Fue donor scar contraction

[hope2345]

I recently had FUE of 550 grafts total. 0.85 punch used. It's been about 6 weeks since procedure. Went to prominent USA clinic. 2 and 3 hair grafts removed only.

 

Went for a haircut, shaved the donor down and noticed larger gaps where hairs were extracted. Gaps are quite large and it seems as if the surrounding hairs have been lost too (for every extraction site, the extraction site seems like it lost 3-4 hairs. I say this because adjacent sites of the same size have roughly 3-4 hairs each). My doctor says scars will fade and contract over time and that it's too early to judge. Is that true? I don't see any hypopigmentation at all. Just gaps where hair is gone. I have dark coarse hair and fair skin complexion. I often shave down. This is very concerning. Was told my procedure was so small there won't be a visible difference at all even shaved down.

 

The donor area was widely spread out, and there were no extraction points touching at all. Redness is very slight, if any, remaining. Possible shock loss in fue donor? Was told unlikely to happen but possible. Also told that I might scar widely. Would that still contract over time?

[hope2345]

Anyone able to help? Thanks

[alxrbt]

Pictures of your donor area would help.

[mattj]

I wouldn't expect there to be any effect to follicles surrounding the extracted grafts, especially with a relatively small procedure that was spread out. 6 weeks is too soon to judge.

[hope2345]

I wouldn't expect there to be any effect to follicles surrounding the extracted grafts, especially with a relatively small procedure that was spread out. 6 weeks is too soon to judge.

 

 

Thanks Mattj

 

Why is six weeks too early to tell? What happens over the next few months? Does some hair grow in those gaps? Do those gaps fade and contract? Sorry for the questions. I'm anxious and want to know why this is happening.

 

Could those grafts around the extraction points have fallen out? And will they return?

 

How long should I wait before I know there is a problem?

 

Thank you

[mattj]

It's best to allow time to go by for all healing to occur. Although at six weeks, you should be fully healed. You may have heard of shockloss. It's more common with patients who have strip surgery, but isn't unheard of with FUE patients. It's hard to tell exactly what the problem is based only on your description, but I wouldn't expect 550 grafts, spread out, to leave you with a patchy donor.

[hope2345]

It's best to allow time to go by for all healing to occur. Although at six weeks, you should be fully healed. You may have heard of shockloss. It's more common with patients who have strip surgery, but isn't unheard of with FUE patients. It's hard to tell exactly what the problem is based only on your description, but I wouldn't expect 550 grafts, spread out, to leave you with a patchy donor.

 

Right now, I see patches even at a 1 guard. I think my skin is also hypopigmented. I understand hair won't grow back at those spots, but will the skin heal over time? At two months post op almost, it looks hypopigmented and stretched at each extraction point.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Even though people say that follicular unit extraction is not as invasive as strip, it is still very possible to cause shock loss when harvesting grafts for FUE. While I can't know for sure, especially without pictures, I would suggest that it's possible that if you are seeing balding areas surrounding the grafts you are experiencing a temporary telogen effluvium or shock loss. But I would love to see some pictures as with this community so we can see what you are seeing.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[mattj]

It's very difficult to say without seeing some photos. This is obviously causing you distress, so I would say get someone to take some photos and upload them here and then we can give you better advice as to what is going on.

[hope2345]

I'll have some photos up tonight. Thanks Matt.

 

The extraction points are very obvious right now when in dark lighting. I was told by a dermatologist I saw after my HT that these extraction points will eventually fade away and not be noticeable at all like they are now (although the hairs are gone and will not grow back at those sites).

 

My extraction points seem hypopigmented now. I think that is why they stand out in low lighting conditions. Especially pictures. Do these scars even repigment themselves to match surrounding skin? I know my dermatologist said they will, but I'm hoping that this is the case from people who've had Fue. I just don't understand how scars heal, and now that my scars are lighter than surrounding skin, I'm scared that it won't improve.

 

I have light skin. Dark hair. But I read light skin rarely gets hypopigmentation once completely healed. Hoping that's true.

[mattj]

Gaps could be giving the appearance of hypopigmentation. We're basically 'blind' when judging your situation, so it will be good to see the pics.

[hope2345]

Gaps could be giving the appearance of hypopigmentation. We're basically 'blind' when judging your situation, so it will be good to see the pics.

 

Thanks for the reply mattj.

 

I am a bit hesitant to put up my photos online

 

I was wondering: when shock loss hair returns, does it usually come back thinner than usual? I see a couple hairs coming back (which I hope are from shock loss) but they are very thin. I am hoping they improve with time.

 

Likewise, I think my extraction sites are turning in hypopigmented spots, and they seem to be getting wider/larger. I thought scars shrink over time? Should I expect them to shrink with time?