Bad Hair Transplant

, , ,

Greetings,

Here is a patient who had a previous hair transplant strip procedure with a large chain Hair Transplant operation by a physician who had been performing hair transplants for over 30 years. The patient came to me requesting more density in the frontal scalp, but also complaining of a wide strip scar that was elevated with severe numbness. He also complained because the Physician who had performed his last procedure created a second strip scar deviating at one point from the first. He wanted me to take out the unsightly scar and consolidate the 2 scars into one.

When I started to dissect out the strip I noticed small blue thread and assumed it was a small retained suture that dipped below and was missed in the suture removed. To my amazement what I then discovered was that almost the entire length of the strip scar was closed below the skin with non absorbable nylon sutures. These are sutures that are only to be used on the skin surface and removed. They were placed into the subcutaneous layer below the skin and created a significant amount of scarring and was also giving the patient numbness. I removed the suture, which was caked in scarring at this point, and consolidated the 2 scars into one. The results are shown in the photos.

This should be a warning and reminder to prospective patients that when choosing your hair transplant surgeon make sure to do tremendous research into the person performing your procedure. Experience and focus on the singular discipline of hair restoration are imperative, but just as important is the fact that your surgeon should not have a cavalier attitude towards hair transplants, no matter how long they have been performing the procedure, and must convey and strong sense of sensitivity and respect for the art and science of the procedure, as well as keeping up to date on the latest developments in the field. The field of Hair Transplant surgery is the wild west and there are more unqualified individuals performing bad procedures than good. You only have one chance to do things right, so take the time to chose the proper physician who will give you the greatest chance of successfully achieving your goals.

Respectfully,

Marc Dauer, M.D.

Showing the strip scar before revision.

Showing the strip scar before revision.

This shows the nylon suture retained in the tissue below the skin and the scarring.

This shows the nylon suture retained in the tissue below the skin and the scarring.

Sutures found in the strip scar

Here is the strip scar immediately after revision and removal of the scarred tissue and retained suture material.

Here is the strip scar immediately after revision and removal of the scarred tissue and retained suture material.

/by Los Angeles Hair Transplant Specialist

Consumer Alert Warning Regarding Hair Transplants

, , , ,

Greetings,

With the growing field of hair and eyebrow restoration procedures, and the abundance of new “automating” machines, companies are “pitching” doctors as not needing to know anything about hair transplantation, just buy the machine and we will provide some medical assistants to perform the entire procedure. This is taking place everywhere and I am seeing more and more cases of patients undergoing botched procedures in dermatology and plastic surgery practices that have no experience doing hair and eyebrow transplant procedures. I have posted some of these botched procedures and will continue to do so. It is imperative that the consumer stay vigilant and only go to an individual that specializes exclusively in hair and eyebrow restoration in order to increase the likelihood of an excellent result.

Now the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery has also issued a warning to consumers regarding unqualified individuals performing hair and eyebrow restoration. Just because you are going to see a Physician does not mean that the individual is well versed in hair and eyebrow transplants. Make sure your treating physician can show you at least 100 before and after photos of their own patients that look good to you before considering the physician for your procedure.

You can find the full text of the ISHRS press release below.

All the best,

Marc Dauer, M.D.

http://www.ishrs.org/content/consumer-alert

Seeking Hair Restoration Surgery?  

Be sure that a properly trained licensed physician or properly trained licensed allied health professional practicing within the scope of his or her license is responsible for your treatment.


The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) is concerned about the growing risk to patients of unlicensed technicians performing substantial aspects of hair restoration surgery.  The use of unlicensed technicians to perform aspects of hair restoration surgery which should only be performed by a properly trained and licensed physician or properly trained and licensed allied health professional (e.g., nurse, nurse practitioner, physician assistant) practicing within the scope of his or her license,  places patients at risk of: (i) misdiagnosis; (ii) failure to diagnose hair disorders and related systemic diseases; and (iii) can result in the performance of unnecessary or ill advised surgery all of which jeopardizes patient safety and outcomes.  There may also be a risk that unlicensed technicians may not be covered by malpractice insurance.

The ISHRS believes the following aspects of hair restoration surgery should only be performed by a licensed physician or licensed allied health professional practicing within the scope of his or her license:

  • Preoperative diagnostic evaluation and consultation
  • Surgery planning
  • Surgery execution including:
    • Donor hair harvesting
    • Hairline design
    • Recipient site creation
  • Management of other patient medical issues and possible adverse reactions

To help insure patients have information needed to make informed decisions about who performs their hair restoration surgery, the ISHRS urges potential patients to ask the following questions as well as questions regarding costs, risks, and short and long-term benefits and planning:
Patients Should Ask These Questions:

  1. Who will evaluate my hair loss and recommend a course of treatment?  What is their education, training, licensure, and experience in treating hair loss?
  2. Who will be involved in performing my surgery, what role will they play, and what is their education, training, licensure, and experience performing hair restoration surgery?
  3. Will anyone not licensed by the state be making incisions or harvesting grafts during my surgery?  If so, please identify this person, explain their specific role and why they are legally permitted to perform it.
  4. Is everyone involved in my surgery covered by malpractice insurance?

 

             

 

Be your own best advocate. Protect yourself.

Click for printer-friendly version – web version 
Click for printer-friendly version – high resolution  

 

International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery
A non-profit medical association
303 West State Street, Geneva, IL 60134 USA
www.ISHRS.org

The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery is a non-profit medical association exempt from federal income tax pursuant to Internal revenue Code Section 501(c)(3). The mission of the ISHRS is to achieve excellence in medical and surgical outcomes by promoting member education, international collegiality, research, ethics, and public awareness.

/by Los Angeles Hair Transplant Specialist

Eyebrow Transplants on Good Morning America

, , ,

Greetings,

Here is a link to a piece that aired today on Good Morning America featuring Eyebrow Transplants, that had me discussing the procedure, and 2 of my patients discussing their experiences undergoing the procedure.

I hope you enjoy watching.

All the best,

Marc Dauer, M.D.

/by Los Angeles Hair Transplant Specialist

Hair Transplant After Facelift Procedure

Greetings,

Here is a a patient of mine who lost the hair in front of her ears after her facelift procedure resulted in the pulling back of the hairline. She also had thinning in the temporal rescissions on both sides which was also probably exacerbated by the facelift procedure. I performed a hair transplant procedure on her and placed grafts in the temporal recessions and recreated a new hairline just in front of the ears on both sides.

All the best,

Marc Dauer, M.D.

female hair transplant photo

female hair transplant photo

female hair transplant photo

female hair transplant photo

/by Los Angeles Hair Transplant Specialist

FUE Eyebrow Transplant

, , ,

Greetings,

Here is a male patient of mine who received just over 300 grafts per eyebrow to increase the density of the outer eyebrows on both sides. The hairs were harvested from the scalp via FUE. The results are shown after 6 months. The patient should see a bit more growth over the next few months but the results are already very visible. FUE harvest is a good option for men that like to cut their hair very short and don’t want any linear scar from the strip harvest procedure.

All the best,

Marc Dauer, M.D.

This is a male patient who had an eyebrow transplant harvested via FUE.

This is a male patient who had an eyebrow transplant harvested via FUE.

This is a male patient who had an eyebrow transplant with harvest via FUE.

This is a male patient who had an eyebrow transplant with harvest via FUE.

 

/by Los Angeles Hair Transplant Specialist