Scarring question

[Danielkiwi]

Hello guys

 

I have seen a lot of threads talking about donor area scar. But how about the recipient area scarring. Since thousands of incisions are made in the recipient area, does that leave scarring marks over the head. I would appreciate if hair transplant patients would respond to this question.

 

I am thinking long and hard if i should go under the knife but want to be well prepared if the procedure does not go well. I can live with FUE'ing the scar and buzzing my hair but am scarred about the potential scarring all over the the hairline as there would be no way to conceal that.

 

Any and all feedback would be much appreciated

[Anouar]

In the right hands they heal well and you cant tell anything. Donor scar is another issue and everybody heals differently.

[Danielkiwi]

Thanks for your response Anouar. So, lets say i had a bad hair transplant and wanted to shave off the entire recipient area, there would not be any scarring on my head correct?

[TakingThePlunge]

Danielkiwi,

 

As Anouar put it, "In the right hands they heal well."

 

This can't be stressed enough. Every surgical procedure carries the risk of scarring and in the wrong hands, hair transplant patients may experience recipient area scarring or even cobblestoning.

 

This was one of my concerns when having my first hair transplant procedure. When I brought this up to Dr. Alexander he dismissed the notion right away because, in his skilled hands, it's simply not an issue.

 

I can say from experience that there was no visible scarring in my recipient area and no detectable difference in scalp texture between the transplanted and non-transplanted areas.

 

I'll say that with the disclaimer that everyone heals differently and, of course, results will vary.

 

All the best,

[Danielkiwi]

Thank you taking the plunge. I have selected a very reputable doctor. so hopefully i should be fine...would you happen to know by doing a fue on the scar how much can you buzz the hair to? I want to be prepared for the worst.

[Dr. William Lindsey]

It all depends on the scar. An excellent strip scar may be undetectable, but they are rare. A very good strip scar can be camouflaged with just a small buzz of overlying hair, and if needed, an FUE could help....but probably not. A good scar may need FUE for a buzz cut to conceal it. A poor scar...well, that may need a lot of work and it depends on the doc AND the patient as both have a role in the healing process.

 

Lastly, one person's idea of a bad scar may not be the same for all comers. Recently I had a fellow travel to see me about a scar that really concerned him. While I think that I can improve it, I did tell him that I'd personally grade his scar as a B or B+, and hence an improvement to an A or A - may not be "worth it" to him as if he had a "D" scar.. which we might get to a B+ or A-; resulting in a dramatic change.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[Danielkiwi]

That is a great reply Dr. Lindsey. I wanted to know one more thing if you dont mind since you have done some excellent work on scar repair. I know there might not be a definite answer for this but could not help pose the question. If the scar is grade A, could this be concealed by a No.2 or No.3 buzz cut!! also, how would the transplanted hair in the recipitent area appear in the buzz cut. Finally, lets say that a patient ends up having 3 procedures. Does that mean that he/she will end up with three different scars.

[Anouar]

if ur concerned with a linear scar why not go the fue route. BHR with Dr. Bisanga seem to be doing good work.

[EpilepticSceptic]

Well, I'm 26 days post-op out of a 4496 graft strip surgery, and so far the scar seems to be healing just fine. I think in the end the very best "rare" strip scars were likely accompanied by several factors:

 

1) the patient had remarkable scalp laxity as well as tissue elasticity, far above average. Therefore, there was negligable tension on any part of the wound

 

2) the patient's genetic healing characteristics are both quick and smooth in the way the skin forms to mend the closure, resulting in little or no significant bumps or indents along the scar line

 

3) the doctor was top notch in his field and an expert at forming secure, level closures where skin meets skin smoothly and evenly

 

4) last but not least, the post-op period (usually 10-14 days) needs to be taken seriously by the patient, and a methodology must be employed to sleep soundly whilst using a blow-up travel pillow that prevents the scar from ever touching anything. The importance of this in the first few days cannot be underestimated IMO. At this time the initial "mending" is occuring and cevered cells in tissue are rejoining in an attempt of the body to heal. So if one is placing weight on the scar unknowingly during sleep, or even the area of scalp just below it and stretching the skin downward, then IMO the chances of deforming and stretching the scar are the greatest at this very vulnerable stage. Therefore, one should set aside 2 weeks or more post-op where there is no work or stress so as to focus exclusively on this important healing period. I know for a fact that I slept very soundly the first 10 days, and with a travel pillow under my neck with my head suspended, so as to have 0 tension placed on any part of the wound. It was a chore, but I felt a necessary one. Valiums help, and don't be afraid of sleeping pills either. You just need to knock out, turn off the mind, and sleep because that is the body's most intense healing time; and you need to sleep like a log so you don't move that head around unknowingly!

 

Anyway, I am keeping my fingers crossed that I might end up with an A+ scar. I've done everything in my power to eliminate any mistakes, so as to leave all the chance up to whether or not my genetics can do the rest.

[Danielkiwi]

if ur concerned with a linear scar why not go the fue route. BHR with Dr. Bisanga seem to be doing good work.

 

As much as me and everyone would like to go the FUE route, we all know that there are limitations like

 

1) Low graft survival rates

2) Limitations in the number of grafts that could be harvested in one session

3) Higher cost

4) Reluctance of a lot of doctors to recommend this procedure

 

Also in my case i live in the US and most definitely do not want to travel to Europe with the quality of doctors in North America. But a few doctors that i have consulted have all recommended FUT over FUE. Can you recommend any doctors that would do a session of atleast 3000 with FUE

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Daniel

 

Your post on FUEs is right on. I think that the pendulum sometimes swings a bit too far to one extreme and FUE is great for someone who: doesn't need a ton, is scared of scarring, and who wants a short haircut. That being said, we have a guy coming up who needs 3000 who is getting a couple of FUE procedures by me. I tried to encourage him to go with a strip, not just because of time and money, but also survival and flourishing of all the grafts.

 

But he's had a few discussions on this and I think he is making an informed decision.

 

As to multiple scars...I have posted a bunch of cases where the patient had 5 or so non parallel scars criss-crossing all over the head. I can't figure out who does all these scars(although I know 2 of the guys that do it).

 

I suspect most of the doctors on this site would excise the previous scar with a second or third case. The exception at our office is in someone who has a bad scar and needs lots of hair. Then we'll often leave the old scar and sew right up to it, to get the most hair. You can search a post I did with something like "double edged sword" of scar vs hair if you are really interested.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[Danielkiwi]

Thank you for your response Dr. Lindsey. 3000 is exactly the number i am looking for. How many sessions are you going to do that surgery in. If things dont go well, would the patient be able to completely shave his head without any scarring in the donor and recipitent site. Also, of all the FUE surgeries that you have done, what is the graft survival percentage? I would really appreciate your response as i am on the border with these two procedures. Cost is not a factor for me.

[Dr. William Lindsey]

I told him that we'd do 3 1000 graft cases. But, if we are moving along well...ie lots of success in harvesting, we'll continue on and not stop at 1000.

 

FUE is like a box of chocholates....you never know what you'll get in terms of ease and success of harvest. Most likely with straight dark thick donor hair, you'll get a high harvest rate....but unlike strip, sometimes those roots take a turn and it cuts the harvest success dramatically. You just don't know til you are in there.

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[Danielkiwi]

Thanks for your response Dr. Lindsey..If you dont mind, can you please elaborate the reasons for the unknown factor in the FUE...i cant really understand why the yield rate is low in a FUE session

[Dr. William Lindsey]

That is a horse that has beaten hard already....just search on this forum for exhaustive reviews.

 

But pulling individual FUE grafts out definitely stresses follicles more than cutting from a strip. Fortunately, with care, most FUE's grow well--but not as consistently as strip.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[Balboa]

yes its something the Armani people dont take into consideration they made pinhole scars all over my scalp and now that i had poor results with them you can see scars all over my hairline where every single graft was placed.

very depressed as not enough cash for repair and Armani people say they wont help with any reimbursements

conman they are all of them