Hair transplant reversal - have you done it?

[Toubey]

Hi guys

So I had a botched hair transplant some years ago. It's the classic story, really: I hadn't done my research well and fell for the trick of an inexpensive procedure which was carried out by a doctor who was only interested in my money rather than my results and well-being. He used an outdated FUT method with some rather large plugs and the whole thing looked awful.

I quickly regretted it, and now I am losing more hair and given my relatively young age and considering how my father has almost no hair left I'd rather go for a reversal rather than more transplants down the road. I have no issue with going bald, really, - or trimming my hair down. It's just that the transplanted hairs would look quite out of place so I am interested in having them removed. Some sort of extraction/excision is what I am intuitively leaning towards.. Laser removal just doesn't "feel" right, but then again I could be mistaken.

I didn't do my research well the first time, but intend to do it this time. So would like to hear if anyone in here has any experiences with this, and can give some advice? I did a search on the forums but threads about full reversals seem to be fairly rare. 

Obviously I am concerned about healing/pits etc, but I'm generally a good healer so I think that might be okay. I've uploaded some images of how the original procedure was, and how my hair looks now to give you some reference. Please note that I am using a natural hair enhancing pill (Priorin) which makes my hair look thicker than it otherwise would be. The hair was inserted in a round patch on the top of the head, and in a rim (1-2 cm wide) spanning the hairline at the front of the head as the images show. Looks increasingly artificial now that my hair is thinning. 

Any sort of suggestions from real-life people who went through it themselves, or know anyone who has, would be greatly appreciated!

[Melvin- Admin]

Yet again another “how to undo a hair transplant” thread. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to undo what’s been done. 
 

This is why I’m so passionate about the work I do here, because of guys like you. I think the best thing to do is perhaps laser fraxel, which may conceal the scars a bit, but never 100%. The other thing is smp, which may conceal the scars as well. But you should never expect to go back to being just another bald guy.

[Sean]

Toubey, sorry to see this.  The work looks below par.  If you shave your head do the pits still show?  Have you reached out to other surgeons to see what options are available as avenues of repair?  Was this doc from North America?

[202]

I am going through this as well. I am gonna do some repair work. Tons of examples on here of excellent repair work. Type it in the search and it will all come up. Wish you well. 

[Curious]

I suggest you have the more obvious plugs removed, which means a large punch would be used to remove them.   The extraction holes can be sutured or skin can be grafted into the holes to minimize the scarring.    

[Toubey]

>>> CURIOUS

Thanks for the reply. Yes, that's also why I am considering.. From my research so far, it does seem possible to remove the large plugs by means of excision with a scalpel. Apparently it has been done before. I'm a pretty good healer, so I don't worry too much about any scars/pits, because everything has healed up pretty well from the original surgery. A doc even told me my scar in the back of the head was the nicest-looking one he had ever seen :)..

I was just wondering if anyone had gone through something similar, and could give advice  on it.. 

>>> SEAN

No pits that I am aware of, my friend.. It's just that if I cut my hair down short it will look artificial with a wide rim of evenly placed hairs in the front and almost no hair on the rest of the top of the head. A bit like a highway of artificial hair.. ain't too keen on that :). 

It was a Greek doctor, in Greece who performed the horrible procedure.

[Curious]

They do not use a scalpel, they use a biopsy punch.  You should do everything you can, in conjunction with the surgeon, to minimize the scarring and heal as best as possible.  

[Melvin- Admin]

@Toubey

who performed the surgery? How is your donor area? Do you still have grafts left?

[1978matt]

Plug removal is usually associated with the old 4mm diameter plugs.  I think yours are significantly smaller and there are quite a lot.  Taking them out might just put a whole bunch of scars in their place.

I don't think the answer will be found online.  You'll need to go and visit some of the top guys in person and see what they think is possible.

Edited December 9, 2019 by 1978matt

[Curious]

If you are going to remove them, I would start small, beginning in the back with 5-10 plugs and see how it turns out.  I say start in the back, because it will be easier to conceal.  The plugs will be dissected to recycle the grafts contained within the plugs.  Maybe look into silicone scar cream to try and limit the scarring.  I have seen examples of plug removal by Dr. Bernstein in New York and Dr. Gabel in Portland that I thought were quite good.  

A number of years ago I had micro and mini-grafts removed because they were becoming more obvious as my native hair receded.  I regret that I wasn't more agressive in removing the old style grafts.

 

[Sean]

Toubey, i know what you mean.  When it looks artificial, it is hard to conceal.  I am trying to figure a best route for this as well.  My situation whether long or short hair looks fake and draws eyes.    Hang in there.  

some folks take the thick irregular grafts out and yes it can lead to scarring.  Some even do electrolysis to kill the hairs so you dont have extraction scars.  It’s a tough call, but there is hope.  Hang in there.  Get some consults just to look at your options

very sorry you have to go through this buddy.  I definitely know how this feels.  Wish you the best

[Abi28]

This sucks, I had a repair procedure in the summer to fix my hairline after having a horrible hair transplant a few years back, my hairline was non symmetrical lower on one side with plugs, doctor removed a lot of plugs and fixed my hairline so it's possible, I have no scars or marks, wounds healed in 2 weeks. You can definitely fix this, good luck.

[jjsrader]

Consult w/Bernstein & Cooley - prob' electrolysis sessions can wipe out 90% of those grafts w/minimal scarring.  Especially the frontal rows. 

[Toubey]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. To be honest I'm a bit (positively) overwhelmed by all the people responding. Lots of good people in here :).

>>> MELVIN-MODERATOR

It was a doctor in Greece who performed the original surgery. I still have donor hair left, but I'm not keen on doing more repairs/hair transplants as I am still fairly young and losing more hair - and as one look at my father's non-existing hair tells me that's a dead end.. Plus, I just don't want more hair transplants for some weird reason that I can't really explain.. Just the hairs inserted back into the scar in the back of the head, really. 

>>> CURIOUS

Yes, that's also my thinking: Have some of the less obvious plugs removed and see how that works out.. Sounds interesting that you had some removed yourself - did you get any scarring?

>>> ABI28

That is very exciting to hear! Makes me hopeful for the future :). Could you kindly inform which doctor did the procedure on you? If not here then in a PM. Thanks

>>> JJSRADER

Thanks for the tip about electrolysis. Actually it is the first time I encounter that, so will look into it.. 

 

[Curious]

The scarring I had was minimal, not noticeable.  I would recommend to try and save the hairs in the plugs that you have removed.  They can be dissected out under magnification and used to create a natural dusting look or more, depends on how you want it to look.  Every follicle counts.  You may change your mind in the future, the technology may change, better therapies may be available. 

[jjsrader]

I've had a frontal row removed (from 1mm punches in '90 & '91).

Dr. Feller removed that row in 2004.  No scarring (visually). 

Your probably looking at several sessions if you want to excise the majority of your plugs and want them refined under a microsope and re-implanted elsewhere.  In a year from now I don't see why you can't get to where you want to be. 

 

[BaldReaper]

On 12/8/2019 at 1:49 AM, Melvin- Moderator said:

Yet again another “how to undo a hair transplant” thread. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to undo what’s been done. 
 

This is why I’m so passionate about the work I do here, because of guys like you. I think the best thing to do is perhaps laser fraxel, which may conceal the scars a bit, but never 100%. The other thing is smp, which may conceal the scars as well. But you should never expect to go back to being just another bald guy.

How about another bald guy with small and unnoticable scars on his hairline ?