Location of Scar on 2n/3rd procedures

[agentHarley]

Guys:

 

It has been a week since my first HT with Dr. Bernstein and I am doing well. But now that I have been through my first procedure, I am curious to ask all the guys who have had 2nd or 3rd procedures what their experience has been in terms of the subsequent donor scar.

 

Is it above, below the first?

 

Is it bigger, or smaller than the first?

 

What differed about the healing process of the second or third procedure?

 

 

thanks,

 

aH

[agentHarley]

Guys:

 

It has been a week since my first HT with Dr. Bernstein and I am doing well. But now that I have been through my first procedure, I am curious to ask all the guys who have had 2nd or 3rd procedures what their experience has been in terms of the subsequent donor scar.

 

Is it above, below the first?

 

Is it bigger, or smaller than the first?

 

What differed about the healing process of the second or third procedure?

 

 

thanks,

 

aH

[pete uk]

Hi agentHarley, they remove the old scar and replace it with a new one.

Healing time is the same, all be it a lot easier as you know whats to be expected.

 

Cheers Pete

[nobuzz4me]

Harley,

 

Pete UK is right on.

 

Your Blog looks great! Congrats!

[agentHarley]

thanks guys, I hope to hear more people chime in because I read somewhere that the hairs that grown in the scar area are not as good as on native scalp.

 

And by the sound of what you guys describe, that they remove the old one and incorporate a new one, means that they would have to cut a strip of about the same length.

 

But Dr. Bernstein had told me we would never "need to go into the temples again" with me, so meaning that in any future surgeries, the strip would not be as long.

 

-_aH

[wheresmyhair]

I just had my 1 year post procedure consultation w/Dr. Bernstein and he told me the second procedure would harvest around the first strip.

Question: given that the strip would now be wider than the first, will the scar be more noticeable or the same?

[tofueornottofue]

Agent,

 

My second HT, just 11 days ago with Dr. Feller, did remove the entire scar from my first HT. I just had the staples removed today!! The first HT scar was very thin.

 

I think the size of the donor strip required for the 2nd HT depends on many factors. The amount of grafts needed for the second HT, the donor area hair available and how you heal up from the first HT. Some doc's like to take a long strip to keep the scar very thin which allows for less tension on the skin when its closed...and probably would leave a pencil thin scar.

 

With this being said, I don't believe they would have to take the entire first HT scar when you go in for the second. I assume they can follow the same line and stop before the temples. Probably a question for the MD's though. Again, I don't think this can really be answered for sure until the results are in for your first HT.

 

Good luck over the next few months.

 

T

[Bill - Seemiller]

agentHarley,

 

You've already received some excellent responses but I thought I'd chime in as well (even though this is an older thread).

 

As stated, the previous scar is removed with the first one. If Dr. Bernstein doesn't go up into the temples again, then he will remove the old scar up to a point. Either way, the second scar will blend with the first one.

 

With every excision, there is a healing process and it will be very similar to the first one. In my experience, i did notice some added elongated tightness in the third surgery following some numbness, but that went away with time.

 

Using the trichophytic closure, assuming the scar remains thin and doesn't stretch will help camoflauge the scar. In some cases and after subsequent sessions, it's possible for the hair that grows through the scar to grow at slightly different angles. I've seen a few bad cases of this, but Dr. Bernstein will know what to do to avoid that, even if it means avoiding the trichophytic closure for another surgery.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Dr. Ricardo Mejia]

Agent:

Generally speaking, the physician determines which direction will be best when planning future surgeries. Foir example, some may start with the scar at the highest point that they feel comfortable. Consequently all future surgeries will be blow that scar but also with removal of the scar. Some may start at the lower end and work there way up. The scar should hopefully not be any bigger in width. The length of the scar depends on the size of the surgeries.

[Dr. Ricardo Mejia]

below the scar.

 

I have a tendency to type fast and not spell check. sorry.