Variation in growth rate in similar patients, Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[Dr. Lindsey]

So we are always excited when someone comes in with early growth. They are happy, and it lights up the office. And we are always frustrated when someone grows slowly. My lead tech and I have tried all kinds of theories over the years to try to explain this variation…thick meaty scalp vs thin scalp tissue, thick curly hair vs thin hair, postop cleaning vs crustiness…none seem to hold up. Here is an example set of 2 guys, both got medium sized cases without any problems. Neither cleaned as I directed and both were crusty at a week. Both ended up with nearly perfect scars. Yet one was 80% growing at 6 months and the other was half growing at 9 months. The fast grower hasn’t reached a 1 year mark yet and the slow grower looks quite good at 15 months. The only real differences between these 2 are: the fast grower admits to occasional steroid use for bodybuilding whereas the slower grower doesn’t, and the faster grower has wiry hair which can give the appearance of more growth that there actually is…except he’s really growing AND has that good hair trait.

I still can’t predict who will grow fast or slow, but I do tell every patient that growth is a bell curve. For every fast grower there is a slower one..but almost everyone catches up by 15-18 months.

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA