How Can I Minimize The Visibility of My Hair Transplant Scar?

I had a transplant surgery about 5 years ago & ended up shaving my head anyways. I did not realize the scar from the donor area would be so noticeable. Are there any surgical procedures that can minimize the visibility of the scar? – John
- – - – - – - – - – - -

There are a variety of ways that you could consider. If you are bothered by the width of the scar, it is possible to undergo scar revision whereby the scar is reexcised and sutured back together with the hopes that the resultant scar would be thinner. While this is a quick and easy remedy, it is unfortunately unreliable. Because the elastic fibers in your skin surrounding the scar are continuously pulling at the scar edges, scars naturally have a tendency to widen. If you had enough elastic fibers to cause the original scar to widen, the same fibers may cause the second scar to widen no matter how good the technique of the surgeon. Another option would be to try to tattoo the white scar with a color that matches the surrounding skin, but it seems difficult to ever perfectly match colors. The option that many people find to be the best is to use follicular unit extraction to obtain grafts which are then placed in the scar line. Because follicular unit extraction typically leaves small pinpoint scars scattered about the donor area, usually these grafts can be obtained with little remaining evidence even on a shaved scalp. It is even possible to perform the follicular unit extraction from somewhere else on the body if you want to be certain that you are not causing any additional noticeable scarring on the scalp. Certainly none of these options are perfect, but in many situations they can be very helpful.

Sincerely,
Blaine Lehr, M.D.
Member, International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons
Member, American Hair Loss Association

Blaine Lehr, MD Perhaps the greatest compliment and best introduction to Blaine Lehr, M.D. is a statement from O'Tar Norwood, M.D., one of the true pioneers in the field of hair transplantation (creator of the Norwood Baldness Scale, author of 1st two textbooks of hair transplantation, cofounder of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, founder of the Hair Transplant FORUM International, and recipient of two of the highest awards---Golden Follicle Award and Manfred Lucus Award). Before he retired, Dr. Norwood stated, "Over the last 30 years, I have been associated with, worked with, and in fact trained many of the other leading hair transplant surgeons in the world. As the demand for my services increased , I knew I needed an associate, and I knew because of my reputation, I could choose anyone. I did not want to sell out to one of the large nationwide franchises. You have no control over their integrity or the quality of their work. I first began working with Blaine in 1993. I recognized his natural ability immediately. Just as importantly, I found him to be honest in all circumstances. He is a hair transplant surgeon of the highest quality". Dr. Lehr now runs the Norwood and Lehr Hair Transplant Clinic in Oklahoma City where they utilize 100% microscopically dissected follicular units. Dr. Lehr is a member of the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons and recommended by the American Hair Loss Association. Visit Dr. Lehr's Website: www.norwood-lehr.com

Copyright 2011 International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons