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We’re certainly not throwing your case in the garbage but I (perhaps incorrectly) got the impression that you thought another strip procedure was the answer- something that Dr. Cole simply doesn’t feel comfortable doing for you. We actually had a scar grafting patient in just today who had a similarly extensive and trying experience with hair restoration surgery. He first underwent two strip procedures with a chain clinic. After doing further research on the industry and top physicians, he opted to receive a third strip surgery, this time with a highly recommended strip surgeon. Although he was very happy with the coverage he received, he was left with a scar worse than the one resulting from the prior surgeries at the chain clinic. To address this, he underwent a fourth procedure- this time, a scar revision. Unfortunately, the patient was still left with a scar about ½ centimeter wide, and wider in certain places. Although the latter two procedures involved trichophytic closures, the patient still came to us with a stretched scar, with distorted hair growth angles, and with very limited hair growing through the scar (in some sections, there is none at all). Unfortunately, even the most modern strip surgery techniques do not equal imperceptible scars. I’m attaching a picture of the patient’s scar; for reference, the distance between the vertical purple lines is 3.5 cm. In addition to the width, the scar is very pink, which does not blend well with the rest of the patient’s scalp. The hair growing through the scar is sparse and grows at an upward angle, whereas the hair above and below grows in an alternate direction. This picture also shows finer hair growing in and below the scar, compared to the hair above, which is clearly more course. These are all problems, possibly worse than what you are experiencing now, that could occur if you underwent another strip surgery (and this was in the hands of one of the most highly-recommended strip surgeons out there).
I don’t want you to feel that we are trying to wash our hands of you. Dr. Cole has to talk people out of procedures every day. Often times, he is trying to keep people off the hair transplant train altogether because, as you know firsthand, it can be a very long journey, and difficult to find an exit. What you certainly don’t want to do is proceed with anything that could potentially create a bigger problem than what you have now. Every procedure comes with a certain degree of risk- whether it is a wide scar, white dotting, a poor yield, etc. No one can create a plan for you; you have to choose the one that carries the least risk for you personally. Dr. Cole is certainly willing to work with you on that. At the same time, however, if you perceive a significant problem with white dotting in your donor region after less than 1,000 extractions, we obviously have to encourage you to proceed very cautiously (if at all). Yes, BHT might be a great option for you, but it could also ultimately be disappointing as it can be a very unpredictable medium.
Regarding the shaven patches, it is important to understand that, though we no longer consider this the ideal way to extract grafts, it is still a standard practice of care in the industry (much like strip surgery). The procedure Dr. Cole is doing today will not be the procedure he will be doing 10 years from now, or even a year from now. He is always looking for a better way and past patients must understand that there have been years of improvement between what he did then, and what he is doing now. At the same time, he has always done his best to pass modern improvements on to past patients for low or no charge. If he has created any sort of issue for you, he will absolutely look for a way to resolve it. This is the big challenge in being on the cutting-edge of hair restoration surgery and creating new technology: he is in uncharted territory and seldom has anyone to learn from, so he has to learn from experience. At any given point in time, Dr. Cole performs hair transplants in what he feels is the best way possible…only to find later on that there is an even better way. This is simply the nature of his position in the industry; however, he certainly takes care of his former patients and, if anything doesn’t meet his current standards, he is happy to rectify it.
I don’t want you to feel that we are trying to wash our hands of you. Dr. Cole has to talk people out of procedures every day. Often times, he is trying to keep people off the hair transplant train altogether because, as you know firsthand, it can be a very long journey, and difficult to find an exit. What you certainly don’t want to do is proceed with anything that could potentially create a bigger problem than what you have now. Every procedure comes with a certain degree of risk- whether it is a wide scar, white dotting, a poor yield, etc. No one can create a plan for you; you have to choose the one that carries the least risk for you personally. Dr. Cole is certainly willing to work with you on that. At the same time, however, if you perceive a significant problem with white dotting in your donor region after less than 1,000 extractions, we obviously have to encourage you to proceed very cautiously (if at all). Yes, BHT might be a great option for you, but it could also ultimately be disappointing as it can be a very unpredictable medium.
Regarding the shaven patches, it is important to understand that, though we no longer consider this the ideal way to extract grafts, it is still a standard practice of care in the industry (much like strip surgery). The procedure Dr. Cole is doing today will not be the procedure he will be doing 10 years from now, or even a year from now. He is always looking for a better way and past patients must understand that there have been years of improvement between what he did then, and what he is doing now. At the same time, he has always done his best to pass modern improvements on to past patients for low or no charge. If he has created any sort of issue for you, he will absolutely look for a way to resolve it. This is the big challenge in being on the cutting-edge of hair restoration surgery and creating new technology: he is in uncharted territory and seldom has anyone to learn from, so he has to learn from experience. At any given point in time, Dr. Cole performs hair transplants in what he feels is the best way possible…only to find later on that there is an even better way. This is simply the nature of his position in the industry; however, he certainly takes care of his former patients and, if anything doesn’t meet his current standards, he is happy to rectify it.
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