fue and scarring

[Nasser1]

Hi,

 

I was wondering if someone had fue, would the recipient area be left with scars like pitting in the skin ? and I mean after healing process and everything if I wanted to shave my head will there be any pitting in the skin in the recipient area ?

 

Also if I am considering FUE what kind of questions should I ask the dr regarding the tool the use ? which is better a manual or automatic tool ? what size of tool is better if I want the extraction to be from my beard ? some docs use 0.6 mm diameter some use 0.8 others 1 mm ???

[Jazzy]

Nasser1.

 

As long as its under 1mm its fine. Manual is better but it depends which doc you use. Automatic tends to heat up and could damage the hair.

 

I have just had 3160 grafts from a doc in Belgium and i will post pics at the weekend.

 

Iam 7 days post op and i have no pitts in the skin.

 

How bad is your hair loss?

[Sean]

Hi,

 

I was wondering if someone had fue, would the recipient area be left with scars like pitting in the skin ? and I mean after healing process and everything if I wanted to shave my head will there be any pitting in the skin in the recipient area ?

 

Also if I am considering FUE what kind of questions should I ask the dr regarding the tool the use ? which is better a manual or automatic tool ? what size of tool is better if I want the extraction to be from my beard ? some docs use 0.6 mm diameter some use 0.8 others 1 mm ???

 

 

I don't see any pitting and donor feels like it did before. I can't really tell a thing. I put up a 5 month donor video in my thread showing the donor area up close. I don't know if you had a chance to check it out.

 

I think both tools are good, it depends a lot on the doctors extraction skill too.

Whichever tool they use, they have to angle it right. Motorized tool allows for faster extractions especially if you have straight hairs. Manual punch is slower and may take days to complete depending on the size of your session.

 

As far as the diameter, my own personal opinion is .75 to .9mm. I think if you go less then that, then you put yourself at risk for transection. You want to be able to get healthy extracted grafts. I think if you go 1mm or above, then pitting may be more evident. With the sizes I mentioned, you should be good to go. I had a variation between .8mm and .9mm. The grafts should be viewed under the microscopes too to insure the graft bulb is intact.

 

Good Luck.

[Nasser1]

Jazzy and Sean, thank you for your input.

 

When I said pitting in the skin I meant the recipient area like the hairline. If I wanted to shave my head after fue, after I healed and everything will there be pitting close up in the hairline ?

Edited March 29, 2012 by Nasser1

[Jazzy]

Yes you could shave your head if you wanted to.

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

If performed properly there should be no scarring or pitting/unlevelness in the recipient area whether the FUE or FUT method is used. FUE can leave very small white spots in the donor area in certain patients.

[CaddyTad77]

Does it matter what tools are used to place the grafts via FUE? Some Doctors use a variation of the choi implanter pen and have great results. Others use custom blades and have great results. Do both methods, if used in the right hands, leave undetectable scars in the recipient area?

Thank You.

[Michael Vories, MD]

FUE grafts are more fragile than FUT grafts. Our experience is that Implanter pens improve graft survival with FUE grafts. Visible scarring is a factor of the size of the instruments used. Most surgeons use 1.0 mm or smaller instruments in making recipient sites, and Implanter pens are 1.0 mm or smaller as well. These size instruments should not leave any visible scarring.

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Recipient site scarring is really rare. I see lots of unhappy patients coming for second opinions and maybe 1 a year has scarring in the recipient area that I can see without magnifyers.

 

Donor scars from FUE ALWAYS occurs. You simply can't make a cut in the skin, remove something, and not get scar formation. Now you can minimize it with smaller punches. But the smaller the punch used, the smaller the cylinder of scalp removed, and the higher the transection rate in multi-hair grafts...so with a 0.6mm punch I suspect the number of 2s and 3s harvested would be less than if a 2mm punch were used. But a 2mm punch leaves a large depigmented (white) scar. So there is a happy medium that each doctor has to figure out so that scars are smaller and less noticable yet you still harvest more than just a bunch of singles.

 

The problem that I'm seeing now, and have blogged about, is that one or 2 guys a month are coming in with virtually no results from an FUE performed by someone new to hair, and instead of having "no scar" as they say they were assured, they instead have 1000 white splotches in their donor area.

 

Bottom line, discuss all of this with your potential doctor before you sign up and thoroughly understand the pros and cons of FUE and Strip.

 

Lastly, decide if you really want a transplant. I spent a while the other day with a lawyer who needs 2000+ grafts, and as we got done the discussion he then says he might want to shave his head...so he wants an FUE. IF you might shave your head...don't get a hair transplant, strip or FUE, as either one will likely leave scars in the donor region that will be noticable with a clean shave.

 

There is never a rush to have a hair transplant...take all the time you need to make a decision.

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA