Remove old “plugs” from hairline or hide them with natural grafts?

This question comes from a member of our hair loss social community and discussion forums: 

I have large “plug grafts” in my hairline from a very old hair transplant procedure. Should I have these removed or hide them by adding modern follicular unit grafts (FUGs) around the old plugs?

Removing the old grafts via the follicular unit extraction (FUE) process or camouflaging the grafts by adding natural follicular units are both reasonable options. It really depends on the nature of the grafts and your hair restoration goals.

If the plug grafts aren’t too obvious and your hair transplant surgeon can easily implant a number of grafts around them, then camouflaging may be the best option. If they are very large or placed low, then removal may be a better option. Sometimes surgeons are even able to remove the old grafts, dissect them into natural follicular units under a microscope, and re-implant them. The plan will be determined after your surgeon carefully evaluates your scalp and outlines a plan.
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Blake Bloxham – formerly “Future_HT_Doc”

Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning

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