Importance of Scar Care: #3,2,1 Buzzdown

[youngsuccess]

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.

[youngsuccess]

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.

[thanatopsis_awry]

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

[Dr. William Lindsey]

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

[Bill - Seemiller]

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

[Rick055]

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

[Dr. William Lindsey]

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

[Bill - Seemiller]

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

 

Bill

[dakota3]

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

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.

[wantego]

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

[youngsuccess]

I was wearing my hair much longer at the time, and tried not to aggravate the area at all during the healing phase, so I wasn't touching it too often. Months later, I started feeling around, and felt two stiff things jutting out. I yanked with tweezers and out came two small, black pieces of stitching.

[youngsuccess]

Also, thanks for the comments. Bill, I do believe that the practitioner rushed the job, although I mainly blame myself for choosing to go there. Dr. Lindsey makes a good point, but I'm positive these were stitches... it looked like black wire.

 

If you can't see your HT surgeon to follow up with the suture removal, I would suggest going to a doctor you have a certain comfort level with. It was embarrassing explaining where the stitches came from; they looked at me like I was nuts.

[wantego]

Depending on your hair color the black may have made the sutures hard to see. For people not worried about being seen with sutures maybe red or yellow sutures would make more sense so they can easily be seen for removal or easily seen in a mirror if they are left in. Just an idea. I'm glad you found yours.

 

Originally posted by youngsuccess:

Also, thanks for the comments. Bill, I do believe that the practitioner rushed the job, although I mainly blame myself for choosing to go there. Dr. Lindsey makes a good point, but I'm positive these were stitches... it looked like black wire.

 

If you can't see your HT surgeon to follow up with the suture removal, I would suggest going to a doctor you have a certain comfort level with. It was embarrassing explaining where the stitches came from; they looked at me like I was nuts.