Removing Transplanted Hair

Dear Dr. Rassman,
I am 22 years old and had a hair transplant last year when I was 21. Unfortunately, I am quickly thinning everywhere that I did not get the transplant and I am very dissapointed with the way I look. I wish I hadn’t jumped to this descision and had just accepted being bald. I read your articles on FUE’s to revise the scars on the back of the head. Is using laser hair removal as well as laser resurfacing practical for removing the hair and fixing the scars where the transplants were placed? Please respond as this issue is extremely troubling to me. Thanks.

At 22 years old, it is easy to sell ourselves on a solution that seems easy. I always tell people that hair transplants are permanent and that is the good and bad news. For you in your present situation, it sounds like bad news. You may compound your situation, making it worse with things like laser hair removal, trying to undo the transplant with FUE and the like. Some of these things, depending our your specific situation, may work. FUE can take out the grafts, but it may not fix any skin dimpling you might have or wipe out the scar if you plan on shaving your head. Skin resurfacing sounds great, but it changes the texture of your skin, possibly making it worse than where you are now. You should see a real expert and with good guidance and good medication (like Propecia), you might want to consider another hair transplant (this time with a Master Plan) as an option to doing it right this time. Just how bald you will become is critical for the plan you need to make. I would personally love to work with you, as I have three sons in their 20s and early 30s and I seem to understand men of your age. Just be careful and do not make another bad decision without every piece of information you can put together in hand, and this time command what you learn. As I’ve said before, you are in the driver’s seat, so drive carefully.