Second female hair transplant to add density?

Question

Had an FUT hair transplant a year ago. Loving the results on the sides but the crown area isn't as dense as I would like. Questions: 1. If I do a 2nd HT would I have to shave the recipient area? Worries about downtime/ cosmetics during healing. Hoping I can not shave recipient area and mask it with other hairs. 2. Can they even do a second FUT? How does that affect the previous scar? Would that thin out the hair in the back too much? 3. Is shock loss still an issue in 2nd HT?

Edward Hsu, MD · Answer

Hi, thank you for the excellent questions! You do not have to shave the recipient area if you have a 2nd hair transplant. Yes, you can do a second FUT. It is likely they will chose a 2nd donor site away from your first donor site (the scar from the 1st donor site would compromise the quality of donor tissue for the 2nd transplant otherwise). With FUT, it should not thin out the hair in the donor area since both scalp tissue and hair is removed (no change in density in the donor area, unlike with FUE). Yes, unfortunately shock loss would still be an issue with a 2nd hair transplant. However, fortunately, the loss is temporary and the hair will grow back.

Matt Tahsini, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question. It is possible to have a second transplant given that you have a sufficient donor area. You wouldn't necessarily have to shave but that would depend on the surgeon. Shock loss is always possible after surgery. Best of luck to you.

Dr. T

Dr. T

Steven C. Chang, MD · Answer

Thank you so much for the excellent question. No, you do not have to shave the recipient area. Yes, a second FUT is entirely possible. We would make the second donor site either above or below the previous one and would not affect the previous scar. Your hair will not be thinned out (decrease in density) with a FUT surgery as that is the advantage of FUT over FUE. Since the scalp tissue is removed along with the hair follicles, there is no change in the remaining density at the donor site after the surgery with FUT. Yes, there is still the possibility of shock loss with a 2nd hair transplant surgery. Hope this helps!

Jeff Donovan, MD, PhD · Answer

Whether of not you can do a second FUT depends on donor hair at the back. Some patients can do 2 surgeries, some can do 3 or 4 surgeries. As far as shaving, a skilled surgeon can do this without shaving (although it’s much easier for them with shaving). But absolutely- a good surgeon and his or her team can create sites and implant without shaving. If the surgeon takes the appropriate amount, then donor area thinning is not likely, no. Shock loss is always a possibility with every surgery.

Kulakarn Amonpattana, MD · Answer

Hello I'm Dr. Wipawan Vathananai, a co-worker of Dr. Kulakarn Amonpattana, from BHI Clinic, Bangkok, Thailand. Regarding your questions;
1. If I do a 2nd HT would I have to shave the recipient area? Worries about downtime/ cosmetics during healing. Hoping I can not shave recipient area and mask it with other hairs.
- It is not necessary to shave the recipient area. However, I would recommend you to discuss about this with the doctor you would like to undergo the hair transplant with since different surgeons might have different preferences regarding this issue.
2. Can they even do a second FUT? How does that affect the previous scar? Would that thin out the hair in the back too much?- The 2nd FUT can be done if you have sufficient donor area- The second scar might be wider than the previous one because the scalp is tighter than the first time- FUT usually does not decrease the hair density at the back but it will leave a linear scar at the back of your hair which require you to leave your hair at least 1 inch long to cover the whole scar
3. Is shock loss still an issue in 2nd HT?- The shock loss at the recipient site almost always happens. However, the shock loss on the donor area depends on multiple factors and it seldom happens.

Second female hair transplant to add density?

Answers (5)

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