Why would a doctor remove so much of my hair? Is my only option a hair transplant? (photos)

Question

I had an endo brow lift / facelift. So much of my hair is gone. Is my only option a hair transplant at this point? I am just over a year out. Is this normal?

David Parizh, DO · Answer

When placing incisions for a facelift a board certified plastic surgeon should counsel you on the repositioning of the hairline. She there is a lot of skin laxity the incisions can not be placed in the hairline but rather in front. This avoids overly excising hair bearing skin.

Stephen Prendiville, MD · Answer

Incisions placed in the temporal hairline for a facelift cause removal of hair-bearing skin.  In some individuals this isn't a problem, but for many patients, leads to inappropriate hairline elevation.  A hair transplant is the best course of action to correct this problem.

Gianfranco Frojo, MD · Answer

This is an extraordinarly poorly planned incision that resulted in displacement of your hairline and significant distortion of the normal. At this point, a hair transplant would be the best option. Another potential option would be tissue expansion to expand the hair bearing scalp and advance the hairline. I would recommend seeing a plastic surgeon with 6 years of plastic surgery residency training and a year of aesthetic fellowship training to ensure that you find an individual with adequate training in this very important area of the body.

Jigar Sitapara, MD · Answer

Good morning from Washington DC,
Due to the surgeon's incision design within the temporal hairline, they ended up removing a lot of the hair bearing skin. I like to design my incisions within the side burn so this doesn't happen. Unfortunately, the only way to get that hair back is with a hair transplant. No medications or PRP injections will help with the hair loss since it was surgically removed. In my experience, women do really well with FUT hair transplants in cases like this. 
Wishing you the best,Dr. SitaparaChevy Chase Facial Plastic Surgery

David M. Kowalczyk, MD, MBA, FACS · Answer

Good Morning! Sorry that you're experiencing trouble with hair loss. Around the incision line, hair loss can occur for a number of reasons. At 1 year, the scarring should be fairly complete. I'm unsure why so much of your hair was taken during the procedure. There are products such as Nutrafol which help with hair growth and patients do say they work. Hair transplant is certainly an option and maybe a good starting point. Hope this helps!

Why would a doctor remove so much of my hair? Is my only option a hair transplant? (photos)

Answers (5)

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