Hair Loss

I've had 4 surgeries going into the same coronal incision which has left me bald in certain areas. Is it possible to do hair transplantation onto this overly worked incision line?

Dear Anna - Yes, it is quite likely that the scar can be improved by a transplant procedure. You can email some photos for me to evaluate if you wish.

Posted by Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD, FACS

I remember, ten years ago, when some of us started performing procedures of 1000 grafts - called megasessions back then. Today, procedures of 2000, 3000, even more grafts can be safely (and are routinely) performed.

However, to properly perform these procedures, the surgeon needs to have a sufficiently large enough team of assistants capable of cutting these grafts and efficiently working with the surgeon to then place them. Having a team of 15 full-time assistants, some of whom have been with me 10 or more years, means that a 2400 grafts procedure, say, takes us 5 or so hours - well within the safe time zone that assures proper hair growth.

Posted by Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD, FACS

Dear Anna - Yes, it is quite likely that the scar can be improved by a transplant procedure. You can email some photos for me to evaluate if you wish.

Posted by Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD, FACS

Dear Mark - From your photos, you appear to be an excellent candidate for a hair transplant procedure - well defined hair loss pattern, nice colored and good density donor hair, and you are older than 30 years old. My recommendation would a procedure of 1900 to 2200 or so grafts to work primarily in the frontal half of the scalp, reinforcing the receded and thinning hairline, filling in the frontotemporal recessions and anterior central scalp to significantly increase density, and if desired, placing an additional 500 or so grafts (assuming they are available in the donor area) to provide some coverage in the crown. For the back half of the scalp, including the crown, I would suggest you consider going on Propecia to slow down or stop the progression of hair loss.

Posted by Jeffrey Epstein, MD, FACS

A variety of specialists perform hair transplantation - for most doctors, it represents only a portion of their practice, not the majority.  With the demands of today’s most modern techniques - assuming you are seeking the most natural appearing results - it requires a full or near full-devotion to performing hair transplants. This means typically that the doctor performs at least 3 to 5 of these procedures every week, and has a full time staff to assist him.
As far as the type of specialty the doctor has - usually dermatologists are well versed in the basic techniques, while plastic surgeons who do specialize in this procedure can be expected to bring a more aesthetic approach, given their years of experience with cosmetic surgery.
The most important criteria, however, is to find a doctor whose work looks natural. You should be able to view tens, if not hundreds, of the doctor’s own before and after photos, with results that you would be proud to have as your own. For most of my patients, the internet is the best referral source - not only can the doctor’s own website be viewed, but many patients share their experiences and photos on one of several community websites that contain forums.

Absolutely - your hair can be dyed as soon as 3 weeks after your procedure. Remember, once performed, your hairs will continue to grow just like your own original hairs, and can be treated in whatever way you wish.

Please feel free to send some photos for me to evaluate, and I welcome any questions you may have.

Posted by Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD, FACS

Absolutely - your hair can be dyed as soon as 3 weeks after your procedure. Remember, once performed, your hairs will continue to grow just like your own original hairs, and can be treated in whatever way you wish.

Please feel free to send some photos for me to evaluate, and I welcome any questions you may have.

Posted by Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD, FACS