HAIR TRANSPLANT FORUM

Hey bud,
I'll do my best here for ya...I have to start by saying that i do feel you did not complete suffiecient research before jumping into a HT. Unlike many cosmetic surgeries available these days, the world of hair transplantation is not a cut and dry procedure. That is, its not a one time time fix it procedure. Committing to a HT involves the remainder of ones life in many instances and is just as exhausting as fighting HL to begin with in many cases. At the age of 23, you were very young to receive a HT and it does not surprise me that Bosely readily provided one for you. Many experienced and ethical doctors would not operate on you due to the fact that if your loosing at 23 then it is a sign much more loss is to come. Hair loss progresses very fast for those in the twenties and once your hairline receeds past your newly transplanted hairs, your tranplant will be almost as noticable as the scar on the back of your head.
Being able to "bic" your head or shave your head to a #1 or #2 guard is something that you will have a hard time doing. An 800 grafts scar should not be that large (hopefully), but will still be noticable when the hair is cut short. I dont see how you will ever be able to razor shave your head to the skin unless new technology comes out. Of course, this all is implied that you care about the scar being visable. A generel dermatologist will not be able to do much for you. Seek out an experienced HT doctor and find their opinion - from what I have read - preferably not Bosley.
What you can do: first and foremost I would begin to research research research. there are great hair loss forums on the internet with a wealth of information. Type in Hair loss forum or Hair loss discussion and you eventually find 3 or 4 great ones that will answer many questions. Second, You could have another procedure call FUE that involves less scarring and place grafts into the scar to conceal it more. This will help, but again it will not enable you to shave to the skin. 3) Find a great doctor and have a consult. The few that are out there are worth the money they ask and will be the only ones who can begin to adress your situation with concreate answers. Dr. Cole is one of the best and this web site is a good starting point.
Hair loss at a young age is a very difficult experience to deal with both physically and mentally. By no means do I fault you for you decision to receive "help" - however impulsive as it was. For those that are young, one must only receive a HT when all else has failed. This means years on medication such as propecia and minoxidel. Hair loss messes with ones head. Im 25 and it really have affected my happiness in many ways. I'm slowing pulling myself out of the depression it has caused me - very slowly. I isolated myself from my friedns in fear they would discover my HL. I hated and still do at times to look in the mirror and see how my perception of myself has changed. I immediatly wanted to go get the problem fixed and get a HT. Instead I was lucky enough to give the internet a chance and found many communities out there that comforted me in my times of despare. I learned that 25 is too young for a HT. I'm going to hang on to my hair as long as I can untill it is unbearable - then i will know it is time. If I can make 28 - 29 Id be thrilled - but that is still very young. So far my meds are helping me and only time will tell what the progression is like. im preparing for the worst. Im rambling now, but I want to let you know I feel for ya and there are many other out there that do as well. Good luck and keep me (us) posted.

Bradley

You could get a scar revision where the doc does cut out the scar and resuture it. This helps. Then you can get Fue placed into the scar. And yes FUE is a new technique, but well proven. In years to come, my guess it will be the only technique used by all doctors. FUE is recomended for those that are young because it enables you to shave your head because there is not strip scar, but many small extraction scars. Look around on this website and you will find many examples of FUE (Dr. Cole calles it FIT = basically same thing). However, even after a scar revision and densely packed FUE placed into the scar, I have never seen a case that could shave their head below a #2 guard on a clipper. Definately will not be able to razor shave your head.

The top notch HT doctors are whome you should seek out for a scar revision. They have much practice with them. A dermatologist wont be able to do much for you and a general plastic surgeon typically do not do HT related work. A qualified HT doc is an experienced derm, qualified cosmetic surgeon, and experience HT repairman all wrapped up in one.

Get on the internet and start researching, you will find all the answers you need.

Another thing, I feel that you are panicing with you HT. You will not see growth with a strip until about the 4th month mark adn this is early. Also, shcockloss is something that occurs when grafts are transplanted in areas that still have exisiting hairs. This means that old hair falls out due to the trauma fo teh procedure. Soemtimes it grows back, sometimes it doesn't. The hair around the scar will become thin for a while as the scar heals, but because it is donor hair, it should grow back. Patience - you doctor should have explained all this to you.

I'm not sure what the regulations are on this site in terms of referring you to certain places for research, but I'm going to do it and if it is not allowed - i do apologize ahead of time to IHTI, FOr Hair, and Fitlocks...

check out www.hairlosshelp.com/forums/
www.hairlosstalk.com/discussions - these two should answer all your questions if you put the time in. As well as the forum here which is very helpful.

Dr.Cole is one of the best and has an outstanding reputation.
If your in Boston - Dr. Feller also has a good reputation - he is in New York. Do not let travel impeed your decision for help.

My suggestion is to wait bad for your first procedure to heal and grow before seeking help.

good luck
Bradley

Since you had a strip you will have a linear scar in your donor. Hair will not grow directly on the scar tissue, but as your hair grows in it will cover over the scar from the hairs around it. A lot of this is how well the Dr. did the sutures and the number of grafts that were done. In your case, and 800g strip should not be that wide. None the less a scar is a scar. The pinkinsh tint you see should go away within a matter of a few months. You can do a search on this site, and you will see what some of the strip scars look like from some people that have had scar repair. Not being able to shave below a #1 without having a noticeable scar sucks in my opinion.. and after some years down the road it may possibly stretch out a bit. I am looking to possibly have scar repair using FIT in the future, though i'd like to do more research on it and it's sucess rate with the yield back there.

I would not have anything to do with that tattoo. I have read some horror stories on people who did that sort of thing. I would ask her who the people were and ask to meet one on them first before you jump in. It does not sound like something i would do.If it was so great i would think alot of other guys would be doing it.

Wow.. was it just me or was anyone else deeply touched by Shanes post? Ahh.. the story of my life. Rock on Shane.. you rule!

A top notch response by Shane indeed. I see this is an older post but as I've gone through a similar thing I thought I would just jump in and offer some advice.

Reallydumbmove

I understand the pain and hurt your going through, I really do. About 14 months ago I jumped into a procedure, didn't do my research only to get limited grafts and a nice scar on the back of my head. My thinking was similar to yours - remove all traces, get rid of the scar, FUE/laser/electrolysis out the grafts and all would be sweet. However, after much research I saw that this wasn't a viable option. The grafts I had were bad, funny angles, too many hairs per graft and removing them would have left me in a worse position. As this doesn't seem to be your concern I'll focus on the scar. You do have options but to bic shave your head is unlikely - FUE or a scar revision then FUE might allow you to go low but it is so dependent on each individual case that noone can give you a definitive answer.

To go back to my case for a moment, I eventually decided that my best option was to continue down the HT path - even though I'm still only 24 I figured it my best bet. So I got a scar revision using the tricophytic closure taking out limited tissue to get the best possible scar, removed some problematic frontal grafts (about 80 or so) and got further FUE to camoflauge the existing grafts.

I can't tell you what to do but if you do get scar revision I WOULD got o an HT Doc, there not all the same and the experience will be so so much better than your first outing. These guys specialise in these sorts of things and would definately be your best bet if you went that route.

Since my repair job, my state of mind has been dramatically improved - yeh I'm still angry I started this journey and I know its now a journey I'm committed to for life but with current FUE techniques and the possibility of BHT/HM/Hair cloning in the future I'm a lot more optimistic. I used to visit and post on select forums every day and this is my first post since the procedure a month ago, that goes some way to explaining the improvement.

One last thing, I know how it can be embarrasing and hard to accept what you've done but thing about the hundreds of thousands of people who have also got this done - you'l come across these people in every day life but won't have a clue that they've had anything done. People don't pay that much attention to notice little irregularities that we ourselves do. As Shane said everyone has their insecurities, some worse than others - some choose to ignore it whereas some choose to act on it. I think it takes a strong man to accept his insecurities and shrug them off and move on with his life. I think it takes a stronger man to accept his insecurities and say 'look, I'm going to do something about this'. Good luck.

Sorry for the underlining, just edited it!

I was a Bosley patient in 1977. Although I followed their recommended course of surgery, I was never fully satisfied with the result. It looked like a hair transplant, and people often noticed I had a hair transplant. The optimal hair density peaked when I was in my late 20's. My hair loss eventually went slightly beyond the area where they took the donor plugs, leaving shotgun scars on the lower back part of my head. I can barely cover them up with careful styling hairsprayed in place. Every morning for years, I have looked in the mirror and said to myself; "I've got to get this fixed".

Throughout all of this, I have always tried to maintain a positive attitude. I had encountered a degree of rejection by women, but found the lady of my dreams in 1985. I am now happily married and have a beautiful family. There are women out there who truly care about the quality of a man as opposed to just their physical appearance or money.

My family moved from Los Angeles, California to Alpharetta GA in 1993. Alpharetta is a great place to raise children, and there are a lot of good people here.

About a year and a half ago, my hair went through a cycle where it started thinning on the sides where the shotguns showed through my hair despite my best styling effort to conceal them. I was sick to my stomach and started using Rogaine and wearing a hat. My hair later thickened to the point where most of the shotguns are concealed by careful styling. The downside to the Rogaine was, it made my hairline look pluggier than ever.

I thought to myself, “why couldn't a doctor use body hair to fill in the donor scars and a little hair from the “pillaged” sides of my head to fix my artificial looking hairline”.

I did a Google search and found that Dr. Woods had had great success using body hair to repair patients who had little scalp donor hair. Further search, revealed Dr. Cole in the Atlanta area. I made an appointment for a consultation. After doing a MapQuest, I was amazed to discover that his office is within walking distance of my home.

I had my first 2 procedures Dec. 12 and 13, 2005. 1400 grafts. It was a great experience. These people are artists and a pleasure to be with. Thomas did a great job with the anesthesia. They took about 200 grafts from the left side of my head. The rest they took from my hairy back. Three and a half days after surgery the donor area on my back looks a lot better than I thought it would, reflecting on my Bosley experience in 1977. The redness has faded to pink. In just three and a half days everything has healed remarkably well. There shouldn't be any evidence anything happened there at all. In fact, I would be surprised if there is.

A man is really better off bald, than going around in public, looking like he had a hair transplant. Take it from me, you don't want hair if it doesn't look natural.


“reallydumbmove”:
I would be willing to meet with you. Perhaps I could work out a way you could stay in Atlanta at N/C so you could see Dr. Cole. Post here if you plan to.

To anyone considering hair restoration. See Dr. Cole, he and his staff are the best in the world.

TOP POST, Congrats man - no person deserves to have to go through that.

It has been 7 days since my 1400 FIT grafts with Dr. Cole. As the scabs begin to fall off, I can see about a 2” area that used to be slick bald. I have looked at this area all different ways and cannot see any evidence at all that it was transplanted. The hair angles look perfect. It truly is amazing. The transplanted hair looks 100% natural. This is a huge deal. A year and a half ago, I thought I would just have to deal with the scarring and pluggy look for the rest of my life, as a result of having the Bosley Medical Group perform a hair transplant on me in 1977. You don't know how grateful I am to everyone at IHTI Alpharetta, GA. I encourage anyone who has been living with a similar disfigurement to make an appointment with Dr. Cole.

congrats! keep us updated with pics....

Bradley

Reallydumbmove,
Good luck, i'm happy to hear that you are haveing a great experience.
Did you use haircycle post up?
Some photos will be good if you can.
Thanks.

Yes I did use Hair Cycle. Dr. Cole recommended using it because it promotes graft health, speeds healing and in some cases eliminates some shedding. 9 days after my surgery about 75% of the scabs have fallen off. The scalp that was transplanted was slightly pink for about a day. One day later, everything looks like a normal scalp with 3mm. length hairs growing out of it.

Reflecting on my Bosley experience in 1977, I remember my scalp being numb for several months. Following my procedure at Dr. Cole's I have experienced no numbness whatsoever. Also I didn't have any pain. I was given pain medication, but didn't use any of it.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I live right around the corner from your office. In the morning I will give Michelle a call to see if there is time to get some pictures posted.

In 1977, I expressed concern about scarring to the doctor at Bosley Medical Group. I was assured that the punch wounds would heal and "shrink" in time to where they would no longer be visible. 28 years I can still see them, can you?
This "before" photo illustrates the importance of doing your reserarch before selecting a doctor. Although this is a photo of the results of an outdated technology, some men still suffer today wide unsightly strip scars as the result of letting an unskilled surgeon work on them.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, during my first procedure with Dr. Cole over a period of 2 days, I had 1400 grafts placed. I plan to do more, but this is a good start.