FIT scarring: what tools caused this?

fit_questions

I am considering a session with Dr Cole, but given that I like my hair very short on the back, I am concerned about the much talked about "moth-eaten" look. I did ead several postings and saw many pictures that that wasn't a problem, but then I saw these from Wassup. I do not want to end up like him with the holes on the back. I will need about 700-800 grafts.

Can someone please put my mind at ease ? Thanks,

drcole

In surgery there are no gurantees. Only God can make guarantees. If God made it, only he can fix it perfectly. If man makes it, man can fix it. Man cannot make hair grow. All he can do is modify God's work.

FIT is a procedure where hair is moved by individual follicualr units. In moving hair, you relocate the follicular unit. when you take a follicular unit from one place and move it to another, you create a void. It is just like moving a chair from the living room to the dinning room. There is going to be a space where the chair used to be.

There is no real visible scarring usually with FIT. What you get with FIT is a gap where the follicular unit used to be. This is far less noticiable than a strip procedure. Those who have very high donor follicular densities will not have notiable gaps. Those who have a lower follicular density will run a higher risk that you might notice some gaps.

If your goal is a perfect donor area with no risks, I encourage you to do nothing because no one can make this promise.

fit_questions

Thanks for the reply Dr Cole. I understand the mechanics, the void created and the risks. I also understand that scarring will occur, but how visible can it be is the concern. I posted it here since you have shown many other *virtually* scarless procedures and wanted to see if this is was an aberration. If you compare the white dots on the bottom with the untouched hair on top you can see that a lot was taken out. That's my concern, the punch size.

For hairlines, up to the 1.5 cm deep what size of punch would be needed? Thanks again,

doggfather

Dr. Cole, you said,

fit_questions

it follows that east asians are more at risk, but if you look at the pictures, especially at the neck area, there's a LOT of tissue removed around the hair. It's not simply a "we removed a hair so there's a gap." I am nto sure if this was early technology with 1mm+ punch or what, but Dr Cole didn't answer the question. He simply avoided with general statements that have nothing to with this subject.

According to his statements even a 1cm round scar would be OK because scarring happens and he is not god.

forhair

fit_questions, i think Dr. Cole was very clear...every surgery has some sort of scarring, with FIT the scarring are minimal compared to the strip method and you will see in few cases small gaps "only" with a full shaved head.
If your goal is to have a full shaved head and are concerned about those gaps then just avoid any sort of hair transplant surgery and shave your head.
I don't see the point of having a hair transplant if you think about shaving your head, people who want to make a hair transplant seek for more hair not less and are not concerned about how they will look with a "shave to the bone" look.

fit_questions

OK, let me rephrase:

Has the technology improved or should expect the same dots as Wassup has on the bottom part? I understand that Wassup had these done over several years, so would Dr Cole be happy today if a patient had such dots after FIT?

I understand the scarring, we're talking about the degree of it, that's all, especially on the nape area since the hair is cut traditionally shorter.

thanks,

drcole

I never said you will have visible scarring. The small gaps in these photos represent a far better aesthetic solution than a strip scar. in this case they are not scars. The skin is very soft unlike the rock hard strip scars of the past.

I merely stated that the hair will relocated from the donor area one follicular unit at a time. it is not for me to determine whether you are happy or not. it is for you to decide. we have FIT cases where there is no evidence what so ever. when you have a decreased density after multiple strip procedures, you are more likely to see gaps when we do FIT.

in today's environment, would you prefer a procedure that might leave no visible evidence, might leave minimal visible evidence, or might leave a highly visible strip scar on the back of your head.

Listen, get this straight. Hair transplant surgery is not for you. You want no risks. When human engineering creates a no risk solution, come back and look at hair restoration again. in the interim, stop thinking about hair tranpslant surgery. it is not for you.

Spinner

Dr. Cole,

Your honesty is so refreshing!!! I'm looking forward to meeting you at the end of this year for my surgery. It will come our perfect though, right? With no scarring whatsoever? Surprised

Spinner

drcole

i really don't see scarring. the place we take the skin from heals soft like normal skin. the reason is that the incisions are very small and shallow. in the healing phase, sometimes the cells which make pigment, called melanocytes, are damaged by the post surgical inflamation. then the healing skin will not form pigment or you will have hypopigmented incision sites. of course any time you incise the skin, you will have a scar, but it is usually a non-visible scar because it is so small. FIT is like a reverse transplant. you take away follicular units one at a time. in a hair transplant you add them one at a time.