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This below question was asked by a member of our Hair Loss Social Community and Discussion Forums and answered by Janna, the lead medical technician for Coalition hair restoration surgeons Dr. Ron Shapiro and Dr. Paul Shapiro.

I would really like to know the real deal about FUT scarring. We’ve all seen the videos/photos from various hair loss clinics including many reputable ones that show patients with almost imperceptible scar lines in the back of their heads. Having researched and read many threads and comments, it seems hair transplant scars look their best 4-6 months post operation (which I’m assuming is when a lot of these photos are taken) but have the tendency to stretch-out/widen as time continues on.

Are we being misled by hair restoration physicians a bit regarding what we can truly expect in terms of scarring? I understand individual physiology, contributing factors by the patient (not complying with post-op instructions), doctor’s skill in closing wounds, etc. all can play a role but, generally speaking, what can one expect from a typical follicular unit transplant (FUT) procedure with a trichophytic suture?

I’ve never heard this before where the scar looks the best at 4-6 months post op. We generally don’t take pics or think about the donor scar because the patients care mainly about the result on the top of their head and they normally say their scar is great; that it’s a non-issue. It’s difficult for patients and clinics to take pics of the donor scar as the hair is too long to see the scar most of the time. Of course, if the scar has stretched, then it’s addressed.

Bill Seemiller, managing publisher of the Hair Transplant Network was recently asked to share his insights and experience with hair loss and hair transplant surgery in an interview with Manly Curls hair blog. Bill is a veteran of 4 follicular unit hair restoration procedures totaling more than 9600 grafts as well as a respected hair restoration mentor and patient advocate. You can view Bill’s Hair Restoration Website by clicking here.

In the three-part interview, Bill discusses his personal struggle with androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness) and his long but fulfilling hair restoration journey. He also offers valuable advice to balding men and women seeking clinically proven and effective solutions for thinning hair.

To read about how Bill restored his hair and his confidence through hair transplantation and learn about credible hair loss treatments that really work, follow the links to his recent interview below.

Hair Transplant & Hair Loss Interview with an Expert

Hair Transplant & Hair Loss Interview with an Expert – Part 2

Hair Transplant & Hair Loss Interview with an Expert – Part 3

Contribute your thoughts, comments and suggestions by visiting the discussion thread, Managing Publisher Bill Seemiller Hair Loss Interview by Manly Curls Blog on our popular hair loss forum.

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David (TakingThePlunge)
Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog.
To share ideas with other hair loss sufferers visit the hair loss forum and social community

This question, from a member of our hair loss social community and discussion forums, was answered by Coalition hair transplant surgeon Dr. Glenn Charles: 

I recently underwent hair restoration surgery and now have small “pimples” or bumps in my donor region. I know these are often common in the recipient region (post-operatively), but is it normal to have pimples in the donor area after hair transplant surgery?

Pimples in the donor area usually occur when hairs are caught within the donor incision. It is also more common when a trichophytic closure is used.

The trichophytic closure was designed to allow hairs to grow through the follicular unit transplantation scar, but sometimes the hairs are blocked or become trapped when growing through. Although they will eventually “break through,” the hairs will create a “pimple” – like blemish in the meantime.

However, if they become persistant with a lot of redness and tenderness, I would recommend you have an experienced hair restoration physician take a look at it.

-Dr. Glenn Charles

Blake – aka Future_HT_Doc

Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum

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Technorati Tags: hair loss, hair transplant, hair restoration surgery, hair transplant surgery, follicular unit transplantation

This question, asked by a member of our Hair Loss Social Community and Discussion Forums, was answered by Coalition hair transplant surgeon Dr. Glenn Charles:

It’s my 4th day since hair transplant surgery and I have a little swelling in the bridge of my nose area and just above. Any suggestions on how to lessen this or how long it takes to go away? I’ve read that icing isn’t a good idea. It’s not terrible but I’ll have to go back to work in about two days and hope it’s gone or drastically less by then.

Icing generally only has an effect in the first 24 hrs. If swelling occurs after hair restoration surgery it is usually the 3rd or 4th day post-op and you just need to let it take its course. It should have no bearing on hair growth.

Dr. Glenn Charles

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David (TakingThePlunge)
Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog.
To share ideas with other hair loss sufferers visit the hair loss forum and social community

Get Proven Treatments at the Best Prices by visiting our new online hair loss treatment shop.

Watch hair transplant videos on YouTube

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Technorati Tags: Hair Loss, hair transplant, hair restoration, hair growth

This question, asked by a member of our Hair Loss Social Community and Discussion Forums, was answered by Coalition hair transplant surgeon Dr. Raymond Konior of Chicago, IL.

What is the consensus regarding a hair transplant patient’s decision to close the temples as in the example below? Is the hair behind it in the lateral region considered safe as it has receded so far?

I believe that the strategy of how a hair transplant surgeon approaches hairline design in terms of location and density is based on several key parameters – each of which must be factored into the final decision as to what should or should not be done with respect to designing the frontal hair restoration zone. Here are some of the key components that I factored into his plan.

A prediction as to the final hair loss pattern – Although there is no way to assess the definitive final pattern for many patients, an educated prognosis can often be made based on age, examination for presence or absence of miniaturization and family history. Analysis of these factors for this case suggested that his final pattern would support the long term aesthetic benefit of the restoration that was performed. Personally, I spend much more time trying to convince patients to be conservative with respect to hairline location and density as there seems to be more patients presenting to my office with the potential for progression to an advanced pattern on the Norwood Scale that would not support aggressive hairline restoration. Fortunately this patient appeared to have just the right combination of factors to allow for the restoration performed.

Shock loss, or the loss of native hairs after hair transplant surgery, is a real concern for any hair loss sufferer considering surgical hair restoration. The effects of shock loss can be serious, and may even cause some to postpone or reconsider hair transplantation altogether. But, is this fear justified? Is it possible to prevent post-operative shock loss?

To answer these important questions, recommended hair transplant surgeon Dr. Parsa Mohebi recently shared his thoughts on preventing shock loss after a hair transplant procedure:

Shock loss, loss of existing hair in transplanted area due to trauma or stress of native hair, can be seen after hair transplant procedures.  This phenomenon is more common for patients who have a significant amount of miniaturization in the transplanted area.  In other words, if hair loss is not completed in a particular area, shock loss will accelerate the process. 

Often times, patients seek advice as to how to minimize shock loss. The primary recommendation we give is to use Propecia (finasteride), the second is Rogaine (minoxidil). Some patients wait until after their procedure and then start to see shock loss before starting finasteride and/or minoxidil. This is definitely not how prevention should be handled!

Patients are advised to begin their use of Propecia or Rogaine a few days before their hair transplant to get the medication in their system, working at its maximum therapeutic level. Some patients go as far as continuing the medication for six to eight months after their procedure simply to avoid post-surgical shock loss.

This question, asked by a member of our Hair Loss Social Community and Discussion Forums, was answered by Coalition hair transplant surgeon Dr. Glenn Charles:

I’m considering a 2000 graft FUT (strip) or FUE hair transplant and I’m curious if a strip scar is visible to others when the hair is wet. Does it being “pencil-thin” or “matchbook match” sized affect visibility when wet?

Remember that every surgical hair restoration patient has different healing properties. The technique used by the hair transplant surgeon to suture the donor area and how much tension is present are the major factors that determine a strip scar’s appearance. Each patient will have to adopt a hairstyle that will cover up follicular unit hair transplant (FUT) or  even follicular unit extraction (FUE) scarring.

Like most things in life, to get something you might have to give something up.

Dr. Glenn Charles

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David (TakingThePlunge)
Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog.
To share ideas with other hair loss sufferers visit the hair loss forum and social community

Get Proven Treatments at the Best Prices by visiting our new online hair loss treatment shop.

Watch hair transplant videos on YouTube

Follow us on: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Technorati Tags: Hair Loss, FUT, FUE, hair transplant, hair restoration, follicular unit hair transplant, follicular unit extraction

In this hair loss article, Coalition hair transplant surgeon Dr. William Lindsey shares his expert advice for comparing hair restoration physicians.

Recently I read a thread that said some hair transplant surgeons do not like to harvest a donor strip that exceeds 2cm in width. I take it different doctors are comfortable with varying widths. I also assume the wider the strip the more aggressive the procedure and more likelihood of going beyond the safe zone. Am I right? What is a conservative width? Does it depend on the patient? How about length?

With rare exception my FUT strips are always about 1.75 cm wide or about the width of a stick of gum. The variable is the length which can be ear to ear or shorter if we need less hair. For me, that usually results in a pretty decent scar. But, there are plenty of times where I’ll say to the patient right after the strip is out: “Wow, you really have a stretchy scalp. We could have taken a bigger strip.” There are other times when I’ll say “That is pretty tight, I’m glad we didn’t go any wider.” Now, the trouble is predicting that, and it’s a bit like predicting the stock market; meaning that I don’t know anyone who is always right. So I err on the side of caution.

Always known for their innovation and dedication to furthering the follicular unit transplantation (FUT) “Mega Session,” Drs. Victor Hasson and Jerry Wong (of Hasson & Wong) recently broke hair transplant records by transplanting over 9,000 follicular unit grafts in a single session.

According to the clinic, the patient, a Norwood level 5 hair loss sufferer, underwent an estimated 15 hour procedure, during which a team of dedicated technicians implanted 9,168 grafts. A representative from the clinic shared the following:

Dr. Hasson and Dr. Wong are known world-wide for being true innovators in the field of hair restoration. Dense packing, the Lateral Slit Technique, donor closures, etc. They are also known for being able to safely harvest more hair in one procedure than any other clinic.

We were the first clinic to document and share, on the hair restoration forums, 4000 grafts in one procedure, 5000 then 6000 grafts. We then shared 7000 grafts and 8000 grafts in a single procedure. No other clinic has ever achieved this. I’m excited to share that Dr. Hasson has now broken the seemingly impossible barrier of 9,000 grafts in a single procedure. The exact number is actually 9168 grafts, again, in a single procedure. 

To review Dr. Hasson’s excellent work, feel free to visit the on going discussion thread at our hair loss forums or view the thumbnails below.

Congratulations to Hasson & Wong!

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Blake  – aka Future_HT_Doc

This question, from a member of the Hair Restoration Discussion Forum, was answered by Jotronic – a senior member and consultant to Coalition physicians Dr. Victor Hasson and Dr. Jerry Wong:

I have read online that hair transplant surgeons often leave the placing of grafts to the technicians, perhaps checking every fifteen minutes or so. I guess my question is what is the most important part of the procedure? Is it taking the grafts in the first place, the splitting of grafts or indeed the placement?

Seeing as you are paying thousands of dollars, one would expect the doctor to perform all of the procedure from start to finish or at least 90%. As I say, I’ve read lots of posts where the doctors in question (some top class Coalition) delegate parts of the procedure out to others. I feel lucky that my doctor did all of my procedure from start to finish and only left for ten minutes or so. I would feel terribly let down if my hair restoration physician seemed to be away more than he was present during the procedure considering the large amount of cash handed over.

Graft placement is very important. But, when it comes to high quality hair restoration with a decent number of grafts, no single doctor should do the whole procedure. If you’re talking about a few hundred grafts then sure, I can see this being possible. But, when you’re dealing with a few thousand or more grafts then it just does not make sense. The procedure would take far too long and the grafts would stand a larger chance of dying due to desiccation (drying). Fatigue is another factor to consider.