Fleming/Mayer Flap Repair *Help*

[twothumbsup]

Hi All-

 

I am so happy that I found this place and with others who are in a similar predicament as me! Let me jump right in on my situation.

 

I had the fleming/mayer flap done about 5 years ago when I was in my early 20's and am really disappointed in it to say the least. When I had my initial consultation they made it sound like everything was going to go smooth and easy. Little did I know it was going to be the exact opposite. I also had the tissue expander which made me look like a freak. By the end of it all I was and still am disappointed in the decision I made.

 

I now have a thick, full head of hair in the front half of my head. However, now my back half of my head has been slowly losing hair for the past few years.

 

*My 3 questions*

 

1. I was thinking of doing something to fill in the back half of my head. But with my scarring from the flap surgery, what are my options?

 

2. With my current scars, what options do I have with them, i.e. filling them in with hair, etc.

 

3. I would also like to have my hairline softened up at the same time. I wear my hair down so it's not so much of a big deal but I would like the option of putting it up.

 

 

Thanks for all your help as I have struggled with this for the last few years, wearing hats more often and what not. I'll attach photos of my hair.

[wylie]

There are many qualified FUE surgeons recommended here who could help you out and soften your hairline for you. I have to say, for a Fleming Mayer, that result is above average, in my opinion. After you soften your hairline you should consider yourself lucky, as there are some real horror stories out there from this type of surgery. Good luck.

[twothumbsup]

Thanks wylie!

 

I have seen some real horror stories and do consider myself lucky.

Hopefully I could get this repaired and fill in the back half and soften the hairline. My main concern is definitely in the back because it's already starting to thin to a point where it's getting difficult to cover up the balding spots.

[TakingThePlunge]

twothumbsup,

 

Welcome! The best way for you to learn about your options is to consult with one of the prescreened hair transplant surgeons recommended by the Hair Transplant Network.

 

It appears that you are in IL. If so, you are in luck as you have three excellent surgeons in your state.

 

Good luck!

 

David

[RCWest]

I see you had the surgery done by Dr. Fleming himself. Most of the flap surgeries I've seen are total disasters. Yours looks excellent! Are you using Finasteride? If so, I'm sure you could find enough grafts to fill in that spot. It doesn't look too big right now, and you look to have great hair quality.

[twothumbsup]

Thanks for all the replies so far!

 

I did use Propecia for 3 1/2 years. I noticed a slight drop in my libido initially but continued taking it. I stopped taking it a few months before my wife and I were planning on getting pregnant because there was an increased risk for the baby. After that, I used it for a few months but then stopped completely as I don't want to be on any medications for the rest of my life.

[Derek7]

Between May 2006 and July 2009, I had two flaps, several scalp reductions and hundreds of micro grafts. This was carried out by Dr Richard Fleming at Beverly Hills, California. The results are 'terrible'. All this surgery has cost me about ?40,000. I was not a suitable candidate prior to all this. I believe their incentive was financial. I'm very annoyed and depressed. Can anybody advise me how I might be able to get a refund from these scam artists?

[win200]

Definitely way, way above average for a flap, and you're lucky in that you can end up with a really great outcome. Go to Konior--I'm sure he can address the back of your head. A relatively few number of grafts in front of the flap should easily camouflage the harshness of the edge.

[wylie]

Between May 2006 and July 2009, I had two flaps, several scalp reductions and hundreds of micro grafts. This was carried out by Dr Richard Fleming at Beverly Hills, California. The results are 'terrible'. All this surgery has cost me about ?40,000. I was not a suitable candidate prior to all this. I believe their incentive was financial. I'm very annoyed and depressed. Can anybody advise me how I might be able to get a refund from these scam artists?

 

Sorry to hear about your experience, it's hard to give advice without being able to assess your present state, do you have any pictures of your condition?

[twothumbsup]

UPDATE:

 

My hair loss has progressed since I originally posted and I haven't done anything yet.

 

I met with DR Konior and they suggested softening the hairline first, mind you this was in 2013 when the back wasn't too bad. I know he is one of the top doctors and I'll probably ask to reevaluate my current state soon.

 

I met Dr. Keller(2016) about a FUE and he suggested that all he can do is add 1.5 inches to the back of my flap, max. Dr. Keller suggested that with a FUE, my donor areas would be too thinned out and not look good in the distant future.

 

I would like to point out that both doctors were extremely helpful and very thorough. With that, my issue is that I don't think I have enough donor to cover the back. I don't want to take finasteride and I don't want to wear a piece on the back half of my head either. For now I have been supplementing with Toppik but its only a temporary thing.

Do I have a chance of adding enough hair in the back that it blends with the front half?

 

Her are my updated pics.

 

 

 

Thanks for the help!

 

Edit: Cant seem to add pictures.

 

Edit 2: Finally added the pictures.

Edited June 17, 2017 by twothumbsup

[Spidey]

Doesn't look bad at all... I am not a professional but if it were me, I would ask a qualified and experienced surgeon to see whether they could FUE the actual hairline/flap and redistribute the hairs in the mid and crown, and also into the hairline to soften it up and hide he scar at the hairline. This way you wouldn't have to tap into the donor region that much... You have pictures of the donor area? The hairline is really thick and I think you can get away with removing some of the hair via FUE and redistributing it.

 

Also, how old are you?

[Spanker]

Yeah, can't see pics.

 

what about FUE in your donor and flap area on top to even the density out some?

 

I would probalby look into a piece if it were me, but I understand not wanting to.

 

You really will need to be realistic with all of your options.

[gillenator]

Something has to give. That's the thing about hair restoration...donor is limited and for most of us, our potential for hair loss exceeds our available donor.

 

Another possibility would be to consider using some beard grafts for the crown area. It is diffusing however and will demand more grafts in the future if not on finasteride.

 

Some FUE grafts can be harvested above the ears and parietal areas to soften the hairline where the flap scar is but they must be done in single hair grafts and will take a fair amount across the entire front line.

[gillenator]

One other thing. Supposedly the risk for birth defects is related to the female handling the active ingredient, not the male who ingests it orally. I read that an ongoing trial was done where a group of male Rhesus monkeys were given the drug and impregnated the female monkeys who had zero birth effects in their newborns.

[Spidey]

One other thing. Supposedly the risk for birth defects is related to the female handling the active ingredient, not the male who ingests it orally. I read that an ongoing trial was done where a group of male Rhesus monkeys were given the drug and impregnated the female monkeys who had zero birth effects in their newborns.

 

Yea but when it comes to your own child, why would you even risk it over some follicles. I sure wouldn't. You don't know what kind of changes it could be doing that isn't physically seen. That's just my opinion. But I wouldn't even take FIN myself, let alone risk why cross contamination to my loved ones.

[twothumbsup]

I finally got around to uploading the pics. Here they are.

Edited June 17, 2017 by twothumbsup

[E39]

I agree with other posters. Looks pretty good for a flap. Yes, you could have an fue procedure and I'm sure in the hands of a great surgeon it will make a huge difference. Unfortunately without finasteride the results will be temporary as you will experience further loss. You'll probably need another procedure after that if you have donor available. It's a gamble. Nobody knows how much hair they will lose in the future.

[Spanker]

I want to mention this again. What about thinning the flap with a .8mm punch, dropping a few hairs in front of the flap to soften it, and moving the rest of the fue from the flap area behind the flap? Almost all the work will be behind it. Seems doable. Maybe a doc will jump on the thread.

[home1212]

how about prioritizing your issues by addressing the hairline first. Once you have a very soft nice natural looking hairline where you can wear your hair straight back or up, the crown may not bother you as much. Or at least consider leaving the crown for another procedure down the road? just a suggestion. best of luck and based on the surgeons you're considering it sounds like you'll be in good hands

[rev333]

Fin and/or Dut plus Rogaine would so have a very high likelihood of solving the crown and donor issues in a year then FUE the hairline a bit and you are good to go.

[Schiller]

Taking grafts from a flap is an option, at least it is in my case, according to Dr. Bisanga. Generally, having a flap hairline, I always figured this was possible.

 

But this goes back to the hairline discussions. Once you get used to having the thick hairline, it's hard to go back. Bisanga warned me more than once that the hairline would thin out and look different if he took grafts from it. Better to have the hairline or a overall thin top?

 

Just a comment, anyway. It's a curious, and difficult, intersection of a couple important topics.

[Al - Moderator]

I would go with adding 1.5 inches of hair behind the flap. I'd also try to add just a few hairs along the hairline to camouflage the scar from the flap a little. Then later you can use some beard hair to fill in the crown.

[twothumbsup]

Thanks for all the replies. My main priority is the back/crown area. I'm not concerned with the hairline because I wear my hair down anyways and doesn't really bother me.

[quidproquo82]

I was expecting an outright disaster but the front hairline actually looks decent. It would not take many grafts placed at the hairline to soften up the white scarring.

 

There is always the possibility of a partial hair system to cover the crown. The front hair is dense, so it could look totally undetectable. That said, a system may be off the table for you.

[thecenturion]

I got the Frankenstein Procedure in the Beverly Hills office of Mayer and Fleming in 1982. In those days, it was thought way better than the transplant route which was still rather primitive and unsightly. If you had really thick hair, like mine, you could maneuver things in a way that mainly concealed the weirdo Barbie Doll hairline - which looked more like a hairpiece than an actual  hairpiece. But, with a little spray and enough hair in proximity to the flap, it could all look essentially normal, overall. I refused to get the follow up flap procedure which replaced a balding crown with the other side of the scalp. Mayer tried to sell me on that and I might have gone through with it. But the pain and misery - which are severe - from the first procedure deterred me from going there.. thank God. This was sold as an outpatient procedure; but it shouldn't be. It's definitely major surgery. It should require a mandatory night in the  hospital - at the very least - and maybe two. And after that, you end up with a huge bump on the side of your head from the scalp being rearranged and has to be resolved with more surgery a few weeks later. Meanwhile, you look like a friggin sideshow freak or cancer patient with a tumor on your head. Nice.  Flash forward 30 years. A lot more hair has gone kaput and there's a lot more real estate exposed - but on the crown and sides. Plus, there's always been a weird bump on the back of my head near the neckline which has bugged me ever since. So, as a veteran of every Frankenstein procedure in the books - including the famous "Doctor" Underwood Synthetic Implants horror show in the 70s ( a major criminal med scam and worthy of a place in the Medical Malpractice Hall Of Fame. ) Bottom Line: Anyone thinking about getting a Flap Job should get their head examined by a competent psychologist first before even thinking about surgery at a hair transplant mill.    

Edited April 22, 2021 by thecenturion