FUE surgery for those having a buzz cut

[Adam]

I really would love to have a FUE procedure although my preference is to have short hair.  Perhaps a number 1 or 2 guard at most.   

My main concern is; does the shorter look make it more apparent you had a FUE transplant?  As the transplanted hair does not blend in because it grows in a different direction.

 

[HappyMan2021]

To be clear, your preferred style is to have a buzz cut? In that case don't get a hair transplant.....

If you are just talking about the sides and back, yes even with a number 1 or 2 guard the FUE scarring can be visible, and yes even with elite docs. FUE always results in scarring to some degree. 

Broadly speaking, longer hair is much better for hair transplants than shorter hair. Longer hair provides a better illusion of density. 

Do you have pics? As of now I see zero benefit to you getting a HT, but a whole lot of risk lol

Edited February 8, 2022 by SadMan2021

[LaserCaps]

58 minutes ago, SadMan2021 said:

To be clear, your preferred style is to have a buzz cut? In that case don't get a hair transplant.....

If you are just talking about the sides and back, yes even with a number 1 or 2 guard the FUE scarring can be visible, and yes even with elite docs. FUE always results in scarring to some degree. 

Broadly speaking, longer hair is much better for hair transplants than shorter hair. Longer hair provides a better illusion of density. 

Do you have pics? As of now I see zero benefit to you getting a HT, but a whole lot of risk lol

You may want to consider SMP.  I think of it as "monochrome." By adding hair to it, however, now it becomes multi-dimensional.  It really does look like you have a full set of hair, (or the illusion of it).  "Illusion" seems to be the key word today.  

[Adam]

1 hour ago, SadMan2021 said:

To be clear, your preferred style is to have a buzz cut? In that case don't get a hair transplant.....

If you are just talking about the sides and back, yes even with a number 1 or 2 guard the FUE scarring can be visible, and yes even with elite docs. FUE always results in scarring to some degree. 

Broadly speaking, longer hair is much better for hair transplants than shorter hair. Longer hair provides a better illusion of density. 

Do you have pics? As of now I see zero benefit to you getting a HT, but a whole lot of risk lol

Had a 0 shave so will have to wait until it grows.  I am balding in the front and back which is where I would like the FUE to cover.  It's not just the scarring I am concerned with, it is how the transplanted hair blends in with the rest of your scalp.  

I am a Norwood 4-5

[Melvin- Admin]

Here’s an example:

 

[Falconary]

3 hours ago, Adam said:

I really would love to have a FUE procedure although my preference is to have short hair.  Perhaps a number 1 or 2 guard at most.   

My main concern is; does the shorter look make it more apparent you had a FUE transplant?  As the transplanted hair does not blend in because it grows in a different direction.

 

I think it is very possible but depends on amount of grafts, skin type, hair type, hair loss pattern and the doctor. I recently had a HT about 3300 grafts and the donor area looked really good after only couple of days, and recipient area blended in very well also. Most people can't even tell I've had a HT. 

[Adam]

21 hours ago, Falconary said:

I think it is very possible but depends on amount of grafts, skin type, hair type, hair loss pattern and the doctor. I recently had a HT about 3300 grafts and the donor area looked really good after only couple of days, and recipient area blended in very well also. Most people can't even tell I've had a HT. 

Many thanks Falconary.  Do you maintain your style short?

Edited February 9, 2022 by Adam

[Falconary]

1 hour ago, Adam said:

Many thanks Falconary.  Do you maintain your style short?

Well I always have the sides and back Short, skin fade. I think I Will still be able to have that without noticeable scars but time will tell in a few months. 

[Caradubaxu]

@Melvin- Moderator thank for your example. Do you have any more of these from here? As a NW5 with SMP, these results are encouraging to me and is what I am aiming for

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

Adam,

One of the primary benefits of undergoing FUE surgery Is that you can wear your hair cropped quite short without showing any appearance of scarring. That’s also somewhat true with FUT however, the scarring is different because the donor excision technique is different.
 

The FUE donor harvesting technique is much less invasive and leaves tiny dot scars that are virtually undetectable even when your hair is worn at the lengths you described.

Rahal Hair Transplant 

Edited February 26, 2022 by Rahal Hair Transplant

[DrMunibAhmad]

It doesn't matter how good a fue  will be, you wil always see some scarring in the donorarea, a difference of the transplanted hair and the native hairs, and als also a little bit of scarring in the recipient area. 

 

Although these signs will probably not be noticeable for the mainstream, once you will see them, you can not unsee them.

 

 

[Gatsby]

@Adam one thing that I always like to stipulate to anyone who has not had a hair transplant is that if you think you ever might in the future even consider shaving your head then do not get a hair transplant. This may not imply you at all but it's always worth mentioning. All the best.

[Caradubaxu]

@Gatsby, can you give specific reasons why? Is the scarring the main (or only) reason? Even for folks who received a transplant, surely it's not intended to be a forever thing is it?

[TimeForAction]

I have not had any issues buzz cutting after my FUE HTs, you can see my posts. In fact this is how I wear my hair. Perhaps my darker skin tone helps, but I would suspect that white dot scarring would actually be even more visible on me.

I buzz down to 1 on the sides everytime, sometimes even 0.5

 After my latest procedure, I will check again but I suspect 1 will be fine again.

 

 

Edited February 27, 2022 by TimeForAction

[TimeForAction]

4 minutes ago, TimeForAction said:

I have not had any issues buzz cutting after my FUE HTs, you can see my posts. In fact this is how I wear my hair. Perhaps my darker skin tone helps, but I would suspect that white dot scarring would actually be even more visible on me.

I buzz down to 1 on the sides everytime, sometimes even 0.5

 After my latest procedure, I will check again but I suspect 1 will be fine again.

 

Having said that, I agree that it is a risk,  but look at the docs who have great donor results consistently in patients who buzz down...

 

[Gatsby]

18 hours ago, Caradubaxu said:

@Gatsby, can you give specific reasons why? Is the scarring the main (or only) reason? Even for folks who received a transplant, surely it's not intended to be a forever thing is it?

Scarring is real and regardless of the technique used is permanent. SMP can be very effective for FUE scars but is more challenging with FUT, etc. If you shave your head they will be visible.

[Caradubaxu]

Thanks @Gatsby, and @TimeForAction. 

@TimeForAction, do you have any doctors in mind that are successful for patients that buzz cut? I would imagine

Dr Mwamba would be one, but he is way above my price range at $8 per graft. I also am already scheduled with Eugenix (Dr Arika) and 

according to this forum, she is very competent. I am also darker skinned and and tan really well.

[Melvin- Admin]

In my opinion, a buzz cut requires a lot more density because there’s less “illusion of density” you need some length to get the best visual density.

[TimeForAction]

On 2/28/2022 at 5:19 PM, Caradubaxu said:

Thanks @Gatsby, and @TimeForAction. 

@TimeForAction, do you have any doctors in mind that are successful for patients that buzz cut? I would imagine

Dr Mwamba would be one, but he is way above my price range at $8 per graft. I also am already scheduled with Eugenix (Dr Arika) and 

according to this forum, she is very competent. I am also darker skinned and and tan really well.

Melvin and Gatsby make excellent points, yes SMP can be used effectively it seems. I think the goal is to not have to if you don't need to, and that is where you have to be very careful with donor management.  Dr Arika is clearly an excellent doctor, I would recommend being up front with her and tell her your goal and possible desire to buzz cut, discuss it with her.

It's a balance, we all want the most grafts, but at some point, there is a limit depending on our goals.

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

Adam,

The beautiful thing about FUE is that it eliminates the linear scar in the donor area associated with follicular unit transplantation (FUT/strip). Because of this, patients can wear their hair cropped exceptionally short without showing any signs of scarring. That said, there are variables that could potentially make your hair look a little thinner on the sides and back.

For example, larger hair transplant sessions means that more hair is taken from the sides and back of the scalp and moved to the balding areas. As a result, the shorter the hair is cropped on the sides and back, the greater the possibility that some signs of small white dot scarring will become visible.

How undetectable the scar is also depends on the surgeon, the tool they use and their strategic pattern for extracting grafts.  For example, if a clinic takes grafts too closely together in a particular area, the thinner the area might look if not done right. For example, this is what is referred to as the moth-eaten look. But this does not occur in the hands of an experienced FUE surgeon because they know how to avoid that.  Another variable that could impact the visibility of FUE scarring is the density of your hair. The more hair you have in a concentrated area, the more that would need to be taken from the area to appear thinner.  Experienced surgeons will make sure they extract follicular units far enough apart so that it doesn’t appear thin  

if you want more specific feedback on your particular situation, feel free to post some photos of your donor area so that we can express whether or not we believe there would be any concern in your case.

best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant

 

 

[NARMAK]

I personally never understand the urge to keep buzzed hair after a hair transplant. Hell, grow it out a bit, live a little! 

That said, we can also probably say that being able to keep your hair buzzed largely does depend on your scalp and how the individual extractions scar. Some are lucky and it blends well into their scalp, but there is a solution in the form of SMP you could try use to mask the scars of FUE extractions and this works well generally if done by a competent SMP place. It won't work going slick bald. Probably look weird having those SMP dots then but it will work well for grade 1 buzzed cuts imo. 

[Caradubaxu]

@NARMAK the urge comes from me knowing...

1) I won't be able to get full coverage on my 1st HT. My crown will be untouched in the HT. So I don't want to grow it all out until the crown is covered.

2) I may like the combination of buzzed with SMP and so maybe decide to keep it and not do the ht procedure.

Also, to clarify, I don't like the slick bald look but the no guard + SMP suits me well

PS: I have had SMP done

[NARMAK]

43 minutes ago, Caradubaxu said:

@NARMAK the urge comes from me knowing...

1) I won't be able to get full coverage on my 1st HT. My crown will be untouched in the HT. So I don't want to grow it all out until the crown is covered.

2) I may like the combination of buzzed with SMP and so maybe decide to keep it and not do the ht procedure.

Also, to clarify, I don't like the slick bald look but the no guard + SMP suits me well

PS: I have had SMP done

Personally i get where you're coming from but SMP and a low grade is hopefully the best middle ground in terms of not worrying about FUE scars and wearing a shorter hairstyle. 

Personally i know not everybody is in the same boat as hair styling so it's probably nice to have flexibility in options. 

[Melvin- Admin]

Smp only looks passable shaved, no guard it looks off because ink isn’t 3d like hair. Best to grow it out and use concealers, that will be the best solution.