Shaving head after FUE?

[Chiguy1215]

Now I know the main purpose of FUE is to relocate hair.

 

But has anybody shaved their head after FUE months to years down the road?

How does it look? Any pictures? Links would be appreciated.

 

Any particular strategies to reduce micropuncture scar visibility by top notch surgeons?

Would a #1 (think 1/8 inch) haircut reveal the donor sites?

 

I'm not looking for a lower hairline or filling in the temple region, but mostly keeping the top and crown area denser. I tend to wear my hair short.

 

Thanks!

[Arminius]

If you have a good head shape, it is the only way to do FUE. Also very freeing. See my photos...

[Chiguy1215]

If you have a good head shape, it is the only way to do FUE. Also very freeing. See my photos...

 

My head shape seems similar to your photos.

You have pictures of just buzzed to #1 in the donor area?

Have you shaved the donor site area completely again? If so, how noticable are the microscars now about 4 months out?

Did you apply any creams to the donor area?

 

Thanks

[Arminius]

My head shape seems similar to your photos.

You have pictures of just buzzed to #1 in the donor area?

Have you shaved the donor site area completely again? If so, how noticable are the microscars now about 4 months out?

Did you apply any creams to the donor area?

 

Thanks

 

I don't have any photos besides the one posted in my profile. However, I can assure you that there is no noticeable scarring in my donor area, even shaved down to 2 millimetres.

 

I did not use any lotion or creams on my donor area.

[pkipling]

A few thoughts on this: Generally speaking, you probably shouldn't have the expectation of being able to completely buzz your hair after FUE. I'm not saying that it wouldn't be possible, but just like any component of a HT, having lower/more realistic expectations are the key to success. It would depend a lot on how many grafts you're doing - and even still, there would be no guarantee that you could do a no guard. I've buzzed my sides down with a 2 guard since my HT and it wasn't noticeable at all - I asked my barber and friends for confirmation as well and they all swore they couldn't see anything. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures - but will take some next time I cut it that short. (Been keeping it a tad longer lately just because).

 

While choosing a top surgeon who knows how to evenly remove the grafts and do clean work is also important, the thing is, there's really no way to know how your donor is going to heal/scar. That really varies from person to person and several factors can go into that. I was extremely diligent about keeping my entire scalp out of the sun for the first 6 months, so I really think that helped minimize any scarring that may have occurred, as sun exposure to wounds really increases the chances of longterm scarring.

 

There's also the idea that even if the decreased density is "noticeable", it wouldn't be apparent to your average/naked eye. Those of us familiar with hair transplants and what FUE scars look like may be able to detect something that the vast majority of the population wouldn't even bat an eye at.

Edited July 28, 2017 by pkipling

[Shapiromedical]

You ultimately don't know how your heal when it comes to FUE extractions so as Pkipling stated, one of the biggest factors in how short you can cut your hair is the extraction pattern, or rather, the lack of a pattern. When FUE is performed incorrectly and grafts are taken from too small of an area the result can be even worse than a strip scar with regards to how limiting it can be. No one wants a square patch over the entire posterior donor area. Punch size, extraction technique all play into the scarring as well as the potential donor shock and all these play into how short you can or cannot buzz your hair.

[JohnCasper]

Regarding the original question.....I had a second surgery in 2015 and had photos taken after my head was shaved preparing for the second surgery. You could see NO visible scarring from the first surgery in a donor area where at least 1,750 grafts were harvested. Sure...there must be scars from thee 0.8 mm punch used but they are hardly discernible. I will post a picture stored on my PC later this morning.

[ChickenAndBroccoli]

I had FUE done about 7 weeks ago, and am keeping my head shaved down to no guard, so I'll share my pictures. People on this forum can obviously tell the difference in hair distribution in my donor region, but I'm perfectly happy with it because I really don't think anyone outside this forum will notice.

 

Not sure if you'll think this result is good or bad, but I want to echo what others said: everyone's result is different, so please only take this as another data point and not a guarantee!

 

Details of procedure: ~2900 grafts; 0.9mm punch;

 

By the way, not sure if I'm posting the picture right, so a link is also here: https://ibb.co/ccmeS5

 

[pkipling]

People on this forum can obviously tell the difference in hair distribution in my donor region, but I'm perfectly happy with it because I really don't think anyone outside this forum will notice.

 

I think this is a very important point and one that often gets overlooked. It's easy to become so involved in these forums, research, etc. that we forget that your average person has next to no knowledge of a hair transplant and what FUE scars even are and probably wouldn't even look twice at something most of us would pick up on.

 

Your donor area looks amazing, btw, and I agree you should feel totally comfortable shaving it down that short - especially at only 7 weeks out. Please make sure you're keeping it out of the sun and covering it with sunscreen while the area still heals, as this will really help prevent any future scarring that could occur.