This is an interesting case. This fellow has had multiple surgeries since the 80’s. He had 3 scalp reductions and 7 strip excisions. He came to us with an exhausted donor area. He only wants to fill in part of his crown. It will ultimately be his last surgery.
This type of hair restoration has two elements that may be controversial.
Use of beard hair. A type of BHT.
The manner in which we took the grafts… by FUT.
The patient was offered FUE, as this was probably what most ghost readers and posters will say that they would op for. However, the patient opted to take a thin strip underneath the chin.
The patient has had a beard for 25 years and he stated that he just would rather go this route. His long beard would mask the scar. He was fully aware of the unpredictability of BHT growth. However as I get pictures out one will be able to realize that these hairs look pretty damn good.
Lastly, Dr. Harris’s resident training was in Ear, Nose, and Throat. He performed many of these types of surgeries to remove cancers, repair salivary ducts, adenoids, etc, etc.
The case is almost over and I will have a few of photos.
I swear as God is my witness he knew fully what the differences in FUE/strip. He was a veteran HT guy. Dr. Harris doesn’t pull the wool over guys eyes. Believe me I was wary about it too… and asked Dr. Harris what he thought about me putting this online and he said… “Engage in your discussions. It is what it is. And it is something worth discussing. As long as your readers know what the whole situation here was in this case. I don’t see why it should not be something discussed.”
I started to place/plant and I noticed that his scalp was very firm/rigid. There was no “give” in his scalp which meant I had to employ a different method of placing. I learned this at Dr. Cooley’s office. You have to use a needle to hold the graft in place then use the forceps to slide the graft into his new home. I use this method he taught me because when you have a situation like this, there is a risk of crushing of the bulbs. The needle/forcep method is a good tool to have.
I probably would not have either and that is why this was controversial. WHat I did like was the grafts… the best BHT IMO in terms of robustness. However, I will follow this case and get a follow up in three months. I have more pictures… will be out in a bit.
» I swear as God is my witness he knew fully what the differences in
» FUE/strip. He was a veteran HT guy. Dr. Harris doesn’t pull the wool over
» guys eyes. Believe me I was wary about it too… and asked Dr. Harris what
» he thought about me putting this online and he said… “Engage in your
» discussions. It is what it is. And it is something worth discussing. As
» long as your readers know what the whole situation here was in this case.
» I don’t see why it should not be something discussed.”
Hairtech- Did he disclose his reason for opting for the strip in the beard area instead of FUE. What is the benefit? I mean why have a scar if you can achieve the same result without one?
» Here are the stats of the case:
»
» Start time: 9:00a
» Stop time: 12:30p
»
» Strip length: 14cm by 0.5cm
»
» Total grafts: 606
»
» 1’s= 591
» 2’s= 15
»
» Total hairs = 621
As long as he knows what he is getting into I guess it is okay. I wouldn’t do it because you are locking yourself (unnecessarily) into having to wear a beard for life.
I guess it could have some benefit as sort of a “double-chin tuck”.
»
» I guess it could have some benefit as sort of a “double-chin tuck”.
Well checkin yes it was like that… a chin tuck. Now he is coming in today… and I will get more pics of both the suture line and the beard.
I thank you fellas for looking at this objectively. It was difficult to understand why this guy DID not want to do FUE. I am as big of an FUE guy as some of you guys.
The patient came in for his first wash and post op instructions. The patient reported no discomfort overnight although he was given motrin(per his choice) and a sleeping pill. He reported this morning some tightness in his beard but no pain. He was happy. BTW he is an avid mountain climber. Has climbed to 22,000 feet twice in the Andes. Just thought it was cool to hear about his mountain escapades. He is 63 years old but looks 53. Anyway here are some post op pictures.
One more “BTW”. Since he was a veteran HT guy, I asked him about where he started in terms of Norwood classification and how did the grafts do all of these years. He reported that he was a definite NW6. He said hairs taken from his lower donor area have thinned a bit over the years. I bring this up because those hairs he was talking about seem to be controversial in its use. This is because of potential hairloss from these hairs. Some doctors take as many nape hairs as possible… be wary folks.
You never said how many grafts he had? IMO, it’s not worth getting a strip if you have anything less than 2000 grafts. I can’t wait to see what his chin looks like in a month.
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