Need advise scalp skin texture post HT

[Sam23]

Hi

 

 

After 16 months the receipient area is shiny and not smooth, also i always feel pain or discomfort in receipient area

 

I hate the hair becuase of the skin and it is color

 

I went to many doctors and each one has it is own way of treatment

 

I know i write that before but there is a new doctor who took different approach in the treatment and i want your opinion

 

He think that the shiny layer and the irrgularities in the receipient area are resulted from excess sebum and that happen due to the large glands that are attached to the hair follicles

 

Therfore he prescribe me oral isotretinoin ( Oratane 20 mg) for 2 months at least

 

Now i m still reluctant to take this med as i read it has a lit of side effects and might make scars worse, it will peel the skin and slow the healing process

 

I still think the shiness and irigularities are due to scars tissues under the skin

 

I m totally lost

 

Do you think it might help to make receipient area better ?

 

Should i try it ?

Edited November 25, 2016 by Sam23

[mikeyhwk]

I've used Accutane a couple times in my life, and it's a harsh drug but the side effects for me were never that bad. For you, I'm not so sure, the way you come across you sound depressed already and it's been known to cause people to have some serious mood swings and depression, suicidal thoughts, and I don't know if you're mentally in a place to use that medication but you would know that better than I would. About the scarring, it has an effect on scars healing properly but those would be new scars, not ones that are years old suddenly getting worse. I'm not sure if it would help you or not, if it is excess sebum then it could, in your shoes if i was mentally stable I would try it, you have nothing to lose but everything to gain if it works. Listen to your doctors intstructions while using it, it is liver toxic so when they say avoid drinking and stuff like that do it.

[Sam23]

Is there any hope to remove the dots under each hair ?

 

There are little redness and shiness also which make the scalp so ugly

 

How i can get back the smoothness and healthy scalp again ?

 

Nobody told me that the receipient area would be ruined ?

 

Any help ?

 

How i can continue living with this ruined scalp ?

 

Can removing the hair get back the smoothness ?

 

Sorry, but it is now 17 months and i cannot accept what i see, each time i m looking to the mirror i can see flesh pinkish shiny meat on each hair, i cannot describe my feeling, depress, frustrated, maybe disgust from myself, sometime, just want to stab each hair to remove dots

 

Why i cannot find help? with all the advances and the heavy marketing for hair transplant,

 

it is ridiculous, how it is easy to have hair transplant with everyone smile in front of you and encourage you to have it so you feel it is something easy, you start feel secure becuase of the smiles and media and technology advancement around you and after you have it, you wake up to know that you just screwed urself, you try to find a hope to get back and forget what happen but everyone turn you down and tell you there is no hope and you are screwed,

there are no warning that there is no way back but they will tell you 95% of those surgeries are succesful and no marks on receipient area

 

I m shamed of myself because i was victime of this stupid thing, i did not see a proper surgery before doing it, becuase i was disgust from it and cannot handle watchin it but also i did not mind to have it, becuase i was focus on beforr after pictures and convince myself that everything will behealed,

 

how stupid i am, I lost my skin and my health forever

 

why nobody talk about the skin how will become after hair transplant ?

They told me it is only fine needle smaller that the normal needle and cannot leave trace

 

Literally my scalp is totally ruined and it is always burn and shine ?

 

Please someone give me a hope that there is a way out

 

I m ready to pay any amount and dedicate myself just to get back my scalp again

[mikeyhwk]

I think it's fair to say we have all felt bad for you Sam but you're killing that compassion with these repeat posts every few days. The docs here clearly have no answer as they haven't responded in all this time or have nothing new they can say to you, and the rest of us aren't qualified so go spend the money and travel to an expert if they're not in your area as you say they aren't. I'm sorry to be a dick about this but you need help that we can't give you on the forum. You asked a question about accutane, I responded but if you don't have a specific new question there's no point in saying the exact same thing again and again. Start emailing and calling some specialists abroad get your pics and actual scalp in front of their eyes, dermatologists, transplant surgeons get opinions and set up appointments and go see them. You aren't solving anything but posting about how you wish you can take it back and why nobody told you this and that. You're a grown man, you've had your pity party now go and get some real help for it.

[Sam23]

Hi mikey

 

I m living in denial and cannot accept there is no solution

 

I m sorry i m repeating every few days the same thing, i m trying to make people pay attention so maybe someone come with solution,

 

I cannot believe there is no one case of hair removal hundreds of thousands had hair transplants and there is no one case of hair removal ?

 

I m looking for people who had those hair removal thing or skin repair as i cannot trust doctors anymore, best place to finf those people are here on hair forum

 

I m not looking for pity, i want solution or at least hope that there is a way out of this prison

 

I m taking this med and i m in the 11th pill , so maybe it has some effect also

[Tj287]

Hi mikey

 

I m living in denial and cannot accept there is no solution

 

I m sorry i m repeating every few days the same thing, i m trying to make people pay attention so maybe someone come with solution,

 

I cannot believe there is no one case of hair removal hundreds of thousands had hair transplants and there is no one case of hair removal ?

 

I m looking for people who had those hair removal thing or skin repair as i cannot trust doctors anymore, best place to finf those people are here on hair forum

 

I m not looking for pity, i want solution or at least hope that there is a way out of this prison

 

I m taking this med and i m in the 11th pill , so maybe it has some effect also

 

 

Sam,

 

I have been reading your posts and following your story for a while now and I have to say that my heart truly breaks for you. Your situation sounds horrible and I do sympathise. A hair transplant is something that you pin your hopes and desires on and the realisation that you are worse off than before must be truly crushing. That being said, everything Mikey has said is true. Yes, we are reading and we feel bad but you post the same things day in and day out and it's been going on for months and months. No one on this forum will be able to help you so stop asking us and go find some real answers.

 

I cannot believe I am telling this to a grown man, but most of the Doctors recommended on this site will not trawl through posts by forum users like us looking for people to help on a daily basis, so I'm not surprised you've not got an answer so far.Try contacting every single surgeon recommended on this site. Call or email them and include pictures or talk to them via skype.. Explain your problem and if one person cannot help then move onto the next one and try again. If that doesn't work, Google names of dermatologists in Europe or North America or anywhere you can feasibly travel to and repeat the process with them.

 

This is a problem that is obviously having a SERIOUS negative psychological effect on you as well, and I urge you to please go find a solution. I am also worried that after Mikey told you about Accutane a week ago you are saying you are already on the 11th pill in just over a week. What the hell are you doing?? Accutane is a VERY harsh drug and you cannot continue to use it for prolonged periods without it having potentially VERY serious adverse health effects. You seem to have just jumped straight into taking it and that worries me greatly.

 

Please seek some proper help instead of sitting at home worrying about this - you are driving yourself mad.

[baldeagle88]

I'm not sure the following information will help as it is intended for this kind of stuff happening a few weeks after surgery. But for what it is worth, this is what my doctor sent me:

=============

The folliculitis is normal. Wet warm compress for 15 minutes three times a day and apply antibiotic ointment will improve the condition. If any large pustule you can use a clean forceps or tweezers to pop up the pimples. Then apply an antibiotic cream like Fusidic acid ( fucidin or bactroban ointment). . This should be available in most pharmacies. You can expect more pimples to appear in the next 4-6 weeks. So do not panic. They will subside with measures I suggested.

In case you have too many pimples you may also need to take oral antibiotic.

Most of the redness will fade 2-3 weeks after surgery though in some Caucasian it may take longer to fade, the scab will fall off 1-2 weeks after surgery, most patient take 2 weeks off to avoid seeing the scab.

[Sam23]

You think i did not ask doctors so far ?

 

I asked more than 10 between dermatologist and surgeons and all of them they do not want to remove any hair or think the skin has problem so they try many things on me .

 

all of them want me to continue doing hair transplant because they said i do not have other option and the hair does not look that bad but i do not believe that, also my problem is in the skin not the hair so i do not care more about the hair in this stage

 

Only 2 doctors they are ready to do hair removal sessions but first they want me to treat the skin which something not easy as i m suffering from pain and burning sensation everyday literally i cannot do anything outside since i did the procedure and i believe the skin will not enhance until i remove the hair because i already try everything

 

 

Another way to deal with that is asking people who already try hair removal or have skin problem so they might know doctors or specific way can help me

 

And u know there is nothing scientific here everything based on experience, people try laser, other electrolysis or fue so it worth to keep asking maybe i found my savior one day on this forum or in another one or n different world

 

i m asking doctors and users and people around me and i m reading a lot of books and essays about wounds, scars and skin diseases and hair transplants becuase i m collecting all information as i will not trust my head to any doctor anymore without knowing everything, and i m surprised how much this industry is dark and misleading people and i cannot believe how i become vicitm so easily

 

but i feel that people here get annoyed each time i raise question even it is look like repeated before,

 

u can help me by sharing your knowledge about my questions

 

I m trying many things and it help me but so slowely,

 

For Accutane, i m taking this med from 12 days exactlly pill each day and under doctor supervision

 

I m so negative becuase it has been 1 year and half and i feel i m stuck

and i m wasting my whole life behind doors and cannot do anything in my life except researching now ( which i m regretting i did not do it before surgery) so i express that in my threads sometimes

 

Apologies if i m trying to find a hope here and there

[harryforreal]

Hi, Sam,

 

I'm a bit busy today - have to be somewhere shortly, so I'll keep this relatively short.

 

1) Keep posting. While some may get tired of your threads, think about all the new guys who come to this site having seen only positive bogus marketing materials about hair transplants. Your posts show a reality that clinics never show. I know, because I was like you - thought I'd be walking out with a softer, fuller coiffure in the front. Hahaha......what a joke.

 

2) After 5 years of redness in the recipient area, I had 2 V-Beam laser treatments of the area, and this significantly reduced the redness - actually, it basically got rid of it (the laser technician had suggested 3 treatments, so the result after only 2 was quite good). Unfortunately, the V-Beam laser does nothing for the black, tree trunks growing out of the front of my head (unlike other lasers, the V-Beam does not affect hair follicles as it targets a different color - specifically the red in the red blood cells...or something like that, I'm no doctor). So I still found myself plucking out these black pubic-like hairs in front, and this some times brings the redness back for a week or so.

 

2) I also had a micro-needling at a different dermatologist's office done on the recipient area, and that helped a lot with the bumpy texture. I'm looking to have 1 or 2 more to see how much that might further improve the texture.

 

3) I have my first appointment with a person specializing in electrolysis in 2 weeks to target some of these ugly doubles and dark, black tree trunks at the front of my hairline. Just trying something experimental for the moment - just zap 2 - 3 and see how it looks afterwards.

 

But I can definitely say the V-Beam made a huge difference. With the redness essentially eliminated, the eye doesn't automatically go the the hairline anymore. Of course, when it DOES go to the hairline, I still get the occasional double take (just happened several days ago at work by a young female fellow employee who was clearly bewildered at the front of my hair).

 

Anyway, keep posting.

[Sam23]

Thanks harry

 

That is really a beneficial reply, we need to share those information and see what is the best route to solve those issues,

 

i will put the vbeam laaser on my list now and the good thing as u said it might not harm the hair,

 

about the bumps i checked with few doctors and they advise against dermarolling as it might create scars, so i m avoiding that for time being

 

For electrolysis, i tried it on one hair at the hairline and it make it finer, i think this option will be good to make the hairline softer but use the min power, for me i m still guessing between the 3 options

- Electrolysis/,laser removal / fue out

 

And i m thinking more in fue as i search it can enhance the skin, most people against that but i m still thinking it might be worth to try it on few hair and watch

 

I will use electrolysis or laser in case the skin is normal only

 

One thing is helping me a lot espically in term of irritation

 

- B Complex

- honey ( good brand)

 

The honey really moves me to different level, it makes the skin and the hair fresh and soft all the pain is gone becuase of the honey, however if i m outside for more than 3 or 5 hours the irritation will start again,

 

a lot of people sufferring from same things even i think the best of the best case has issue in the skin, so nobody should deny that

 

Those the double eye check on the hairline is bother me a lot ( that a common thing that nobody talk about it which a real thing that give you hint about other people opinions on your results if it is normal or not) and mine is like a disaster i cannot even take picture properly with people as the hair will look so weird so i m avoiding any video or picture but when i mtaking a close picture it can look nice but i have to control the angle and light

 

As u said a lot of people come here and they could not find a one thread talk about the issues in details, of hair transplant only some old threads that can reflect the old techniques

Edited December 4, 2016 by Sam23

[harryforreal]

Is derma rolling the same thing as micro needling?

 

My doctor used The Eclipse MicroPen. According to the company's website, the MicroPen is different in someways from dermal rollers. Also I wonder if the micro needles are smaller in size than dermal rollers. From the company's website:

 

 

How Is MicroPen® Different From Dermal Needling Rollers?

 

Automated micro-needling devices move in a vertical direction for better precision when treating the skin. Unlike Automated Micro-needling the roller does not create a precise vertical action.

 

The lack of precision can contribute to greater discomfort and inconsistent effects to the skin.

 

and

 

Safety First. The Eclipse MicroPen® is inherently safer than other products, such as dermal rollers.

 

What is Automated Micro-Needling? - Eclipse MicroPen

[harryforreal]

I am glad to know about the electrolysis that you tried. Did it leave any scar marks?

 

It seems to me that electrolysis would be the least likely to leave scar marks in terms of removal. Moreover, if I could soften the hairs, it would be nice to keep some after going through all of this to transplant them!

 

For me I also want the hairs to be lighter in color - the color of the transplanted hairs is much darker than the native hairs I still have at the front of the hair line.

[Sam23]

Yes, electrolysis can do the trick to make the hair softer but with minimum power

 

You need one session to make the hair finer or 2 to 3 to remove the hair

 

Also keep in mind that when you use electrolysis the hair will fall and the area might become red for a while (pin point in the hair place) but unlikely with minimum power

 

It is better to do test or start slowley so nobody notice your transition

No scar is possible if the skin is normal and the tech is skillful

 

If you have a center near to you that would be great so each day you can treat a few

 

There are 3 types of electrolysis, use the blended otherwise it might burn the skin

 

Trim the hair that you want to treat, so the tech can know exactly which hair you want to treat

Also do not depend on the tech to design your hairline

 

I wish if i can do it now but i have problem in the hairline, the left side is higher but only you can catch it under white light, it has reduced a lot with the treatment but still not normal

 

And there is an area near to the right hump gives feeling that the skin has shrunk down with bump under the skin (but nothing on the surface) i do not know how to treat this, it is always painful

 

In addition i have like so small pin points under each hair (maybe small cobblstonning)

I want to treat those things before start treating the hair

 

if you have a good sught you can notice my whole scalp look like a war zone, sometime i cannot know if there is a way out from all of this shit

 

Is there a way to smooth the scalp without removing the hair ?

Edited December 5, 2016 by Sam23

[harryforreal]

I did the micro-needle treatment before I did the V-Beam laser treatment. The micro-needle treatment really helped a lot with the texture.

 

I also wonder because the transplanted hair follicles are so much thicker than native hairs, if that causes the skin to not only look bumpier, but also to actually be bumpier. For example, the hairs on the eyebrows are much finer, so these hairs do not need such a large opening to exit the skin. But thicker hairs need more of an opening, so they disturb the skin more when exiting maybe?

 

The hairs that you had electrolysis on that are finer now, do these hairs look less bumpy at the skin since the electrolysis?

[Sam23]

I cannot tell as i only treat one hair so It does not give any indicator

 

The issue is the whole scalp look like it is covered by another layer of skin (pink and shiny with bumps) really it gives impression that i have serious disease and even i notice people they keep distance from me after this, the scalp before was matte

 

I do not believe that the hair shaft is the main reason, if you look to the roots of hairs in your humps, you will find normal skin regardless of the shaft

 

So it is the surgery that make all of those problem, it is like hair growing in abnormal skin so it will never look normal

 

Now the chance if removing the hair by fue punch out to give normal skin is better than any other technique as the irrigular skin would be removed and new skin will replace that.

 

However, that depend on the original scar, the skills of the surgeon and your ability of healing

 

I asked couple of people who already have the fue punch out and they are happy with the results and even they forget that they had hair transplant before, the best thing is the skin might become matte again like original skin

So that encourage me to search this

 

I asked a doctor about the scalp scars so he told me that the scalp skin is though one so it can respond well to any type of treatment and in my case it is tricky as what i have is irrigular skin due to hair transplant and not scars and until i have biopsy nobody can confirm it

 

 

But i m really so depressed as i m lossing hope there is a solution everything is theoritical and no one can guarantee anything so i m afraid to make my case worse than now if i start with any intensive treatment, i m so reluctant and feel i m going to explode

Edited December 5, 2016 by Sam23

[harryforreal]

Well don't explode, Sam.

 

I really think you should consult first with a V-Beam expert. The redness definitely draws people's attention because it's different from the rest of the skin, and as I said, I had great results from it. You DO have to shave your head down for the V-Beam treatment so the laser can reach the skin unobstructed by the hair, but the hair starts to grow back immediately after treatment as the laser doesn't affect the hair follicles, only the redness in the skin. The area turns black and blue for 3-5 days afterwards, but then starts to lighten up. After several weeks, I was very happy with the results after only 1 treatment!

 

https://www.advdermatology.com/vbeam---pages-67.php

[Sam23]

What about the texture and the tiny bumps ? can the laser improve them as well ?

 

Now i cannot look closely to my head, it looks so disgusting texture is ruined and bump under each hair, so ugly, i just want to rid off from all of that

[harryforreal]

I think the laser can help some. But again, I combined the micro-needle procedure with the laser procedure. I actually did the micro-needle first, and saw very impressive improvement. Then had the 2 V-Beam laser treatments done.

 

But if you are worried about the micro-needle procedure (and I don't believe it is the same thing as a derma-roller), do the laser first. At the very least it will reduce the redness. The V-Beam laser really made a difference in terms of the redness. Prior to the B-Veam, I had tried aloe vera gel, also a topical steroid cream, also the original hair transplant doctor gave me injections of kenalog into my scalp in an attempt to reduct the redness! The only thing that helped was the V-Beam laser. FIVE years of redness!!! Finally gone thanks to that V-Beam laser.

 

I really can't emphasize enough what a difference the V-Beam and micro-needling did to improve my skin.

 

I paid around $200 for each V-Beam treatment ($400 total) and $250 for the micro needle, so the price was very good for significant improvement. Really, before I had these treatments it was 5 years of misery.

 

I went from from a very active social life to nothing after the hair transplant. I am so grateful for the V-Beam and micro needle treatments.

 

Tuesday I have my first electrolysis appointment, where I will target 2 low hairs as an experiment: 1 which is black and thick, and another that is a double with 1 black, thick hair and 1 light, fine hair.

[Sam23]

I hope you will have good results with electrolysis

 

For me the redness is so light now but the shiny texture is the problem along with bumps skin

 

Can the v beam help in removing the shiny texture ?

 

Should i try mirco needling to remove the bumps ?

 

I do not know, i m thinking to try fue out with good doctor

[biolizard]

I got the same feeling. Before the HT the surgeon was quickly eager and ready to glibly say whatever needed to be said to get me into the chair and write him a large check.

 

 

He even used the old sleazy car salesman style tactic of saying if I get it done this particular month then I can lock in a cheaper price and lower rate. Typical snake oil salesmen in my opinion. I was a fool to allow myself to be sucker into this industry.

 

Once your check clears and you have the surgery done; you are pretty much on your own! (At least that was the case for me). Adrift and abandoned floating helplessly in the middle of an ocean of despair.

I hope you find peace my compadre Sam, your situation is undoubtedly worse and more dire than mine; however, im still searching for my way out of this mistake, hoping one day science can find an answer in order to repair or reverse this FUE.

[Ernie]

Once your check clears and you have the surgery done; you are pretty much on your own! (At least that was the case for me). Adrift and abandoned floating helplessly in the middle of an ocean of despair.

 

Glad you put the paranthetic in, as this is absolutely untrue for many many of the top doctors routinely discussed on this forum.

 

And if it IS one of the trusted docs, perhaps it would be my skewed idea of a good result, or my unobtainable expections. Education prior to a HT is invaluable in this regard, my opinion only. Could be wrong.