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My scalp feels extremely tight, like he pulled it as far it can go. It's really low. and abnormal looking. The numbness is wearing off and it seems like it will be painful, but bearable. Currently looking for a surgeon can possibly reverse this procedure, although I know the hair loss is permanent...
I want to start by saying that this review isn't...
I want to start by saying that this review isn't meant to discourage anyone from getting this surgery, I just want to share my experience. I hated my huge forehead & there wasn't anything that anyone could have told me to stop me from getting this surgery. My mind was set. Now, I live with regret every single day because this procedure caused permanent hair loss (after 2 months post op) and everything looks abnormal.
I had this done in January 2015 and initially I was satisfied with the results. However, my happiness was short lived. I liked that there was no longer a slope but one thing I did not like, is that the left side was lower than the other. The doctor said my hairline was always like this, but it wasn't. He also lowered it more than we initially agreed (when I had the follow up, he said it was able to lower it more than he expected it) Two months later, in March 2015, all of the hairs completely fell out in the area of where the hairline was moved forward. I initially thought it was shock loss hair (which I read could occur after any surgery on the scalp), but this isn't shock loss. It's permanent & the hair has not grown back. I cut off all of my hair, because I wanted everything to grow back evenly, but the hair in the front never grew back. It's been two years.
I communicated with the doctor about this, but in short, there's nothing he can do about the hair loss. Because there is hair loss, the scar across my hairline is visible. He suggested I use minoxidil, but of course, that won't work if the follicles are dead. He suggested that I wear bangs, or curls, or a Donald trump hairstyle to cover the scar. He laughed -- but I didn't find this funny. I cannot wear bangs or curls, to cover the scar, because there is no hair.
He suggested that I visit a dermatologist in my state, but the dermatologist that he recommended did not really care what I had to say. The visit lasted about 15 minutes and he said that I have hair loss from trauma to the scalp (obviously) and he could not determine if it was permanent or not.
When I had the consultation with Kabaker, he explained that the fine/baby hairs around my hairlines could fall out, but he never stated that hair loss could occur in the entire frontal area. I knew of shock loss, from a prior consultation, but I was told that if it occurred it would grow back within 9 months. This was not the case with me and I will have to wear a wig for the rest of my life.
I also want to state that after the surgery, I did not experience any pain or bruising and the recovery wasn't bad at all. My head was numb for about 6 months and lots of itchiness occurred after it wore off. He performed a revision in May of 2016, and he said he would remove scar tissue, do a biopsy and implant sample grafts to see if I could be a candidate for transplants. The initial scar was bad, but after the revision it improved somewhat. However, I doubt that he performed a biopsy (could not provide me with results) and he did not transplant any sample hair grafts as promised.
If anyone gets this surgery, I hope that it's successful...I know how much a large forehead can bother someone and if there's a surgery to fix it, then why not go for it? However, my advice would be to research the potential side effects. Ask your doctor questions about what could be done IF hair loss occurs. It may not even happen, but it is definitely a risk that you should consider.
I had this done in January 2015 and initially I was satisfied with the results. However, my happiness was short lived. I liked that there was no longer a slope but one thing I did not like, is that the left side was lower than the other. The doctor said my hairline was always like this, but it wasn't. He also lowered it more than we initially agreed (when I had the follow up, he said it was able to lower it more than he expected it) Two months later, in March 2015, all of the hairs completely fell out in the area of where the hairline was moved forward. I initially thought it was shock loss hair (which I read could occur after any surgery on the scalp), but this isn't shock loss. It's permanent & the hair has not grown back. I cut off all of my hair, because I wanted everything to grow back evenly, but the hair in the front never grew back. It's been two years.
I communicated with the doctor about this, but in short, there's nothing he can do about the hair loss. Because there is hair loss, the scar across my hairline is visible. He suggested I use minoxidil, but of course, that won't work if the follicles are dead. He suggested that I wear bangs, or curls, or a Donald trump hairstyle to cover the scar. He laughed -- but I didn't find this funny. I cannot wear bangs or curls, to cover the scar, because there is no hair.
He suggested that I visit a dermatologist in my state, but the dermatologist that he recommended did not really care what I had to say. The visit lasted about 15 minutes and he said that I have hair loss from trauma to the scalp (obviously) and he could not determine if it was permanent or not.
When I had the consultation with Kabaker, he explained that the fine/baby hairs around my hairlines could fall out, but he never stated that hair loss could occur in the entire frontal area. I knew of shock loss, from a prior consultation, but I was told that if it occurred it would grow back within 9 months. This was not the case with me and I will have to wear a wig for the rest of my life.
I also want to state that after the surgery, I did not experience any pain or bruising and the recovery wasn't bad at all. My head was numb for about 6 months and lots of itchiness occurred after it wore off. He performed a revision in May of 2016, and he said he would remove scar tissue, do a biopsy and implant sample grafts to see if I could be a candidate for transplants. The initial scar was bad, but after the revision it improved somewhat. However, I doubt that he performed a biopsy (could not provide me with results) and he did not transplant any sample hair grafts as promised.
If anyone gets this surgery, I hope that it's successful...I know how much a large forehead can bother someone and if there's a surgery to fix it, then why not go for it? However, my advice would be to research the potential side effects. Ask your doctor questions about what could be done IF hair loss occurs. It may not even happen, but it is definitely a risk that you should consider.
Provider Review
Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon
77 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, California
The office doctor was informative for the most part, but the risk of permanent hair loss wasn't disclosed.