Category: Hair Transplantation

Snippet from the article:

He could be tempted to scratch his head over why he spent the money – but on this evidence that might not be the best of plans.

Exactly a year after Wayne Rooney paid £30,000 for a hair transplant, his new thatch is showing signs of thinning.

Read the rest (and see the photos) — Wayne reveals more scalp in training session

I wrote about his transplant looking thin months ago. As to why his hair looks so much thinner now, I couldn’t say. To really comment on the actual results, I would have to run a comb through his hair.

Last week, I saw a patient with a failed hair transplant done by a hair transplant clinic located not too far from my office in Los Angeles. This patient received 4000 grafts (his report) and there was not one hair that I could find in the recipient area that reflected a surgery. I do not believe that I have ever seen such a complete wipeout of a hair transplant without even a trace of recipient site wounds. He did have a donor area scar, so I do not doubt his report of receiving a procedure that removed donor hair… but I couldn’t seem to find where those grafts went. He was undecided about what he wants to do next, so we just discussed options and his reduced donor supply.

I would be at a loss to ascertain the cause of the failure. I felt bad for him being victimized in his quest for hair. Over and over again, I tell prospective patients to do their research, and challenge the doctors you are considering with questions and observations that are covered in our selecting a hair transplant doctor guide. Our monthly Open House events show that our practice is an open book — no secrets, no bad press on the internet, happy patients who are proud to talk about their transformations. That is what you should demand of any doctor you are considering to be your hair restoration surgeon.

Snippet from the article:

Sports pundit and former-England footballer Michael Gray has undergone the first UK hair transplant to be streamed live on the internet. Some 22,000 people with strong stomachs watched Dr Bessam Farjo perform the surgery, which began at 10am yesterday morning and finished at 6.50pm.

Dr Farjo took more than 5,000 healthy hair follicles from the back of Mr Gray’s head and implanted them at the front of the scalp after making hundreds of incisions.

Read the rest — Former England footballer’s hair transplant is broadcast live online in world first

I must admit that I had no idea who Michael Gray was, but I am familiar with Dr. Farjo’s work (and he is a contributor to BaldingBlog). With this webcast, Dr. Farjo was able to show off surgery to thousands of curious viewers, and in a year or so, Michael Gray will be able to see the full results of this procedure.

I realize that every patient is different and requires a different assessment. But I was wondering if you could give me your general approach in my case.

I’m 25 and have been on Propecia for 5 years. I have hair all over my head, but I’m balding in a Class VI pattern. The Propecia definitely slowed the balding, but it’s gotten to the point where my hair is very thin and you can see my entire scalp through it.

I’d like to do a hair transplant – but can you do transparent into a sea of miniaturized hair? How would it usually work?

This is what Prince William seems to have as well. He might make a good transplant patient, but maybe he does not want one.

You, on the other hand, can send me photos of your scalp with good views showing the problem (hair wet and dry when groomed). I can then specifically answer your question during a telephone consultation, which I do often. You can email the photos here (and reference this blog post).

Hi, I’ve got a “virgin” scalp, ie. no previous hair transplants.

Although, I’m not there yet, my hairloss looks like it will eventually end up in a Norwood 5-6 pattern.

Taking that info for face value I have the following question. Assuming a patient will need at least two to three procedures, is it better for someone with a virgin scalp to have their initial transplant be a large “mega-session?”

In other words, is it harder to have a larger subsequent done down the road because of laxity issues caused by a previous smaller surgery?

Basically, is it better to knock-out a mega-session first while the scalp has its best scalp laxity?

Thanks

Generally, we do not preemptively transplant hair to non-balding areas and prefer to treat the impending balding area with medications like Propecia. How do you know you will end up as a Norwood 5 or 6?

We pioneered the “megasession”, but just because we can do it does not mean we recommend it to everyone. Every case is different, and both the long term and short term goals must be discussed with each patient. For example, one patient may choose to have several smaller sessions over their lifetime as they are balding. Or another patient may wait until they are bald and have one big megasession.

Having a good scalp laxity works at making a megasession on the first surgery easier to do. Scar laxity usually returns to preoperative status after a surgery. If you have an FUE procedure instead of a strip surgery, the surgeon will take out what you need… and take out more and more of what you need as your balding progresses. No recurrent scars with FUE is clearly an advantage, but without seeing you, I am not sure how what I said applies to you.