Category: Hair Transplantation

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Hair Loss InformationPrednisone After a Hair Transplant for Swelling – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I consulted a hair transplant doc who prescribes prednisone for post-operative swelling. I wouldn’t want to take this due to its obvious side effects.

Have you ever heard of giving prednisone after a hair transplant and do you prescribe it?

Sounds weird to me (and unnecessary).

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The use of short term prednisone following a hair transplant is common to prevent swelling in the first few days. Short term steroids are not usually a problem unless you are diabetic. This is a medical call by the doctor you are choosing. Please address this with your doctor so he/she can better explain the issue and address your particular concerns.

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Over a Year After My Hair Transplant, I Look Exactly the Same – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

This has been a great blog for unbiased info- appreciate it.

I had a transplant surgery about 13 months ago, mostly on my front area, as one side of my hairline was receding and thus giving me a comb over look. It wasn’t that bad yet, but I could foresee it becoming worse so I wanted to get it taken care of immediately.

Well, 6 grand later and 13 months and I look exactly the same. After the surgery, I had plenty of thin, short hair spurting where the transplant was done. I was told those would fall out and grow back in thicker. Well, they fell out and have yet to grow back. I followed all the guidelines for recovery, have remained on Propecia daily as well.

One thing I did notice during the surgery (I was awake) was that the actual doctor did very little of the ‘harvesting’. His interns/aids did 95% of that and the doctor would come in every hour to take a look. Would this have anything to do with the hair not having grown back?

In this economy, 6 grand is a lot to lose and I feel as if I’ve been duped here. At the consultation their representative assured me I’d have a full hairline again and this surgery would be all I needed for life providing I stay on Propecia. Well, unless something drastic happens with my appearance due to this surgery, I will have to have another surgery providing I can afford it in the future.

Also, from what I’ve read, Rogaine will not help me in the frontal areas for hair regrowth/maintaining. Is there anything that will help?

Appreciate your time so much!

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How long were you on Propecia prior to the surgery? Have you considered that you have continued to lose your native (non-transplanted) hair and now are left with just the transplanted hair? It would sort of be a one-to-one trade off. Unfortunately, you will continue to lose more of your native hair even with Propecia. Some people respond better than others, but perhaps you weren’t a good responder to Propecia. I’m just guessing though, as I don’t have all the information.

Another possible scenario is that your surgery was a failure due to problems that occurred during the procedure. Again, I’m just guessing as I have no idea what was done during the procedure. I’ve written before about what issues could’ve resulted in the transplant to not grow, and it seems that most of the problems that occur are with the technical staff. Technicians are an important part of the procedure in cutting and placing the grafts, and the doctor does the cutting of the strip and placement/design of the graft sites. Have you spoken to the doctor that did your surgery?

I stress getting a Master Plan to remind readers as well as my patients before undergoing any surgery.

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I Had FUE Surgery a Few Months Ago – Where’s the Growth? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, i have had a Fue hair transplant on the 28th of May 2010. I Have not experienced or noticed any hair growth on the transplanted areas. I would like to enquire how long before the graphs become visable and noticable in the transplanted areas.

Thanking you for your assistance and helpful advice.

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It generally takes anywhere from 4 to 12 months to see results from a successful hair transplant surgery, regardless of whether strip or FUE was used. You may be on schedule. Be patient and check in with your surgeon if you have concerns going forward.

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Hair Transplant After Using Accutane – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doc,
I was taking accutane for 6 months and 3 months after I stopped it I had a HT. Now at 4 months after my surgery I don’t see new growth. I didn’t noticed any hair loss during the accutane treatment and I didn’t have problems with wound healing. My scar has healed very good and the scabs have fallen 8-9 days after the surgery without shedding of the transplanted hairs. Should I be worried about the final result of the surgery?

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AccutaneNot all hair transplants are the same. There are subtle things that different doctors or clinics do that can affect the surgery. In other words, you are not getting the same product as you would when you buy cars at different dealers. You need to ask your surgeon these things, because I don’t know what went on in your procedure or what techniques were used.

In general, it can take up to 6-8 months before you see results and up to a year to see the end result.

Accutane is well known to cause hair loss, but I do not know how that would impact a hair transplant in your case.

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Hair Transplant Surgery Looks Painful! – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

i need to know the hair transplant surgery pain and its procdure. i saw on youtube it was looking very painfull inserting many needles in your head please tell me about it.
thanks

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The application of the anesthesia can be painful for a few moments, but inserting the grafts during the hair transplant itself is pain free. The numb scalp and skull have no feelings under local anesthesia (like the dentist uses when he numbs your gums).

I’ve written about what you can expect here — Pain with a Hair Transplant.

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Is FUE or Strip Better for Asians? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I’m considering getting a hair transplant and I need your opinion. I am asian and was wondering which suits better for asians FUE or the strip harvesting method? I am hearing mixed comments. FUE less scaring for asians. strip harvesting higher chance. from your experience which is better for asians?

Thanks!

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Both the FUE technique and the strip technique have their own pros and cons, and there is no correlation with Asian hair. The type of surgery is based on each and every individual. FUE is best to use with smaller areas and when the density of the hair is good. The strip can be used almost on any good transplant candidate. FUE is not the latest and greatest that some clinics claim it to be and for those individuals with extensive hair loss, it is clearly not the procedure of choice. That is why patients like you are confused about these choices.

As an example, many Asian patients have surgery with Dr. Pak and most of them have the traditional strip surgery with great results. One of the more public examples of such a patient was Jon Gosselin (he had the strip surgery).

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FUE’s Impact on Donor Density – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello dr rassman,
I did 1000 grafts FUE hair transplant one year ago, which was my biggest mistake in my life from 1000 grafts half of them didnt grow back , my donor area damaged considerably, my density in donor area was 85 grafts in 1cmm before surgery now its gone to 55 grafts in 1cmm , i calculated approximate 2500 grafts been damaged. dont you think FUE is a basic method and must be banned?

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Swiss cheeseI’m sure the donor impact of follicular unit extraction (FUE) is rarely a subject discussed by many of the doctors doing this procedure. When the donor area has a below average density, the impact on the donor area is very significant and it may appear to look like Swiss cheese. When the density is high, this is not a problem.

Some doctors and patients seem to think that FUE is the answer to the ideal method of harvesting, but your example shows that it is not. Of course, it is possible that in getting out 1000 grafts, 2000 punch holes were made, but as I was not there, this is only speculation about a doctor that has perhaps not mastered the process. Damage to the donor area does occur with FUE, the question is just how much damage occurs in the hands of a skilled FUE surgeon.

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Hair Loss InformationUsing Chest and Back Hair When Scalp Density is Low? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am Norwood 6/7. I had a nice transplant to the front 1/3 of my head, which frames my face well. Unfortunately, the density of my donor area is on the low side. I have VERY heavy body hair on my chest and back.

Would this be an acceptable situation to transplant body hair to crown area?

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Body hair is a difficult call for me. I have tried using it and have not done well with it. Aside from the physical characteristics of the body hair, the growth cycles are different from that of scalp hair.

There are a few doctors who claim to specialize in using body hair for scalp transplanting, but I am skeptical that the results are as good as claimed. The patients I’ve seen in my office with body hair transplanted to the scalp at other clinics have been less than impressive. If you’re considering body hair transplants, just be sure to meet with patients that have had it done by the doctor you’re considering so that you can see the results for yourself in person.

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Good Surgical Candidate Vs Bad Surgical Candidate – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman,

Thank you for your very informative blog, it’s a daily read for me.

My question for you is simple. I’ve heard Dr. Bernstein say that one of the reasons why he has not undergone a surgery is because he is not a good candidate.

First, what makes him a bad candidate, and second, at what age would it have become apparent that he would become a bad candidate? I’m only 29, and although I’ve been told that I’m a good candidate for surgery now, I worry that down the road I’ll turn into a bad candidate because of future loss or donor thinning.

There are many things that make someone a good/bad candidate for hair transplants. A key problem for any candidate is a low donor density and a large balding area, which may mean the donor supply is insufficient to address the needs of the recipient area. I have had many patients that ran out of donor hair before they completed the transplant procedures they could’ve used. That is why I always stress a Master Plan for anyone undergoing a hair transplant.

Someone like Dr. Bernstein, with low density and a very large bald area, needs a great deal of hair to achieve any degree of fullness. The most he could have accomplished is to transplant the frontal area and leave the crown bald, so maybe he felt that the benefit was just not there. Dr. Bernstein is happily married and is not motivated to change his look. He looks handsome with his short hair style and is satisfied with that.

For you, at 29 years old, with the early use of Propecia you may slow down or stop the process and if your hair loss is confined to the front and top, then transplants may offer you a good option later if needed. Too many doctors want to push patients towards hair transplants because that is what they do for a living. The not-so-good doctors just do transplants without a Master Plan communicated to the patient. Many patients want hair, will pay for hair, want a bargain for the graft cost, and really have no concept of a plan.

In reality, they get no bargain and will pay for that ignorance in the future when their hair loss gets out-of-control and they find themselves out of hair and money. I see people every day in this situation and somehow I can not get the message out there that everyone needs to plan ahead for their worst case hair loss, because they will continue to lose hair for the rest of their lives. The question that should be addressed, as you so nicely pointed out, is about what you will look like 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 years later.


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Hair Loss from Coronal Brow Lift Scar – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had a coronal brow lift in Feb. 2009. I had a wider than desired scar. I also had a spot the size of a quarter of permanent hair loss. The plastic surgeon who performed the brow lift has tried to do a scar revision by excising the scar. But I am 3 weeks post revision and I see where all along the new revision scar I have hair loss. The line where he cut is pencil thin, but I have hair loss in front of the scar.

Is this going to be permanent like before? I thought that maybe the staples I had in initial surgery were the problem. But he used sutures to do revision and I still had hair loss. Why is it that every time my scalp gets cut I have hair loss in front of the scar? And what can be done to fix this?

Thank you

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This is a real problem. You must wait out the course (about 4-6 months) and then you will know if the surgery succeeded. I suspect that you will see that the scar is the same or worse and the hair loss may not go away. I see many female patients with this problem and end up transplanting most of them with good results.