Risk of cobblestoning

[geochelone]

Hell everyone,

 

I (30 male, NW 4-5) m scheduled for a hair transplant next week (Dr Serkan Aygin). A coworker went there and had amazing results, plus it's really cheap there compared to what they charge you in Western Europe (prices I can't afford).

I always thought that, worst case, the HT fails, I go back to shaving. However I discovered now there are risks like cobblestoning which are irreversible, and that shaving will be complicated anyways if the HT fails because there will be little scars (FUE). How big is the risk for cobblestoning, for example ?

So now I need to pick your collective brain.

 

Im advance, thank you very much for your answers.

 

[geochelone]

State of my hair a year ago, shaved since. Notice I already have tricopigmentation (like SMP but temporary, slowly fading) to make the hair look denser.

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by geochelone

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@geochelone,

admittedly I’m not familiar with the doctor you’ve chosen however, cobblestoning is not something that occurs because a patient physiology. It’s something that would only occur if the doctor doesn’t have the skill and experience to do the procedure properly.  Cobblestoning specifically refers to A condition where the incisions are made too small for the grafts and as a result, they grafts begin to pop out but only a little.  Because of this, the scalp and the tissue surrounding the grafts become uneven and doesn’t look as natural.  If you run your hand over it, you will feel tiny bumps raised above the scalp similar to actual cobblestoning which is why it’s called this.   The opposite to this condition is referred to as pitting, where the incisions are actually too big for the grafts and as a result, there are small pits where the grafts are placed because the tissue is pushed further into the scalp than it should be.

again however, these conditions are highly avoidable and wouldn’t be an issue as long as you select a surgeon that is skilled, experienced has a stellar reputation for producing regular outstanding results.

best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant 

[aaron1234]

Cobblestoning won't happen unless you go to a crappy clinic just because it's cheap.  

[ciaus]

When it comes to shaving your head back down after a bad transplant, I'd be more worried about 'ridging' than cobblestoning, especially along the hairline. Its not as common as it previously was, but factors for preventing it still cannot be perfectly controlled for. Its going to come down to your doctor's skill, tooling, and how well your body's repair processes handle the surgery trauma. And the scarring in your donor area is going to come down to similar factors, and how much contrast there is between your normal skin tone and the tone of your scar tissue. Typically the darker your skin tone the more visible the scars will be.

If you're already shaving your head, willing to continue doing that in the worse case scenario, and have very limited financial resources, I'd just keep shaving your head and forget about HTs. There's some topics below with pics that show guys trying to address ridging:

 

 

 

 

[HappyMan2021]

@geochelone I wish you the best result possible, but 2 things stand out to me. 1) I am unfamiliar with Dr. Aygin. Your sample of 1 coworker is not enough to go by. Please search Dr. Aygin on here, I am seeing some negative reviews. 

2) A botched HT can lead to scarring and other permanent bad effects that can still be noticeable with shaving your head. 

Along the lines of what @ciaus said, if you are already comfortable and can be at peace shaving your head, I would avoid this war entirely. 

Edited February 6, 2022 by SadMan2021

[mmokin]

27 minutes ago, ciaus said:

When it comes to shaving your head back down after a bad transplant, I'd be more worried about 'ridging' than cobblestoning, especially along the hairline. Its not as common as it previously was, but factors for preventing it still cannot be perfectly controlled for. Its going to come down to your doctor's skill, tooling, and how well your body's repair processes handle the surgery trauma. And the scarring in your donor area is going to come down to similar factors, and how much contrast there is between your normal skin tone and the tone of your scar tissue. Typically the darker your skin tone the more visible the scars will be.

If you're already shaving your head, willing to continue doing that in the worse case scenario, and have very limited financial resources, I'd just keep shaving your head and forget about HTs. There's some topics below with pics that show guys trying to address ridging:

 

 

 

 

i feel kinda bad now being tagged in a post like this but it is what it is.

im getting kenalog injections to flatten the surface of the skin, i cant tell if i have obvious discoloration as i havent shaved off my transplanted region to see.

im looking into a second transplant so the bump should be invisible under the new hairline but hopefully i can get it flattened out with the steroid injections, btw it was completely flat 1 month post op and appeared around 4-5 months so i do suspect it could be scar tissue i read someone say it disappeared after a while for them so im hoping mine does as well.

worst case scenario i have to remove the skin surgically 

[geochelone]

Thank you so much for all your responses. I wonder if ridging and cobblestoning are rare, if it's a small risk to take, or if it happens often.

[HappyMan2021]

2 minutes ago, geochelone said:

I wonder if ridging and cobblestoning are rare, if it's a small risk to take, or if it happens often.

well regardless of what anyone tells you, your surgery is in 1 week and you will be proceeding with it regardless. Maybe when you have your pre-surgery consult Aygin specifically mention your concerns with ridging and cobblestoning and make it top of mind for that. Other than that you just have to put faith in the doc and techs.

[mmokin]

btw this was my skin 1 month or so post op and it looked fine the raised bump appeared after a few months

[geochelone]

51 minutes ago, SadMan2021 said:

well regardless of what anyone tells you, your surgery is in 1 week and you will be proceeding with it regardless. Maybe when you have your pre-surgery consult Aygin specifically mention your concerns with ridging and cobblestoning and make it top of mind for that. Other than that you just have to put faith in the doc and techs.

Not sur if I proceed with it. I'm having huge doubts and I'm on the fence of just not going

[HappyMan2021]

25 minutes ago, geochelone said:

Not sur if I proceed with it. I'm having huge doubts and I'm on the fence of just not going

Ideally you should cancel and re-assess. Even with a limited budget, there are much more better vetted doctors to go to. Also no offense but you're "if the HT is bad I'll just go back to shaving" comment shows that you don't understand the risks involved. Unfortunately all these risks are common enough that you should be concerned. 

I would never recommend a medical procedure to anyone who did not understand the risks of said procedure. 

Do you know what level of hair loss your coworker had? Any before or after pictures of him? 

Edited February 7, 2022 by SadMan2021

[ciaus]

14 minutes ago, geochelone said:

Not sur if I proceed with it. I'm having huge doubts and I'm on the fence of just not going

 Here are some more related topic links to help in your deliberations.

 

 

 

 

[futurenow]

1 hour ago, mmokin said:

btw this was my skin 1 month or so post op and it looked fine the raised bump appeared after a few months

Hi, I know a person with afro hair (He is from Somalian origin)  who had his HT in Serkan Aygin and the result was terrible, afro hair it is very complex and really you need a serious doctor not technicians.

One of the staff of Serkan Aygin is Cuban and He told me Serkan didn't want to operate him due his afro hair.

Edited February 7, 2022 by futurenow

[Gatsby]

8 hours ago, geochelone said:

A coworker went there and had amazing results, plus it's really cheap

No offense intended but these are two reasons that so often end in both regret and having to spend lots more money in the long run. Have a look at the surgeons recommended on the forum and remember you can always save up for the right surgery by the right surgeon for you. All the best!

[jackiema]

It is kind of concerning that your procedure is next week and only recently you learned about FUE scars. I think perhaps you need to slow down a bit and don't do something you may regret. You can always schedule another hair transplant later. 

[ITA]

7 hours ago, SadMan2021 said:

Maybe when you have your pre-surgery consult Aygin specifically mention your concerns with ridging and cobblestoning and make it top of mind for that. Other than that you just have to put faith in the doc and techs.

Serkan will see him barely 5 minutes to trace his hairline with his marker and won't give him time to ask him any questions.

[InTheSix]

11 hours ago, geochelone said:

Hell everyone,

 

I (30 male, NW 4-5) m scheduled for a hair transplant next week (Dr Serkan Aygin). A coworker went there and had amazing results, plus it's really cheap there compared to what they charge you in Western Europe (prices I can't afford).

I always thought that, worst case, the HT fails, I go back to shaving. However I discovered now there are risks like cobblestoning which are irreversible, and that shaving will be complicated anyways if the HT fails because there will be little scars (FUE). How big is the risk for cobblestoning, for example ?

So now I need to pick your collective brain.

 

Im advance, thank you very much for your answers.

 

Overall its a low risk..  but you are going to a place where the doctor has minimal involvement, so it depends mostly on the skill on the tech you get... fyi, i also knw a close friend that went to serkan, and he confirmed the he didnt show up for the surgery much... he is however, happy with his HT..   best of luck

[ITA]

@geocheloneYes, I also know a guy who has been to Serkan, has had two procedures with him, he is happy, as he says @InTheSix,  Serkan's involvement is minimal, indeed he is not involved in the procedure at all except to draw the line of ' hairline and that's it.  After that you will be entrusted to one of his many technical teams, some who have worked with him for a long time, some for less time, still others young trainees who need to learn and unless you are a celebrity, you will be assigned one at random, so there you play russian roulette, if you win ok, if you lose, you have been unlucky, but don't be sure if you lose you shave your head and everything is ok, because it is not.

[geochelone]

Thanks so much everyone. I know reached out to Demirsoy, FUE Capillar and HDC (Cyprus). I won't rush into the hair transplant with Aygin.

What are your opinions on the 3 mentioned above ?

[futurenow]

3 hours ago, geochelone said:

Thanks so much everyone. I know reached out to Demirsoy, FUE Capillar and HDC (Cyprus). I won't rush into the hair transplant with Aygin.

What are your opinions on the 3 mentioned above ?

HDC has lost quality, it isn't the same, recently I have seen a easy case with donor area damaged and 2 doctors for different part of the head.

Demirsoy it is a good option.

Fue Capilar it is seems the things are good

Edited February 7, 2022 by futurenow