Shapiro Medical Scars

[EmuSteve]

I noticed Janna/Matt posted a great photo album outlining several of Shapiro Medicals hairlines. You can find the link here:

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/showthread.php?t=144985

 

I know they do great hairlines (which is one of the big reasons I chose them for my surgery on the 30th). I was curious though, if anyone knows of a thread where they posted examples of their donor scar work. Matt was kind enough to send me 4 or 5 photos, but if there are more examples out there I'd love to see them.

 

Also, if anyone who has had a surgery done with SMG would chime in with their experience, what they think of their scar, and how visible it is (specifically, how close they can cut their hair before its noticeable... Matt told me 1cm), I'd love to hear about it. =)

 

Thanks so much.

[Arrie]

Emu,

I am only 2 months out of the chair with SMG, but I have concerns on my scar. This is normal considering it has not fully healed yet and thats why I am concerned. NN and I are almost on the exact pace on recovery time, because our surgeries were on the same month. I have my web blog going and trust me I take scar pics every time I update it. Emu my only question to you is what brought this up? Horror story? personal concern? Anything specific?

[EmuSteve]

Arrie,

 

Big personal concern. lol. I told Matt when I went in that my donor scar was the biggest deal for me, and I wanted to make sure it was as unnoticeable as possible.

 

I have only seen 2 donor scars from SMG in person.. the first was Dr. Rose's during my consult with him, and his was about half a centimeter (but, as Dr Rose said, his scar was from a surgery performed by SMG in the 90's. I think everyones scar was wider back then). The other was a patient I met in Matt's office during my consult up there. I wouldn't say his scar was great... I guesstimate about 3 MM wide, and a tad wider at some points. It still wasn't terribly noticeable, but wider than I would have liked ideally. His hairline looked amazing.

 

What are the concerns with your scar, if you don't mind my asking? How long do you keep your hair? Is it noticable?

[Arrie]

Emu it would not be right if I jumped to conclusions only 2.5 months out of surgery, but I like you have the same main concern about the donor scar. I don't know why that is, maybe we are so comfortable knowing the hair line will be amazing considering the doc, but I just have general concerns with the scar. I have not attempted to shave my sides with any type of hair clip, I just get a trim when I get a hair cut. We are alike in we both fear of a scar that will be noticeable, if it help look at my web blog. I took pictures right out of a warm shower so my scar looks pinker than normal. I take pictures that way so I can see exactly where the scar is and how its heeling. The guy in the office how long post op was he, and how large was his session? I haven't used any type of aloe or cream on my scar I just can't bare having goop in my hair, that just sounds messy...

[EmuSteve]

I think he said he was 9 months post op? Cant really remember, might have been 11.

 

Thanks for the PM Arrie. If you want to shoot me your cell #, Ill give you a shout sometime tomorrow. I live in Florida (Eastern Time Zone), so let me know what time zone you're in and what a good time to call is.

 

Thanks bro!

[TheHairLossCure]

If you are going to a good clinic, and I think you are, it is pretty unlikely you will have a bad scar on the first pass. 0-2mm is a good strip scar, but I think 3mm is still cosmetically acceptable. "Cosmetic acceptability" is, of course, subjective.

 

How many grafts are you going in for Steve?

[NervousNelly]

Emu,

 

I realize that from day 1 the scar has been your priority and I respect that. We all have different goals in mind and I personally went to Shapiro for his reputation on hairlines. Ofcourse all the research that I did also indicated that he was very conservative and skilled at not putting too much stress on the donor area and was very capable of limited scarring.

 

In saying all of that however, I believe that you have to prepare yourself for the worst case scenario unfortunately. The hairline design and artistry is in the hands of the doc, but when it comes to the scar, there are so many other variables at play that might be out of the doctors control. They might take every possible precaution and do an excellent suturing job, but how the skin responds is sometimes a bit of a crapshoot. Skill and experience allows them to prepare for certain scenarios but unfortunately there is still some degree of unknown.

 

At 3 months my scar is calming down and does not look as "angry" as it once did and as it lightens I am aware that it is narrower than I once thought. Will I have a pencil thin scar--likely not, but I do think that it will be very well concealed and considered in the acceptable range. Check out my recent photos in the album section. Remember also that I had previous work--that makes chances of the "perfect" scar lessen.

 

Hope that helps.

 

NN

[M&M]

I can only speak from my experience, but I am now 18-months out from my surgery and if you check out my profile and images posted on this site, you'll see that one of my major concerns is my scar. I had some scary work done by Bosley in the past (shocking, no?!) and certainly expected the tricho scar results I keep seeing in videos from H&W, so I was naturally disappointed when still to this day I feel I need to keep my hair longer to cover up my back. It's not readily noticeable, but even upon speaking to Dr. Shapiro post-surgery, it's clear that my results fall outside the norm / desired result.

 

 

 

I definitely owe some new photos of both the hairline and the scar very soon.

[EmuSteve]

Thanks for the responses.

 

Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but I'm glad I did none the less.

 

hairlosscure, to answer your question, I am going for approx 3000 grafts.

[EmuSteve]

M&M, when you say keep your hair longer, can you give me a number? 1 cm? 2?

[M&M]

Originally posted by EmuSteve:

M&M, when you say keep your hair longer, can you give me a number? 1 cm? 2?

 

Hi Steve,

 

It's about 4.5 cm (I just got my trusty tape measure out). It's by no means long, but it's certainly not short or buzzed. In fact, I ask my hairdresser to not use the trimmer on it anymore as I am getting more 'anxious' about anyone noticing (ie. if I bent over and someone was at the right angle...).

 

Now having said that, my pesky Bosley scar that they took at the nape of my neck is certainly more noticeable now than it ever was, and this is the primary focus of my concern. Perhaps some FUE into it would be a good step going forward.

 

PS - I have edited my earlier post to show the pictures directly in the post rather than you having to search for them.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Emu,

 

Scarring is a big concern and with all the horror stories out there - it is certainly understandable.

 

There are indeed risks with any surgical procedure and that involves the possibility of scar related issues. But in the hands of a top hair transplant surgeon, I believe these risks are minimal. In my opinion, you will be in the best of hands with SMG.

 

Bill

[Arrie]

M&M

Holy Cow please don't tell me those were the Shapiro scars on the back of your head! I am a Shapiro pt and I too dread the scar, but if thats a Shapiro scar I will be surprised.

[Janna]

I pulled out M&M's chart to see how wide a strip was extracted at SMG. 21 of the 29cm length strip was at 1cm, and the remaining was 1.2cm. 1cm or even 1.2cm width is by no means too wide a strip to expect a large donor scar. Subcutaneous sutures (inner sutures) were utilized before stapling. Trico technique was also used. Previous surgeries and how well your body heals itself are big determining factors in the final outcome. I believe if you go to the clinics that use the state of the art techniques, your scar lines will basically be the same. It's safe to say there's not one clinic out there that can guarantee a scar less donor area, or even a pencil thin donors scar. It is a crapshoot like NN stated. There are factors out of doctor's control with donor scars. The thing to do is make sure you have a doctor who does everything possible to minimize the risks of a large scar. I believe we do that with every patient. The larger donor scars can also be excised out as well.

 

M&M, feel free to pm or email me. I agree your donor scar is a concern.

[Arrie]

Thanks for clearing that up...

[NervousNelly]

I applaud a group that does not shy a way from a patient concern. This shows the integrity of the clinic.

 

NN

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

SMG is dedicated to make people happy

 

 

You've been hoodwinked. You've been had. You've been took. You've been led astray, run amuck. You've been bamboozled

[the B spot]

Glad to see Janna answered everyone's questions. (She's a lot smarter than me ))

 

Again, when measuring a clinic make sure you uderstand how they solve problems... problems that occur at EVERY HT clinic... Does the clinic step up and do what is right? Or, do they make you feel like the bad guy?

 

Anyway, SMG strives for perfection every time and has an unbelieveable record of patient satisfaction.

 

Take Care,

Jason

[Dr. Ricardo Mejia]

Scarring is risk factor with any surgery even in the best hands and even when we try to minimize the risks, it happens. I can guarantee you every doctor has had a similar result in one patient or another. Trocophytic closures help minimize the appearance of scars, yet they can stretch. This can be a result of the genetic variation in collagen and independent of tension factors. Surgeons have gone back and rexcised the small 3- 5 mm wide scars with hardly any tension on the wound site. This can be an option for you if you are concerned. Keep in mind, you can still get a stretch scar even after a minimal revision without any tension. These are sometimes the uncontrollable factors in medicine and surgery.

[TheHairLossCure]

To keep things in perspective, the scar in the photos resulted from a corrective surgery. In no way, shape, or form does this make the scar the patient's "fault". I am sad to hear it is bothering you M&M. But I suspect that some of the complications might have been, in part, due to the prior work (at the other clinic). I cannot specifically comment on how this might be fixed (don't really know your case). But given your new doc and the other quality resources you have at your disposal, I am quite sure you will find a good way to remedy the situation.

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

My signature I removed has NOTHING to do with SMG .

They are classy, caring wonderful people who will never abandon you. Dr Shapiro takes great pride in his work and isnt satisfied until you are .

Though there are good surgeons out there I would let any other touch my head after going to SMG

[M&M]

Originally posted by Arrie:

M&M

Holy Cow please don't tell me those were the Shapiro scars on the back of your head! I am a Shapiro pt and I too dread the scar, but if thats a Shapiro scar I will be surprised.

 

Hi Arrie,

 

Sorry for not getting back to you earlier, but yes it is from SMG (replacing an earlier scar from Bosley).

[M&M]

Just wanted to keep everyone updated. SMG and I are currently discussing my options, including scar revision or (my preference) another HT as I would like to still thicken up my front hairline and soften it a bit (get rid of the former Bosley M&M grafts).

 

SMG has been classy and quick in their response and I look forward to seeing more photos of successful tricho closures, especially repair cases, similar to mine (ie. non-virgin scalps).

 

B Spot - do you mind sharing your scar photos?

 

Pat - how is your growth and scar?

 

Question - if the scar is a result of any prior work I had done, is there any point to having 'scar revision' work done as this will likely just end up in further scarring?

 

Thanks all!

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

If you just go for ONLY the revision and take whatever grafts that gets you ,youll have a MUCH better chance of a thinner scar.

If you go for another session youll probably be back to where you started,unless your stretchback was caused by something you might of did.

The majority of wide scars that were closed properly was because too much donor was removed to fulfill your frontal needs

Its a sucky tradeoff but it it what it is.

Excessive tension is usually the MAIN culprit.

No matter who the doctor is its almost impossible to meet you expectations in the front and just take the perfect amount of tissue from the back without some form of tension, especially in multiple sessions where laxity is an issue.

The great news is ths SMG is stepping up to the plate and standing behind you. That is rare these days.

[Soulja]

Having FUE in the scar area would that make any sense? Sorry I'm new here and its my first time to post.. and I have scheduled a telephone consultation with SMG for next week, I was fine until I read this topic now got nervous although most of what have been said are facts..