My Hair Transplant Destroyed My Life, What Can I Do To Improve The Density and Lessen The Cobblestone Appearance?
I had a hair transplant seven years ago and have never been happy with it. It is constantly on my mind and has destroyed my social life. The main concern I have with my hair transplant is the resulting cobblestone appearance, it looks shocking when exposed to light ie sunlight. I would like to have another procedure to improve the density, but I am still concerned with the pitting. Nobody ever discusses treatments for scarring/pitting to the donor area, is this because there are none? I’ve often thought creams or laser treatments similar to that used in acne scarring could be used or would these treatments damage or kill the hair follicles. Surely with all the skin treatments available there must be something to rid or improve the pitted appearance. ~Tony
Tony, I am very sorry to hear about the position that you are in. Cobble-stoning in the recipient area could be due to particular healing characteristics of your skin but could also be due the grafts placed too shallow in the slit i.e. the slits being not deep enough. More hairs transplanted aesthetically will certainly make skin less visible and therefore the cobble-stoning less noticeable. Another alternative is a procedure called dermabrasion that basically shaves off superficial layers of skin however you will very likely need to put up with a shaved scalp for a short period. Pitting in the recipient area is harder to deal with. Again further transplants (without pitting) can disguise the original. Alternatively it may be possible to extract the older pitted grafts in a similar manner to FUE (follicular unit extraction), but please keep in mind this may leave scars that are hopefully hardly visible.
Today most surgeons use trichophytic closure in the donor region and it may be possible to remove some or all of your previous scars and close with the modern method. This method normally allows us to force hairs to grow through the actual scar further reducing their appearance. In most cases patients can wear their hair much shorter with a greater level of confidence.
Please appreciate that my above response is in general terms as it was given without photographic evidence or seeing you in person.
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The International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons is a consumer organization that selectively screens skilled and ethical hair transplant surgeons. The IAHRS does not offer an open membership policy to doctors practicing hair transplatation, and is the only group that recognizes that all surgeons are not equal in their skill and technique. Its elite membership seeks to represent the best in the discipline, the true leaders in the field of surgical hair restoration.
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