3rd Procedure (17 JAN 2017)

Surgery Date: 17 January 2017 (age 30)
Total Grafts: 315 total grafts (50 ones placed into left side temple and frontal hairline, 265 threes and fours placed into FUT/strip suture line from my second procedure)
Method: FUE
Purpose: Revised previous FUT/strip scar, softened left side temple and frontal hairline

Below are pictures from my third procedure that I had with Dr. Daniel McGrath on 17 January 2017 in Austin, Texas.

This FUE procedure filled in my second linear scar and softened up my frontal hairline with 1-hair micrografts.

Due to my scalp’s natural flexibility and my weight training and martial arts habits that put a lot of pressure and tension on my neck, my second linear scar also stretched. I couldn’t cut my hair as short as I would prefer so I decided to have the scar filled in.

I chose the FUE method because I have no desire to have stitches in the back of my head again.

It takes approximately 200 to 300 grafts to fill in the scar and its widest parts are both ends. Similar to my previous two surgeries, the transplanted grafts will not begin growing until about 4 months post-op and will continue filling in for an entire year post-op.

Dr. McGrath is highly experienced with the FUE technique and was recommended to me by my patient educator Steve Cook.

Below are pictures from various stages of my procedure.

Pre-Operative

Before my procedure, my patient adviser Steve Cook takes a few pre-operative pictures. These pictures show the final results from my two previous hair transplant procedures.

Overall I’m very pleased with my results, however the linear scar from my second procedure stretched so I am in Austin to have it filled in via FUE.

My previous linear scar

For an FUE procedure, it is required to shave the donor site to see the areas where the grafts will be placed and so that extracting the grafts is as easy as possible. Here is my previous donor scar after my head was shaved.

Extracting the Grafts

After my scalp is anesthetized, Dr. McGrath begins extracting grafts using a punch-biopsy tool called a Viper. Dr. Dan makes sure not to extract the grafts in any sort of pattern as the human eye is naturally attracted to patterns, so if I cut my hair really short the punch scars won’t be noticeable.

Technicians and Microscopes

After the 315 grafts were extracted, Dr. Dan’s technicians dissected them into 50 single hair grafts to implant into my frontal hairline and left temporal peak.

It’s extremely important for a staff to use microscopes when dissecting the grafts so that the sebaceous gland is intact and so that only single hair grafts are placed in my frontal hairline.

Placing the grafts

Now that all of the grafts for my suture line and frontal hairline and left temporal peak are ready, Dr. Dan begins placing them into the incisions. Although the grafts will not completely erase the linear scar, it will camouflage the scar so that I can cut my hair shorter than a No.4 guard.

Post-op

Here I am immediately after my FUE procedure. The linear scar had 265 grafts consisting of mostly 3 and 4 hairs apiece placed into it and I also had 50 single hair grafts placed into my left temporal peak and frontal hairline to soften it up.

Day-After Hair Washing

Here I am on Wednesday, 18 January 2017, the day after my procedure, for a hair washing performed by Dr. McGrath’s technicians.

They washed my hair and the extraction sites with a low pressure faucet and baby shampoo to make sure no grafts would be dislodged and to make sure the extraction sites are clean.