Uneven colour distribution resulting from hair transplant

[Bertie]

I am surprised that this subject never seems to come up. Like many others, I am very grey/white at the sides and back of my head, but remain largely dark brown in the front of my head. However, I ensure my hair colour matches as I dye my hair an even dark brown all over. I am about to have my second transplant with Ron Shapiro on Mon July 13. As transplanted hair retains it colour, this means that my hair taken from the back of my head and moved to the front will remain naturally largely white, which will contrast with my largely largely brown hair at the front. This means I would look very odd if and when I stop dying my hair. Basically I'll have rather comical tufts of white hair at the front of my head, which won't match the rest of my frontal hair colour. I am 54 and mean to continue dying my hair for a while yet, but what if I choose to stop in a few years?

 

Why does this subject never come up on this forum? I would have thought it a common concern and a common occurrence. Any thoughts from anyone? I'd love to hear from others who have experienced this issue following a transplant.

[voxman]

Bertie, I think this is one of those situations that the ends with an "IIWII". (It Is What It Is). Going into it eyes wide open mean you'll have to continue coloring your hair if you want it uniform. I would think that as you get older, the native hair on top would eventually turn grey/white, but there's no guarantee, is there!

[Britanium]

I was kind of thinking the same thing... Im lucky enough to have colour still on my head. However im thinking of BHT from my beard - which seems to be slowly turning grey.. its making me think twice

about the BHT to be honest..

[MAGNUMpi]

This is something I have wondered about for a while and asked a few people with "salt and pepper" hair about. They all said the doctor took the color into consideration when implanting. Usually it was the other way around though. The hair from the donor was darker than the hair up front.

It is an interesting topic. Hope some more people chime in with their experiences.

[TakingThePlunge]

This is something that occurred to me as well but I have always had such oddball patterns to my salt and pepper hair that it didn't really make a huge difference in my case.

 

Gotta agree with Vox. We're pretty lucky to be able to move that hair from the back where it's not doing us much good to the front and top where it can be put to good use. Color is more of an annoyance than anything and dying is certainly a good solution.

 

You may need to keep dying it for a few years if you want that uniform color. Eventually I'm sure it will even out more.

 

Having said that, my hair seems to mimic my dad's which never went fully white but retained a lot of ugly, steely tones. Guys on my mom's side get the pure silver-white look that I find much more attractive.

Edited July 16, 2015 by David - Moderator

[pkipling]

Just another thought along these lines, as I've never really thought about this before. My dad always had brown hair (that has since turned gray), but his beard was always on the redder side. So a beard to scalp transplant would've had quite the effect on his color pattern in his hair (and much more strange than out of place gray hairs).

 

At least the gray hairs will be easy to dye, so it's somewhat of a simple fix... And like the others said, hopefully one day the hairs on top will just lighten up so that they start matching the sides more evenly.

 

On a side note, I see that you had your procedure yesterday.... Hope it all went well, man! Keep us posted.

[PrtScrn]

I am surprised that this subject never seems to come up. Like many others, I am very grey/white at the sides and back of my head, but remain largely dark brown in the front of my head. However, I ensure my hair colour matches as I dye my hair an even dark brown all over. I am about to have my second transplant with Ron Shapiro on Mon July 13. As transplanted hair retains it colour, this means that my hair taken from the back of my head and moved to the front will remain naturally largely white, which will contrast with my largely largely brown hair at the front. This means I would look very odd if and when I stop dying my hair. Basically I'll have rather comical tufts of white hair at the front of my head, which won't match the rest of my frontal hair colour. I am 54 and mean to continue dying my hair for a while yet, but what if I choose to stop in a few years?

 

Why does this subject never come up on this forum? I would have thought it a common concern and a common occurrence. Any thoughts from anyone? I'd love to hear from others who have experienced this issue following a transplant.

 

I've yet to have any transplants and this came to mind early on. I could see myself as an old man being very annoyed by unnatural coloration. Nature would have hair grafts taken from nearly the same place, but of course that's impossible in practice. The directional changes associated with strip scars also concern me. I'd worry about a tuft sticking out or a flap that can't be combed down. The whole concept is a battle against nature, really.

 

I see hair transplantation as a painting that can never be made quite perfect, including shades of gray. If there's a mistake it's no simple matter to paint over it because you lose something elsewhere. A good surgeon has to have special instincts and the best ones must have innate drawing or painting talent.

[arussell]

In my experience the hair in the back generally retains color longer than the top and sides. When you lose hair, it is not an even pattern of loss, it is the same with color, at least in the beginning of the loss of color or melanin in the hair. The grey's can be very random or they can be spread or or in patches. I think this is being over thought! And just for the record, grey and white hair is a little harder to color, it is resistant to it and needs to be "helped" more often!

[voxman]

I have been very fortunate to have my hair color changed over my life time uniformly over my scalp. My HT hair color matches seamlessly with my native.

 

However, I can see the hesitance above due to these almost uncontrollable variables.

 

The fact is that this cosmetic unknown could be an issue to prevent someone from having a procedure.