Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mildred on October 15, 2015 at 9:32pm

It isn't that bad.  They take a small sample, I just had 2 or 3 stitches.  I hd a band aid on for a day or two and that was it.  Hurt a little , but not enough to distract me from everyday life.  Take a couple of Aleve or Tylenol and that should do it.

Permalink Reply by NatalieW on October 15, 2015 at 10:00pm

Hi the biopsy was not bad. They took 2 x 8mm round pieces and I think I had 4 stitches. I did find it uncomfortable afterwards as I felt the stitches pulling on the one at the front of my head. It was a relief when they were taken out. But it was worth it to get a definite diagnosis. Good luck

Permalink Reply by momto1 on October 15, 2015 at 10:15pm

Thanks for your responses ladies. How long did you have the etches in for?

Permalink Reply by NatalieW on October 15, 2015 at 10:23pm

Mine were in for 10 days

Permalink Reply by Sas Holland on October 16, 2015 at 3:43am

Hi, I only had 1  little biopsy in the front on my hairline. No stitches at all they glued it together or something like that. Had a band aid for a couple of days and that was it. It is very handy nowadays because the little round spot from the biopsy stays very white and I can measure very well if my hairline recedes any further. It has been 14 months ago and my hairline hasn't receded since then. My biopsy showed very little activity at the time, but indeed some scarring, so it was FFA.  so I think my FFA is dorment or hopefully has burned out now!

Permalink Reply by momto1 on October 16, 2015 at 10:55am

So I had my biopsy this morning with a new dermatologist. He was great! He was familiar with the doctor I went to previously...the one I had to wait a year to see and who is supposed to be a hair specialist...lol..He said he had heard about similar negative experiences with her.

He took a lot of time to look at my scalp with the magnifying glasses and light. No one has ever done that before! His bedside manner was great. He took a lot of time talking with me and was more knowledgeable about hair loss than other derms I've been to in the past. He was the first doctor I've been to before that admitted and confirmed that birth control pills can cause hair loss or trigger it..Wow! 

Anyway...he was super careful with the biopsy. He picked an area that he said he could see slight scaling and inflammation. And it looks like he did a good job hiding where he took the biopsy, too. I go back in about two weeks to get the stitches out and get the results. 

It's weird to say this but I feel so content today. I've been wanting a biopsy for so long and some derms even refused to do one on me.  I'm prepared for the worst. I just want to start treating it according to the diagnosis. I just want to know what it is!

Permalink Reply by Annie on October 16, 2015 at 12:48pm

momto1, I'm glad you had a pleasant experience.  A pleasant doctor makes all the difference, even if he isn't a hair loss specialist.  My doctor also looks over my entire head with magnifying glasses & light at every visit.  Unfortunately, he is retiring, and I have one final visit with him at the end of this month.     

Permalink Reply by Alice on October 17, 2015 at 9:21am

It's been a few years but I don't recall needing stitches.  The doc took a tiny section from just inside my front hairline. It's very difficult to find the scar, which is still hidden by hair. I think they need only a few follicles.  My results were positive for LLP, but given the pattern of loss the diagnosis was FFA.

Permalink Reply by Lauren on October 24, 2015 at 11:15pm

I just had a biopsy this past Monday that came back positive. The stitches look big but the spot they showed me they would take was so small and it only had one hair in it. Unfortunately my hair is light and it is right at my part so you can see the stitches very well but I am happy to have finally found an answer. I haven't been back to the dr so I only talked with the nurse who said there was lots of inflammation. I asked her if there was any scarring and she said if they diagnosed LP variant FFA then there would be scarring. In any of your experiences do you think the biopsy is fairly accurate?

Permalink Reply by Lauren on October 24, 2015 at 11:17pm

Momto1, have you gotten your biopsy results?

Permalink Reply by Chris on October 27, 2015 at 7:15pm

It wasn't bad. I think I had two or three stitches. With a local, I didn't really feel anything. Don't worry.

Permalink Reply by FindingAnswers on January 1, 2018 at 7:53pm

Worst decision of my life.  The nurses were surprised at the blood loss with the scalp that kept splitting on its own.  I told them I had a connective tissue disorder that could make problems during a biopsy, but was disregarded and bullied into the procedure *that day*.  "It's IMPERATIVE!!" the doctor said.  Unrelenting burning pain for 11months followed, during which dandruff, scale, receding frontal hair line, diffuse hair loss, months of losing 400 hair a day for months.  95% of my hair loss happened in the 2 years since that biopsy, the majority in the first year.  She also charged insurance over $3000 for the procedure.