HairTrippin

1 minute ago, Gatsby said:

The SMP made much more of an impact I think. For one it changes the color of the white scar tissue. The grafts now in there are more of a bonus but also do make a big difference. I won't be having anymore SMP.

So when you got the smp, how did you know how much color you wanted and are you worried if it fades away? 

33 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

Before and after of old plug scars and repair scars in the rear donor. 
 

Dude what do you credit more, the smp or the grafts into the scar for concealing it? Are you gonna go back and do smp on the scar again, or you think the grafts made it unnoticeable? I feel like with smp you have to know what hairstyle you want to get it the right way. 

Can’t even see your FUT scar when it’s buzzed down that much. The combination of grafts and smp make it not noticeable. 

1 hour ago, Gatsby said:

Thanks @HairTrippin. I stopped the topical finsteride about a month ago now as it was muting my libido. I'm still on 5mg oral minoxidil and I definitely believe that it has helped all of my scalp and beard hair in terms on thickness.

So do you think you don’t need Finasteride if the oral min is keeping the hair thicker? 

Gatsby, are you still taking finasteride and oral minoxidil? Do you think they helped thicken your hair, looks amazing! 

Great coverage in the crown. Is this where your smp enhanced your results. I can't even tell you use BH, it blends so well, your beard and scalp characteristics must have been similar

28 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

To be honest I would try with SMP first (with an excellent SMP artist). If you feel you are not getting the camouflage you require then you can go more invasive with FUE beard grafts into the scar/s. I can feel the thicker beard/pubic grafts in my donor scars growing now. I keep my hair short at the back and sides but I don’t think I could buzz it dow to a true skin fade. But at the level it is cut now the scars previously would definitely be apparent. Now they’re not. 🙏

Only thing I’m worried about smp is color change and how it will look after a few years. How short are you cutting it now? So the beard and pubic hairs helped camouflage it more? 

33 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

Honestly living with the scars was the hardest part of all of this. It was like looking at a constant reminder of the stupidity and regret of what I chose to do. 

How short can you cut your sides for the scar not to show? My scar shows if I go 2 on the sides. Hoping if I implant some beard grafts into the scar I can cut it at a 2. 

What guard did you use on the sides and back? I can’t see the donor scars, do you recommend both smp and beard grafts into the scars, or do you think the beard grafts hid the scar very well? Great results without fibers man, happy for you! 

18 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

Yes I'm sure I will cut my hair short in the donor area some time down the track. I can feel the beard and pubic grafts already growing in the old donor scars.

That’s gonna be awesome because I have a fut scar and worry how short I can cut it without it showing. It would be nice to cut it to a 2 guard! 

Are you able to cut your hair shorter where the fut scar is now? You got beard grafts placed into the fut scar correct? 

25 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Quick tutorial on how I apply the topical.

How long you been on it and how many times a week do you apply it? Thanks for sharing 

17 hours ago, Gatsby said:

Over head pic today of the crown. 

What length is your hair on the sides and back, can you see your fut scar with how short it is?

Can you take a picture, it will be interesting to see how grafts placed into the fut scar appear in a low guard. 

53 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

The donor showing the lower scar having now disappeared from donor farming one year ago. The following photo just after beard grafts this time  implanted into the donor scars again again. 

Wow so the second picture is beard grafts placed into that fut scar immediately? It looks like it’s already gone, I can’t even tell.

Your donor looks thicker, do you think it’s cause of finasteride or oral minoxidil? For sure donor looks stronger than it was in my opinion. Hair looks awesome! 

6 hours ago, Gatsby said:

This surgeon was happy to operate on you at 22? The FUT scar is easily covered with your hair and you could always go SMP down the track. I wouldn't waste money on an excision or farming into the scar. Are you on meds for MPB? You're only six months in and there is more growth to come. Give it the full twelve months before making any decisions. You have great hair texture and caliber that aids in making the transplant look natural. All the best mate!

Why do you think you should not excise into the FUT scar? I’ve done FUT and considering putting grafts into the scar first then maybe smp just because idk how well smp will blend with different lengths of guards. But yeah if smp can cover the scar better to cut it to a lower guard then I don’t want to waste money on grafts. 

Can you cut to a shorter guard in the sides and back? I saw they transplanted grafts into your FUT scar, does your scar not show as much visually, could you cut it to a three guard or less without it showing? Results look awesome and with a 4 guard you can’t see the scar at all. 

24 minutes ago, BeHappy said:

I'd really like to see some after results of beard grafts at around the 3 year mark. I had several chest and beard FUE sessions over the past 8 years and mine always softens and straightens a lot between the 2 and 3 year time frame.

 

So they do take some characteristics of scalp hair? How well has your beard grafts blended with your scalp hair? This can let clients have much more grafts especially if you have a solid beard. 
 

2 minutes ago, sr1486 said:

Mine has to be much longer and I still see a “line” where the hair falls over the scar. But my fut scar is a keloid. Sucks. I got like 6 sessions of SMP into but none of it stuck because the scar tissue is different than regular tissue 

If it’s a keloid scar isn’t raised above the skin, which might make it harder for it to keep the ink. Have you tried microneedling the scar to improve it? I wonder if Ver could help with that. I’ve seen a lot of FUT scars that are flat get good results with smp, but idk how long the ink lasts on the scar. 

8 hours ago, Ganderson said:

I was thinking the same thing. For Norwood 7’s, who want get some texture and don’t want to go the SMP route alone, maybe a combination of Vert during extraction, SMP, and SMP later into the scars … I don’t know, seems like a pretty good solution for many who are ok wearing their hair short. Lots of possibilities. 

Yeah, imagine implanting grafts into the scar with Ver and then smp. I have FUT and I can get it to a 4 guard without it showing, but would like to get down to a 2 guard 

1 hour ago, Magic City said:

At present, this doesn't seem to be known/very well understood. The theory (and what has been happening in practice) is that verteporfin will block the usual scarring pathways when wounds are created which generate collagen rich, inelastic skin without sweat glands or hair follicles. In it's place, normal healthy skin seems to be regenerating.

What is yet to be seen and researched is whether excising an existing scar (e.g., an FUT scar or an FUE scar) and then injecting verteporfin will cause the wound to heal like normal skin including with sweat glands and hair follicles. It would be interesting to see if the body 'remembers' what was there originally from birth in the DNA and regenerates back the skin to that, with hair follicles, or if it just comes back as scar tissue as that was there before the excision took place for the verteporfin to be injected.

This is a priority area for research as there are many that have bodged donor areas, keloid scars they want to try and improve, or just over harvested donor areas in general.

Alternatively, some have suggested that one way of improving FUE/FUT scars could be to extract normal hairs grafts from elsewhere in the donor area, inject the excisions with verteporfin and implant these hairs into the scars. The scars will have more hair coverage, and the new FU extractions should regenerate with hair and more normal skin than scar tissue. 

Wow that last paragraph says a lot. Makes sense though because implanting new grafts into the scar injures the scar and then applying Verteporfin into it would maybe help regenerate the skin. You are disguising the scar in two ways if it does really work which is amazing. With the combination of hair grafts, Verteporfin, and SMP you could really disguise FUT/FUE scars very well. 

4 hours ago, Carlos0 said:

No, It works for both cases. "But" your surgeon would have to excise the existing scar first and only then applying Verteporfin would do the job. Simply injecting a dosage of verteporfin on a scar (without) cutting it out from your skin first shouln't do a thing. 

 

So if we work on the existing FUT scar and apply Verteporfin it would let the skin heal and diminish the appearance of the scar? I wouldn’t expect to have hair grow through it because of it being a scar for there for years. Just trying to get some clarification, thank you for your response.

It only works for new scars that have been just worked on correct? Wonder if they can somehow figure out how to use it for pre existing scars especially for fut scars, that would be amazing as well. 

On 10/10/2022 at 4:50 AM, Rocketman1 said:

Actually i was wondering about that: I hear from almost everywhere that the transplanted beard hair adapts the structure of your scalp hair as it grows on the scalp. I had many BHT transpplanted on my vertex 2-3 years ago but those hairs are still those curly and wiry, thick beard hairs. May we have to wait until they have gone through many cycles? But it would be a matter of years then...

Also i confirm what you say that i have also no idea where my chest hairs went into, i mean i can't identify them clearls between my scalp and beard hairs...

Thoughts anybody ?

Was it implanted in between scalp hairs to help make it blend? I think BHT softens up a little bit on the scalp more, but is still wiry and thicker compared to scalp hair. BHT should be blended with scalp hair so you won’t be able to tell the difference. 

Hey Gatsby, 

how’s the hair transplanted into the FUT scar? Did it grow, did it help conceal the scar somewhat so you can wear your hair shorter? I know you got smp on the scar does the ink difference show now that you grew your hair out?