Cobblestoning

[czechsmix86]

Hey guys!

 

First post here...

I had 2000 hairs transplanted via Neograft a year ago in Austin. The grafts were not placed deep enough in the skin so I am left with 2000 little bumps all over my scalp. In addition I still have irritation/slight redness everywhere.

 

Of course now I realize I was not a good candidate for HT being a diffuse thinner at age 29. I'm now at a point where my hair is much thinner overall than it was before the surgery. I can barely get away with styling my hair but I mostly wear a hat. Saw a dermatoligist yesterday and he gave me some scalp injections to help with the irritation and prescribed some shampoo. Said there is nothing I can do about the bumps now...which is what I've heard from other doctors as well.

 

My question is for anyone else who has dealt with the same issue. Have you had any success with diminishing the bumps and/or inflamed scalp? Have you just shaved and learned to live with it? I am going to be using a hair system from here on out if I can't improve my scalp enough. Has anyone gone that route? My main concern is how my scalp will manage living under a hair system for the rest of my life. Probably no way of knowing beforehand.

 

Thanks guys. This is the hardest thing I've ever gone through and am just looking for some support/advice!

 

Chris

[Speegs]

I live in Austin, who was your doctor?

 

I'm sorry to say I don't have much faith in the NeoGraft as a viable tool for good transplant results.

 

Cobblestoning is a phenomenon all too common with less experienced doctors or techs placing grafts, and regrettably the NeoGraft isn't used by any doctor i would trust as experienced.

 

It's hard to see anything from your pics, but typically the way to address cobblestoning is to camouflage it with a better second procedure.

 

Do you still live in Austin? As a local I'd gladly meet up and take a look at your scalp, I empathize, and can recommend some docs that would be able to help correct it.

[Spanker]

I would consider finasteride it your not on it.

 

That sucks, I can't see any bumps in the pic.

 

Hair systems are an option once your loss gets too much and so is topik.

 

I have heard of some people trying a fraxel laser with marginal success.

 

I would do a consult with a very trusted doc and get an in person opinion on what your options are. Maybe your donor is strong enough to successfully camo it with a good procedure.

[gillenator]

I agree, it's too hard to see anything in the pics and I even tried opening them into a much larger frame.

 

I just hope it was not an infection verses cobblestoning.

[czechsmix86]

Hey all

 

Thanks for the replies. Speegs, I'm not in Austin at the moment but would love to meet up when I am next. I went to the Restora clinic. They bring a tech in from Houston. No licensed hair surgeon on staff. Only reason I went through with it there was bc my brother in law had recently had the procedure done by them and his scalp was perfectly fine. I was not so lucky.

 

I'm not going to get another HT done even if I could afford the best doctor in the country, because my donor hair is limited, and my hair is very fine. I'm not going to risk taking Finastyride...I had testicle pain when I tried taking it before. My only options are repair the scalp or wear a hair system..

 

The bumps are hard to see from photos. Very small all over my head. They can easily be felt. Not noticeable in dim light. Just skin raised up slightly like a pimple wherever the grafts were placed. If anyone has heard of anyone having success with improving this let me know.

 

Chris

[Speegs]

Hey all

 

Thanks for the replies. Speegs, I'm not in Austin at the moment but would love to meet up when I am next. I went to the Restora clinic. They bring a tech in from Houston. No licensed hair surgeon on staff. Only reason I went through with it there was bc my brother in law had recently had the procedure done by them and his scalp was perfectly fine. I was not so lucky.

 

I'm not going to get another HT done even if I could afford the best doctor in the country, because my donor hair is limited, and my hair is very fine. I'm not going to risk taking Finastyride...I had testicle pain when I tried taking it before. My only options are repair the scalp or wear a hair system..

 

The bumps are hard to see from photos. Very small all over my head. They can easily be felt. Not noticeable in dim light. Just skin raised up slightly like a pimple wherever the grafts were placed. If anyone has heard of anyone having success with improving this let me know.

 

Chris

I'll gladly meet with you and chat with you and take a look at your scalp, just PM me when you'd like to.

 

That being said, a reluctance to pursue a corrective surgery or try out finasteride is going to limit your options going forward.

 

Just the same, all too happy to meet and chat about your issue, I have an empathetic ear and some insights.

[biolizard]

Hey all

 

Thanks for the replies. Speegs, I'm not in Austin at the moment but would love to meet up when I am next. I went to the Restora clinic. They bring a tech in from Houston. No licensed hair surgeon on staff. Only reason I went through with it there was bc my brother in law had recently had the procedure done by them and his scalp was perfectly fine. I was not so lucky.

 

I'm not going to get another HT done even if I could afford the best doctor in the country, because my donor hair is limited, and my hair is very fine. I'm not going to risk taking Finastyride...I had testicle pain when I tried taking it before. My only options are repair the scalp or wear a hair system..

 

The bumps are hard to see from photos. Very small all over my head. They can easily be felt. Not noticeable in dim light. Just skin raised up slightly like a pimple wherever the grafts were placed. If anyone has heard of anyone having success with improving this let me know.

 

Chris

My man, you sir are NOT alone!!! I so feel your pain!!! I have that very same redness and 'textured' cobblestone look to my recipient area from exactly the same thing!!! It has reduced through (naturally with just the body healing) over the second year I must say.

 

I (very VERY regrettably) had a 2000 neograft FUE as well in the South Carolina area a couple of years ago. My HT is somewhat socially passable now, (for the time being anyway). I'm approaching the 2 year mark. But never has it looked like anything that I would be proud of, or anything that resembles what good hai looks like. I would given anything now to just undo this mess on head.

Now that I'm a couple of years older, and care much less about having a full head of hair, I look on with envy and respect to those men who had the fortitude and the balls to just buzz down and not let their insecurities get the best of them.

 

Yes, I too was relatively disfigured by a 2000 graft NEOGRAFT unit as well. I'm still trying to formulate an acceptable exit strategy from this mess, as time unstoppably marches on, my native hair loss continues to progress and I become increasingly 'weird' looking. I can't take Propecia/Fin because the sexual side effects, I fear, this would inexorably lead to heavy depression and possible suicide.

 

Anyway, good luck finding your way out of this nightmare. I'm still trying to exit this crap I put myself in. I may make another thread as well to see if anyway has any suggestions for me to get out. At this point (or in the near future) I seriously just want out of the hair game. No transplants, no hair systems, no dangerous medications, no expensive shampoo, ect....just me as my natural self. That would be my dream now. But since, the FUE my head looks like a freaking Swiss cheese war zone, so unfortunatly there is no going back.