Is buzzing head a possibility after FUE HT?

[azakdan2682]

Just something out of curosity if futher loss is exp. I would always like to keep the option open of buzzing my head down to a low grade. Would the little pinhead scars be noticeable? Does a transplanted hairline on buzz cut look weird? I actually look pretty good with a buzz cut when I had the hairline, but it look weird when the hairline is recessed. Any thoughts to this?

[Dr Blake Bloxham]

It really depends on several factors: How many grafts you had removed via FUE, the extraction pattern the doctor utilized, the color of your skin and how it contrasts to the color of the scar tissue, and, of course, how short you want to go.

 

In general, I dismiss the idea that you can just "shave your head" after an FUE if you're not happy. I say this because I've consulted with many upset patients who were told by other clinics that the procedure was essentially "scarless" and they could shave their head if they weren't happy with the results. After shaving their heads, they were very upset to find a general thinning pattern and thousands of visible punctuate scars in the donor.

 

Which leads me to repeat one of my most overused catch phrases: if you conceivably think you'll ever want to just "shave it off" in the future, re-consider hair transplantation. Do a "shave trial" now and see if you like it. If you do, excellent. You just saved yourself thousands of dollars and retained the ability to really "shave down." In general, you will always, always see evidence of surgery if you buzz down after a transplant. FUT, FUE, etc, you'll see something if you go down short enough. So don't go into any procedure with the mindset that you can just "shave it all off" later.

 

I usually tell my FUE guys that they can go down to around a 2 guard on the clippers if they have favorable skin-to-scar characteristics (I don't worry about donor thinning because of my extraction patterns and the size of my FUE cases in general). This is pretty short. And it is shorter than you can usually go with other methods (IE FUT), but for some this still isn't a true "buzz."

 

Now, I'll end with a more positive note; here's an example of a 1,500 graft FUE patient of Dr Feller's with very favorable skin-to-scar characteristics (light skinned individual with non-hypopigmented scarring) and an appropriate spread of the FUE sites shaved down after 6 months:

 

 

So, can you go pretty short with FUE if all the stars align physiologically? Yes. Can you truly ever "shave" your head after a hair transplant? No. And I wouldn't recommend "taking the plunge" with this mindset.

 

Hope this helps!

[azakdan2682]

Thank you for the information Dr. Is there a certain color of skin/hair that is has a higher chance of scarring or is more noticeable? I have lighter skin and blonde hair. Personally I have shaved my head, all the way down to a bic razor and it was not for me. I like it when it is around 1.5 - 2 grade. I am just thinking very long term if I do decide to go ahead with this procedure, if I would have to buzz it in the future to balance it out.

[PanjabiMC89]

Just done it 5 mins ago. Here?s the result:

 

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yblc98ux2py7qak/20160810_075809%20%281%29.jpg?dl=0

[Ernie]

What do you mean by "buzzing"? This guy just buzzed his and he's had 10 HT! Fut, fue, smp, all of it:

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/184318-grade-3-all-over-possibly-considering-dut.html

[Matt27]

Plenty of people do it. The bigger obstacle to this method is a natural looking hairline and the transplanted hair blending with the native hair.

 

This guy had 2000 graft removed by Dr. Umar. The cases Dr. Blake mentioned above are in the minority from my own observations. I'ts not something I would stress over in the grand scheme of things if you go to a top Dr.

 

Edited August 11, 2016 by Matt27

[Matt27]

Do a "shave trial" now and see if you like it. If you do, excellent. You just saved yourself thousands of dollars and retained the ability to really "shave down." In general, you will always, always see evidence of surgery if you buzz down after a transplant. FUT, FUE, etc, you'll see something if you go down short enough. So don't go into any procedure with the mindset that you can just "shave it all off" later.

 

 

Shaved down with a hairline and shaved down with no hairline aren't even close to the same thing. So someone may like how he looks shaved currently, but won't as his hair loss progresses.

 

I shaved my head for years (#1 guard or even shorter) before experiencing significant hair loss and it looks terrible with no hairline.

 

So you can't save money by shaving your head. Hair growth is just as important to looking good with a shaved head as it is to looking good with long hair.

Edited August 11, 2016 by Matt27

[MrGio-WHTCClinic]

Each patient and surgeon is different, but you should be able to buzz it and have a natural-looking appearance after the FUE. With hairline work, there are doctors and medical assistants who place grafts poorly, but if you choose your clinic wisely, you can avoid the expense of a corrective hair transplant procedure.

[JohnCasper]

I had over 5,000 grafts moved in 2012. I had an additional 2,000 done in January of 2015. This picture may be helpful. I have blonde hair and this picture was taken of my left donor area the morning of my second surgery. I would estimate that about 1,750 grafts were removed from this donor area in 2012. A (0.8mm) punch was used to remove the grafts.

[azakdan2682]

I had over 5,000 grafts moved in 2012. I had an additional 2,000 done in January of 2015. This picture may be helpful. I have blonde hair and this picture was taken of my left donor area the morning of my second surgery. I would estimate that about 1,750 grafts were removed from this donor area in 2012. A (0.8mm) punch was used to remove the grafts.

 

 

Look good, blends well, I can't tell really, I see tiny white sits because I am looking.

[azakdan2682]

Shaved down with a hairline and shaved down with no hairline aren't even close to the same thing. So someone may like how he looks shaved currently, but won't as his hair loss progresses.

 

I shaved my head for years (#1 guard or even shorter) before experiencing significant hair loss and it looks terrible with no hairline.

 

So you can't save money by shaving your head. Hair growth is just as important to looking good with a shaved head as it is to looking good with long hair.

 

 

I agree having the hairline and shadow of a full head of hair makes all the difference in the world with a buzz cut. Granted some people do look just fine without any hair, I am not one of those.

[Vult]

Thank you for the information Dr. Is there a certain color of skin/hair that is has a higher chance of scarring or is more noticeable? I have lighter skin and blonde hair. Personally I have shaved my head, all the way down to a bic razor and it was not for me. I like it when it is around 1.5 - 2 grade. I am just thinking very long term if I do decide to go ahead with this procedure, if I would have to buzz it in the future to balance it out.

That is exactly what I wanted, to keep with my short buzz, sometimes bald. But forget it man. If you go short it will be visible. Stay the fuck away from it and don't listen to anyone. Risk is huge to your mental health! If you puncture a hole in the skin, it must leave a scar.

 

Go and tell them to take 5 drafts from your head. Then go home and wait for a few months, and you will see exactly what you're getting yourself into. Anything other then this is risking it out large and I don't mean it in any positive way. If you feel bad about being bald, imagine how you will feel with holes all around your head.

[ftbpicks]

That is exactly what I wanted, to keep with my short buzz, sometimes bald. But forget it man. If you go short it will be visible. Stay the fuck away from it and don't listen to anyone. Risk is huge to your mental health! If you puncture a hole in the skin, it must leave a scar.

 

Go and tell them to take 5 drafts from your head. Then go home and wait for a few months, and you will see exactly what you're getting yourself into. Anything other then this is risking it out large and I don't mean it in any positive way. If you feel bad about being bald, imagine how you will feel with holes all around your head.

 

well i go down to a 1.5 and 1 guard and nobody including my barber can see it so not sure where you get this info from other than maybe your own experience which many factors including punch size and skill of doctor.

 

You seem to have a had a bad experience but posting stuff like this is not exactly very useful other than to try scare people for some reason. Yeah buzzing a zero guard is going to show something but most guys that do this know that without be super aggressive on this forum.

[ontop]

I think the lighter the scalp is the less any FUE scaring would be a concern, unlike darker guys, I think it could be possible for a little concern especially if a big punch was being used & obviously the skill of a good surgeon of course.

[Vult]

well i go down to a 1.5 and 1 guard and nobody including my barber can see it so not sure where you get this info from other than maybe your own experience which many factors including punch size and skill of doctor.

 

You seem to have a had a bad experience but posting stuff like this is not exactly very useful other than to try scare people for some reason. Yeah buzzing a zero guard is going to show something but most guys that do this know that without be super aggressive on this forum.

 

I'm exactly trying to scare people away from doing it, at least as I said people that aren't absolutely sure their hair is at its final stages and who don't want to have to go to redo it every 5-10 years, but in any case not ever being able to just shave the hair off or wear it short without all that butchering being visible. FUE, FUT, regardless.

 

I was on these forums and on the internet before and I desperately was looking for anyone to say anything positive about it. In the end agreed to risk it, and it has costed me peace of mind in this life. I am merely trying to save others from it.

 

There are people that can do it, but it's specific and I would love to see people be aggressively careful when contemplating it.

[Vult]

well i go down to a 1.5 and 1 guard and nobody including my barber can see it so not sure where you get this info from other than maybe your own experience which many factors including punch size and skill of doctor.

 

You seem to have a had a bad experience but posting stuff like this is not exactly very useful other than to try scare people for some reason. Yeah buzzing a zero guard is going to show something but most guys that do this know that without be super aggressive on this forum.

I believe possible solution is for these doctors, if they really care for their patients, to enforce a mandatory rule where each patient must take several drafts for a test before the actual surgery. Surgery would come a few months after, after the patient can see how his body has taken it. That would have saved lives for so many people, myself included.

 

He would then be able to see exactly what he is getting, and not just play Russian roulette with it. The core quality of the life is at stake, and quite so much.

 

As for your situation, I am really happy that you're ok with it then. A certain hair length does cover the holes, and you need only a semi short buzz to do it. But if you want really short hair, just forget it. Then again longer hair makes balding visible, unless you're going for a 100% patch up. So you are sooner or later (if your balding stage is not final) going to want to buzz your hair to lose the balding look. And you're in a world of pain at that point.

[ontop]

You obviously didn't do your research prior HT & maybe your doctor didn't well inform you.

No HT is without scaring & a #1 or definitely #2 should hide any little white dots again you should have been advised prior.

 

Now lets get onto your test theory, please explain how that would that work? As I see this a impossible to do? Because everybody's scalp tissue is different.

If you can figure that out, I suggest you bottle that up & sell it to every HT doc worldwide.

[Vult]

Now lets get onto your test theory, please explain how that would that work? As I see this a impossible to do? Because everybody's scalp tissue is different.

If you can figure that out, I suggest you bottle that up & sell it to every HT doc worldwide.

That is my point actually. Go and take out a few drafts and see how you physically and mentally react to it. You're still anyway supposed to continue with it so the only problem is added hassle. Considering the risk factor involved, I wouldn't however call it a hassle as much. You can imagine how holes look a lot better when you have them on your head.

 

I believe it would be a fair trade off, there are thousands of them coming anyway. The idea itself without it is crazy enough anyway! You will also see how well you react to replanted drafts. Get a feel of it

 

Dr Devroye did well inform me on what I can expect. I can't blame him for that, he was precise and to the point. However his call to take out drafts in a straight line has pretty much sealed the impossibility of shaving bald/short for anyone that had done it. I did know that I would need to do the surgery again in x years to fix it, but having seen how those tiny scars look I would rather avoid adding thousands more of them. I'd be much more content shaving bald if it wasn't for the obvious straight lines of the donor area.

 

And my scaring is normal, no abnormalities with it, it's just the default nature of it that looks and feels bad. So I'd like to stress out to people that best case scenarios still mean visible scaring on bald/very short yes. At that point you can stop thinking if you could shave bald at some point and try not to worry about the whole baldness because that option will not be there again. Holes and drafts (when they're solo) are going to look bad enough yes.

[ontop]

Would you mind showing some picture's so members can have a better understanding of what your talking about.

if you could that would be great & informative.

[Matt27]

well i go down to a 1.5 and 1 guard and nobody including my barber can see it so not sure where you get this info from other than maybe your own experience which many factors including punch size and skill of doctor.

 

You seem to have a had a bad experience but posting stuff like this is not exactly very useful other than to try scare people for some reason. Yeah buzzing a zero guard is going to show something but most guys that do this know that without be super aggressive on this forum.

 

I've seen many heads buzzed down to zero without obvious moth eating/scarring. There is a guy on hairlosstalk, fredthebelgian, who did that.

 

The instances I've seen in which the FUE has had a dramatically negative cosmetic impact are very seldom. If it were that common and severe, we'd see more than 1 or 2 guys on the internet warning us about it. You can expect that it will change the appearance of your donor, but the idea is that the cosmetic benefit of having a hairline will outweigh that.

 

Now, the doctor and extraction pattern is obviously of paramount importance. If he takes all of the grafts in a straight line like this guy's did, you may as well get FUT.

 

Having said that, starting with a small transplant isn't a bad idea.

[BaldingBogger]

Have had over 5000 FUE

 

Can shave down down grade 1 or unguarded. To the untrained eye it would not suspect HT.

 

Performed correctly on people with acceptable density similar results should be expected

 

Will post pic when get a chance

[Vult]

I agree having the hairline and shadow of a full head of hair makes all the difference in the world with a buzz cut. Granted some people do look just fine without any hair, I am not one of those.

Here's my buzz situation with more than just words hence, 6 years post op.

[Melvin- Admin]

There needs to be clarification, a buzz cut meaning guard #1 is certainly possible, a shaved head with a razor forget about it, unfortunately some patient's are not educated that FUE does in fact create scars, and if you are easily fixated on things to do with your scalp you will most certainly see them.

 

There needs to be full disclosure if you EVER plan on shaving your head DO NOT get a hair transplant, YOU WILL always be able to see some scars, some guys can get away with no guard, the majority of guys can get away with a #1, but if you shave to skin you will see scars period.

 

Another factor is your scarring physiology, the gentlemen who posted his photo, scarred very badly, the hypo pigmentation is very visible for him unfortunately, but his case is not everybody's case, that would be like someone having a stretched strip scar and warning everyone that this will happen to them, sorry but that's just not true.

 

I have attached some photos of what I look like with a #1 guard the scars are not easily visible.

 

 

this is what I looked like 4 days post op 4,000 FUE extractions you can still see scabs in the holes that will turn in to scars.

 

[ontop]

Vult thank you for answering my questions.

 

If your doctor advised you correctly, then surely you very well understood there would be scarring all be it your case seems have bigger punch sizes or that it could be your skin contrast making it look worse than it really is or its just a mattter of that you didn't heal as well like the majority of FUE patients.

 

Now to make blanket statements such as dont do it or it will ruin your life is IMHO is somewhat over the top, as you in your situation gone down to the bone (razor) & if you thought for a second that is impossible in majority of cases & you missed judged the bigger picture, so the max for you would be a #1 guard which will most likely hide any scarring for sure, so in reality your as you say your life is ruined is simply not true.

 

Vult, you got a few options still not all lost, you could simply grow you donor just a smidge or if you want to keep it razor shaved look I to SMP which will cost you money every few yrs to have it re inked all the time.

Would you be willing to at least shave your donor to a #1 or even 2 guard? & have the top a little longer which could be a world of difference to your appearance & mindset?

Edited August 25, 2016 by ontop
.

[Matt27]

Vult thank you for answering my questions.

 

If your doctor advised you correctly, then surely you very well understood there would be scarring all be it your case seems have bigger punch sizes or that it could be your skin contrast making it look worse than it really is or its just a mattter of that you didn't heal as well like the majority of FUE patients.

 

Now to make blanket statements such as dont do it or it will ruin your life is IMHO is somewhat over the top, as you in your situation gone down to the bone (razor) & if you thought for a second that is impossible in majority of cases & you missed judged the bigger picture, so the max for you would be a #1 guard which will most likely hide any scarring for sure, so in reality your as you say your life is ruined is simply not true.

 

Vult, you got a few options still not all lost, you could simply grow you donor just a smidge or if you want to keep it razor shaved look I to SMP which will cost you money every few yrs to have it re inked all the time.

Would you be willing to at least shave your donor to a #1 or even 2 guard? & have the top a little longer which could be a world of difference to your appearance & mindset?

 

You need to go down to a 0.5 to avoid the horse shoe look. #1 is too long and that's why it hides scars better. A #1 guard doesn't expose much scalp so you get the obvious horse shoe pattern. Not really a shaved head from a balding/bald guy's POV.