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Occipital nerve damage caused by FUT strip hairtransplantion


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  • Regular Member

Hi there. Just wondering if anyone out there has suffered this particular nerve damage from FUT hair transplantation. I had two FUT transplants back in 2006 which led to permanent nerve damage in the back of my head and on my crown. These nerves are located in the back of your head and when they are damaged in anyway like mine it can lead to severe headaches and dizziness amongst other symptoms. The doctor performing the hair transplant removed the strip of skin from the back of my head therefore cutting into these nerves which has led to this nerve damage which is still with with me to this day. I have read up on this Occipital nerve damage which is called Occipital Neuralgia. I have also read cases where this has also happened to other patients. I’m not sure if there’s any cure for this nerve damage only relief to relieve the pain. Has this happened to anyone else out there or anyone got any comments? Thanks again

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After many transplants in the late 80's and early 90's I had just about complete numbness over my entire head covering both the donor area and the recipient area. If I bumped or even just tapped my head in certain spots I would get a searing pain through my skull and I'd nearly fall to the ground with my hands over my head trying to stop the pain. This has slowly improved over the years and I haven't gotten the head splitting pain in a few years, but even now if I just lightly tap my finger on a spot just above my ear I still get some pain in that area and into my ear which gives me a small headache and ear ache for a while. My entire head is still somewhat numb even after 30 years, although it's now just the very outer layer. If I touch my head I don't feel anything, but if you stick me with a needle I will feel pain.

I had 5 scalp reductions and many transplants with each transplant creating a new scar (not using the same scar line), so I know my nerves have been sliced apart more than just about anyone else.

 

Edited by BeHappy

Al

Forum Moderator

(formerly BeHappy)

I am a forum moderator for hairrestorationnetwork.com. I am not a Dr. and I do not work for any particular Dr. My opinions are my own and may not reflect the opinions of other moderators or the owner of this site. I am also a hair transplant patient and repair patient. You can view some of my repair journey here.

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Oh you had scar reductions as well? Same as myself. Because my scars from the two FUT procedures were so wide I went to a plastic surgeon to have the scars reduced which meant reopening the scars left by the hair transplant doctor and reducing them. Obviously I have no doubt probably causing more nerve damage. What an absolute nightmare this has all been. It has taken so many years of happiness away from me. As the saying goes “ if only I had known I wouldn’t have done it”. Unfortunately none of us has a crystal ball.  All we look for was a hair transplant that would make us happy but unfortunately has turned into a complete nightmare.

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Hi there. Yeah I haven’t one good thing to say about this doctor. Not only was I left badly scarred with permanent nerve damage, the hair transplants he performed were disastrous. The grafts he placed on my crown were too spaced apart. It genuinely looked like dolls hair( the only way I can describe it). It was absolutely terrible, very very amateur. Over the last few years I have been going to an FUE hair transplant surgeon for recovery work. He has been placing grafts into the scarring area to improve the look of the scar and fill in the gaps left from the amateur work performed from the other “doctor”. 

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How did your scar revision turn out? I was in the same situation as you were back then, I didn't have a clue about hair transplants and trusted that a qualified doctor knew what he was doing. I got 2 surgeries from him as he said he wasn't happy with how the 1st turned out. The 2nd surgery wasn't any better as the left side of hairline and just behind it hardly grew at all and the rest isn't much better either. I'm obsessed with the scars I have.. I would love to get something done to them but I don't know what is best option. Anyway I wish you all the best and i hope you can get something done to help you. 

 

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The scars have improved over the years because I have had a lot of treatment done on them. Everything from using gels and going to clinics to get microdermabrasion done on the scars. I also use micro-needling on the scar which I do myself at home. These are micro needles that I roll against the scar. The needles penetrate the scar tricking the scar into healing itself. As I mentioned also I have been going for recovery work to an FUE surgeon. He has helped people in the past who have suffered the same fate as me. He fills in the scar and around the scar area with grafts to improve the look of the scar. The man is very very good at what he does. If only I knew of him back years ago. But you can’t think too much about it otherwise it would drive you insane. 

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