Questions to ask BEFORE a hair transplant #1 Dr. Lindsey

[Dr. Lindsey]

Here's a video in which I go into some of the more common questions YOU should know, from YOUR doctor, before you sign up. Its an informal informational session that Wendy and I did this morning going over a bunch of the questions we get each week. We'll do another video or 2 for more questions in the coming month.



This is by no means all inclusive--but ought to give most guys the questions, and our answers, they need to ask.



Dr. Lindsey



The video is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olZSTQYWryI

[eagles111]

Hey Dr. Lindsey, I have a question that I don't really know who to ask so I figured I'd make an account here and post it. I am a young male 22 years old who is seeing the effects of balding. I am curious, since FUE relocates hair to a bald spot, what would happen if you wax your head? If you wax the part of the head you expect balding to occur (obviously the risk here is you have to guess), doesn't that technically simulate "baldness" since the follicles are removed? As a result, you could then get the FUE immediately after. Just curious, I doubt this has ever been used in practice.

[Dr. Lindsey]

Eagles...with all due respect...that sounds crazy. Wait til you need a transplant...then go to a reputable surgeon and if you are young...take your parents. You're less likely to do something foolish. That patch of hair in your donor region has to last a lifetime. Don't waste it in a 22year old crown prematurely.

Dr. Lindsey

[sowrad]

Hi Dr. Lindsey
Would like to know if you are planning to bring in Robotic FUE such as ARTAS to your Clinic ? pls suggest

[Dr. Lindsey]

Sowrad,

My colleague Dr. Feller and I disagree a little on the future of robotics..I think that currently we're at the "dumb phone" stage and in 10 years...robot FUE contraptions may well do everything better than the human hand and eye. He doesn't think it'll ever equal the human.

BUT we both certainly agree that current robotic devices...on average...don't equal a skilled human. AND FUE is a challenge for skilled humans. Its simply unpredictable in that the stress applied to hair roots is tolerated variably by different hairs and different patients. I say that having done an FUE of limited size on my own son....but in general strip works better.

Look at these 2 videos. I completely get that a lot of people want to avoid a linear scar. The fact is that most guys doing HT can't sew their way out of a dark closet...At a competent office though, a strip probably will yield a decent scar and excellent hair. Your problem will be finding those 50 offices out of the 2000 or so offices offering HT. And if you go to a really good office, statistically your scar will be 1-1.5mm wide and concealable with a half inch long haircut...and you'll get a better result at about half the cost of FUE. Do your research and make the decision that is right for you.

THanks

Dr. Lindsey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw5byxdkxcQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lePJaBJ7uiU

[sowrad]

Thanks Dr. Lindsey

[scar d]

As someone who has a lovely smiley face on the back of my head thanks to a Fut procedure from one of the recommended docs I would have to disagree. My scar although only 2-3mm which isnt so bad and is flat. The colateral damage to the hair below the scar line where the skin has been pulled has left lower density which when my hair is cut to less then a number 5 you can see a low density patch 15mm below the length of the scarline.

This procedure should be left in the history books as far as im concerned. Go have a look at 'northeastguys' repair thread and want he went through to try improve his scar.

The problem is as you loose more hair on the top of your head most people look better with short sides which make the hair on top look thicker then it actually is.Apart from the scar and the collateral damage caused to the hairs along the incision, as the incision is closed the hairs are pulled in different direction which even at a number 4 can be noticeable, and the more poceedures you get the worse the direction in the hairs becomes. So if you really must get a transplant, FUE should be the only option currently.

Hopefully something better comes up soon from the treatments that are curently in trials.

[Dr. Lindsey]

scar d... I feel for you. I see that crap every week...where either the first doctor didn't plan for the future AND/OR executed poorly, the patient refused to plan for the future...worst case scenarios as far as hair goes (A LOT of young guys say they just want hair now...and when they are old..and they say 35-40..they don't care what repercussions there are), or BOTH doctor and patient plan poorly.

There are often options for improving a scar, I have several videos showing exactly what we do. But you are far more likely to cause "collateral" damage with big FUE than a well done strip.

Dr. Lindsey

[scar d]

scar d... I feel for you. I see that crap every week...where either the first doctor didn't plan for the future AND/OR executed poorly, the patient refused to plan for the future...worst case scenarios as far as hair goes (A LOT of young guys say they just want hair now...and when they are old..and they say 35-40..they don't care what repercussions there are), or BOTH doctor and patient plan poorly.

There are often options for improving a scar, I have several videos showing exactly what we do. But you are far more likely to cause "collateral" damage with big FUE than a well done strip.

Dr. Lindsey

I have to disagree as I said without a nice smiley scar you can trim the sidesdown to a number 1 and make the top look thicker. My doctor was one of the apparent best around and is a member of the IAHRS for a long time. The scar is not wide but when you stretch the skin to close the wound its like taking a cut out of a tshirt and sewing it back together on the same size person, the shirt will obviosly have a thin spot where it has been stretched if that makes sense.

How come you didnt push your son into getting a big smiley face scar on the back of his head if it is such a great proceedure? Please stop pushing this barbaric proceedure. Perhaps doctors should look at ways to stop hairloss or multiply hairs instead of limited donor transplants.

[Dr. Lindsey]

Because my son needed 300 grafts...not 3000. And because he scars very poorly...we were transplanting into a scar. No doubt about it...if any of my relatives or friends needed a bunch of hair and weren't proven poor scar formers..I would strip them.

My average scar on a virgin head winds up about 1 mm wide. I get 8 per year that are tough to find with a shave head and 4 crappy scars. The trouble is I don't know who those 4 guys are preop. I've posted at least 1000 of my scars...good bad average...all kinds, over the last 9 years of being online. If someone is that opposed to a linear scar....well then I'm certainly open to FUE...its just not going to be the result a strip yields...on average. But we do plenty of FUE cases on military guys. At this moment, we're repairing a crappy FUE result, done by a well known FUE guy...on a military guy with very fine hair. All he got for his 12k that he paid elsewhere is a bunch of white dots on his donor region, requiring him to keep a longer hair length anyhow...and a bunch of wispy hair up front. We're putting 2500 via strip in and hopefully he'll get a result that we can be proud of...and his hair length won't have to be any longer than it is to cover all those white dots.

And he found me as I did exactly the same thing for one of his military buddies 3 years ago...fixed a low yield FUE.

Scar d...neither FUE or strip is perfect. But with proper and honest education, patients make the best choice for them. Its guys who fast sell stuff that bring the entire field down.

Dr. Lindsey

[scar d]

I agree that neither proceedure is perfect, far from it and until hair can be regenerated and decent density achieved a hair transplant will always be an illusion and never look 100% natural. Especially with the thick caliber hair from the donor region transplanted into the hairline as nature diddnt intend.

But as of 2016 FUE is slightly better then a smiley scar in the back and side of the head. Just ask the many people who regret getting a transplant.

[southeastguy]

I got a 25cm scar from Dr. Feller that is .5cm wide for only 1,600 grafts in 2007 as a 20-year old. I can't cut my hair to a number 5 without this scar showing. Even the best strip Doctors aren't so great. Now I begin the process that Northeastguy just finished. At the time of the surgery I was told by Dr. Feller I wouldn't be able to shave my head. A number 5 isn't shaving your head. Strip scars are pathetic and take advantage of young guys who are desperate for instant gratification. If I had done an FUE my life would be normal and I could shave my head without requiring future repair surgeries. You think a little hair loss is bad. Try walking around with an exposed 25cm scar on your head and see how you feel. I have a beautiful wife and baby and am successful, and I am depressed over this scar. Feller told me I had a proper surgery and nothing was done wrong. He seems to be the only Doctor who feels that way.

[fab]

As someone who has a lovely smiley face on the back of my head thanks to a Fut procedure from one of the recommended docs I would have to disagree. My scar although only 2-3mm which isnt so bad and is flat. The colateral damage to the hair below the scar line where the skin has been pulled has left lower density which when my hair is cut to less then a number 5 you can see a low density patch 15mm below the length of the scarline.

This procedure should be left in the history books as far as im concerned. Go have a look at 'northeastguys' repair thread and want he went through to try improve his scar.

The problem is as you loose more hair on the top of your head most people look better with short sides which make the hair on top look thicker then it actually is.Apart from the scar and the collateral damage caused to the hairs along the incision, as the incision is closed the hairs are pulled in different direction which even at a number 4 can be noticeable, and the more poceedures you get the worse the direction in the hairs becomes. So if you really must get a transplant, FUE should be the only option currently.

Hopefully something better comes up soon from the treatments that are curently in trials.

I have to disagree. My scar was done on the side and I have no problem with it. Icut my hair at number 3 and nobody sees it