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Bad FUE scaring? lets see the pics.....


GNX1

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I have a scar on my chest from being stabbed and it stretched out over several years so to say a scar cannot stretch out over a long period of time is simply not so.

 

Not all wounds are equal. Some have more tension than others. All of my scars (HT and non-HT) tend to become less noticeable with time. They certainly haven’t stretched. But that totally sucks you got stabbed! Yikes!

 

numerous patients have been quite surprised to find that they did NOT get the 'pencil-thin' donor scar that their clinic promised them.

 

there are no doctors out there that will guarentee a patient a pencil-thin scar cause they know dam well they cant and wont guarentee that.

 

Ok, so do the doctors promise/guarantee a pencil-thin scar or not? You just contradicted yourself in back-to-back sentences.

 

strip patients get all bent out of shape when these facts are presented. especially the lucky ones who dont have bad scaring. its easy for them to defend it cause they were one of the "Lucky ones".

 

I’m definitely not one of the so called “lucky” ones to get a pencil-thin scar. My scar healed wider than what Dr. Paul would have liked. But I could still easily get away with a 4 guard. I’m only getting the scar revised so I can harvest more grafts via strip in the future.

 

Look, I’m all for FUE - I’m sure I’ll be getting it done sometime in the future. But all of this hysteria around nasty FUT scarring is severely overblown, especially from elite clinics like SMG, H&W, etc. This isn’t 2003 anymore. I’m probably worse-case scenario physiology-wise and I still don’t regret the FUT scar one bit.

 

But GNX1, I will concede that your avatar is far more attractive than mine. ;)

Edited by aaron1234

Dr. G: 1,000 grafts (FUT) 2008

Dr. Paul Shapiro: 2,348 grafts (FUT) 2009 ~ 1,999 grafts (FUT) 2011 ~ 300 grafts (Scar Reduction) 2013

Dr. Konior: 771 grafts (FUT) 2015 ~ 558 grafts (FUT) 2017 ~ 1,124 grafts (FUE) 2020

My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group

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i have seen stretched scars from all the major fut clinics, shapiro included. not saying. that they all end up stretching though. although the scars i have seen from shaprio are generally good, most of them are not as thin as the lucky patients that Janna posted up. not saying she is lying, just that i dont thibk the majority(70%) end up being able to shave to a grade 1. still very impressive scar results. do shapiro use staples??

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i have seen from shaprio are generally good, most of them are not as thin as the lucky patients that Janna posted up.

 

It sounds as though you have a revolving door of our patients passing through for your inspection. Do you have a clinic or an office set up somewhere majority of our patients stop by to get their donor scars examined? How many Shapiro patients have you seen? Maybe we can work out something for you to take pics of them since we have a tough time getting post op pics from many of our out of town patients. :)

 

In the last two years, I would say greater than 70% of our patients get similar to what I presented or at least a very acceptable pencil thin scars. 25% may get slightly wider than a pencil thin scar but are still acceptable where the patients don't need a scar revision or is a concern to them because they aren't looking to shave their hairs. Possibly about 5% or less would get stretched scars or a section of their scars are bigger than acceptable. Danger of the scars stretching is when they are very active post operatively where they put a lot of stress to the back of their heads. Or perhaps patients are prone to scarring. It's hard to say why some patients scar but a good indication is had a strip scar and they didn't have have good scalp laxity to begin with. Or, perhaps they're prone to scarring, or their laxity wasn't as good as expected?

 

Our doctors use various closure techniques depending on each individual case. Sometimes staples are used but not always. Dr. Ron probably uses staples more often than Dr. Paul. It's what each doctor feels more comfortable using and which method they feel will work best for each patient. Our clinic has always done state of the art closure techniques and our doctors continuously look for ways to improve it. In the last two years, I've seen more and more of our patients with virtually invisible strip scars.

 

We do fue and strip procedures. When consultations are given regarding donor scars and post op hair length, we normally inform our fue patients that they can generally expect to shave to a #2 guard, possibly #1. We inform our strip patients that they can shave to a #3 guard, possibly #2. If they can shave shorter, that's a bonus.

Edited by Janna
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I do agree with longroadahead.

 

Excellent answer Janna.

2 poor unsatisfactory hair transplants performed in the UK.

 

Based on vast research and meeting patients, I travelled to see Dr Feller in New York to get repaired.

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janna, without condescending me, please read what i said again. maybe i wasnt clear enough but i said that most of the Shapiro scar results i have seen were not as brilliant as the two you posted where the patients could shave down to a 1 grade. i didnt say the other scars i have seen were bad just that they wouldnt be able to shave down past a 3 which is great. just my observation.

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I read carefully what you said and it sounds to me like you've seen tons of our patients. I'm genuinely interested in how many of patients you've seen to give out your stats?

 

No offense taken by your observations and I'm not trying to offend you either.

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Ok, so do the doctors promise/guarantee a pencil-thin scar or not? You just contradicted yourself in back-to-back sentences.

 

no is what I mean is many clinics will have people tell them over the phone that their scar will be pencil-thin but when asked by the doctor to put that in writing they never would.

 

the reason I say that is cause I went to 2 well respected doctors in NY city about 5 years ago and the doctor went onto to say that most people will not have an ugly scar (define ugly I guess since it is subjective) but how I would heal is impossible for him to say.

 

the results I was never worried about as far as hair placement. the bad scar on the back of my head is what really concerned me and still does to this day.

 

the people that I spoke with on the phone asked if I had any questions and played down the possibility of scaring but the doctor would not put that in writing which I wouldnt really expect him to I guess but when ur told "Oh yea ur scar will be pencil-thin so no need to worry" I just assumed maybe they were doing something different then others.

 

Dr. Paul does produce some fantistic results tho I will give you that but I have never see any of their patient scars so I cant comment on how they would look after healing.

 

and lets face it there are numerous HT surgeons that only did FUT and are now offering FUE for their patients. if FUT was the "Gold Standard" then there would be no reason to offer another technique considering the end result is the same as far as placing hairs from the back of ur head to the front of ur head.

 

and btw my avitar is Ariana from the UFC..... yummy!:D

Edited by GNX1
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stripscar3.jpg

stripscar2.jpg

stripscar1.jpg

 

Since I came across these patients today of strip donor scars, I thought I'd post them.

 

There are limitations and risks for both strip and fue procedures.

And, keep in mind that both procedures are not the same today as it was 5 years ago.

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stripscar3.jpg

stripscar2.jpg

stripscar1.jpg

 

Since I came across these patients today of strip donor scars, I thought I'd post them.

 

There are limitations and risks for both strip and fue procedures.

And, keep in mind that both procedures are not the same today as it was 5 years ago.

 

Amazing work Janna. Could you elaborate a bit on your statement that "both procedures are not the same as they were 5 years ago?" I know that FUE has evolved with the different punch sizes, robotics, etc..., but how has FUT changed in the last 5 years?

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There are different tools and instrumentations used today that were not available 5 years ago. Only about 2 years ago, we started using Hypothermosol holding solution, ACell fine powder and wound sheets, along with specific instrumentations for harvesting the donor strip. We also have higher magnification loopes for the technicians while planting and dissecting grafts. Overall, the procedure has been refined over the last 5 years. I'm sure it'll continue to evolve for the better.

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There are different tools and instrumentations used today that were not available 5 years ago. Only about 2 years ago, we started using Hypothermosol holding solution, ACell fine powder and wound sheets, along with specific instrumentations for harvesting the donor strip. We also have higher magnification loopes for the technicians while planting and dissecting grafts. Overall, the procedure has been refined over the last 5 years. I'm sure it'll continue to evolve for the better.

 

Ty ma'am.

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Wow! Janna, those are some incredible scars. That's great news that these represent the vast majority of SMG's patients! Thoroughly impressed. ;) Even the flash photos couldn't make them look bad.

Dr. G: 1,000 grafts (FUT) 2008

Dr. Paul Shapiro: 2,348 grafts (FUT) 2009 ~ 1,999 grafts (FUT) 2011 ~ 300 grafts (Scar Reduction) 2013

Dr. Konior: 771 grafts (FUT) 2015 ~ 558 grafts (FUT) 2017 ~ 1,124 grafts (FUE) 2020

My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group

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Thanks Aaron. It's really great to see these nice scars on a consistent basis. I started noticing these type of scars a lot more in 2012 because I started seeing more of our follow up patients this past year in person.

 

With more patients opting for the FUE procedures due to their ability to shave in the future, we were curious as to how short they can cut their hair with strip procedures. It's tough getting good photos since most strip patients keep their hair longer. Actually, majority of the FUE patients keep their hair longer than #1 or #2 guard too.

 

If you had prior strip surgery, I think the best you can end up is with a pencil thin scar but probably not the invisible scars I've posted on this thread. The more strip procedures you have, the more risk you may end up with wider than average size scar.

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There are different tools and instrumentations used today that were not available 5 years ago. Only about 2 years ago, we started using Hypothermosol holding solution, ACell fine powder and wound sheets, along with specific instrumentations for harvesting the donor strip. We also have higher magnification loopes for the technicians while planting and dissecting grafts. Overall, the procedure has been refined over the last 5 years. I'm sure it'll continue to evolve for the better.
those pics u posted look great. thanx! how many grafts were taken from those patients and how bad was their hair loss prior to surgery.

 

without that info its hard to appreciate their final resut.

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The more strip procedures you have, the more risk you may end up with wider than average size scar.

 

A risk worth taking in my book if it means more hair. :cool:

Dr. G: 1,000 grafts (FUT) 2008

Dr. Paul Shapiro: 2,348 grafts (FUT) 2009 ~ 1,999 grafts (FUT) 2011 ~ 300 grafts (Scar Reduction) 2013

Dr. Konior: 771 grafts (FUT) 2015 ~ 558 grafts (FUT) 2017 ~ 1,124 grafts (FUE) 2020

My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group

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A risk worth taking in my book if it means more hair. :cool:
personally, I'll take my chances with beard and body hair before im left with multible scalpings on the rear of my head leaving permanent scaring for the whole world to see. and then having to worry about people say ....."that dude must have had a HT"

 

not that we should be all that worried about what others think but the fact is we do worry about it cause if we didnt then none would be concerned about noticable scaring....:cool:

 

I guess its all about personal choice but imo its more about people not wanting to save their money for FUE which may require quite a few body hairs to attain the results one might get from FUT. but, without the tell-tale scar SOME are left with.

 

I see there have been plenty of pictures posted pertaining to the lack of scaring one will get from FUT. but, there are far more examples of really bad FUT scaring that are a reality for many patients vs. FUE.

 

still waiting for all the bad FUE scaring pics. im sure there has got to be more. NOT punch scars. FUE scars.

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personally, I'll take my chances with beard and body hair before im left with multible scalpings on the rear of my head leaving permanent scaring for the whole world to see.

 

I have three separate scars, all of which have stretched. And no one in the entire world, excluding SMG and my mom, knows I have them. I guess if I shaved down to a 1 or 2 guard then people would see them. But why would I shave my hair off after I spent all of that time, money, and energy to get hair in the first place?

 

Some of the strip scars you just posted are in reality not too bad. They are only visible because the men chose to make them visible by shaving down or pulling their hair up. It's like complaining about a scar on your butt, no one (except your wife, girlfriend, partner) will see it unless you go around mooning everybody.

 

I guess its all about personal choice but imo its more about people not wanting to save their money for FUE which may require quite a few body hairs to attain the results one might get from FUT.

 

For me, it's simple math. FUT + FUE = more grafts than FUE alone (or FUT alone for that matter). Why one or the other when you can use both to your advantage?

Dr. G: 1,000 grafts (FUT) 2008

Dr. Paul Shapiro: 2,348 grafts (FUT) 2009 ~ 1,999 grafts (FUT) 2011 ~ 300 grafts (Scar Reduction) 2013

Dr. Konior: 771 grafts (FUT) 2015 ~ 558 grafts (FUT) 2017 ~ 1,124 grafts (FUE) 2020

My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group

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personally, I'll take my chances with beard and body hair before im left with multible scalpings on the rear of my head leaving permanent scaring for the whole world to see. and then having to worry about people say ....."that dude must have had a HT"

 

not that we should be all that worried about what others think but the fact is we do worry about it cause if we didnt then none would be concerned about noticable scaring....:cool:

 

I guess its all about personal choice but imo its more about people not wanting to save their money for FUE which may require quite a few body hairs to attain the results one might get from FUT. but, without the tell-tale scar SOME are left with.

 

I see there have been plenty of pictures posted pertaining to the lack of scaring one will get from FUT. but, there are far more examples of really bad FUT scaring that are a reality for many patients vs. FUE.

 

still waiting for all the bad FUE scaring pics. im sure there has got to be more. NOT punch scars. FUE scars.

 

Lol you're kind of like a dog that doesn't want to let go of his bone and will bump this thread by repeating the same thing over and over again... although I do appreciate your avatar and I was always a fan of blown Buicks.:D We are all adults right? We all know the pros and cons of FUT, FUE, and BHT. If you must shave your hair short in your donor area you will be able to go shorter after having FUE done. That is understood and Janna mentions this in one of her many posts. We also understand that FUT will yield a patient more in terms of graft survival, which is an accepted fact. So... if you're a guy that will never shave his head down to the bone in the back of his head and need as many grafts as possible, he probably would want FUT. If your donor is depleted then you may consider BHT. Common sense type of arguments.

 

Leave no doubt about it, FUE does leave scarring, you make it sound as if it doesn't occur. I googled "FUE Scarring" for you and this was the first result that came up. This patient had FUE done a year earlier, and as his hair is combed through the punch scarring is most definitely evident on the back of his head. I would dare say that if this patient shaved down his FUE scars might be quiet evident.

 

 

 

There are many,many bad FUT scars left over from the bad old days of hair transplantation, including my own. There are some bad scars that occur with the most current techniques used and the patient should understand that before he decides which type of procedure to go with. We get it.

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I have three separate scars, all of which have stretched. And no one in the entire world, excluding SMG and my mom, knows I have them. I guess if I shaved down to a 1 or 2 guard then people would see them. But why would I shave my hair off after I spent all of that time, money, and energy to get hair in the first place?

 

Some of the strip scars you just posted are in reality not too bad. They are only visible because the men chose to make them visible by shaving down or pulling their hair up. It's like complaining about a scar on your butt, no one (except your wife, girlfriend, partner) will see it unless you go around mooning everybody.

 

 

 

For me, it's simple math. FUT + FUE = more grafts than FUE alone (or FUT alone for that matter). Why one or the other when you can use both to your advantage?

lol...well, you make some valid points Aaron.;)

 

and I hear on why would one cut their hair so short if what they were tryn to do it put the hair back that they have lost? but some like to style their hair short.

 

I happen to cut my hair short but that's probably because im so bald that I dont have much of choice:rolleyes: so if I had a full head of hair I too would likely grow it longer and the scar would not be an issue.

 

I think I just like having the option of cutting it short and considering I have hair on my body like a Gorilla:mad: I have pretty much unlimited donor body hair so I guess its hard for me to relate to those that are limited to head hair only.

 

I really would never want to grow my hair longer then an inch or two on top and likely pretty short on the sides so utilizing body hair for me is a non issue even if it doesnt grow longer then 2 inches. im pretty confident it would grow 4-5 inches cause some of my body hairs are 1-2 inches now!

 

really hate my body hair. probably as much as I hate the lack of hair on my head. Grrrrrr:mad:

 

I was lookn at some of those photos I posted and ur right the scars really arent that bad if the hair was long but I guess its just a personal choice one makes. at least we have choices now cause when I first entertained FUE the only doctor around was Dr. Woooodz and I just could never afford what he was asking plus the travel expense to Aussiland.

 

I actually went to his first open seminar in NY City many years ago but personally I was never really all that impressed with his work. I always felt that he was too conservative on the placement of the hairline. Doctors were not allowed to attend but I did see Dr. True hiding in the back of the room peaking his head in....:P Dr. Woooodz seen him and wasn't very happy about it.:rolleyes:

 

I mean look how far the HT world has come in the past 10 years? I joined here well over a decade ago and have popped in here and there but now with so many good reasonably priced FUE doctors out there I feel there is real hope now.

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Lol you're kind of like a dog that doesn't want to let go of his bone and will bump this thread by repeating the same thing over and over again... although I do appreciate your avatar and I was always a fan of blown Buicks.:D We are all adults right? We all know the pros and cons of FUT, FUE, and BHT. If you must shave your hair short in your donor area you will be able to go shorter after having FUE done. That is understood and Janna mentions this in one of her many posts. We also understand that FUT will yield a patient more in terms of graft survival, which is an accepted fact. So... if you're a guy that will never shave his head down to the bone in the back of his head and need as many grafts as possible, he probably would want FUT. If your donor is depleted then you may consider BHT. Common sense type of arguments.

 

Leave no doubt about it, FUE does leave scarring, you make it sound as if it doesn't occur. I googled "FUE Scarring" for you and this was the first result that came up. This patient had FUE done a year earlier, and as his hair is combed through the punch scarring is most definitely evident on the back of his head. I would dare say that if this patient shaved down his FUE scars might be quiet evident.

 

 

 

There are many,many bad FUT scars left over from the bad old days of hair transplantation, including my own. There are some bad scars that occur with the most current techniques used and the patient should understand that before he decides which type of procedure to go with. We get it.

ur right. I am beating a dead horse here.... really I just wanted to see some poor FUE pics but somehow the thread went south.:mad:

 

lol... blown buicks. got that right! most unreliable POS car I have ever owned and still the funnest!:D no I dont own a GNX but have owned plenty other turbo regals:)

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ur right. I am beating a dead horse here.... really I just wanted to see some poor FUE pics but somehow the thread went south.:mad:

 

lol... blown buicks. got that right! most unreliable POS car I have ever owned and still the funnest!:D no I dont own a GNX but have owned plenty other turbo regals:)

 

Ha! Back in the late 80's when I was in college (yeah I know I am old) I saw a a Grand National with a bumper sticker that said: "I Eat Corvettes For Breakfast" and remember thinking that was pretty cool. :cool:

 

Good luck with your beard Fue, hope it works out for you.

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I mean look how far the HT world has come in the past 10 years? I joined here well over a decade ago and have popped in here and there but now with so many good reasonably priced FUE doctors out there I feel there is real hope now.

 

Yeah, I see that you joined in 2001. Major props bro! :cool:

 

StaggerLee is right on the money. Honestly, I love FUE (if it's done right of course) and if that is your preference I say go for it! Just because you prefer FUE doesn't mean FUT is all bad - everyone comes with varying expectations regarding HT's. To each their own. All the best to you man! ;)

Dr. G: 1,000 grafts (FUT) 2008

Dr. Paul Shapiro: 2,348 grafts (FUT) 2009 ~ 1,999 grafts (FUT) 2011 ~ 300 grafts (Scar Reduction) 2013

Dr. Konior: 771 grafts (FUT) 2015 ~ 558 grafts (FUT) 2017 ~ 1,124 grafts (FUE) 2020

My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group

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so what is the general opinion on the number of grafts that can be taken via FUE and NOT result is highly visible scaring?

 

it seems to vary from doctor to doctor. I guess the size of the donor area would dicdate that.

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so what is the general opinion on the number of grafts that can be taken via FUE and NOT result is highly visible scaring?

 

it seems to vary from doctor to doctor. I guess the size of the donor area would dicdate that.

 

Punch size may make a difference as well. 0.8 mm versus 1.00 mm may not sound like a huge difference, but it definitely adds up when leaving 2,500 scars in the donor region.

"Doc" Blake Bloxham - formerly "Future_HT_Doc"

 

Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum

 

All opinions are my own and my advice does not constitute as medical advice. All medical questions and concerns should be addressed by a personal physician.

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