I Have Had Several Bad Hair Transplant Procedures and Need Guidance About Repair Work

Written by Spencer Kobren on June 19, 2008

I just moved back to New York. I have had four or five hair transplant sessions between the ages of 20 and 30. I am now 40 years old. The original job was done by Gary Hitzig and it was horrible. All subsequent jobs didn’t address the the original bad transplants, scars and poor hairline choice. I had a great deal of my own hair and have managed to “live with it,” and decided to wait, now 10 years, for the technology and processes to improve. Now I’m 40 and I need to address it as my hairline recedes and hair further thins. I comb my hair forward in a “caesar cut” and hide the scars and doll hair plugs. I’d like to be able to comb it back and not worry about it. I’m looking for guidance. Thanks.
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First and foremost, I want you to know that you’re not alone. From my understanding, your experience with Dr. Gary Hitzig seems to be typical according to many of his former patients.

Living with a bad hair transplant can be very difficult, so I’m glad that you’ve been able to deal with it and function well for all of these years. The good news is that surgical hair restoration has come a long way. With today’s state of the art techniques, even the worst repair patients can be helped. Depending on your available donor area, much can be done to help you achieve a completely natural looking hairline that you will no longer have to hide.

In many cases existing plugs or slot grafts can be removed and salvaged by dissecting them into naturally occurring follicular units and then redistributing these grafts back into your balding areas.
Often times any scaring or cobblestoning can be significantly camouflaged, leaving the patient with a completely normal appearance even upon close inspection.

The key to a successful hair transplant repair is choosing a skilled, experienced surgeon and surgical staff. It is important to meet with several accepted IAHRS hair transplant surgeons in your area and ask to see their repair cases.

Don’t be too shy to ask if you can meet or speak with patients who have undergone similar repair surgery to help you establish realistic expectations, and to see the surgeon’s work firsthand before signing on the dotted line.

Do not make your decision to undergo hair transplant surgery based on a single conversation with a consultant or by reading patient experiences posted on hair transplant message forums. Meet with the hair transplant surgeon yourself and take your time.

If you have any further questions you can tune in to our national On-Air Support group every Sunday night at 8pm Eastern on XM channel 152 or online at http://www.thebaldtruth.com

Good Luck!

Spencer Kobren
Founder, American Hair Loss Association
Founder and Director of Consumer/Patient Affairs, International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons