My Hair Transplant Destroyed My Life, What Can I Do To Improve The Density and Lessen The Cobblestone Appearance?

I had a hair transplant seven years ago and have never been happy with it. It is constantly on my mind and has destroyed my social life. The main concern I have with my hair transplant is the resulting cobblestone appearance, it looks shocking when exposed to light ie sunlight. I would like to have another procedure to improve the density, but I am still concerned with the pitting. Nobody ever discusses treatments for scarring/pitting to the donor area, is this because there are none? I’ve often thought creams or laser treatments similar to that used in acne scarring could be used or would these treatments damage or kill the hair follicles. Surely with all the skin treatments available there must be something to rid or improve the pitted appearance. ~Tony
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Tony, I am very sorry to hear about the position that you are in. Cobble-stoning in the recipient area could be due to particular healing characteristics of your skin but could also be due the grafts placed too shallow in the slit i.e. the slits being not deep enough. More hairs transplanted aesthetically will certainly make skin less visible and therefore the cobble-stoning less noticeable. Another alternative is a procedure called dermabrasion that basically shaves off superficial layers of skin however you will very likely need to put up with a shaved scalp for a short period. Pitting in the recipient area is harder to deal with. Again further transplants (without pitting) can disguise the original. Alternatively it may be possible to extract the older pitted grafts in a similar manner to FUE (follicular unit extraction), but please keep in mind this may leave scars that are hopefully hardly visible.

Today most surgeons use trichophytic closure in the donor region and it may be possible to remove some or all of your previous scars and close with the modern method. This method normally allows us to force hairs to grow through the actual scar further reducing their appearance. In most cases patients can wear their hair much shorter with a greater level of confidence.

Please appreciate that my above response is in general terms as it was given without photographic evidence or seeing you in person.

Best wishes,
Dr. Bessam Farjo
Member, International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons
Member, American Hair Loss Association

Bessam Farjo, MD Dr Bessam Farjo graduated as a doctor of medicine in 1988 from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, attaining the qualifications of MB, ChB, BAO, LRCP & SI. He spent 4 years working in the national health scheme (NHS) hospitals in Ireland and the UK training in the field of general surgery. In 1992, he travelled to Toronto, Canada, and joined a training course in hair restoration surgery at the office of Dr Larry Fremont. He started practicing hair in Manchester later that year. In 1993, he co-founded the Farjo Medical Centre with his wife, Dr Nilofer Farjo, exclusively practicing hair restoration surgery and medicine in Manchester and London. They currently operate a busy practice to the tune of over 300 hair restoration surgical procedures a year. Dr. Bessam Farjo is a member of the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons and recommended by the American Hair Loss Association. Visit Dr. Farjo's Website: www.farjo.com

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