Category: More on Scarring

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Hair Loss InformationRemoving Brain Surgery Scars? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hey. I’ve had brain surgery back in 2000 and an additional one in 2004. I have a scar on the front of my scalp going from my right side of my head to the top of my forehead. Its not from left to right but almost there. And I have some kind of missing spot on the back of my head. I dont know where that came from. But I was wondering if u had any suggestions on getting hair to grow inside my scars so I have no noticible scars?

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We (NHI) have been treating scars of all types on the scalp with hair transplants (especially brains surgery / craniotomy scars). The process is as simple as a hair transplant on the scar itself.

The entire process may take more than one procedure to fill in the scar, as hairs are transplanted directly on the scar and may not fully grow. Whether or not the scarring remains noticeable will remain to be seen. I wouldn’t want to make any wild promises without seeing you.

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Hair Loss InformationIs There a Possible Scarless Hair Transplant in Development? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doc!
Are there any unavoidable obstacles that prevent developing a hair transplant technique that is completely scarless? I am also curious about how much do you know about CIT and its look when shaved to completely bald. Another hot topic is ACell. Only a part of the donor hair follicle is needed if I’m right. Does this help to prevent scarring? And how good are the existing ACell-friendly extraction procedures?

Sorry if some of the questions are silly, and thanks for your answers!

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There is no surgery in the world that is truly scar-less. There are techniques to minimize scars, but any cut on your body will always produce a scar to some degree. Even for a traditional strip hair transplant surgery the scar is rarely seen (because it is covered by hair).

With respect to ACell, it is not a proven technology and any answer is just speculative at this point.

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Donor Area – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have a question about the donor area scar. It seems like most donor area scars begin over the ear and proceed to the back of the head. Wouldn’t it be better to remove the donor hair from the nape of the neck where the skin is more elastic and the scar would be less noticable? Is this a viable option? Thank you

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Your theory may be valid, but the hair on the nape of the neck is not considered permanent hair. Let’s assume that hypothetically the hair at the nape turns out to be permanent — you’d still run into the problem of scar visibility. A wound scars readily at that location. Many men like to keep their hair short and faded (cut short) at the nape of the neck, so having a scar there would really be a problem for them.

Finally, most donor area scars do not begin over the ear (at least not my patients).

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Can I Remove Scalp Scars I Got From a Car Accident? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female) I have a couple scars on my head from a car accident when I was around 4 years old, and I am now 21 and was wondering if there are any ways to get rid of these scars? One is about three inches in length and the other is about one inch. The hair has never grown back, and I would love to wear my hair down but cannot because the scars are then very visible.

About how much would a procedure cost to fix this problem? Thank you so much for your help, you have no idea how much I appreciate it!

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Langer's linesHair transplantation works well for scars. I would imagine that a transplant would be in the $3000 range. We would, of course, need to evaluate you first and then a quote can be offered.

Removing the scar may not work well if the scar falls outside of the directions seen in Langer’s lines, which are lines that “correspond to the natural orientation of collagen fibers in the dermis and epidermis” (source).

See if your scalp scars are in line with Langer’s lines. If so, this would imply that they might be removable. The image at right is a quick view, and you can see the larger version here.

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Hair Loss InformationIs Hair Surrounding a Scar Supposed to Be Thinner? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

i have a 1 inch scar on my head just above temple. my hair surrounding the scar is thinner than the corresponding hair on the otherside.

i was wondering is it normal for hair to be thinner around a scar.

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It may be just a perception of thinning hair, because you have less hair on the scarred area. I doubt that each individual hair strand diameter is thinner. In other words, when you got your scar you may have lost some surrounding hair contributing to less ‘bulk’ of hair in the region.

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Hair Loss InformationACell on Non-Transplant Head Scars? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have a non-hair transplant head scars and I was wondering if Acell would help this.

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I realize the excitement level is pretty high for ACell right now, but it is not an answer to everything. It generated lots of interest and we are starting our clinical trials, but we aren’t looking at it for use in scar reduction at this time.

In your particular case, I do not even know where there scar is, how deep, wide, or even the shape. It may be that just a scar reduction surgery or a hair transplant may help. I do not know. Remember folks, at this stage ACell is being used for a study and there is no guarantee for success.

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How Long After a New Scar Can I Transplant Hair Into It? – Balding Blog

i have scar on my scalp. can i do hair transplant on my newly 1 month scar??

I don’t know what your scar is from, the placement of it, or even the size of it. You never know, you may have some hair grow back around the scar. Many people will show redness at the scar which fades over weeks and months. I generally advise patients to wait at least 6 months when the redness is also minimal. Sometimes up to a year.


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Hair Loss InformationMy Hair Transplant Scar is Wider Than My Surgeon Promised – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I recieved a transplant of about 3,000 grafts from another doctor about 12 months ago. 720 are 1 hair and 2,140 are 2 and 3 hair grafts. I am 23 years old and I am not very satisfied with the results. Hair is not as thick as I would hope and the scar is wider than promised.

I was looking into doctors that could possible thicken up the front a little bit and try and reduce my scar as much as possible so I can keep my hair shorter. I was seeing what your thoughts would be on this. I am not able to make it into your office very soon but I can forward some pictures for now so you could give me some initial thoughts if possible before a consultation.

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Before undergoing a hair transplant surgery, you must fully understand the limitations and have reasonable expectations. The scarring is also highly variable in each individual and there is no way anyone can predict how the scar will turn out with total accuracy. Everyone wants a great outcome and minimal scarring, but you must understand surgery is not an exact science and no matter how great your surgeon is there is always a variability.

You stated that the results are thinner than you expected. The 3000 grafts that you received was spread over your balding area, so if your balding area was large (Norwood Class 4,5 6, or 7) then I might expect thinner results than if your balding pattern was a Class 3 or less. Also, the thickness of the hair shafts (fine vs coarse hair) will reflect the fullness that you received. The growth of the transplants (100% or 50% growth) may play a role as well. If I was able to see you, I would have an appreciation of these factors and then give you an opinion.

You can always email us or call us at (800) NEW-HAIR to set up a phone consultation. We usually request photos in advance and you can arrange a time to speak to one of the physicians to facilitate the consultation.

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Hair Loss InformationRemoving Scalp Reduction Scars? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am 43. I had a scalp reduction at 24 along with 4 sessions of hair transplants. I was disappointed with results so I have been wearing a hairpiece the last 15 years. Now I wish to shave my head. Can the flaxel laser help with the scars on the back and top of my head? Or should I consider transplants in the scar areas or both options? I am a little leary to do transplants again. I appreciate any advice, don’t want to make any more mistakes.

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In general, fixing a bad hair transplant or a bad scalp reduction surgery is very individualized and difficult. The results are often not perfect, so there must be a full understanding of expectations and what you are trying to achieve. There are always options for repairing your look, but you need to see a hair transplant doctor who specializes in these type of cases. It would be doing you a disservice to offer you specific advice for your case without seeing exactly what you’re talking about.

For the readers that aren’t familiar with a scalp reduction (see image at right), it was a procedure some doctors did that essentially just excised the bald spot. We’ve written before about how patients that underwent scalp reduction surgery often developed a “slot deformity”, where the hair from the sides grows away from the scar, causing an unnatural slot to appear.

Lasers will likely not achieve what you are looking for. Meet with a doctor in person that can advise you about what to expect the end result to look like. It might not be perfect, but I wouldn’t be able to outline your options until your repair area is examined.

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Hair Loss from Coronal Brow Lift Scar – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had a coronal brow lift in Feb. 2009. I had a wider than desired scar. I also had a spot the size of a quarter of permanent hair loss. The plastic surgeon who performed the brow lift has tried to do a scar revision by excising the scar. But I am 3 weeks post revision and I see where all along the new revision scar I have hair loss. The line where he cut is pencil thin, but I have hair loss in front of the scar.

Is this going to be permanent like before? I thought that maybe the staples I had in initial surgery were the problem. But he used sutures to do revision and I still had hair loss. Why is it that every time my scalp gets cut I have hair loss in front of the scar? And what can be done to fix this?

Thank you

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This is a real problem. You must wait out the course (about 4-6 months) and then you will know if the surgery succeeded. I suspect that you will see that the scar is the same or worse and the hair loss may not go away. I see many female patients with this problem and end up transplanting most of them with good results.