Donor scars after FUE

[canthonyhpk]

What do people typically experience?

 

One fear I have is there being noticeable puncture scars after the procedure as I typically wear my hair short. I have been told to expect 1000-1500 grafts.

 

Does it help to have the extraction done with the smallest diameter possible?

[pkipling]

How short do you normally wear your hair? You're most likely not going to be able to go as short as a no-guard on the side, but I've gone as low as a two before without it being too noticeable. (I thought it was too short my own tastes, as I was hyper aware of it, but the barber and my friends assured me it didn't look weird.) Regardless, I personally don't prefer to go that short anymore.

 

There are several factors to take into consideration:

 

The size of the punch (smaller the better)

The number of grafts (your number seems relatively low so there is lower risk)

How your body/skin typically heal/scar (the scarring can be minimized by keeping your scalp out of the sun for a full six months post-op)

Whether or not you experience any significant shock loss.

 

At the end of the day, there's no way to know for sure how your skin will react/heal, but from my experience, I believe it's safe to say that you shouldn't run into any issues going as low as a 3 guard on the sides - possibly even shorter.

[Melvin- Admin]

I go down to a #1 guard I have a picture posted in my last thread update, the scars are visible but only to those who know what to look for, 1,500 grafts spread across your whole donor area shouldn't be to obvious, I had 4,000 and no one has ever looked at me weird no barber had ever asked me anything either.

[canthonyhpk]

Thanks gents. This is helpful. Attached are some photos that show my current hair length. Think this would be a problem? I would possibly wear it longer if/when the growth is thicker, but would like the option to keep it close cropped.

 

@pkipling - I'm not too sure what a 3 guard means Is that considered very short?

[canthonyhpk]

@HTsoon - thanks for sharing your experience and posting pics. Any updates on your progress?

 

I'm also curious about how long it takes before the transplanted hairs aren't so obvious and thicker in appearance than one's existing hair.

[Melvin- Admin]

@HTsoon - thanks for sharing your experience and posting pics. Any updates on your progress?

 

I'm also curious about how long it takes before the transplanted hairs aren't so obvious and thicker in appearance than one's existing hair.

 

My updates are in my thread which is on my signature, I posted a picture of my crown and donor just 2 days ago.

[zyzz]

If the doctor used a big punch size like 1mm then it's going to show for sure. I think 0.80mm is ideal and can even buzz #1 with no visibility of scars but if a lot of grafts are extracted unevenly it could end up looking like moth eaten donor area

[pkipling]

Thanks gents. This is helpful. Attached are some photos that show my current hair length. Think this would be a problem? I would possibly wear it longer if/when the growth is thicker, but would like the option to keep it close cropped.

 

@pkipling - I'm not too sure what a 3 guard means Is that considered very short?

 

The number just refers to the size of the guard/cover they use on the clippers. The higher the number, the longer it leaves your hair. For example, #1 would be the shortest guard you put on the blade, #2 slightly bigger/longer, and so on.

 

As some of the guys mentioned, it is possible to go down to a #1 without the scarring being noticeable - and even if it is, people outside of the HT world most likely wouldn't even think anything of it. The shortest I've ever gone since my HT was a #2, just because I prefer to keep it slightly longer anyway. I didn't love it and was afraid the scars would show, but according to my barber and my friends, all of whom I trust to tell me the truth, they weren't noticeable at all. The #3 definitely didn't show anything.

 

Based on your photos, it looks like you probably use a #1, in which case make sure they're using the smallest punch possible when extracting the grafts, as zyzz mentioned. This will minimize the risks of the donor scars being noticeable as well.