Intimate view of some strip scarring

[WHTC-7706631290]

Far too many patients come to us after being told that they will have a pencil-thin strip scar if they were told of any chances of linear scarring at all. Many times the scar will stretch over time and the patient can never wear their hair shaved short on the back and sides. Sometimes the orientation of the hair in the donor zone can be skewed because the hair above and below the scar can be misangled. This isn’t fair to the patient because they should be given full disclosure of all possible after effects of strip surgery.

To treat strip scars, we usually can achieve significant improvement with two small sessions of grafting by FIT. The approach to add lower density over more than one session has allowed us to conclude that the transplanted grafts have a much higher survival rate and better blood supply. Strip scars can usually be treated after six months.

Below is a view of a strip scar in the donor region that displays hair growing in opposite directions.

 

 

 

 

 

New - London consultations with Dr. Patrick Mwamba - Sat., Feb. 15th, 2014

[irishsailor]

Far too many patients come to us after being told that they will have a pencil-thin strip scar if they were told of any chances of linear scarring at all. Many times the scar will stretch over time and the patient can never wear their hair shaved short on the back and sides. Sometimes the orientation of the hair in the donor zone can be skewed because the hair above and below the scar can be misangled. This isn’t fair to the patient because they should be given full disclosure of all possible after effects of strip surgery.

To treat strip scars, we usually can achieve significant improvement with two small sessions of grafting by FIT. The approach to add lower density over more than one session has allowed us to conclude that the transplanted grafts have a much higher survival rate and better blood supply. Strip scars can usually be treated after six months.

Below is a view of a strip scar in the donor region that displays hair growing in opposite directions.

 

 

 

 

 

New - London consultations with Dr. Patrick Mwamba - Sat., Feb. 15th, 2014

 

Is dr mwanba not doing strip surgeries anymore ?

[WHTC-7706631290]

@ Irishsailor

 

 

 

Hey there, Irishsailor. Dr. Patrick Mwamba still performs FUT in some cases after careful examination has been conducted. He usually will determine if a patient is a strip candidate based on the patient’s specific goals. Some patients come to him to revise their strip scars and some come to him for treating complications with their strip scars. Even with performing trichophytic closure, we still effectively prefer FIT (non-strip) method over FUT (strip).

 

 

 

 

Free in-person consultations in London with Dr. Patrick Mwamba - Sat., Feb. 15th, 2014

 

World Hair Transplant Center

[Dr. William Lindsey]

How about posting a few examples of poor scars before and after your treatments so that we can all benefit?

 

I personally find placing hair in a scar to be quite variable in outcome due to the varying density and vascularity of typical wide strip scars.

 

Thanks

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[Spanker]

Shouldn't there be some type of signature in the posts made by clinics. I assume that this is not the doctor posting, but the account doesn't appear to belong to a single user, just the clinic (at least it has not been claimed by a user).

 

Does the same and only one user post to this account, and if so, do we just refer to the user as WHTC?

[WHTC-7706631290]

This example of scarring shows just how difficult it can be to treat strip scars. Even if there was a great amount of density in this scar, it would still be very noticeable due to the contrast that is created by the poor angles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@Spanker

 

Hello there. Let me attempt to effectively answer your questions regarding this user account. First, please refer to this user as WHTC. I have worked alongside of Dr. Patrick Mwamba for many years. I am the only person from the clinic to use this account. This single-user account was created merely for representation of World Hair Transplant Center (WHTC) as a contributor to the advancement of hair transplantation. The company is in a phase of expanding its operation and engaging in the development of cell therapy used in hair transplantation. WHTC is a member of this online community to share its general opinions with the public. We do our absolute best to ensure that forum viewers are educated in the standards of hair transplantation.

Clinics featured on this particular forum are advised to omit contact information in their profile signatures and in their posts. The only info that can be included in each post is a doctor’s profile. Usually representatives of a clinic will include a simple disclaimer in the signature that mentions the difference of opinions that may exist among members of a clinic.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your attention & inquiry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My opinions are not necessarily the opinions of Dr. Patrick Mwamba.

[Mickey85]

I am in full favor of complete disclosure. I find it quite shocking that when a strip scar turns out thin, the Doctor is heralded for his/her skills and knowledge but when the scar stretches it is "due to physiology". The fact that issues like scar stretching, the cut in hair caliber gradation and change in direction of hair growth etc are almost NEVER mentioned to the patient is wrong in my honest opinion.

[MrGio-WHTCClinic]

I am in full favor of complete disclosure. I find it quite shocking that when a strip scar turns out thin, the Doctor is heralded for his/her skills and knowledge but when the scar stretches it is "due to physiology". The fact that issues like scar stretching, the cut in hair caliber gradation and change in direction of hair growth etc are almost NEVER mentioned to the patient is wrong in my honest opinion.

 

 

Hi Mickey85. I am Gio from World Hair Transplant Center. I agree with your honest opinion and it is definitely valued. Patients' physiology can't be blamed every time the strip scar doesn't turn out to be thin. It's an unspoken subject in more cases than I can count. The potential for hypertrophic scars, stretch-back, and keloids should be discussed as part of informed consent. The subject of donor scarring and possible effects of surgery should be more openly discussed in public forum. Full disclosure should be the only promise made regarding hair transplant surgery. Protecting consumers with credible information is only relevant. The current common practices omit discovery of scarring for the newbies and uneducated patients. Inconsistency is transparent when integral representation is merely necessary. Many clinics have ambition to promote competence against surgeon fallibility. Clinics are less likely to present cases of bad strip scarring if effective treatment methods are unavailable. In reality the bad strip scars aren't being discussed for several reasons which are as follows: experience, treatment techniques, and instrumentation. Sometimes patients aren't properly evaluated and investigative medical research isn't properly conducted. In very unfortunate instances, there are patients who have undergone one too many strip procedures. Little do they know that stretch-back can occur up to sixteen months after a strip procedure. The directional change of hair in the donor area is a lesser known associated after-effect of the strip excision.

 

Hi WHTC-7706631290,

 

This post is very valuable in multiple ways. The fact that many patients aren't told this info before the fact of having surgery is travesty. Good work!

 

 

Free Consultation Dates & Cities for Dr. Patrick Mwamba

London, United Kingdom - February 15, 2014 (Saturday)

Zurich, Switzerland - March 8, 2014 (Saturday)

Bologna, Italy - June 5, 2014 (Saturday)

 

 

My opinions should not be used as medical advice. I am a representative of World Hair Transplant Center's European branch.

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Dr. Patrick Mwamba is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians

Edited December 29, 2013 by MrGio-WHTCClinic