I have a wide scar from my 1st transplant from MHR. I am going to Dr. Tessler in Detroit area for my 2nd HT. He didn't seem to think it would be an issue. We are shooting for 1600 grafts--beef up the hairline with more density. Could the wide scar be an issue? Basically my hairloss is only at the hairline/temple area and I'm 32, so I feel my hairloss is fairly stabalized.

dhoose, from what I have read a top Doc can excise the existing scar when taking the new strip & actually make it thinner then it was.

I haven't heard much about Dr. Tessler, maybe someone eles has had an experience with him.

Make sure you choose your Doctor wisely this time around.

Good luck,

dhoose75,

Depending on your donor laxity, a wide donor scar could prevent the doctor from extracting a large number of grafts.

Edited:

Cheers,

Falc

Dr. Tessler is a coalition physician and a sound doctor. I was under the impression that he officially had retired a couple of months ago? Maybe I am wrong?


NN

I apologize everyone...

I hadn't heard the name Dr. Tessler in awhile therefore I forgot about him. Sadly, I guess sometimes it's out of sight out of mind.

Now that I've refreshed my memory...

Yes, I believe Dr. Tessler was a coalition doctor but is retired.

His associate Dr. Aronovitz however, continues to provide quality ultra refined follicular unit transplantation.

Sorry for the confusion. I've modified my above post.

Falc

I had my first HT with Dr. Tessler and HT# 2&3 by one of his associates, Dr. James Aronovitz. I am quite pleased....13.5 weeks post HT#3 (see my hair blog). I also was told that Dr. Tessler is retired (neck problems, I believe). I'm not sure how wide my scar was, but they were able to completely remove it before each successive surgery and still get a good number of grafts/hairs.

Miles

Hey Miles! Glad your doing well and happy with your results.

Anyway, to answer the question: A wide scar can indeed make it difficult to remove grafts.

However, at 1600 grafts, your doc should be able to excise the existing scar and still hit your graft total. The result should be one thin scar after surgery.

Good luck!!!
J

I had a 5mm scar ear th ear from two crappy places and Dr Shapiro removed it completley and got 1850 grafts

Key will be your laxity, scalp exercises will help.

Without knowing the length and the width of the donor scar, it is difficult to comment on what is possible, even in general terms. I would add that Dr. Rose has done scar revisions that have yielded more than 1,600 grafts. So it is certainly possible for some patients.

Thanks for all of the replys; as a last resort, could the doctor leave the old scar and then end up with two scars; to me, that would be better if it would allow more grafts; to me the scar isn't a major deal cause I wear my hear long enough to conceal; ideally I would like just one scar; but rather have two if I get get the grafts needed to give me the cosmetic improvement in the front.

this is an old thread i understand , but something that is concerning me.... i have a very wide scar too ... well over 7mm in places... only ear to ear so i understand that grafts could be taken from the sides of my head still if the graft count is low around the existing scar.... i too am also wondering if they could just take grafts from above my scar and close it up... it would not remove the old scar but i keep my hair long enough to cover it anyway... to me that is preferable than losing grafts that i need in the hairline.

quote:

Originally posted by hoose:
Thanks for all of the replys; as a last resort, could the doctor leave the old scar and then end up with two scars; to me, that would be better if it would allow more grafts; to me the scar isn't a major deal cause I wear my hear long enough to conceal; ideally I would like just one scar; but rather have two if I get get the grafts needed to give me the cosmetic improvement in the front.

That's actually a good question. If the scar is irrelevant to the patient, can the doctor make a new one and extract more grafts?

Giles and Mike,

It's possible, but it really depends on the remaining scalp elasticity and risk of creating a second wide scar.

Giles, you may want to consult with a few qualified surgeons in person and acquire their medical opinion on whether or not this would be possible for you.

Best wishes,

Bill (Falc)

Falc, I am booked for early Feb with Dr Path , i live in australia so i cannot visit surgeons from this part of the world very easy , i trust Dr. Path with my next surgery , he told me that he would have to see it in person, but given his reputation in sure he will do what is best and help me achive my goals... i want to get 2500-3000 grafts put into the frontal area which leads me to my next question , as i mentioned above , my previous HT only took from the back of my head... i have plenty of donor hair either side of my head with very high denstiy as my available donor area is quite high and very thick , would it be likely that failing the back would i be able to achieve my 2500-3000 grafts from taking from the sides? , either way i would want the scar reduced somewhat as well while i was there if it were possible.

I have posted a couple of blogs entitled something like: "the double edged sword" regarding the tradeoff you make trying to get either maximal hair OR a great scar. They are opposing goals. In a smaller case with the right scalp you can do it, for a large case, there are no guarantees, AND, if someone had a bad scar before, they may have a propensity for bad scarring even with a small case and excellent closure technique.

For example, we did 3200 grafts last week on a guy with a wide scar from 1500 done elsewhere. We chose to cut up to, but not excise his first scar to maximize graft count but if we'd have taken his scar too, I suspect his count would have been in the 2200 range. But I let the patient decide which is most important.

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

Thank you for your replies , i appreciate it , i am looking forward to my HT in Feb with Dr. Path but the thing on my mind the most was what if my previous scar denies me the grafts i want, i did get an email from Dr Path's Office saying yes they can take a strip just above the old scar and the sides of my head so that has me relaxed a little.
I do have very thick hair in the donor area so hopefully my goal of 2500-3000 isnt too out of reach , in fact my hair is so thick around the sides and back that it makes the bald area in top look worse by contrast , but having ample donor suppy is a good problem to have id say lol.
Thanks Falc and Dr. Lindsey for your comments

The decision to revise an old scar or to take a new strip depends on many factors. I prefer to revise scars whenever possible because it usually allows improvement in both recipient and donor areas. Particularly for younger patients or patients who could face donor hair limitations, I usually recommend revising the scar and getting fewer grafts in this session so that there will be less donor scarring and more hair available in the future. There are times when it does make sense to remove a new strip, away from the old scar. Usually slow and steady wins the race but decisions must be made on a patient-by-patient basis.

A new narrow scar created too close to an old scar can create the appearance of a wider scarred area. The old scar can tether the skin and cause the new scar to be wider. Usually 1 cm is a safe distance away from the old scar but the hair between the 2 scars becomes unavailable for future hair transplants because it is needed to hide the lower old scar.

Successful scar revision depends on the location of the old scar, the width of the scar, the scalp laxity, the patient’s own healing characteristics, and the surgical technique. A mobile area, a very wide scar, or a very tight scalp may make it so that there is not a good chance for successful one-time scar revision. Sometimes serial revisions may work or sometimes it is best to abandon the old scar and take donor hair from elsewhere.

Fortunately, with the advancements in donor closure in the last 5 years, fewer patients in the future should have to deal with wider scars but it is important that we do our best to help patients who already have wider scars from past procedures.

I had several transplants over 10 years ago which resulted in the ear-to-ear donor scars. The scars don't compare with horror stories I've read about (inch or more in width), but they prevent me from having shorter hair. It has bothered me more & more over time.

Have any forum members had a scar repair procedure? Did it work as you had hoped? What is the cost range for it?

Any physicians in the Balt-DC or Philly area that anyone could recommend?

Sorry for the barrage of questions. By the way, this is a great website.

mpat

Check out the link below, Iam going through this right now..I will put up new pictures at 6 months or mabe even sooner if I get some good growth.

http://hair-restoration-info.c...21087683/m/106102244