More on Scarring – Page 24

August 2, 2006

Transplant Scar Width – Balding Blog

Are all the modern hair transplants now performed with a scar that is 2 to 3 mm in width? If I felt around my head for the scar, would I be able to feel it? If I used mederma for the first 3 months or so, do you think the scar would be softer and smoother, and thus less obvious when you feel around for it?

Most scars following a hair transplant in the competent hands (your doctor is in that group) will fall within the 2-3 mm width upon healing.

I am not sure if Mederma really works since I do not have direct experience, but I do not believe that there is any harm to using it. You can read previous posts on Mederma here and here.

August 2, 2006

Doctor Said FUE Would Leave Detectable Scars – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi, I am sixteen-years-old, and I just recently went to a consoltation with my parents to address the scalp scar, (non-transplant)that I had wrote about in a previous post. The doctor has been doing hair restoration for over 30 years and he seems to know what he is talking about. Well, my question is this, I went into the office thinking that he would recommed the FUE procedure to fill in this scar, but instead he told me he would be using FUT. He said that he would use a trichophytic closure and that the small scar he would make would be virtually undetectable. I asked him why he wouldn’t use FUE, and he told me that he performs this procedure, but he said that it would cost me twice as much and it would leave me with little scars that would be even more detectible than the trichophytic-closed scar. He said that my scar would require 50 unit grafts, and that this would be no problem. I just wanted to know your opinion. Does this doctor sound correct?

-P.S. My parents and I would really like to know, because we want to get the best treatment possible, and we need some advice. Thank-you

Either FUE or FUT will do the job. This doctor may not be comfortable with FUE, but it is not a procedure that produces any socially-detectable scars. In other words, FUE will not produce a noticeable scar (less than 1 mm punctate scars), versus a small, barely noticeable linear scar with FUT. The choice is yours. Although the FUE is often more expensive, I doubt that 50 follicular units would be an appreciable difference in costs.

As you are local to my Los Angeles office, if you and your parents are looking at options and would like a free consultation with an NHI physician, you can call 800-NEW-HAIR to schedule an appointment or visit the NHI site to request more info.

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August 1, 2006

My Hair Transplant Scar is 6mm Wide – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,
I had a hair transplant done 3 1/2 months ago. The hair seems to be growing in good but is blonde and fine whereas the rest of my hair is thick and dark, I am told it will thicken over time. But the main problem I think I have is that the scar along the bottom is about 6 mm wide. Along the sides up to my ears it is only 1 mm or less. The doctor told me I have good scalp laxity and it should not have stretched like it did, but I think it was because he took the hair too low on my head and in that area the skin stretches as I move my head up and down. It is like he took the hair from my neck and not my scalp. Another concern is that the hair is finer and lighter that far down on my neck and I am worried if it is even going to be permanent.

What do you think I can do to repair this scar? The doctor offered to “repair” the scar but wont it just stretch again? Have you heard about hair being harvested too low, or is this not a problem?

Thank you very much for your time.

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When donor hair is taken from the high neck (where it sounds like you are describing), it often scars. Some doctors mistakingly think that the neck hair is finer than the scalp hair and therefore intentionally take hair from the high neck. These often are flat scars that widen as you’ve described. From what you are saying about the rest of the scar, it is well healed without widening and this suggests that you do not have a problem with ‘stretch’. Removing these neck scars often leads to failure, so these may have to be transplanted to get the cover you need.

July 31, 2006

Hair Loss InformationTension in Donor Area After Surgery – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

How can you reduce tension in the donor area after a procedure. In other words, what can the patient do to ensure proper healing of the donor area scar?

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Good judgments in determining the size of the donor area is the best determinant of the size of a donor scar. When the incision is too tight because the piece of excised scalp is too large, then the enemy is tension. The use of special closure techniques minimize the scars and the tension, but a bad judgment at the time of surgery can not be offset with a repair process.

July 28, 2006

Hair Loss InformationReducing Donor Scar – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

This blog is very informative. I have had transplants in the past, which look very natural (in my opinion). My concern is with the donor patches in the back. I would like to get more transplants, but the patches become noticable when my hair is short and any more bare spots would be obvious. Is there a surgical method/technique to minimize these blank spots? Thanks for the information.

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I have addressed this question many times. This is a problem more of the past than of the present. See: Techniques to Minimize Donor Area Scarring and Trichophytic Closure Photos.

You need a Master Plan developed to deal with scars and the need for hair in maximizing the value of the remaining donor hair. Scars can be dealt with in most people using the techniques described in the referenced blog entries above. After you read them, call me at 800-NEW-HAIR or write to me again if there are unanswered questions (be sure to reference this blog posting).

July 25, 2006

How Many Follicles Required to Fill in This Scar? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, I was just wondering about how many follicles would be needed to fill in an inch long and a few mm wide area of scalp?

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How many licks does it takes to finish a Tootsie Pop? In other words, I couldn’t tell you how many grafts would be required just by the simple question you asked. It depends on what you mean by a few millimeters — two, three, five?

It would also depend on:

the location of the scar
your hair shaft thickness and the scar thickness
the contrast of your hair color to your skin color to minimize the appearance of the contrast
the character of your hair (wavy, curley, straight)
the length of your hair (very short hair will require more densities than longer length hair)

Generally you can achieve a good cosmetic effect with about 20 to 40 follicular units per square centimeter, but that number does not reflect the local skin dynamics or how the surrounding hair may lay.

July 24, 2006

Grafts Growing in Scarred Tissue – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Does a graft always have the potential of growing? Even in an area of scarred tissue? Or where a hair has been extracted?

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If the scar tissue is healthy scar, it will support follicular units. Healthy scar actually bleeds when cut. Scars often have a rich vascular network, but some skin grafts (split thickness grafts) and burn scars may not have enough vascular support for a hair transplant. A healthy graft will grow anywhere it is placed when the blood supply is adequate. For example, a follicular unit placed on the end of the nose will grow to pony tail length.

July 14, 2006

Reducing Visibility of Transplant Scar – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman,

I had 1 hair transplant procedure 2 years ago. I am only 22. I feel like the propecia is not working and I am ready to shave my head, but I want to reduce the appearance of the scar from the procedure. I am currently using Mederma. Are there any other products you could suggest to reduce the visibility of the scar? Thanks!

If you had only one transplant procedure, you should not be facing a significant scar. I am bothered not only about your scar, but your age. What drove you to have a transplant at 22? A good, honest, and competent transplant doctor should look at your scar and advise you. Consider sending me digital photos and maybe I can help, but send me photographs of your entire head as well (your photos will be kept confidential and will not be shown on this site). As well, please reference this blog posting when/if sending the photos.

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July 11, 2006

I Want My Donor Area Repaired So I Can Shave My Head – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr. Rassman,

I am looking to have the donor area from an earlier procedure eliminated so that I could wear my hair extremely short or shaved.

Please let me know what you recommend.

Thanks in advance.

All cuts on the skin will produce a scar and most cannot be completely eliminated. Scars can certainly be minimized depending on the individual healing characteristics so that short hair is a reasonable option. At New Hair Institute (NHI), we continually strive to incorporate scar minimizing techniques in all our procedures and will tackle repairs of scars if they are there. Please refer to Techniques to Minimize Donor Scarring. Your original hair transplant surgeon should be able to address your scar. If not, I would be happy to meet with you in person or by phone to discuss your options.

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July 10, 2006

I Want to Lift Weights 2 Weeks After Hair Transplant Surgery – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

regards doctor, my question is i have had a my surgery 2 weeks ago and have my staples removed I am going to wait a month to lift heavy waits but I am still concerned that it might be too soon and will stretch the scar and if so how much will it stretch or bleed. Really worried about that. and will working out heavy affect my grafts?

Working out will not impact graft growth, just the risk of scarring in the harvested donor area (assuming you had strip harvesting). I tell my patients that they can run a marathon in 7 days, but hold off anything that works the trapezius muscle as it might potentially stretch the scar in the back of the head.