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Hello

I have little donor hair for a transplant, and not much on my body either. Except in my arse, it is very hairy there and when I shave it off it always grows back quickly. Please answer my
question seriously, would it be possible to transplant these hairs onto my head?

Thanks

This is the first time I have ever been asked that question. Yes, it could be done… but I am not sure it would be worth it.

(female) I had gastric bypass surgery. It will be 4 years in December. I was told that the hair loss was temporary. In my case, apparently not. My hair is less than half as thick as it used to be. You can see my scalp every where. I take the vitamins including extra biotin. I lost 110 lbs. and probably saved my life. I’m even at the point where if I don’t watch myself, I can gain weight. But still, my hair is very unhealthy. Is there anything I can do? Will I eventually be bald? It is not coming back at all.

Thank you. Regards

I’m glad to hear that the surgery helped save your life! You are right in that hair loss can be temporary, especially after things such as major surgery or childbirth. The concerning aspect is that you have continued hair loss even four years after the procedure. Many underlying, reversible, and treatable medical conditions can cause hair loss in women and in your case, it may very well be dietary. Nutritional defects or poor diets are a major cause of hair loss and with gastric bypass, this is a highly probable connection with your hair loss. Best to speak with your nutritionist for an analysis of your total daily intake of foods. Other things to look for would include hypo- or hyperthyroidism, anemia, lupus, and a miniaturization study should be done to assess what pattern of hair loss you are having and any genetic contribution you are having to cause hair loss. In your case, despite taking supplemental vitamins and minerals, a malnourished state is the most likely culprit but going through everything that you have experienced, could have precipitated an underlying genetic process as well.

I know you aren’t a fan of body hair transplantation because of the different growth cycles it has compared to the hair on your head and just a general difference in the type of hair but do you think it would work when used in a donor scar from a hair transplantation? I just figure it would work pretty well when you’re just trying to cover up a smaller area like that and aren’t as concerned how the hair looks just so long as it covers.

I would agree with you on this, although Body hair Transplanation in general is not ideal for Hair Restoration surgery, it would probably work ok to give some coverage in a Donor Scar.

It may work, but as the body hair is not as thick as regular scalp hair, the coverage per hair shaft will be less than that of scalp hair. Do you have enough hair for FUE from the scalp which may be better? A stronger hair can be found in the pubic and beard areas and both of these areas can be used as donor hair sources as well.

I think that the hair loss is not a problem of degenerating of the hair or a genetic predisposition of the hair to fall, but it can be a degeneration of the skin where the bald area apears. May be a transplant of the hyperderm from other part of the body to the bald area may help the regeretion of the skin and the hair . Or the injection of the fat from other part of the body taken by liposuction to the hyperdermis of bald area may have an efect.

Best regards

The skin has nothing to do with hair loss, unless it is diseased. Transplanting skin would be human experimentation with no back-up clinical trials and skin transplants might very well kill the hair. Fat transplants also will do little to help grow hair.

Snippet from the article:

Sclerotherapy has seen a 226.3% increase in males over the past five years. A drastic comparison to the 3.5% increase in females since 2002.

On the opposite end, males have strayed away from hair transplants. Cost is likely to be a cause of this decline. Over five years, the price of hair transplants increased by $1,296, while sclerotherapy decreased by $103.

Read the full article at ScienceDaily

I realize this article is a few months old, but somehow I missed it. It is, however, still interesting and worth posting about. My commentary on the article is that it is probable that the increased cost reflects the higher number of grafts being performed by today’s modern hair transplant surgeon. From what I hear amongst the transplant community, the doctors have been following the “more grafts is better” trend and is more profitable as well. More grafts means more hair in less surgeries, which drives the fees up. A fuller head of transplanted hair may not be better for the hair transplant surgeon’s wallet though, as the higher fees may drive patients away.

(female)
Dr Rassman,

After having a brow lift type surgery ( no lift but same incision ) a lot of hair all over my head fell out. What grew back were strange hairs. Some are very fine only about 3 cm long, and look crimped. Others are thick coarse hairs that look like afro or pubic hairs. Together these hairs are all over the crown and have been growing this way for about 4 years now. My Dr said these hairs have nothing to do with the surgery but they all started a few months after the surgery.

I am 99 % convinced that they are related and would appreciate any information you might have. Also some of the coarse hairs have are less so closer to my scalp, that would indicate that time is possibly helping a bit. The very fine ones have not changed.

With Kind Regards

I have not seen this type of change associated with a brow lift incision. I have seen hair loss with a finer hair appearing in front of the brow lift incision, but I have not seen someone change variable parts of the scalp hair and not other parts. I would have to examine you to make sense of the process you are discussing. The use of good conditioners after washing should minimize the kink in the hair.

Dr. Rassman, you won’t believe this. Maybe you will. I have had I guess 7 scalp reductions. Brandy did a lateral with that Y incision, but not a scalp lift, per se. Marzola, Stough, all did a couple of procedures. I saw my scalp under bright lights (the last thing one wants as that is very unforgiving) on a big screen last night and was shocked by the 1 inch by three inch or so bald thin area in the midline. Dr. Hitzig performed two large midline graft sessions around 1999 or 2000, fixing the scar but the density leaves something to be desired. I see you mentioned Dr. Frechet of Frechet extender fame I imagine in a response to a patient. Some sort of triple flap procedure. I have some donor left but can’t get over my lack of crown density despite a large number of grafts. I know Dr. Hitzig always grafted the midline before reducing a scalp. Do grafts just not grow after reductions, especially that many reductions? I could emply better styling but I wish I had followed the late C.P. Chamber’s advice and avoided reductions altogether. He knew what he was talking about. It sounds like there is no practical fix at any price.

Your case is complex. I have no idea what densities you have or the extent of your scar and wound defect. Most people who’ve had 7 scalp reductions are left with a slot deformity. I would like to see some good pictures of your scalp from the front, top, sides, and back. I am sure that you know that scalp reduction is no longer the standard of care today, because they do not work. I have seen men who had up to 16 scalp reduction surgeries and the last ones never really accomplished anything. I wonder about your 7th procedure and what you were trying to accomplish that the prior 6 have not.

It is best to be examined carefully by an expert and then see what your needs are. Patients should make a list of priorities and then try to work down the list. Patients who have had so many procedures never really get too far down that list, so be realistic.

For more information on scalp reductions, see:

• History of Scalp Reductions
• Repairing Scalp Reductions

I had three hair transplant surgeries and now I shave my head because of the results. I like the shaved head look but the scar from the donar are sticks out like a soar thumb. How can I remove the scar or make it les noticeable? Will laser scar removal help?? Is there any solutions to my problem?

Thanks

Sometimes one can address scars on the back of the head, and I have managed such scars on a few patients. The laser is not a magical instrument and I doubt it would help you with removing the linear hair transplant scar in the donor area unless it was elevated and the laser was used as a treatment to flatten it. Dermabrasion can accomplish the same thing. If the scar is heaped up (keloid like) then the use of steroid injections have value, but for a flat scar, neither the laser, dermabrasion, nor lasers will help. The treatment of acne scars with laser sare another thing altogether. There, laser resurfacing works on some people, but lasers can be used in many ways. Removing the scars from a hair transplant in the back of the head is not one of the things that lasers can offer help on.

Hello. I’ve had my third FUT surgery about 2 months ago and due to infection the sutures incision line didn’t heal and skin necrosis happened. 16cm (6.7 inches) to 3 cm (1.2 inches) split skin graft was implemented 3 weeks ago on my donor area. Can FUE be a solution to cover up this area? And how many grafts may be sufficient?

Best regards

FUE is not the way to go in your case. A balloon expander for a problem of this size is the right thing to do. You can learn more about tissue expansion at American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

I am considering a facelift and brow lift with a trichophytic incision due to a slightly high forehead and bald areas above my ears. I have been losing hair like crazy from menopause-common in the women in my family. I am afraid of more hair loss as my hair is already thin at the front,sides and recedes at the place men usually recede on the sides of my head. The surgeon doesn’t seem to think this is a problem. He cuts along the front of the hairline then back into the hairline and then down to the ears. What is your opinion of the likelihood I will lose more hair since I lose hair where ever I am cut? Thanks

Hair loss around the facelift / brow lift scar is a risk and while your hair will likely hide any scar or hair loss, it is still a risk you should be aware of. My opinion and observation is definitely skewed, because I only see the worst cases when hair loss occurs after a facelift/brow lift in which time they come to me for a hair transplant. If you are already losing hair or are actively having thinning of your hair, there is also a small possibility that surgery (as a stressor on your body) may precipitate more hair loss. As stated, these are small risks, but something you should consider to weigh out when looking at the risks versus the benefits of these procedures.