Best way to remove transplanted hair - electrolysis?

[hplant]

As the title says what is the best way to remove transplanted hair graphs, is it electrolysis? This is for hair transplanted in the temporal point areas. I’ve searched the forum and some people say they’re going to do electrolysis but I don’t see any updates or results from anyone. And it seems theres a risk of fue scars if it is fue’d out.

There were 200 grafts transplanted on each temporal point, 200 per side in 2018.

 

Best regards.

Edited October 19, 2021 by hplant
Added images

[Gatsby]

Welcome @hplant to the forum. Are you able to upload some pics sop we can get a better idea of your situation? How many grafts did you have transplanted?

[hplant]

Yes, added.

I had around 200 grafts on each temporal point in 2018. The texture of the grafts after 3 years now is still much thicker than the surrounding hair so it sticks out like a sore thumb. I have had my mid 50 year old parents ask why my temples looks so odd so if they can notice it, so can others.

[gillenator]

If you have to remove them, any method that does not make/create scarring is highly recommended IMHO...have you tried growing out the grafts to longer lengths so they transition into the surrounding hair?...that may indeed make a difference so there is not a visual break between the grafts and your adjoining native hair.

You can also add more grafts to tie everything together.

Edited October 19, 2021 by gillenator

[HairNTear]

Hi @hplant I had a recent fue repair procedure with Dr Cooley which involved the removal of grafts.

Some were removed by FUE and some by electrolysis. I don’t see any evidence of scarring or evidence they were removed from 3 months onwards.

You can see before and after pictures of this procedure on my thread.

I prefer FUE so they can be recycled into the recipient site but I believe a number of grafts were damaged and unlikely to grow which is why they used electrolysis.

 

 

[Gatsby]

Going by those photos alone you could either have them removed via FUE or actually add more to match the density to the native hair behind. If you are happy with the angle of the grafts then perhaps add more?

[hplant]

On 10/19/2021 at 1:35 PM, gillenator said:

If you have to remove them, any method that does not make/create scarring is highly recommended IMHO...have you tried growing out the grafts to longer lengths so they transition into the surrounding hair?...that may indeed make a difference so there is not a visual break between the grafts and your adjoining native hair.

You can also add more grafts to tie everything together.

I have tried growing them out long and it is still very obvious. I think after looking at many results over the years that temples are just notoriously difficult to get right due to texture and angle. Even some top surgeons on here post subpar results. Is electrolysis less likely to leave a scar?

 

8 hours ago, HairNTear said:

Hi @hplant I had a recent fue repair procedure with Dr Cooley which involved the removal of grafts.

Some were removed by FUE and some by electrolysis. I don’t see any evidence of scarring or evidence they were removed from 3 months onwards.

You can see before and after pictures of this procedure on my thread.

I prefer FUE so they can be recycled into the recipient site but I believe a number of grafts were damaged and unlikely to grow which is why they used electrolysis.

 

 

Your result looks good but did the hairs FUE'd out leave any scars? I notice your donor area has the scars but not the front.

 

7 hours ago, Gatsby said:

Going by those photos alone you could either have them removed via FUE or actually add more to match the density to the native hair behind. If you are happy with the angle of the grafts then perhaps add more?

The angle does not follow the rest of my temples unfortunately. The hairs are thicker than the surrounding area but the density it thinner so it's a weird mismatch. 

[hplant]

I see this comment from Dr. Bloxham saying electrolysis can be effective.

 

 

[HairNTear]

Yes if you look at the temporal areas post surgery you will notice a lot of red dots where many multigrafts were removed via FUE.

there remained a reddish mark on the skin for about a month or 2 before it faded to nothing and I don’t see any scars at all.

I prefer the fue method over electrolysis as you can reuse the limited amount of grafts we have 

[harryforreal]

On 10/20/2021 at 7:46 PM, HairNTear said:

Hi @hplant I had a recent fue repair procedure with Dr Cooley which involved the removal of grafts.

Some were removed by FUE and some by electrolysis. I don’t see any evidence of scarring or evidence they were removed from 3 months onwards.

You can see before and after pictures of this procedure on my thread.

I prefer FUE so they can be recycled into the recipient site but I believe a number of grafts were damaged and unlikely to grow which is why they used electrolysis.

Hi, HairNTear,

To clarify:  You believe some grafts IN YOUR TRANSPLANT were not growing, so Dr. Cooley used electrolysis on damaged grafts that were not growing?  This is the first I have heard such a thing.

 

[HairNTear]

6 minutes ago, harryforreal said:

Hi, HairNTear,

To clarify:  You believe some grafts IN YOUR TRANSPLANT were not growing, so Dr. Cooley used electrolysis on damaged grafts that were not growing?  This is the first I have heard such a thing.

 

To my understanding they were some that were damaged and unlikely to survive being FUE’d again  

[harryforreal]

3 minutes ago, HairNTear said:

To my understanding they were some that were damaged and unlikely to survive being FUE’d again  

Ah, ok.  But they grew normally? Or did they look really bizarre the way they grew before Dr.Cooley zapped them?

[harryforreal]

If you go with electrolysis, make sure it's someone who is the best; I understand electrolysis can leave scaring as well.

[HairNTear]

12 minutes ago, harryforreal said:

Ah, ok.  But they grew normally? Or did they look really bizarre the way they grew before Dr.Cooley zapped them?

It was about 30 in total that were zapped and the other healthier looking grafts we’re removed via fue on the hairline to be recycled.

They grew very wiry and unlike my reasonably straight hair. Also Dr Cooley deemed the transaction risk to be very high. 

[harryforreal]

6 minutes ago, HairNTear said:

It was about 30 in total that were zapped and the other healthier looking grafts we’re removed via fue on the hairline to be recycled.

They grew very wiry and unlike my reasonably straight hair. Also Dr Cooley deemed the transaction risk to be very high. 

This is very interesting.

I have had many such hairs in my hairline, and often wondered if they grew this way because they were damaged in the original hair transplant.  I actually plucked many of these hairs and stored them labeled by month in ziplock bags so I could compare them later since so many people always said, "Oh, it will soften will time".  No, that's a lie.

I also consulted with Dr. Cooley about a repair years ago; however, it just seemed too involved, and I did not want FUT.  Plus, since a principle concern was that any transplanted hair to the front of the hairline would be darker and thicker than the native hairs, I didn't see how a repeat of the same results could be avoided.  

When I went and did my first transplant, I honestly was expecting soft, flowing hair along my hairline.   HA!  What a crock of shit.  You can't take pubic hair, transplant it to the front of the hairline, and expect it to "soften".  Same with hair from the back of the head in my opinion.

[HairNTear]

5 minutes ago, harryforreal said:

This is very interesting.

I have had many such hairs in my hairline, and often wondered if they grew this way because they were damaged in the original hair transplant.  I actually plucked many of these hairs and stored them labeled by month in ziplock bags so I could compare them later since so many people always said, "Oh, it will soften will time".  No, that's a lie.

I also consulted with Dr. Cooley about a repair years ago; however, it just seemed too involved, and I did not want FUT.  Plus, since a principle concern was that any transplanted hair to the front of the hairline would be darker and thicker than the native hairs, I didn't see how a repeat of the same results could be avoided.  

When I went and did my first transplant, I honestly was expecting soft, flowing hair along my hairline.   HA!  What a crock of shit.  You can't take pubic hair, transplant it to the front of the hairline, and expect it to "soften".  Same with hair from the back of the head in my opinion.

Yeah it frustrates me just how much that line of ‘it will improve over time’ line is used in this industry

I mean I would always opt for FUE  over FUT as just would be conscious of the linear scar.

I mean one thing I will say is that Cooley’s team were separating the single hairs with the fine single hairs to help offset the darkness as much as possible.

Personally I always like the idea of using nape hair but it doesn’t seem to be that popular among Drs

[harryforreal]

8 minutes ago, HairNTear said:

Yeah it frustrates me just how much that line of ‘it will improve over time’ line is used in this industry

I mean I would always opt for FUE  over FUT as just would be conscious of the linear scar.

I mean one thing I will say is that Cooley’s team were separating the single hairs with the fine single hairs to help offset the darkness as much as possible.

Personally I always like the idea of using nape hair but it doesn’t seem to be that popular among Drs

I agree, there are a lot of "lines" used in this industry over and over. 

I also agree that doctors don't like to use nape hair. I wonder if they are concerned it is too delicate to survive transplant or they are concerned about long term resistance to hair loss.  Dr. Konior, however, once replied to me that he will use nape hair.

[HairNTear]

24 minutes ago, harryforreal said:

I agree, there are a lot of "lines" used in this industry over and over. 

I also agree that doctors don't like to use nape hair. I wonder if they are concerned it is too delicate to survive transplant or they are concerned about long term resistance to hair loss.  Dr. Konior, however, once replied to me that he will use nape hair.

Perhaps it’s a case of prioritizing the safe hair first and then moving on to nape after. Konior seems to take a very pragmatic approach and adapt to the individual which I like. 

[lakes9925]

Question- I thought it takes multiple sessions remove grafts via electrolysis or do they die the first time around?

[hplant]

On 10/24/2021 at 7:21 AM, harryforreal said:

If you go with electrolysis, make sure it's someone who is the best; I understand electrolysis can leave scaring as well.

I see in your posts that you did VBeam for redness. Wouldn’t that work with any electrolysis redness as well?

[aaron1234]

Very few docs are able to create natural looking temple points.  I would consult with Dr. Konior to see what can be done.  I would look into adding more density before zapping the area.  

[gillenator]

I also would opt for adding more hair that is the most visually compatible for the area.

[harryforreal]

On 10/26/2021 at 4:04 AM, hplant said:

I see in your posts that you did VBeam for redness. Wouldn’t that work with any electrolysis redness as well?

Interesting question. I have no experience with electrolysis.  I do not know what the underlying factor for the electrolysis redness that you are describing might be; but it's definitely worth speaking with an experienced V-Beam practitioner about if it is a relevant concern for you.

[Al - Moderator]

On 10/24/2021 at 11:07 AM, harryforreal said:

I also agree that doctors don't like to use nape hair. I wonder if they are concerned it is too delicate to survive transplant or they are concerned about long term resistance to hair loss.  Dr. Konior, however, once replied to me that he will use nape hair.

 

With retrograde alopecia being very common to at least some extent in many people, there is a somewhat high chance that hair taken from the nape may not last very long after being transplanted, so it may be a waste of time and money for a lot of people.

[BaldReaper]

Any update here?