Questions for HT # 2

[finaxz]

Its a pleasant surprise to come across this forum with so much information and to see all you people come together to share your knowledge and support each other .

 

My first HT was in mid 2009 in India .. It was just to increase my hairline by about 2 cms and to fill up my temple area a bit .

 

The problems that arose out of the HT were that :

 

1)The transplants were placed too wide apart and now the needle marks are too visible ( Its like the dots you get on your body when you get goose bumps )

I am not sure if this happens with every HT ? Some of the post ops pictures of others that I saw here , there werent any needle marks seen there , looked

quite natural .

 

So is this mainly because the surgeon didnt do it right ? If so , can someone shed more light on it as to what it is that was done wrong ?

 

I mean this is the worst thing that happened in my first transplant and the dots are a give away if not covered properly .

 

2) The angle's at which the transplants were placed grow almost straight and so the natural hair behind it gets bent upward and makes the forward

transplanted area look scanty and the needle marks visible .

 

Can someone explain more as to how grafts should be placed and more details on that subject ? Or redirect me to some place with such information .

 

 

3)The donor site was closed using triclosure but there are a lot of lumps felt there and a bit of streched feeling even to this date and if one felt their hand through my hair they can feel that its not an even surface and thats there is something uneven there . Further more it still scratches a bit and is prone to dandruff for some reason even if the rest of my scalp is free from it .

 

So , is it always like this for everyone ? What are the reasons for the lumps being felt so obviously ? Could it have been avoided , if it were dont properly

or is it always there for everyone ?

 

4) For second or third surgeries that people have , do they cut a strip from exactly the same place that they did before ? I am guessing the do it a little above or below it so that they can get the number of grafts that they want but with my previous scar itiching and have lumps , can I do something to improve that situation ?

 

 

5) I have some thinning from the natural front mid portion which will become visible eventually .

 

So should I get grafts placed in between the natural ones that I have there ?

 

I have heard that there is some reluctancy to place grafts between thinning natural hair that are a bit widely placed and that surgeons wait for people to loose hair almost completely in an area before they want to touch it . I feel if I am going in for a surgery and if I am not happy with the density there then I might as well get it done now and try to hold all of it through medication .

 

 

6) In the mean time I have been loosing some hair from the crown portion too , although I have been on Finasteride , Minoxodil , Homeopathy and some multivitamins . But looking at the needle marks from my previous HT , it leaves me very skecptical if this time I should cover my crown area or not. I mean if the needle marks are not visible , then further loss wouldnt make it look bad even if another session wasnt done , but for some reason if I didnt wish to do another session , then with further loss the needle marks become visible .

 

So I will appreciate suggestion if I should do the crown area or leave it alone based what I have written above and after looking at my pictures ?

 

I understand that this is a long read and there are multiple questions , I will appreciate anyone answering any or all of these with the knowledge and experience that they have .

 

I am posting pictures along with this , the first seven were taken just a little while after shower and the other ones after the hair dried a bit .

 

Thank you all for reading this and for your valueable suggestions ..

Edited October 23, 2010 by finaxz

[Thehairupthere]

After a few months it is normal to see bumps or pimples where the hair was transplanted because that is the first signs of growth, but at this point you should not have any bumpy area, and the incision marks should not be visible either. The bumps could be due to a larger instrument used by your surgeon, typically a proper size incision should be between 0.8 millimeters to 1.1 millimeters. The hairs growing straight up is due to your surgeon placing them that way, it could have been careless, as the grafts do need to be angled properly to your natural growth pattern. Your photos do show low density, that is something that you could correct with another treatment, which could also hide the unnatural direction of your hair growth.

 

If your scar has lumps or not as thin as it should be, as long as the scar was taken from the appropriate location, the surgeon can remove the old scar and take another donor section and leave you with one pencil thin scar. The lumps could be due to improper cleaning, you may have had crusts develop on your stitches that weren't removed in time, or the stitches may not have been tight enough allowing stretching, or it could be keloids but that would have to be determined in person.

 

If your hair is thin enough than a surgeon can place transplanted hairs in between them, and cause very little to no shocking whatsoever; once again this has to be determined during a consultation, but from the photos I see it looks like you can have another treatment to the temples, corners and hairline.

 

How old are you? How long have you been using finasteride and rogaine? If you are younger than 40 in many cases surgeons would recommend you avoid transplanting to the crown region due to the possibility that you will lose more native hair and do not want to use your donor supply for an area that is not esthetically significant as the hairline, forelock and top of your head. They may still be able to do a small amount to make it look thicker, but usually they do not want to use a significant portion of your donor supply unless they are quite sure your hair loss has stabilized.

 

I hope this has helped you, you can continue looking around this forum for more answers or the individual surgeons websites.

 

I represent Dr. Robert True and Dr. Robert Dorin in New York City all opinions are my own. Visit us at www.TrueDorin.com

Edited October 23, 2010 by Thehairupthere

[finaxz]

Thanks Thehairupthere , you post was very helpful and informative . Can you please explain to me a little more on the following :

 

You said the surgeon can remove the old scar and take another donor section and leave me with a pencil thin scar .. You mean for my next HT he will make another scar on the exisiting scar so that he can get the lumps out of it and then also make another scar a little above or below to get the donor supply for the next HT .. Is that how you meant it ?

 

I understand what you say about the incision marks and the hair growing straight . I wish I could do something to make the marks go away and for it to look natural without having to hide it . Is there any such thing possible ? So now the only thing that can be done to correct it is to have more hair transplanted around the exisiting in a correct manner .. Is that correct ? The ones planted straight might still make the rear natural ones turn around I guess and not allow them to go over the transplanted hair .. Or will it be a bit different with more hair transplanted at correct angle around the exisiting straight transplanted ones ?

 

Well I am 33 and have been following the Finasteride and Minoxidil regimen on and off but for the last 2 years I have been on it correctly . So I have made a note of your suggestion on the crown area and will see what the surgeon has to suggest after a personal consultation .

 

Thanks once again for your inputs ..

[Thehairupthere]

The surgeon would excise the old scar, by cutting along the same line the past surgeon gave you. Then he or she would take an area above or below that incision and close it with a trichophytic stitch. So now you would be left with only one fine scar you won't have 2.

 

As for the bumps there are a few treatments you can consider to reduce the bumpiness. First is cortisone shots to the area, laser resurfacing can help as well, and vitamin E oil may also help out. Once you do that you can have another transplantation treatment to add density to the area you had previous work on. This extra treatment would make the hairline look much more natural and full so it wouldn't be as noticeable, but if the bump do bother you I would suggest doing that treatment first before transplanting.

 

If you have another treatment with a coalition surgeon than the hairs that are transplanted will be placed in a correct growing pattern so this same situation won't repeat itself.

 

At your age transplanting to the crown is a bit premature, but consult with a coalition surgeon about a proper diagnosis for that area. Continue taking Propecia 1mg and Minoxidil daily, as it should help keep as much native hair as possible, and help you regrow hair especially in the crown. Only stop usage upon noticing side effects and consult with a doctor if that does occur.

 

I represent Dr. Robert True and Dr. Robert Dorin in New York City all opinions are my own. Visit us at www.TrueDorin.com

[mmhce]

Great response by Thehairupthere