to go back and have some more work done. Unfortunately I won't be able to take another full month off work as I had done before so I don't think strip is an option for me this time.

I would like to go down the FUE path but am unsure what this would look like 1 week after surgery and have had trouble tracking down many examples from this site which show both donor and recipient areas 5-10 days after surgery.

I normally have my head buzzed down to a #4 around the sides and back and long on top. I am thinking of getting 150-200 grafts in each temple to thicken them up and around 800 grafts into the crown.

So, what I'm wondering is how well I could keep it hidden that I've undergone FUE if I only have 9 days off work after surgery. Will the donor area still be red after 9 days? Will the recipient have many scabs? Can the grafts be extracted without shaving donor down so far that my strip scar will be really visible? Can they be implanted without having to shave the recipient area?

If it is a lot less visible to do several small 'lunch time sessions' then I'm fine with this too. I'm very interested to hear your thoughts.

You will still have scabs in the recipient area most likely, but it depends on your physiology and your Doctor's post op instructions. Because you only want a small amount of grafts, the Doctor could easily avoid shaving the scarred area so that it won't be exposed. Most Doctors(except Dr. Rassman) have to shave the donor area to extract. Rassman has a 300 graft limit on the shave-free procedure though.

All that said however, I think 9 days is too soon for any FUT/FUE procedure to be undetectable... You will have redness in the recipient and possibly at the back. The hair at the back will be uneven especially if you avoid shaving the FUT scar.

[blkblk]

Do you have any ideas as to how long it would be needed for most people to make it 'mostly' undetectable? How about 16 days?

[Mickey85]

Originally Posted by blkblk

Do you have any ideas as to how long it would be needed for most people to make it 'mostly' undetectable? How about 16 days?

I would say 16 days if it were not for the FUT scar. Problem with that is that if you shave you whole head, the hair would be even but the scar would be exposed for a good 3-4 weeks. If you shave the area above or below the scar(and keep hair around the scar to conceal it), you have a mostly shaved back and sides but with sections of longer hair.

You could possibly shave the whole head, lay low for 14-16 days and apply Toppik to the FUT scar after that. That should conceal it til the hair grows out. Check if Toppik can be applied that early post-op though.

[davidaaronhardy]

Originally Posted by Mickey85

I would say 16 days if it were not for the FUT scar. Problem with that is that if you shave you whole head, the hair would be even but the scar would be exposed for a good 3-4 weeks. If you shave the area above or below the scar(and keep hair around the scar to conceal it), you have a mostly shaved back and sides but with sections of longer hair.

You could possibly shave the whole head, lay low for 14-16 days and apply Toppik to the FUT scar after that. That should conceal it til the hair grows out. Check if Toppik can be applied that early post-op though.

Do I have adequate hair in the back for FUT?

[zenmunk]

davidaaronhardy,

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I do not believe you are a candidate for FUT or FUE. You have too little hair at your donor, and what hair you do have appears rather weak or diffuse. Who knows what the future holds regarding medical advances in hair restoration (cloning, etc.)? Perhaps you will be a candidate someday.

If you really want to do something to address your hairloss now, then I suggest you consider the following:

1) Buzz your hair to a 0 or 1 setting on the clippers,

2) Research temporary Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) from Milena Lardi of Beauty Medical. They are based in Milan, Italy. I think her work (what I've seen of it) is the best I've seen so far. It's a temporary tattoo procedure which creates the illusion of a scalp full of 0 guard hair. The advantage to that is if you don't like the outcome, then it will fade to nothing in two years. The disadvantage is if you love the work, then you'll have to have frequent touch-ups (probably every one or two years depending on the individual).

Spex is the UK and Overseas representative for Beauty Medical. Drop him a line for more information if interested.

z

[davidaaronhardy]

thanks. I guess maybe histogen is a hope... but otherwise your advice is well taken.

[Mickey85]

Originally Posted by davidaaronhardy

thanks. I guess maybe histogen is a hope... but otherwise your advice is well taken.

Histogen(HST) could be an avenue for sure. Although their results are iffy at the moment in terms of yield etc. I would love for there to be substantial proof that the donor area can regenerate(ie a full shaved post-op scalp with no missing hairs).