What about the aftermath, 15 years on...

[Lexie]

Hello all.

Can I ask all those experienced travellers out there what the longterm aftermath of a HT is....? I will follow for now the recommended suggested list of "the very best surgeons" (Shapiro Mediical Group, Hassan & Wong, Dr. Konior, Dr. Gabel, True & Dorin, Dr. Feller, Dr. Lindsey, Dr. Arocha and Dr. Raha). However, assuming I was able to find a trully good and moral surgeon that completed a good and natural HT, what are the future ramifications for an existing person at scale 5 or 6 in relation to:

- How bad is the scar at the back of the head and I guess it remains forever?

Presumably the scar remains like a "smiley face" forever?

Presumably I could never cut my hair shorter at the back than say, 10mm?

- The reason I ask about whether I could cut/shave my hair again down to 2

or 3mm is if there was any issue with the grafted hair on top perhaps

deciding (in the long term) to stop growing, or some other unforseen or

unexpected occurrence. Or perhaps the hair at the back of my head

continuing to recede down - you know, almost down to a narrow band at

the back of the head - hence would look daft with having hair at front and

top of head then big gap down to the narrow band at the bottom of head?

- In addition to the scar from the donor area, are their longterm scars where

the transplanted hair is inserted and hence could similarly never again cut

short the transplanted hair if necessary?

Have not come accross any mention of the above topic on the very informative forum, hence if there is anyone out there with that knowledge, it would be hugely appreciated.

[N-6]

A strip scar is permanent and healing of it depends in part on a patients physiology. If you are concerned about keeping really hair close in the back and not showing scar, you could try to put grafts in the scar or tattoo the scar but a strip surgery may not be right for you. There is no perfect procedure. An FUE procedure may help you keep hair shorter in the back and sides. There isn't a smiley face scar with FUE but it does leave small circular scars. If you are a NW 5 6 then you may not be a candidate for FUE.

[ArochaInfo]

Hi Lexie,

 

These are all good questions you are asking as you begin your research on hair transplants. Regarding the aftermath of a hair transplant, I would like to point out that no surgery is "scarless." That being said, it is possible to find reputable and skilled surgeons who have mastered their techniques in order to minimize scarring. It looks as if you have been provided with a good list of those surgeons to start with. Here is an article, along with a video of Dr. Arocha explaining "The Truth About Hair Transplant Scars."

 

The Truth About Hair Transplant Scars: What Every Patient Should Know - 17-Aug-11: Houston Hair Transplant, Houston Hair Restoration article: contact Dan Keeney

 

In addition, I would like to direct you to a thread I posted about a month ago, with a compilation of Dr. Arocha's patients and their donor scars. You can view the link here: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/164679-dr-arocha-fut-donor-scars.html

 

You can view the complete donor scars album Here.

 

I hope this helps!

 

~Kira

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Lexie

Stick around here for a while and you will certainly find the answers you are looking for....with the list of doctors you have mentioned, they are all excellent!!, you are certainly headed in the right direction...yes, there is gonna be scarring not matter what...factors to consider..the surgeon, your genetics, rest after surgery, allow time for scar to heal...all these play a role in scarring, or lack there of

Im almost 7 weeks post op and honestly you would have a hard time seeing my scar if you were staring at it...its still early though and things could change...

As far ad recipient scarring, there really shouldn't be any...

[Lexie]

Yes will definately sytick around and share my final decison and progress if that it is what is ultimately decided.

Just a shame they still have not figured out how to clone - I really thought 15 years ago with advent of computer and massive communications development that the medical world leap forward???

[England]

Honestly, I think that in 15 years time there will have been significant advances in hair cloning and that will become the de-facto standard. I do think that you're asking sensible questions in the mean time, especially considering unforeseen circumstances. If you really want to get a procedure which can stand the test of very short hair then FUE is your only option. Strip only works when you have the necessary hair to cover it up at the back, which isn't the case when your hair is very short. Most people may plan on keeping their hair long forever but there are numerous cases when this doesn't work, such as some diseases. All of that being said, if you're fortunate enough to never meet such unfortunate circumstances, strip can yield excellent results which can really transform peoples lives.

 

The best option for you really depends on your level of hair loss, hair characteristics and donor area information, some pictures would help.

[Lexie]

Thanks mate. Funny, the truth is that one of the reasons on the decision pendulum 20 yrs ago for not opting for a HT (although the main reason was that I simply did not trust any of the surgeons at the time) was that I thought on balance there would surely be a remedy in 5 to 10 years - yet despite undoubted incredible information share ability and availability on demand, we have still had very slow progress :cool:???

[Davis91]

I think 15 years is realistic for a major new product or type of service to hit the market in a way like propecia and rogaine have (although propecia is under siege at the moment). Hair cloning seems to be the ultimate goal and to bring this to market in an affordable way AFTER testing and confirming it will work will take some time. I actually think there are new innovations that are happening now that will bridge that gap to a certain extent. Repair cases are part of those innovations, work like Dr. Umar has been trying. New ways of dealing with scar tissues, FUE into scar, etc. etc., I think will become more common in some practices as technique develops.