Two Scalp Reductions Left Me Scarred - Wondering If I Can Be Fixed

In the mid nineties I had two scalp reductions and a total of 900 micrografts from Bosley in Beverly Hills. The scalp reductions never really worked out too well leaving me with very visible scaring and a weird scar that runs to the very back of my head. I have been forced to wear a hair piece for the past 11 years just to hide the bad cosmetic appearance of the hair transplant. I was reading on your site that these types of issues can now be fixed with modern hair transplantation. How common is my situation and will I ever be able to get out from under this hair piece if I have a modern day hair transplant?
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Your situation is more common than you would think. Whether or not you will be able to take off the hair piece and go without really depends on many factors. Most importantly is how much viable donor hair you have and will it provide enough coverage in the areas of thinning or loss to satisfy you. It would be very helpful if you could forward a few photographs. Your situation could then be evaluated and your options will be given to you. Many hair transplant physicians are now starting to see patients coming to their clinics with this same scenario or something very similar. Often a significant improvement can be made and the patient is at some point able to stop wearing the hair piece. Read more

Women’s Hair Transplant Advice

My 27 year old sister underwent a hair transplant to lower her hairline. To my knowledge she had no hair loss but just wanted to kind of frame her face better. The hair transplant surgeon who performed the surgery claimed to have done the same type of surgery on many female celebrities so my sister was excited. Today she looks like a women with a hair transplant and has become extremely withdrawn. She no longer wants to go to work. She does not date and is very depressed. She is also now losing her normal hair since she had the hair transplant.

Is there anything I can do to help her? Can her hair be fixed? Is it normal protocol to do a hair transplant on a 27 year old girl with no real hair loss? Her surgeon is basically ignoring her calls now. Please give me some advise.
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Thank you for your letter. It is unfortunate that your sister did not receive the results that she was hoping for. It sounds like there are two issues that need to be addressed, hair loss in a woman and a transplant result that is not completely natural. I will attempt to give you some options regarding both of these problems.

By your letter it sounds like your sister has started losing her “native” hair since the transplant. You didn’t mention where this is occurring but the situation should be evaluated like any woman with hair loss. This involves obtaining a history of the condition as well as an examination by an experienced hair restoration surgeon. The treatable cases such as thyroid function abnormalities, anemia, elevated testosterone or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) should be ruled out. Read more

I Have Concerns About My Hair Transplant Experience, Is This Normal?

I’m a police officer who had a hair transplant three years ago. I was told that I would have no problem wearing a military cut on the job but now I have a very noticeable scar from the surgery straight across the back of my head. I specifically asked the person I signed up with if this would be an issue and he said absolutely not. That’s the only reason I decided on going through with the hair transplant. Now I’m always being asked about it. I am wondering if it could be fixed. Also is it unusual not to have the opportunity speak with the doctor until the day of the hair transplant? This was my experience.

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I am sorry to hear your story. It is my firm position as a professional that you have had your patient rights violated in a number of ways. It is beyond my comprehension why a physician was not involved with your initial consultation for a surgical procedure. Unfortunately, there are various surgical hair restoration offices that utilize so-called “expert consultants”, often to the detriment of proper patient education. These individuals often wear a white coat, like a doctor, so as to generate a sense of professionalism and competence. Unfortunately, these individuals are often nothing more than a sales-person for the clinic they represent. Read more

Trying To Look Normal After a Fleming Mayer Flap Hair Transplant

When I was 23 years old I underwent a Fleming Mayer flap hair transplant and I am very unhappy with my current appearance. I was told that is was far superior to a conventional hair transplant but I can tell you that this is not the case. The appearance of my hair line is very unnatural to me and now it is beginning to thin again 5 years later. Is it possible to regain a normal appearance with another hair transplant. I’m very unhappy with the way things have turned out for me and I’m hoping for some resolution.
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At one time the Fleming-Mayer flap was considered to be a viable option for surgical hair restoration. Flap restoration of the frontal hairline was acceptable during the era of “plug” transplantation because of the many well-recognized problems that were associated with the use of plugs.

The primary goal of surgical hair restoration is to produce a natural result. Plug graft techniques were notorious for the problems they created, the most obvious of which were unnatural corn-row hairlines and widespread donor sites scars. The less-than-perfect plug technique motivated physicians to look for alternative methods for recreating a frontal hairline, hence the introduction of frontal hairline flap procedures. Read more

Botched Hair Transplant - Please Help

As the unhappy recipient of three botched hair transplants, I can not believe that I’m thinking about going down this road again, but at this point I do not think I have any other choice. After reading through your website is is apparent that I made a poor choice in picking a surgeon in the past and I’m hoping that I can be helped. I had three hair transplants by Dr. Gary Hitzig in New York. The outcome is disastrous. The transplanted hair looks very unnatural, it is impossible to style normally and the back of my head looks like a road map. I am forced to wear cover up makeup both in the back and on top of my head. Before I had the hair transplant I was not that self conscious about my appearance. I just thought it would be nice to have more hair, but now life is much more difficult for me and I find dating impossible.

Can I be made to appear normal again? I am not asking for a full head of hair. I just want to be able to walk out of the house and feel comfortable in the world again. Dr. Hitzig took that away from me and I have been a little gun shy to seek more surgery after my experience with him. Read more