I had a hair transplant 8 months ago, and the grafts are pitted. Can they be fixed?

Question

I had a hair transplant about 8 months ago, and the grafts are pitted. As a result, each hair has the appearance of growing out of a small hole. I read that it may be possible to fix this. Has any doctor reading this performed a procedure to fix "pitted" grafts? Do you have photos of before and after? Before and after photos would be very helpful to see what can be done. I am willing to travel to anywhere in the country to have this fixed, and I want to get this fixed as soon as possible.

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

A bad hair transplant results are permanent and very difficult to fix.  You cannot undo it.  You may be able to hide the scarring at best.

Sanusi Umar, MD · Answer

I would adopt either of two methods depending on your situation:1. Camouflaging them. This is done by using finer hairs from the nape or even body area to cover the pits and the hair from the pits. This is advised if the pits are few and if the individual size of the pits are less than 2mm. 2. Removal of the pits: This is advised when the diameter of the pits are 2mm in diameter or more. In very large pits, I would let the skin of the pit serve as skin grafts to minimize scarring. This is the same approach I would adopt in treating certain types of acne scarring.

John Peter Cole, MD · Answer

There are two techniques to solve pitted grafts.  Pitted grafts occur do to placement of the grafts below the surface of the skin.  It is totally possible to avoid having pitted grafts if you do not bury the graft below the skin.  Pitted grafts occur from poor surgical technique usually because the physician performing the procedure does not monitor the placement of the grafts by his assistants.  The physician in charge should make sure that all the grafts are placed either slightly above the skin or even with the skin, but never buried.  The two ways to solve this problem are to either build new hair in front of the grafts or to remove the grafts.  It is not easy to remove pitted grafts, but a skilled surgeon can do it.  I have done it hundreds of times using techniques that I developed.  I'm sure you can see some examples on my website.  The method to remove the the pitted graft depends on how large the graft is.  If it is a mini-graft, the graft should be cut out with a tiny scalpel.  Then the wound should be sutured.  If the graft is a follicular unit, the graft should be punched out using a FUE technique.  Sutures are usually not necessary for this method.  So the options are to remove the pitted grafts or to hide them with more grafts.

Bernardino Arocha, MD, FISHRS · Answer

SanjoseCA,It is impossible to evaluate without the benefit of at least some high resolution images. Specific recommendations are contingent on the findings. Yes, it is possible to greatly improve many less than optimal hair transplant results. Employing modern state of the art hair restoration techniques, yields results that are at least natural and undetectable.Sincerely,Bernardino A. Arocha, MD

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

Unfortunately, graft pitting is something that can not be corrected. What I have done of a few of the 15000 surgeries I have performed, is to create camouflage for these pitted areas by building a transition zone in front of them so the eye can't pick it up.  Send me some photos.

I had a hair transplant 8 months ago, and the grafts are pitted. Can they be fixed?

Answers (5)

Answer: Pitting after a hair transplant

Answer: Pitting after a hair transplant

Answer: Pitting of grafts at 8 months

Answer: Pitting of grafts at 8 months

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I had a hair transplant 8 months ago, and the grafts are pitted. Can they be fixed?

Answers (5)

Answer: Pitting after a hair transplant

Answer: Pitting after a hair transplant

Answer: Pitting of grafts at 8 months

Answer: Pitting of grafts at 8 months

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Hair Transplant

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.