I have had 2 old strip HT in the past by a below average Doctor, 500 grafts in 1997 front, 1500 grafts front, 300 back in 2004. I am 32 years old losing hair since I was 21, NW 3 who is just sick and tired of always wearing baseball hats, when I go out for dinner or something I use dermatch (it's starting to look like sht now). At this point in my life I am married and have a child so I just want to shave my head I have had it with trying to hide my hair loss. The problem is I can't shave my head because of my 2 old strip scars. I have tried everything Propecia, Lasercomb, rogaine, nioxin shampoo nothing seems to stop my hairloss. I feel like losing my hair is totally ruining my life.

I had a consultation with Dr. Feller to see what I should try to do and he told me strip 2500 grafts front hairline or maybe just go with about 500 FUE grafts to cover up old strip scars. Right know don't have the money to spend $10,000 so I think I should just go with $1,600 to cover up old scars. Right know if I cut my hair with a 2# guard my scars still show. Before my 2nd HT I was able to buzz cut my hair with a 1# guard even with the small scar I had from 1st HT. Dr. Feller and 2 other doctors said my scars don't look bad but to me I am not happy about it.

Spex or Falceros, If I have Dr. Feller put FUE into my old HT scars can I buzz cut my hair with a 1# guard? Spex have you seen other patients of Dr. Feller get FUE into old scar and how close can they cut there hair?

Hi mate,

Its all relative about what YOU want to achieve and YOUR personal goal. I am not a Doc so i can't advise the best way for you to go - The Doc is the only one who can inform you which it potentially the best way to go.
I too had a scar which prevented my from going down to any buzz - it require a scissor cut. Dr Feller FUE'D into it with great success and i am having another small FUE session into it again to completely nail the son of a bitch

I can now buzz to a 3/4# but i want to take it lower - coz i am greedy and i want the best i can get! Here is a link to some pics of my scar and FUE session into it.

Fue into Scar

Youtube Video of my scar

quote:

Spex or Falceros, If I have Dr. Feller put FUE into my old HT scars can I buzz cut my hair with a 1# guard? Spex have you seen other patients of Dr. Feller get FUE into old scar and how close can they cut there hair?

Its an impossible question to answer mate - ONLY after the session can that be determined. Its impossible to predict yield into scars for a start as it all depends how vascular they are(blood supply) The nature of HT's is you get the best out of them if you grow them so buzzing it down to a 1# is really hard to say.

This is by no means medical advice but if you were to pack the crap out of a scar with 500 FUE and you had good yield - (which can ONLY be determined 12 + months post op ) Then youR scar situ will most certainly be better ofF as is mine for example. I think the scar at that grade/number (1) guard will still be visible though mate - It all depends on the scar itself and how wide/obvious it is - Only my opinion.

Here is a scar the Doc FUE'd into - i will see if he has any pics to see how this poor guy got on.

LT,

Much of this depends on how wide and obvious your existing strip scars are however, I think it might be a bit unreasonable to think that adding FUE into two previous strip scars will allow you to buzz down to a 1 clip without ANY scar visibility - but as spex said, it depends on what you will be satisfied with.

This is one avenue to explore with Dr. Feller or another qualified physician. Another avenue to explore is to see about adding hair density and/or coverage with another hair transplant surgery if you have enough available donor hair. Then you could wear your hair longer in the sides and back and potentially hide the scars while you have a cosmetically pleasing head of hair.

But work with Dr. Feller or whomever you choose and discuss all options and together, you two can work out a plan that is best suited for you.

I hope this helps.

Falc

LT,
I don't remember you specifically, but I usually tell all patients in your situation more or less the same thing, so I want to reiterate what I probably said to you on here so you and other viewers know exactly where I stand on situations like yours.

After poor hair transplant surgery most patients metaphorically find themeselves in the middle of a tunnel. The question then becomes, do you continue toward the end of the tunnel, or do you turn around and try to head back to the beginning?

Those who are willing to give HT one more chance will forge ahead toward the end of the tunnel by doing a proper mega-session or two. The internet is full of posters who took this route successfully "to get out".

There are, however, very few people who can turn around and run back to where they began. That is, HT surgery is not really reversable. Sometimes, if there were very few grafts used, the patient can get laser removal of hair and look almost untouched. But, this is not the case for most transplants.

Then there is the donor scar issue. Many patients want to make the donor scar disappear as if it were never there. That almost NEVER happens. All strip surgery leave noticable donor scars if the hair is cut short enough. Even if FUE is packed in to the scar AND it grows with a high yield, the scar will still be visible, albeit harder to detect.

FUE into scar should NOT be seen as a method to reverse the fact that there is, indeed, a donor scar present. One cannot "back out of the tunnel" using FUE into scar. Likewise, revising scar with "trichophylic closure" will also not "reverse" the presence of scar. Both of these methods MAY reduce the visibility or obviousness of the scar, but they will not cure it.

LT, I'm not saying that you are of this mindset, but I have encountered it in many patient's who've had particularly objectionable work in the past and wish to "erase that past".Unfortunately it doesn't work that way and these patients may find they have run down an endless rabbit hole in search of a doctor or technique that doesn't really exist.

Spex,

..."I can now buzz to a 3/4# but i want to take it lower - coz i am greedy and i want the best i can get! Here is a link to some pics of my scar and FUE session into it"...

Ha, ha hair greed in the scar, eh?

I have often wondered about your case because you appear to be relatively young, and have already had TWO FUE procedures into the scar (I think ?) and are now going for a third (?). You have fantastic results on both the top of your head and the scar, but I have just wondered and now even more so w/the news your going to be putting even more grafts into your scar:

aren't you worried about any future loss? How old are you? Is it Feller's position that, since you appear to be a responder to Fin, that it will curtail your loss indefinitely?

Would *love* to know the answers to these questions!

Love the video of your donor area Spex. Looks amazing. The music almost had me shed a tear . Also, thank for making me jelous too . I'm pretty much in the same boat as you were with the old Bosley scar. I never wear my hair too short in the back so it's not noticible but i would like to correct it at some point.

Dr. Alexander and I agreed that it wasn't feasible to try to remove the scar with my recent HT since it's lower than it should have been (Thanks Boz ) and our main focus was the HT and not scar revision.

Perhaps you or Dr. Feller could give me some insight as to what determines whether it's best to FUE into the existing scar or to try and remove it with trico closure and perhaps use some of the hairs extracted with it up top. My recent trico closure is really hard to see even at only 4 months so I'm good there and don't plan on ever really buzzing down to a 2 or 3 gaurd. Is doing a FUE into the scar basically to make it as undetectable as possible.

Thanks. You should add "Will work for FUE" to your signature

Notgoing, first of all you are hilarious dude! A great asset to this forum as make it fresh everyday!

To help answer your Q's - I am 32 and you are correct i have had a couple of FUE sessions in my old Bosley strip scar - I have received approx 200 graft so far into the SOAB. I had 4 strip sessions with Bosley for 500 grafts each time and they removed the same scar 4 times over - This as i am sure you will understand made the scar stretch due to the removal of laxity from the same localised area. An incredibly unethical and inappropriate approach even then - Why not one big long /thin scar i ask myself time and time again.

The scar has been addressed in the most problematic areas and now i have more options available to me regarding the length - but i want to go shorter still. I have a couple of problem areas still that i want to have addressed which previously didn't cause me concern - but now they do - Its all relative to me I suppose.

I am still fortunate to have a healthy donor supply and due to my previous FUE attempts Dr Feller feels confident in my suitability to have a little pop at the scar yet again. The Doc remarked that I still have a very good donor supply which is remarkable considering all my previous surgeries / attempts, whichever you want to call them.

Of course it concerns me regarding future loss and having enough come what may - but i am confident enough in my choice of Doc and happy to touch up my scar now as i really do not feel this will restrict me later on too much at the end of the day.

My Bosley scar has plagued me for years and although i rarely mention it, it gets me down and is a constant reminder. I have an option to be ride of it to a degree so will continue to try my best to achieve the best result possible for me.

Hope this helps answer your Q 's mate.



Flyby,

LOL - re: signature!!

Glad you like the video bro - Glad you like the tune, its a belta. - Sorry to hear about your Bosley situ! Only the Doc can offer advice there mate as i am not medically qualified - Drop the doc an email with your pics or better still arrange another meet - I am sure he will be more than happy to help!

Hey Spex your also a great asset but over here we just say SOB . The A is silent
The majority of scars over 4-5mm should be revised first before an attempt to fue it,unless there is absolutly no laxity left.
LT Im sorry about your situation. I hate hearing this crap because I went through those emotions for years. it F-ing drains you at times. I hate strip because of the scar. I hate fue because of the cost,possibly lower yield ,and limited doctors that WONT or CANT adapt to it. I hate hair multiplcation because it isnt here. I geuss Im a hater.
Thats why it is so damn important to go a top doc. You get the best chance of great growth and a thin scar.

quote:

Hey Spex your also a great asset but over here we just say SOB . The A is silent

PGP - My bad - thanks for the correction - Doh!

LT -

What you're experiencing sucks, my friend - I feel for you , and hope you can come up with a satisfactory solution. You've gotten some great advice here. If I were you, I'm not sure what I'd recommend?? I haven't seen what your current situation looks like, any way to go with a larger session to see if it will provide what you're looking for?

As for scars, I think anyone going in for an HT needs to plan like they will not be able to clip down. Personally, I can go to 1/2" (4 guard, I think) without seeing the scar. I've had 2 HT's, the first was non-tricho and not as great, the 2nd was from H&W, trich and looks good........but, still, 1/2" is as much as I can go before it somewhat starts to be visible.

One other thing I'll mention, I don't know LT's situation before getting any HT's, but I think this is a situation where if a person waits until they are a little older with a more established balding pattern they will be better off in the long run. It seems the age people are getting into the chair gets younger and younger.

I was 38 at the time of my first HT, my crown started thinning at age 25 or so, temples and hairline along with it but very gradually. I shudder to think if I had jumped into the chair at age 28-30 even where I would be now. Just IMO and something for everyone to be aware of.

Best of luck to you, LT, truly a tough decision!

No problem brotha. I was just messing with you. I misspell words on almost every post. Good luck with your fue

quote:

No problem brotha. I was just messing with you. I misspell words on almost every post. Good luck with your fue

I had noticed but didn't feel the need to highlight it

Thanks my man!

Are you talking about buzzing it with a 3/4# which would be very close to the skin? I think there are different measurement for guards like 1/2 would be a 4 guard not close at all. I buzz done with a 2 guard. Dr. Feller did say about 500 fue grafts into my scars should do it. Right now a mega session is to much money for me to dish out but I would seriously consider FUE into my old scars to improve its look for now. After your FUE can you see the little holes that the FUE precede left are is it completely healed? Does a FUE leave permanent dot scars all over the place like I see in you picture?

Spex----thanks dude! Im sorry to hear that, that poor SOAB is *still* bothering you...perhaps you should give O'l Bosley a visit and give him a good, hard, kick in the aRse!!!

thanks for your input on your case, but I have to say it still perplexes me.
I mean, you obviously don't need any more grafts put on top, but your still relatively young.
you have appeared to have halted your loss and maintained all of your native hair for a *very* long period, which you attribute to fin.
One Question----
does Feller believe, since your a great responder to fin, that it will work indefinitely on you?

Thanks for the response Dr. Feller. I don't know if this will help you remember me but I came in to see this past November on Veterans Day from Connecticut.

You told me I should pack 2500 grafts strip procedure into front of my head because that's where my major hair loss is. You also said may scars didn't look that bad and that you weren't 100% if you can improve it with the FUE.

You said "Fue may reduce the visibility or obviousness of the scar" I would definitely like to give it a shot in see if it can improve the 2 scars. Right now money is the main reason I can't do a mega session but for now if I can improve the way my scars look I would be happy with that.

Thanks to everyone else that replied to my post.

All the best with whatever you decide LT

quote:

Spex----thanks dude! Im sorry to hear that, that poor SOAB is *still* bothering you...perhaps you should give O'l Bosley a visit and give him a good, hard, kick in the aRse!!!

thanks for your input on your case, but I have to say it still perplexes me.
I mean, you obviously don't need any more grafts put on top, but your still relatively young.
you have appeared to have halted your loss and maintained all of your native hair for a *very* long period, which you attribute to fin.
One Question----
does Feller believe, since your a great responder to fin, that it will work indefinitely on you?

I can appreciate why you are perplexed mate -

Suppose one thing i have learnt over the years is its all relative to the individual - and its relative to me at the mo. Doc Feller doesn't have crystal ball so he can't cast that opinion on anyone - I am prepared come what may mate if i need further work on top and will keep that at the for front on my mind from the donor management aspect.

Right now though, tweaking my scar with a 100 will not really break the donor bank so we are happy to go with it. If i need them at a later date - i will FUE them out my scar

Hope this helps mate

Hey when you organising that steak and hookers "geek meet" in Vegas??

quote:

Hey when you organising that steak and hookers "geek meet" in Vegas??

steak, hookers, vodka, MEAT n greet?
eh, Im game any day of da week!!!
Seems like the East Coast hair geeks n British Bald Boys got their game together more for such conventions...
I thought for sure a Vegas one adorned w/hookers, filet mignon, and vodka would attract all red blooded men this side of sharia law but haven't gotten any RSVP's as of yet...