Asian hair fue recommendations, i am currently in california

[michealscott]

can someone recommend a quality asian fue doctor? I am currently in California and was considering Dr. Diep or Dr. Umar or if there was a signficantly skilled fue doctor for asian hair I would consider flying. So far though Dr. Diep and Dr. Umar seem to be good doctors and they are local for me so I am leaning towards one or the other.

 

I also had a small fue previously a few years back but was unsuccessful. The transplant was in a linear scar from a brain surgery and the fue grafts did not grow well in the scar. The growth came out pluggy and very few grew. The doctor I previously had almost had no experience with asian hair, therefore I was considering trying a doctor that had experience with asian hair; maybe the outcome would be more successful. But am I just wasting my time and money trying again? Would there be a big difference with hair growth if I tried a doctor with experience with asian hair?

 

Thanks all, haven't been on here a while and I'm glad this community is still strong and active.

[gillenator]

michealscott,

 

Sorry to hear about your past experience and my premonition is that your past surgeon simply was not the best option for your procedure.

 

Listen my friend. Being Asian has nothing to do with it. I am also Asian and had four separate procedures since 1996 for a grand total of 6900 grafts. Three separate doctors worked on me. One of them did my first and last procedure.

 

You just want to be sure that the surgeon is competent, demonstrating both yield and artistic merit. You want a well established and highly recommended HT surgeon.

 

Another thing. Hair growth through scar tissue varies quite a bit. If you choose a good FUE surgeon who also has a good reputation for repair work, then it is possible to get that linear scar touched up. Is it very wide or is it more thin?

 

What Norwood class are you at present? How many grafts are you needing?

 

Asians typically have great quality hair. Most have a high degree of coarseness however density levels can vary depending on Asian descent.

[michealscott]

I actually have two scars: one was wide and one was thin. For the wide scar I went to a quality surgeon who reduced the scar quite a bit and I am happy with the results. This is the same doc I had FUE with to test out whether hair would grow in my scar. The small sample was unsuccessfully as I explained and it came out with little growth and it looked pluggy.

 

This is the reason why I think asian hair may be different:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-DGxOtdZVw&list=UUo8MYXIn54T5q-5XuzdLTNA

 

My results were similar to this guy in the video. My doctor extracted hair from the back of my hair and transplanted it in the front of my head. My results were little growth and the growth I did get were harsh and looked pluggy.

 

Judging by Dr. Umar and Dr. Diep successfuly asian procedures I thought I may have a better chance with HT from a surgeon with experience with asian hair. If there are other surgeons who has had experience and success with asian hair please let me know so I can take them under consideration as well.

[gillenator]

Good to hear that the scar revision came out to your satisfaction.

 

Now I understand where you are coming from regarding "asian hair". As I stated, many individuals of Asian descent have a high degree of coarseness to their hair. Although this trait is not exclusive to Asians, this is why they do have some superior donor qualities.

 

A couple of things. Any work done in the hairline for individuals with coarse hair needs to have their donor grafts very carefully selected. Most people have their highest degree of caliber in the occipital zone which is the main donor area in the back/middle section of the scalp. This is partly why FUE is best in these cases.

 

IMHO, the reason the hairline may look pluggy is because the hair is too coarse. And in the link you provided, this is where FUE can "cherry pick" softer texture hair from the nape neck area or even the parietal zones of the scalp.

 

The hairline has grafts that appear mis-angled IMHO although overall the transformation looked good. And this is another very critical aspect of working with more coarser hair. If the angulation is off, even a little bit, it can stick out like a sore thumb.

 

Most Asians have black hair or very dark hair against a fairer complexion which presents a wide color to complexion contrast. Again this is why angulation has to be perfect.

 

The first row of grafts with coarse hair should be the softest available in the patient's scalp and the second and third row behind it are not as critical but still, a decent blend behind the commencement of the first line will produce the most natural result IMHO.

 

My wife is Caucasian and has blonde hair with a strawberry blonde tint to it. She also has the most outstanding degree of coarseness that is ideal for any HT procedure. She also has a fair amount of nape hair that is incredibly softer in texture and would be ideal for a hairline. She has a very thick head of hair so obviously would never need any HTs. The caliber of her hairline is just as thick as the rest of her scalp. But my point is that she has a very narrow color contrast so the thickness of her hair shafts are not as noticeable than if she did have a wide color contrast.

 

So there are plenty of individuals that have coarse hair and most competent talented HT surgeons can work with this type of hair quality and produce a natural, appealing result.

 

If the donor grafts are carefully and appropriately selected along with perfected angulation, the end result will be aesthetically pleasing.

 

One last thing. You mentioned a poor yield. That's not untypical with scar work however that should not be the case in a clean recipient area like the hairline. So if the yield is poor in a clean virgin area, then it's more a question of competency IMHO.