Surgeon recommendation for FUT scar cover up in Europe

[vox12252]

Dear HRN,

I had a 3000 graft FUT procedure with Dr. Arocha a few years ago, which did not produce good results. I also had adverse reactions to propecia so I used minoxidil and biotin for a few years before just giving up as my hair loss got progressively worse.

As my hair loss is quite advanced, I'm pretty much resigned to shaving it off but I have this ugly scar on the back of my head, which looks quite awkward especially as I have reached a stage of my career where I have to give public talks presenting my research and it further adds to my anxiety of public speaking, so I'd like to get a surgery to at least get it covered up.

Can anyone recommend me a good surgeon in Europe that I can consult? I live in Copenhagen now as I'm attending grad school here so some place within Europe would be preferable.

I have read the forum and seen recommendations for surgeons in Belgium or Spain, which would be most convenient for me.

I have sent a consultation request to Dr. Ferduini as I read that he is quite compassionate, listens to clients and takes on challenging cases but I'm not sure what the wait time is and if they are accepting new clients.

I have also heard recommendations for Drs. Lupanzula and Bissanga but I'm not sure if they have a good history of handling scar corrections.

I have attached some pictures, so any other recommendations on what I should consider would also be most welcome.

New to the forum so I apologize if this was posted in the wrong section.

Cheers!

[LonelyGraft]

Hello

sorry you’re not happy with your results. Did arocha ever let you know why your transplant did not grow well? How many of the grafts would you say grew percentage wise?

 

have you looked into trying smp from a good smp artist to help camouflage the scar before trying fue? I think feriduni and bisanga are good options in Europe. Maybe even look into lorenzo or his jr doctor Ferreira. I’m not too familiar with grafts into a scar but I’ve heard there is lower yield as there is less blood supply within scar tissue so that may be something you want to research.

 

good luck

[vox12252]

1 minute ago, jj51702 said:

Hello

sorry you’re not happy with your results. Did arocha ever let you know why your transplant did not grow well? How many of the grafts would you say grew percentage wise?

 

have you looked into trying smp from a good smp artist to help camouflage the scar before trying fue? I think feriduni and bisanga are good options in Europe. Maybe even look into lorenzo or his jr doctor Ferreira. I’m not too familiar with grafts into a scar but I’ve heard there is lower yield as there is less blood supply within scar tissue so that may be something you want to research.

 

good luck

 

Thanks for your response.

I went in for consultations up to 6 months and he always said it was coming on well so it was a surprise to me that it ended up like that. After that point I left Houston and moved to Europe so I did not follow up on it. I also got side effects from propecia so I was in a very low place at that time and the transplant result was not even my major worry.

I've read about SMP but I much rather have a proper surgery so I don't have to explain to my hairdresser every time someone gets curious. 

As I said, I've resigned to a shaved head if I at least cover up that scar.

[LonelyGraft]

So there was no 1 year follow up? It might be worth following up in order to get a refund/partial refund if appropriate 

[vox12252]

18 minutes ago, jj51702 said:

So there was no 1 year follow up? It might be worth following up in order to get a refund/partial refund if appropriate 

This was done in December 2015 and it was a pain to even get them to respond to emails for follow up consultations back then, I had to call more than once to set up appointments. I have quite honestly considered it an expensive life lesson and moved on.

I only want to do this final thing to cover up the scar so I can completely forget the whole episode.

[HairLostYears]

Sorry, can't be of any help with what you're looking for.

Just wanted to commend your attitude and outlook in this unfortunate situation.

[saltandpepper]

Hi Vox,

I'm on the same journey as you at the moment – looking for way to improve an old FUT strip scar. Here's where I'm at (I won't go into the history of my HT because it's boring):

My scar stretches ear to ear, is about 6mm in width, is flat, white, a bit shiny.

Having kept my hair above grade 3 for many years, I decided a few months ago to have SMP done on my scar. It took about 4-5 sessions with an experienced and talented SMP artist (who, btw, I would highly recommend if you're in London). This gave me the confidence to shave my head down to a few mm of hair.

This was the first time I had actually seen the scar in all these years (sounds strange but I'd always covered it up and coloured it in with Nanogen Aquamatch pencil).

One of the problems with the scar was that, actually, the contrast between hair and scar was what made it more noticeable. Rather counter-intuitively, shaving my hair shorter made it a bit less noticeable.

But, it's still visible and noticeable in normal daylight.

So, I went to see a very well respected plastic surgeon called Ash Mosahebi (£150 for the consultation, thank you very much). I wanted to ask him about scar revision. He said he wouldn't recommend it because tension in the scalp may well stretch the scar again. He said it wasn't his area of expertise but said he would refer me to a colleague of his called Greg Willaims at Farjo clinic. I'd heard of them so looked them up online and from what I can see, they don't have good reviews. So I didn't pursue that. 

I did however (yesterday in fact) go and see a doctor called Dr Richard Rogers at Westminster Clinic (https://wmglondon.com/meet-our-team/). He also practices under the name of Rejuvinate Clinics (https://www.rejuvenatehairclinics.com/). Both he (Dr Rogers) and Rejuvinate Clinic gets v good reviews on Trust Pilot (https://www.trustpilot.com/review/rejuvenatehairclinics.com).

The reason I went to see Dr Rogers is because on the Westminster Clinic website they mention scar repair, scar revision, FUE into FUT scar. I figured it would be a useful conversation if nothing else. The consultation was £75 btw.

Dr Rogers examined my scar and said that due to the age of the scar and condition, he would prefer to do a scar revision. He said he always, where possible, prefers to remove the scar. Alternatively he suggested FUE into the scar.

He described the various pros and cons (we spoke mostly about scar revision as this is my preferred treatment too).

Pros:

The existing scar tissue would be removed and closed back up using a method called double sutre. The double sutre apparently reduces the tension on the scar (which lessens the possibility of stretching) and creates a neater join.

He said that erring on the side of caution, the scar could be reduced (in width) by 50%. Best-case scenario is that it would be reduced down to 1mm.

Due to my scar being stitched originally with only one layer of stitches, there is some clumping of hair follicles in certain areas. These would be removed.

 

Cons:

Two weeks with visible external stitches (which are apparently brown in colour). These would then need to be removed.

Six weeks of the internal stitches (which dissolve on their own).

I’d basically be cutting out all the SMP I just had done.

I would actually be making my scar more visible and raw in the short term.

I wouldn’t be able to consider any additional SMP or FUE into the scar (if needed) for 6 months.

I would have to grow my hair back to where it was, grade 3+ which puts me back where I was.

 

I need to decide whether there is sufficient long-term relief to warrant short-term trauma.

I need to decide whether, worst-case scenario that reducing the scar by 50% is worth it.

I also need to consider the possibility that I might make things worse. Is it a case of better the devil you know?

The cost of the scar revision btw is £950.

Anyone have thoughts?

[FUT BlunderMistake]

1 hour ago, saltandpepper said:

Hi Vox,

I'm on the same journey as you at the moment – looking for way to improve an old FUT strip scar. Here's where I'm at (I won't go into the history of my HT because it's boring):

My scar stretches ear to ear, is about 6mm in width, is flat, white, a bit shiny.

Having kept my hair above grade 3 for many years, I decided a few months ago to have SMP done on my scar. It took about 4-5 sessions with an experienced and talented SMP artist (who, btw, I would highly recommend if you're in London). This gave me the confidence to shave my head down to a few mm of hair.

This was the first time I had actually seen the scar in all these years (sounds strange but I'd always covered it up and coloured it in with Nanogen Aquamatch pencil).

One of the problems with the scar was that, actually, the contrast between hair and scar was what made it more noticeable. Rather counter-intuitively, shaving my hair shorter made it a bit less noticeable.

But, it's still visible and noticeable in normal daylight.

So, I went to see a very well respected plastic surgeon called Ash Mosahebi (£150 for the consultation, thank you very much). I wanted to ask him about scar revision. He said he wouldn't recommend it because tension in the scalp may well stretch the scar again. He said it wasn't his area of expertise but said he would refer me to a colleague of his called Greg Willaims at Farjo clinic. I'd heard of them so looked them up online and from what I can see, they don't have good reviews. So I didn't pursue that. 

I did however (yesterday in fact) go and see a doctor called Dr Richard Rogers at Westminster Clinic (https://wmglondon.com/meet-our-team/). He also practices under the name of Rejuvinate Clinics (https://www.rejuvenatehairclinics.com/). Both he (Dr Rogers) and Rejuvinate Clinic gets v good reviews on Trust Pilot (https://www.trustpilot.com/review/rejuvenatehairclinics.com).

The reason I went to see Dr Rogers is because on the Westminster Clinic website they mention scar repair, scar revision, FUE into FUT scar. I figured it would be a useful conversation if nothing else. The consultation was £75 btw.

Dr Rogers examined my scar and said that due to the age of the scar and condition, he would prefer to do a scar revision. He said he always, where possible, prefers to remove the scar. Alternatively he suggested FUE into the scar.

He described the various pros and cons (we spoke mostly about scar revision as this is my preferred treatment too).

Pros:

The existing scar tissue would be removed and closed back up using a method called double sutre. The double sutre apparently reduces the tension on the scar (which lessens the possibility of stretching) and creates a neater join.

He said that erring on the side of caution, the scar could be reduced (in width) by 50%. Best-case scenario is that it would be reduced down to 1mm.

Due to my scar being stitched originally with only one layer of stitches, there is some clumping of hair follicles in certain areas. These would be removed.

 

Cons:

Two weeks with visible external stitches (which are apparently brown in colour). These would then need to be removed.

Six weeks of the internal stitches (which dissolve on their own).

I’d basically be cutting out all the SMP I just had done.

I would actually be making my scar more visible and raw in the short term.

I wouldn’t be able to consider any additional SMP or FUE into the scar (if needed) for 6 months.

I would have to grow my hair back to where it was, grade 3+ which puts me back where I was.

 

I need to decide whether there is sufficient long-term relief to warrant short-term trauma.

I need to decide whether, worst-case scenario that reducing the scar by 50% is worth it.

I also need to consider the possibility that I might make things worse. Is it a case of better the devil you know?

The cost of the scar revision btw is £950.

Anyone have thoughts

I think you should go for FUE into the scar rather SCAR revesion .. 

 

In any case SCAR will never be invisible it can be just better than what it is now , it might end up same as it is now (you didn't considered it in your worst case scenario) 

 

Is it possible for you to share pics of SCAR ?

[saltandpepper]

7 hours ago, FUT BlunderMistake said:

I think you should go for FUE into the scar rather SCAR revesion .. 

 

In any case SCAR will never be invisible it can be just better than what it is now , it might end up same as it is now (you didn't considered it in your worst case scenario) 

 

Is it possible for you to share pics of SCAR ?

I never realised before how difficult it is to take a photo of the back of one's head!

There's a thread on here by a guy who has had a FUT procedure 15 years ago, then more recently a scar revision using trichophytic closure, followed by FUE into the resulting scar.

He's posted lots of photos and details of his procedures.

I have to say, he's put me off having a scar revision or FUE into my existing FUT scar.

If someone said to me that they could guarantee a perfect result – that the scar would be gone, invisible, I'd be prepared to go through it. But, from what I can see (not just from this chap's story) online, in many photos, videos and stories, I'm just not going to get the result I'm after. In fact, it seems to me that the best results out there to cover FUT scars are from SMP. And I've already had a good few sessions of SMP which has gotten me to a place where I was able to shave my hair down to 2.5mm.

I'm still self-conscious of the scar, especially now during the bright, long, summer days, but I now think my best bet is to have more SMP.

I have an appt booked this Thursday with my SMP technician and I'm going to ask her to go above and below the scar to blend in the existing SMP and try and get it as camouflaged as possible.

If I can figure out how, I'll post pics.

I just can't face going right back to square one, having a fresh scar. I don't think (I may be wrong) that FUE into the scar will get me where I want to be. 

This is where my head is at now.

[saltandpepper]

On 7/9/2019 at 1:01 PM, FUT BlunderMistake said:

I think you should go for FUE into the scar rather SCAR revesion .. 

 

In any case SCAR will never be invisible it can be just better than what it is now , it might end up same as it is now (you didn't considered it in your worst case scenario) 

 

Is it possible for you to share pics of SCAR ?

I had my 6th SMP session yesterday, during which my SMP technician added some pigment to the scar and also added some pigment above and below to diffuse and blend it. I asked her to take a pic when she was done. Bear in mind that the treatment had just been done and the site was a bit red and sore. Plus she had just put some balm on the site (to aid healing) which makes it slightly shiny. But I'm really happy with the result and this final session blended together all the other sessions I'd had done.

I've pretty much ruled out scar revision as I've read more about it, and watched some (pretty graphic) YouTube videos and it's put me off. I've also discounted FUE into the scar but wouldn't rule it out if I have any further work in the future.

Vox, if you're still feeling self-conscious and looking for a solution to this problem, personally I would recommend SMP. From what I can see in your pics, your scar looks fairly flat, which really helps with SMP. Either way, I hope you find the relief you're searching for. I know all too well the anxiety of feeling exposed, judged, embarrassed. If you would like the details of the SMP artist I saw I'm happy to provide.

[vox12252]

On 7/12/2019 at 3:34 PM, saltandpepper said:

I had my 6th SMP session yesterday, during which my SMP technician added some pigment to the scar and also added some pigment above and below to diffuse and blend it. I asked her to take a pic when she was done. Bear in mind that the treatment had just been done and the site was a bit red and sore. Plus she had just put some balm on the site (to aid healing) which makes it slightly shiny. But I'm really happy with the result and this final session blended together all the other sessions I'd had done.

I've pretty much ruled out scar revision as I've read more about it, and watched some (pretty graphic) YouTube videos and it's put me off. I've also discounted FUE into the scar but wouldn't rule it out if I have any further work in the future.

Vox, if you're still feeling self-conscious and looking for a solution to this problem, personally I would recommend SMP. From what I can see in your pics, your scar looks fairly flat, which really helps with SMP. Either way, I hope you find the relief you're searching for. I know all too well the anxiety of feeling exposed, judged, embarrassed. If you would like the details of the SMP artist I saw I'm happy to provide.

Thanks man, I'm close to setting up a date for an FUE in Brussels in August. I'll update how mine goes. If I feel the need for an SMP after that, I'll let you know. Cheers!

[FUT BlunderMistake]

3 hours ago, vox12252 said:

Thanks man, I'm close to setting up a date for an FUE in Brussels in August. I'll update how mine goes. If I feel the need for an SMP after that, I'll let you know. Cheers!

All the best vox12252 , please keep us posted with your progress...we all are in same boat 

 

[harry_potter1]

On 7/12/2019 at 3:34 PM, saltandpepper said:

I had my 6th SMP session yesterday, during which my SMP technician added some pigment to the scar and also added some pigment above and below to diffuse and blend it. I asked her to take a pic when she was done. Bear in mind that the treatment had just been done and the site was a bit red and sore. Plus she had just put some balm on the site (to aid healing) which makes it slightly shiny. But I'm really happy with the result and this final session blended together all the other sessions I'd had done.

 I've pretty much ruled out scar revision as I've read more about it, and watched some (pretty graphic) YouTube videos and it's put me off. I've also discounted FUE into the scar but wouldn't rule it out if I have any further work in the future.

 Vox, if you're still feeling self-conscious and looking for a solution to this problem, personally I would recommend SMP. From what I can see in your pics, your scar looks fairly flat, which really helps with SMP. Either way, I hope you find the relief you're searching for. I know all too well the anxiety of feeling exposed, judged, embarrassed. If you would like the details of the SMP artist I saw I'm happy to provide.



Hmmm, that doesn't look bad at all for scar tbh 

I mean for an inexperienced eye, I don't think they will recognize it that much, in addition even recognizable isn't always "bad looking" IMHO

I've seen 2 people with FUT scar before, both were sitting in front of me waiting for their turn in the bank. 

I didn't feel that the scar was such turn off as people making it to be, and actually approached the 2nd one and asked him about his HT and was really nice and open about it. 

This is one of the reasons I think I prefer FUT (I am one of those who believes it is superior technique) as I don't think the scar is as ugly as people making it to be.

Anyway, good luck man

[mas_pelo]

On 7/15/2019 at 4:17 AM, harry_potter1 said:

Hmmm, that doesn't look bad at all for scar tbh 

I mean for an inexperienced eye, I don't think they will recognize it that much, in addition even recognizable isn't always "bad looking" IMHO

I've seen 2 people with FUT scar before, both were sitting in front of me waiting for their turn in the bank. 

I didn't feel that the scar was such turn off as people making it to be, and actually approached the 2nd one and asked him about his HT and was really nice and open about it. 

This is one of the reasons I think I prefer FUT (I am one of those who believes it is superior technique) as I don't think the scar is as ugly as people making it to be.

Anyway, good luck man

Yeah I hear you... just wish my scar came out decent. It’s so brutal