Repair Work

[Guest]

When repairing a "pluggy" hairline, sometimes plugs are removed (at least some of them) and sometimes they are merely hidden by FUs.

 

Does this represent a difference in "philosopy' among doctors, or is it because patients must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis?

 

In general, when should one remove plugs and when should one merely hide them?

 

(This topic has appeared before, but I thought I would raise it again. Thanks.)

[Guest]

When repairing a "pluggy" hairline, sometimes plugs are removed (at least some of them) and sometimes they are merely hidden by FUs.

 

Does this represent a difference in "philosopy' among doctors, or is it because patients must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis?

 

In general, when should one remove plugs and when should one merely hide them?

 

(This topic has appeared before, but I thought I would raise it again. Thanks.)

[Guest]

prl-

I had a pluggy hairline from grafts I got 20+ years ago. Fortunately for me the plugs along the hairline had thinned considerably, making them easier to obscure with new FU grafts. I only had to lower the hairline about 1/2 cm to do this. I strongly suspect that in most cases the hairline plugs are more difficult to hide, and may have to be removed before getting the FUs. So, I think the answer is that this should be determined on a case-by-case basis.

[Guest]

There are many different philosophies among hair restoration physicians in reguards to hairline plug repair. However, when making a game plan for hairline plug repair you must use the important information about each patient. This must always occur on a case by case basis. It is well known that additional scarring can occur from plug removal. Therefore, plug removal should only be performed if the original hairline was placed to low on the forhead, or if the plug type grafts had to many hairs (especially dark hairs).If at all possible surrounding the plugs with follicular units and leaving the plugs to help with the density issue will lead to the best results.

[Guest]

I would like to add that in my case my hairline wasn't too low, so lowering it slightly was acceptable. I originally wanted the plugs removed because I thought they were so obvious, but my doctor convinced me that they would be obscured by the new FU grafts, which turned out to be correct. But, it was the thinning of the old plugs, and the position of the hairline that made this possible in my case, and I suspect that in many other cases this would not be a good strategy.