Angry and Depressed Strip Surgery Patient

Dear Dr William!!!
I have to say that I’m very sorry doing FUSS on my 6-7 scale bald head. It does not give me chance to cut my hair short and the stripe is from one ear to another, very ugly. Doing a stripe more than 10cm should be forbidden. When I came for surgery i thought “if something went wrong i’m gonna shave”. Dont you think that is better to have a procedure with less FUE and be able to cut hair short, to make a nice hair line. if the vertex is bald it doesnt look bad when the hair is short. I’m sorry I realized that after my surgery. Cant you people see how many people suffer from this frankenstein scar? it is a sin to cut somebody like that. Besides that all the pictures lie about fullness of hair and also nobody ever mentions that the hair above and under the scar can have a big difference in fullness which looks very ugly.

I’m a very depressed and mentally destroyed 33 year old man. I had one chance for HT and I lost it with one of the greatest doctors that could not evaluate me and give me right advice . I signed all these scary papers just because I was trusting him, after all this I see it was all about the money. I would give now everything I have just to go back to normal. Please start up with some medical law to stop doing FUSS. The papers I signed are too scary to be offered to humans.

Unfortunately I will have to wear a hat in public for the rest of my life, probably at home too because I dont want my poor mother looking at me like this. People have done the HT for last 40 to 50 years and still do not realize that strip is wrong technique. To sign so many scary papers, like for FUSS, means that doctor still doesnt know what he is doing. I’m sure it is about the time when FUSS will be forbidden. God bless

First, it must be pointed out that this man is not one of my patients.

I sympathize with your predicament and I’m sorry for your situation. The truth is, though, that there are many patients for whom a scar is much less of an issue than the alternative of having a Norwood Class 6 or 7 bald head. For those readers who are unfamiliar, there are some doctors that refer to the Follicular Unit Transplantation (strip procedure) as “FUSS” (Follicular Unit Strip Surgery). I don’t know what your scar looks like, and the fact that it bothers you so much means that it is unacceptable to you, yet these are issues that one needs to deal with before the surgery.

A few points that I want to highlight:

1. The hair transplant procedure happens on your head, so you must think about every option and its possible consequences carefully.
2. Never, ever sign anything that you do not understand. If you thought “these scary papers” were too much for you, you should’ve taken a step back and perhaps re-evaluated what you were doing before you agreed to it! This goes for anything you sign your name to. No matter how “trusting” you are, there is no excuse for signing any contract or papers without knowing what you are signing. What you most likely signed was an Informed Consent. According to the American Medical Association:

   Informed consent is more than simply getting a patient to sign a written consent form to protect the doctor when something goes wrong. It is a contract between a patient and physician that results in the patient’s authorization or agreement to undergo a specific medical or surgical intervention. In the communications process, you, as the physician providing or performing the treatment and/or procedure (not a delegated representative), should disclose and discuss with you:

   • The diagnosis, if known;
   • The nature and purpose of a proposed treatment or procedure;
   • The risks and benefits of a proposed treatment or procedure;
   • Alternatives (regardless of their cost or the extent to which the treatment options are covered by health insurance);
   • The risks and benefits of the alternative treatment or procedure; and
   • The risks and benefits of not receiving or undergoing a treatment or procedure.

3. How could you call the doctor who did your surgery “one of the greatest doctors” if he never gave you the “right advice” and you are so dissatisfied with the surgery? You should go back to your doctor to discuss your concerns.
4. All surgical procedures will leave a scar. Most hair transplant scars can be easily covered by your hair, even with a short haircut. Note that if you shave your head, it will show. I had two hair transplants, and rarely can anyone find my scar unless they work my hair with a comb and use a very bright light, but if I shaved my head (something I do not ever plan to do) one would see a ‘smile’ on the back of my head reflecting this scar, though again, it would be very hard to find when I have hair grown to any length. Finally, if your scar is more than 5mm thick, you may have a keloid formation or may be a candidate for a scar revision (a type of fix that good doctors can do). All of this should have been covered in your Informed Consent.
5. You state that you are “very depressed and mentally destroyed” and just want to go back before the transplant was done. You condemn your doctor who you have suggested just showed you pictures that lied about the fullness you were going to get. We have open house events in my practice to allow prospective patients to meet actual patients. I do agree that pictures are often not adequate, because they show you what the photographer wants you to see, but by meeting patients, it gives you a good chance to see the quality that you are going to get. As the expression goes, hindsight is 20/20, and hopefully knowing what you know now, you would’ve asked to meet patients in person. This should also be an important lesson for the readers considering a hair transplant (or any cosmetic procedure, really).
6. Depression is a serious matter and you should think that about getting help directed to what is inside your head, not just addressing the subject of hair loss or scarring. Every human being would love to undo some decisions in their lives, but that is just not reality. As I’ve mentioned on this blog before, I always tell people that the good news and the bad news about hair transplants is that they are permanent. Going back in time is therefore not an option.

I have compassion for you, but you must take charge of your own situation by doing something positive about it. If you can make it to the Los Angeles area and would like me to judge what you have going on, come visit me or send me a good set of photos. At least that would be a small ‘baby step’ in the right direction by starting to take charge of your problem the correct way.