HELP - Hairline Lowering Surgery Regret - Dr. Jeffrey Epstein

[Butterscotch7]

I am an African American woman who recently (1 month ago) got a hairline lowering surgery done by Dr. Jeffrey Epstein in Miami, Florida. The surgery was under general anesthesia and I had a really good experience with Dr. Epstein and his team. However, from what he advertises on his website and videos on YouTube, the surgery should leave minimal to no scarring, with hair growing through the incision. This does not seem to be the case for me.

I had a naturally high hairline before, with no loss of hair. I am satisfied with the way the hairline was brought down but I am worried about the scarring, as I cannot wear my hair up, which was the point of getting the surgery in the first place. I understand that I am only a month post op and the scar might look better as time goes, but from the looks of it, it will still be pretty noticeable.

I feel that Dr. Epstein was not completely honest about scarring and how unnatural the hairline would look, and felt like he pushed the hairline lowering procedure over a hair transplant, which I now know would have produced much better results. All in all, I regret not doing more research before moving forward with the surgery.

I am currently exploring getting a hair transplant to hide the scars...any recommendations for doctors who work with African American hair who can help with my situation? How long do I have to wait for the scar to mature before I can get a transplant? I am willing to travel for a good doctor. Any suggestions and comments are much appreciated!

 

[Butterscotch7]

3 minutes ago, Hairagainn said:

General anaesthesia? Wow. Did you say you couldn’t bear the pain? It’s really strange that for a minor procedure like this, he put you under. 
 

I don’t know why the scar is linear and depigmented. Someone else with more experience could tell. I have read that after transplant the area for some people stays red for few months but I have never seen depigmentation like that and a linear scar.

I should have clarified...the procedure I got was a SHA(Surgical Hairline Advancement), where they make an incision at the hairline and where the new hairline is going to be, then remove the skin in between - the incision goes along where the linear scar is. Then the skin is stitched together. It is the old school way of lowering the hairline, which is different from a transplant.

[A_4_Archan]

I even never saw a recipient area which such a strip like scar ..u shud consult a dermatologist or take some suggestions from the surgeons here in the recommended list

[A_4_Archan]

2 minutes ago, Butterscotch7 said:

I should have clarified...the procedure I got was a SHA(Surgical Hairline Advancement), where they make an incision at the hairline and where the new hairline is going to be, then remove the skin in between - the incision goes along where the linear scar is. Then the skin is stitched together. It is the old school way of lowering the hairline, which is different from a transplant.

Oh dont know abt this procedure ...only an some expert and seniors cn comment on ths

[Chetman2112]

First let me say I’m sorry you are dealing with this, I have no idea if a scar of this nature is considered normal this early after surgery but based on what I have seen from my doctor it’s not. I believe what is supposed to be done is they do a small HT within the scar so that hair grows as the scar heals and ultimately the scar becomes invisible.
 

I would reach out to Dr Sahar Nadimi in Chicago, she specializes in both female/ male hair transplants and female hairline lowering surgery. You can search her HT results here from patients and review her Instagram where I have seen post on forehead/ hairline reduction surgeries, which I understand she specializes in. I was there in November for a HT and my experience was great. I hope everything works out for you. 
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoDc4G7JnpR/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

[Gatsby]

@Butterscotch7 I am so sorry for what you have gone through. I am familiar with the procedure and I am not a fan at all. Leaving a linear scar across the width of the hairline can leave you with life long ‘mental scars.’ I had a similar scar (from repair work to remove old school plugs in my hairline). Although many said ‘it’s not that bad’ it was a huge hang up for me. I have recently had my second hair transplant where we lowered the hairline slightly so that finally after 38 years of having this scar this is now finally over. 
I would consider Dr Bisanga or Dr Mwamba as a starting point. Also do not do any surgery for twelve months. Let the scar heal and mature first. It will fade slightly and it’s texture will change and be less raised. You don’t appear to suffer from keloid scarring so you have a great future ahead of you. You just need to be patient. Wishing you all the best. 🙏

 

[Butterscotch7]

3 hours ago, Gatsby said:

@Butterscotch7 I am so sorry for what you have gone through. I am familiar with the procedure and I am not a fan at all. Leaving a linear scar across the width of the hairline can leave you with life long ‘mental scars.’ I had a similar scar (from repair work to remove old school plugs in my hairline). Although many said ‘it’s not that bad’ it was a huge hang up for me. I have recently had my second hair transplant where we lowered the hairline slightly so that finally after 38 years of having this scar this is now finally over. 
I would consider Dr Bisanga or Dr Mwamba as a starting point. Also do not do any surgery for twelve months. Let the scar heal and mature first. It will fade slightly and it’s texture will change and be less raised. You don’t appear to suffer from keloid scarring so you have a great future ahead of you. You just need to be patient. Wishing you all the best. 🙏

 

First of all, thank you so much for this post! Glad to see someone who can relate to my experience. It really does leave a mental scar as well. I spoke to someone from Natural Hair Transplants, Florida - they specialize in afro/kinky textures and they recommended the same thing - to wait at least a year before doing any transplants. Waiting will be the difficult part but I will use this time to find the best doctor for a repair. Thank you for the recommendations - have read so many good reviews so far about Dr. Bisanga and Dr. Mwamba.

Also, your new hairline looks amazing! Doctor did a fantastic job. Glad to see there is still hope for me. Really appreciate it  

[shiba1985]

9 hours ago, Butterscotch7 said:

I am an African American woman who recently (1 month ago) got a hairline lowering surgery done by Dr. Jeffrey Epstein in Miami, Florida. The surgery was under general anesthesia and I had a really good experience with Dr. Epstein and his team. However, from what he advertises on his website and videos on YouTube, the surgery should leave minimal to no scarring, with hair growing through the incision. This does not seem to be the case for me.

I had a naturally high hairline before, with no loss of hair. I am satisfied with the way the hairline was brought down but I am worried about the scarring, as I cannot wear my hair up, which was the point of getting the surgery in the first place. I understand that I am only a month post op and the scar might look better as time goes, but from the looks of it, it will still be pretty noticeable.

I feel that Dr. Epstein was not completely honest about scarring and how unnatural the hairline would look, and felt like he pushed the hairline lowering procedure over a hair transplant, which I now know would have produced much better results. All in all, I regret not doing more research before moving forward with the surgery.

I am currently exploring getting a hair transplant to hide the scars...any recommendations for doctors who work with African American hair who can help with my situation? How long do I have to wait for the scar to mature before I can get a transplant? I am willing to travel for a good doctor. Any suggestions and comments are much appreciated!

 

 

I am sorry you are going through this. Your option now is to transplant the area. The bright side is you will have even a lower hairline then now so dont beat yourself up too much. 

Reach out to Dr Sahar Nadimi of Chicago hair institute. She is an expert when it comes to females hairline lowering surgery and its complications. she can guide you well. 

 

[Berba11]

Sorry you’re going through this, and you’re right to query why the doctor pushed for this rather option rather than a HT. 

There’s most likely a solution to this, but it will be a bit of a waiting game. Hang in there, keep researching & this community will be here to support you throughout the journey. 

[Butterscotch7]

On 2/10/2023 at 4:41 AM, Chetman2112 said:

First let me say I’m sorry you are dealing with this, I have no idea if a scar of this nature is considered normal this early after surgery but based on what I have seen from my doctor it’s not. I believe what is supposed to be done is they do a small HT within the scar so that hair grows as the scar heals and ultimately the scar becomes invisible.
 

I would reach out to Dr Sahar Nadimi in Chicago, she specializes in both female/ male hair transplants and female hairline lowering surgery. You can search her HT results here from patients and review her Instagram where I have seen post on forehead/ hairline reduction surgeries, which I understand she specializes in. I was there in November for a HT and my experience was great. I hope everything works out for you. 
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoDc4G7JnpR/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

I am considering a HT after the year mark as my scar is still very new. Thank you for the recommendation!

[Butterscotch7]

On 2/10/2023 at 10:25 AM, shiba1985 said:

 

I am sorry you are going through this. Your option now is to transplant the area. The bright side is you will have even a lower hairline then now so dont beat yourself up too much. 

Reach out to Dr Sahar Nadimi of Chicago hair institute. She is an expert when it comes to females hairline lowering surgery and its complications. she can guide you well. 

 

Someone else also recommended her, I will look into her work. Thank you!

[Butterscotch7]

On 2/10/2023 at 3:42 PM, Berba11 said:

Sorry you’re going through this, and you’re right to query why the doctor pushed for this rather option rather than a HT. 

There’s most likely a solution to this, but it will be a bit of a waiting game. Hang in there, keep researching & this community will be here to support you throughout the journey. 

 Yes, waiting will be the hard part but hoping a HT in the future will fix it. Thank you for the support and kind words!

 

[shiba1985]

Just now, Butterscotch7 said:

 Yes, waiting will be the hard part but hoping a HT in the future will fix it. Thank you for the support and kind words!

 

It will. Don’t worry. Most people on this forum, including me have chosen the wrong surgeon the first time around. 
 

Being a female you have an advantage as you are unlikely to have androgenetic alopecia, at least not until in to your post menopausal years. 
 

Just treat your hair well, no excessive tractions, weaves etc.. 

[MikeTPA]

Hi Butterscotch 7.  I’m so sorry that you are having to deal with these unwanted side effects from your surgery. I’m glad to see that you are taking the time to let things heal.  I agree with the advice you have had so far.  In the interim, while you heal, I’ll suggest two different resources that may be of help.  First is my dermatologist, Dr. Jill Waibel in Miami. She is a pioneer in the use of laser therapy to help scars heal optimally. She has helped me with some scarring and the lasers she uses don’t cause further hairloss (like some lasers do). If you are interested, make sure you tell her office that you have a fresh scar (early intervention is the best) and they will hopefully fit you in.  
 

The second resource, once your scar heals, is Priscila Iwama in Boca Raton.  She is a medical dermopigmentation tattoo artist who specializes in using flesh-colored tattoo ink to cover face scars.  Her instagram shows many examples of how she has made bad facelift scars disappear.  She doesn’t have any examples on African American or dark skin, but I would guess there aren’t any differences other than the color of ink. 
 

I hate hearing of unexpected results like you are experiencing and hope that you find some resolution!

[mavigo]

I agree with the general consensus of allowing 1 - 2 years of healing. I've only ever heard of forehead reductions as a "last resort" and it's strange a physician would resort to this more invasive method instead of a transplant. 

This is the first case I've heard of where a woman's hairline was lowered this way. I'd refer to the recommended doctors list on this website and ALWAYS get multiple opinions. Minimum 3 consultations. 

I'm a repair patient myself, only while researching for my second surgery and had 4 consultations (1 with my original doctor, and 3 more reputable doctors), was I able to see how bonkers my original doctor was.