DarGek

The pattern absolutely has to do with the doctor, the size can vary depending on the size of the punch. However, what makes the scar noticeable is hypo-pigmentation and this depends on the person. The development of keloids also depends on the person, and every single doctor has had a case of bad scarring. If a doctor uses a .8mm punch on one patient and a 1mm punch on another, the patient with hypo-pigmentation will have the most obvious scarring out of the two regardless of the size of the punch.

 

IMO having a small procedure isn’t the way to go about it, because you’ll benefit very little cosmetically, and if you’re unhappy with the scarring you’ll be regretting it. I know several guys on this forum that are now trying to get there scars filled by creating additional scars, it’s not a good position to be in, and again if it really matters it’s probably not worth it. But that’s your decision to make. Personally, my feeling is that results trumps all but obviously every person weighs things differently.

I agree you wouldn't be happy with scarring from 300 grafts placed in a random fashion but it would be hard to believe you wouldn't be much happier than if you had gotten 2,500 grafts and the same thing occurred. To me, the only thing you lose it some time. I believe it's just an additional 3 months so to me, if I get to even have some guarantee of success in return for that time, it seems to me like a better option.

How scars look is only partially the technique, punch size and tool of the doctor, a lot of it has to do with your own physiological scarring. It goes without saying there is no surgery without a scar, IMO if you’re focusing on the scarring rather than the result itself, you may want to look at other alternatives that are non invasive with no scarring like hair systems.

 

There is also hair loss concealers, I don’t say this to discourage you, but I’ve seen plenty guys be sold this false narrative of no scarring, only to find out they do infact get scarring and in some cases worse than what they expectated. Is this the surgeons fault? In most cases no, unfortunately some patients just don’t scar well. That’s why scarring may differ from patient to patient, so you can’t really say Dr. X gets the most consistent scarring because again some of that depends solely on how well the patient scars.

Sure, I don't disagree that it what those scars look like depends on the person but how large they are and how dispersed they are into some seemingly random pattern seems to make a huge difference and that is based on the doctor and the tools.

To your point though, I wouldn't be opposed to getting a smaller job done initially to see what kind of scarring is present. That way, I get to have at least something done, I get to see what percentage of follicles remain and the healing of the scars will give a basis for a larger job.

So we can't get enough of the "recommend the best doctor for whatever" type of posts, I get it but this is a bit different. I specifically want to know which of the FUE surgeons you have come upon which consistently have the best results in terms of minimal scarring or better said, imperceptible scars. Some doctors are amazing at the patterns they do and the small imprint they leave behind. I am currently nearing toward Dr. Maras and also looking at Dr. Bisanga and Dr. Lupanzula. I know they are good doctors but have no idea how good they master the art of making scars less noticeable. I am a pessimist so naturally I am taking a slightly different outlook of this.

I've attached pictures of what I could live with in terms of post-FUE scars and what would not be so great. I am a pessimist so naturally I am looking at the worst option here which involves using a shaver or even razor if the results later on aren't so great.

Honestly dont want any form of ink on me, especially on my scalp.

Goalbis to be able to maintain forelock, create more density in mid section and partially add more to crown. I want just enough where I can buzz my head without guard and it will appear to have more density than is actually there.

I'm not sure what your asking. Have you had an HT? What is LPP?

I am asking how bad the donor area looks for a future FUE or FT. LPP is lichenplanopilaris, a form of scarring alopecia which was surprisingly slow but was left untreated and did add to the natural progression of hair loss.

The shaved picture looks kind of moth eaten at the bottom. I think you might have donor thinning

It's more likely from the LPP I had 10 years ago but haven't had it since. I am not definitely sure about that though.

The first picture is at 3 weeks and the last one is from 1.5 months. I typically shave it with no guard for good reason. One surgeon was fine with doing FUT, another with FUE and a final one for FUE said it probably wasn't good. No one has ever told me I had a not so great donor region though but looking at it, it doesn't seem to be a good thing going on.

Edit: I had LPP around 10 years ago and it has remained inactive since that time which might explain the part you are seeing at the bottom although maybe not.

Hi everyone,

I previously was diagnosed with LPP. I have had it probably since I was around 15 but didn't diagnose it until I was around 22 or 23 when I started noticing my hair was decreasing. I then immediately took the foam and it subsided but at that point, the damage had already been done. I thought it was gone but very recently I just had another scalp punch biopsy and to my surprise it was still present on the top of my scalp. It has either been there for a while (it never fully went away) or it came back but the funny thing is, my hairline has remained consistent since I took care of it around 22 or 23.

The dermatologist I am going to is honestly worthless about it. I also have no idea, even if I cure it, when is it safe to try a procedure. Finally, given that my hair has been consistent over the years, it seems to be that there is a range in severity of LPP so maybe my case is dissimilar from others?

The problem is, my dermatologist is not an expert in LPP nor in hair transplantation. I need either a hair transplant physician or a dermatologist which is an expert in LPP or rare skin conditions to give me an honest answer. I would do Skype or whatever but I live in NY. If any of you have any recommendations for someone I would appreciate it.