Regular Member rgm82 Posted April 13, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted April 13, 2023 (edited) Well this is just a bummer, I had some work done with a very highly reviewed surgeon, and I was very happy with the results of the transplant thus far but then I got a haircut the other day and finally looked at the back, and I now have these glaringly noticeable and in my opinion awful looking lines in the donor area. I'm a little surprised and disappointed it turned out this way, this guy had overwhelmingly positive reviews and he reassured me specifically before and after the procedure (because I was paranoid and I asked) that no he wouldn't take too much, and that yes he would spread it around so it wouldn't be noticeable Well so much for that obviously but now I have a few questions: Will it look like this forever? (I'm assuming so) If so, Is it fixable? If so, how many grafts am I looking at approximately? And is there any surgeon in particular out there who specializes in fixing bad jobs? I still can't believe how bad this is, I really thought you had to go absolute bottom of the barrel, hair mill-type operation for this kind of thing. Edited April 13, 2023 by rgm82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member thetdog666 Posted April 13, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted April 13, 2023 How long ago did you have surgery and where did you go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted April 13, 2023 Administrators Share Posted April 13, 2023 Did you get FUT? How long ago was surgery? How many grafts? We need more information. I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rgm82 Posted April 13, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 13, 2023 (edited) The surgery was about 3.5 months ago (late December). The quote I have was for 800 FUE grafts It was actually for a beard enhancement procedure, I had hoped that he could take the hair from my neck and fill in a few patches on my cheek, but he was insistent that head hair would be best and that the harvested area wouldn't be at all noticeable when it grew back in. Boy was that off the mark. Edited April 13, 2023 by rgm82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted April 13, 2023 Administrators Share Posted April 13, 2023 3 minutes ago, rgm82 said: The surgery was about 3.5 months ago (late December). The quote I have was for 800 FUE grafts It was actually for a beard enhancement procedure, I had hoped that he could take the hair from my neck and fill in a few patches on my cheek, but he was insistent that head hair would be best and that the harvested area wouldn't be at all noticeable when it grew back in. Boy was that off the mark. Do you have any pictures of the donor after surgery? It’s odd that it looks linear like a strip scar. Did they only extract in this one area. I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rgm82 Posted April 13, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 13, 2023 (edited) No I didn't take a pic immediately following the surgery of the donor area, only from the implanted area...but I agree, I also thought it was odd that he harvested from the donor area in such a fashion, after the surgery he showed me with a mirror where he took all the hairs from and I kind of initially freaked out initially because I was worried about having a stripe, and he assured me it would become unnoticeable when it grew in a bit but it's been over 3 months, I can't imagine this is going to improve much Edited April 13, 2023 by rgm82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member FUT4000 Posted April 13, 2023 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2023 50 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said: Did you get FUT? How long ago was surgery? How many grafts? We need more information. doesnt look like a FUT scar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted April 13, 2023 Administrators Share Posted April 13, 2023 13 minutes ago, rgm82 said: No I didn't take a pic immediately following the surgery of the donor area, only from the implanted area...but I agree, I also thought it was odd that he harvested from the donor area in such a fashion, after the surgery he showed me with a mirror where he took all the hairs from and I kind of initially freaked out initially because I was worried about having a stripe, and he assured me it would become unnoticeable when it grew in a bit but it's been over 3 months, I can't imagine this is going to improve much Unfortunately, that’s not the case, if you remove grafts in a thin concentrated area, it’s gonna look like there’s missing hair. FUE has to be spread out. There’s still time for it to improve, but it will probably be noticeable if you cut your hair short. An option would be smp if you’re not happy with how it looks in the end. I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rgm82 Posted April 13, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 13, 2023 1 minute ago, Melvin- Moderator said: Unfortunately, that’s not the case, if you remove grafts in a thin concentrated area, it’s gonna look like there’s missing hair. FUE has to be spread out. There’s still time for it to improve, but it will probably be noticeable if you cut your hair short. An option would be smp if you’re not happy with how it looks in the end. What is smp? would it be fixable with an additional transplant? I know it's far from ideal to fix a bad transplant with a second transplant and extremely frustrating that I'm even tempted to ask about having it done in the donor area, but hypothetically can it be done? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted April 13, 2023 Administrators Share Posted April 13, 2023 6 minutes ago, rgm82 said: What is smp? would it be fixable with an additional transplant? I know it's far from ideal to fix a bad transplant with a second transplant and extremely frustrating that I'm even tempted to ask about having it done in the donor area, but hypothetically can it be done? It can be done, what you would do is evenly thin out the zone. But I’m not a fan of doing more surgery when you don’t need it. Smp is micro-pigmentation. I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Rafael Manelli Posted April 13, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted April 13, 2023 This is a super weird case. Who was the doc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rgm82 Posted April 13, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 13, 2023 39 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said: It can be done, what you would do is evenly thin out the zone. But I’m not a fan of doing more surgery when you don’t need it. Smp is micro-pigmentation. Well technically all cosmetic surgery is unnecessary, is it not? But I do agree, I really didn't want to have to do anything beyond this either...that being said, I know it's a long shot but I'm hoping if I complain enough maybe the surgeon will agree to fix it for me If not I suppose smp could be on the table...any recommended places? I'm in NY but happy to travel, either US or abroad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted April 13, 2023 Administrators Share Posted April 13, 2023 4 minutes ago, rgm82 said: Well technically all cosmetic surgery is unnecessary, is it not? But I do agree, I really didn't want to have to do anything beyond this either...that being said, I know it's a long shot but I'm hoping if I complain enough maybe the surgeon will agree to fix it for me If not I suppose smp could be on the table...any recommended places? I'm in NY but happy to travel, either US or abroad Let me tag @Gatsby he’s had some of the best smp I’ve ever seen. I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Bhumik Shah MD Posted April 13, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted April 13, 2023 Yes it is "fixable." Medical Director/ Hair Transplant Surgeon at BKS Hair Restoration. NOTE: All posts are for educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice. Please direct all inquiries regarding specific health concerns to your physician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member NikosHair Posted April 13, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted April 13, 2023 It's still early days, but removing grafts from a concentrated area was wrong. Give it time, it's a relatively straightforward fix (in the right hands). FU's would be harvested and placed in the sparse strips. The advantage over SMP is the end result should look like it did before surgery and there is no ongoing maintenance/cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rgm82 Posted April 13, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 13, 2023 10 minutes ago, NikosHair said: It's still early days, but removing grafts from a concentrated area was wrong. Give it time, it's a relatively straightforward fix (in the right hands). FU's would be harvested and placed in the sparse strips. The advantage over SMP is the end result should look like it did before surgery and there is no ongoing maintenance/cost. There's ongoing maintenance/cost with SMP? What does it entail? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rgm82 Posted April 13, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 13, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Rafael Manelli said: This is a super weird case. Who was the doc? I agree, also super annoying, especially since I kind of asked him beforehand not to do it that way and he said he wouldn't but then he did it anyway when I was all drugged up I'm going to withhold the name for now, I contacted him about it and am waiting for his response...I was thinking I might post a full review here and how he responds will enter heavily into how that goes Edited April 13, 2023 by rgm82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rgm82 Posted April 13, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 13, 2023 36 minutes ago, Bhumik Shah MD said: Yes it is "fixable." Are you by chance a doctor who specializes in such things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member NikosHair Posted April 13, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted April 13, 2023 5 minutes ago, rgm82 said: There's ongoing maintenance/cost with SMP? What does it entail? It's a tattoo that fades, and you need top-ups. You have plenty of donor, so the real hair route is what I would take. I'd give it 12 months to see if it improves. Concealer eg. DermMatch could help in the short term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rgm82 Posted April 13, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 13, 2023 (edited) 5 minutes ago, NikosHair said: It's a tattoo that fades, and you need top-ups. You have plenty of donor, so the real hair route is what I would take. I'd give it 12 months to see if it improves. Concealer eg. DermMatch could help in the short term. Ok yeah I'm inclined to agree with you, I assumed smp was some kind of tattoo scenario and I'm not really into that idea...having to get a patch job for my patch job is incredibly annoying but whatevs, my hair is thick and it grows fast, in two weeks these streaks will be mostly covered, I'll wear hats until then and then keep my hair longer for a while until I can get it fixed Edited April 13, 2023 by rgm82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Bhumik Shah MD Posted April 14, 2023 Regular Member Share Posted April 14, 2023 51 minutes ago, rgm82 said: Are you by chance a doctor who specializes in such things? Yes. Any good surgeon should be able to fix this for you. Look around the forum, there are a few patient journals of botched donor areas fixed via repair surgery. Medical Director/ Hair Transplant Surgeon at BKS Hair Restoration. NOTE: All posts are for educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice. Please direct all inquiries regarding specific health concerns to your physician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Gatsby Posted April 14, 2023 Valued Contributor Share Posted April 14, 2023 At first appearance from the photo I also thought it was two FUT strips (which is odd as the second strip should be carried out to include the first strip). But yes it can definitely be corrected and having SMP done would be the best way to do it. It's non invasive if you are to compare it to another surgery and as you have dark hair it will match well. I would only go into the scar/s with donor farming as a last resort. I have had two donor scars covered with SMP and with beard and body hair to repair them. But SMP alone will remove the disparity between your scalp color and your hair color. One word of advice though is to research an SMP artist as you would a hair transplant surgeon. All top SMP artists will have repaired lots of FUT/FUE scars. I will include a before and after pic of SMP. During my last two hair transplants I also had body and beard hair farmed into the scars as well because, well, why not when you're half way around the world. All the best! GATSBY 'UNPLUGGED!' 15,671 (3 surgeries) Grafts FUE+BHT Dr. Sethi Eugenix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member rgm82 Posted April 14, 2023 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 14, 2023 2 hours ago, Gatsby said: At first appearance from the photo I also thought it was two FUT strips (which is odd as the second strip should be carried out to include the first strip). But yes it can definitely be corrected and having SMP done would be the best way to do it. It's non invasive if you are to compare it to another surgery and as you have dark hair it will match well. I would only go into the scar/s with donor farming as a last resort. I have had two donor scars covered with SMP and with beard and body hair to repair them. But SMP alone will remove the disparity between your scalp color and your hair color. One word of advice though is to research an SMP artist as you would a hair transplant surgeon. All top SMP artists will have repaired lots of FUT/FUE scars. I will include a before and after pic of SMP. During my last two hair transplants I also had body and beard hair farmed into the scars as well because, well, why not when you're half way around the world. All the best! Hmmm...Ok well thanks for all the info and the pics, your results do look pretty good but I have a few questions regarding this procedure What is the approximate cost when compared to a transplant? Somebody mentioned regular/ongoing upkeep costs after the initial procedure...what does that entail? How often is the maintenance and what's the cost to have it touched up? Also, I'm interested in as long term a solution as possible - as you mentioned, I do have dark hair now, but it is slowly going gray...what will it look like in 20 years when it's fully gray and I still have dark colored smp marks in two narrow stripes? A transplant is invasive and I'm assuming also more expensive, but it is also a one time deal...not saying i won't do smp, just wanting to look at and compare all the variables Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member JP28 Posted April 14, 2023 Senior Member Share Posted April 14, 2023 8 hours ago, rgm82 said: The surgery was about 3.5 months ago (late December). The quote I have was for 800 FUE grafts It was actually for a beard enhancement procedure, I had hoped that he could take the hair from my neck and fill in a few patches on my cheek, but he was insistent that head hair would be best and that the harvested area wouldn't be at all noticeable when it grew back in. Boy was that off the mark. I don’t know why he would say that.. Of course beard hair are better for beard transplant! who’s the doc? did he at least do a good job with the beard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Rawkerboi Posted April 14, 2023 Senior Member Share Posted April 14, 2023 (edited) It's best to judge your donor after one year.. Still You have two options. 1) Get SMP, it's a scalp micro pigmentation. Also do note that it does require touch up after few years. In simple words it's a black dot tattoos.. 2) Hair Transplant, this is permanent and can be easily done by a reputed Hair Transplant surgeon. If you are on medications and your hairloss is not aggressive you can use your donor grafts or bank on beard Grafts Can you please name the surgeon? Edited April 14, 2023 by Rawkerboi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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