If a person suffers some kind or accident or trauma to the scalp, there is a chance that the injury will result in a scar appearing on the scalp. Thankfully, there is an opportunity for the scar to be hidden from the view of others thanks to the patient undergoing a hair transplant. Let’s take a look at how a hair transplant can treat scars on the scalp and the type of results you can expect to see after the surgery.
Hair Transplants and Scar Tissue
Once a scar forms on the body, hair will not grow naturally in the scar tissue since there are not any hair follicles located in the scar. Hair follicles are capsules that are located under the skin of a person and the blood vessels under the follicles help them to grow. However, when a scar forms on damaged skin, the hair follicles do not grow back because scars are composed of collagen that form in order to protect the skin underneath it. This means there is usually not any room for hair follicles in the scar so a typical hair transplant cannot be used to insert hair into follicles that currently exist.
Instead, the surgeon will need to transplant hair grafts that are still contained in their follicles into the scar. By doing this step, the hair grafts can start to take root and grow again once they come into contact with the blood vessels. The hair follicles will start to grow back once the impacted area has healed and the follicles have taken hold in the skin and are receiving a flow of blood from the nearby blood vessels.
If the scar tissue is raised and thick, the doctor might recommend corticosteroid injections around the scar to flatten its surface and give the treated area a more natural appearance.
Hair Transplant to Hide a Scar – Procedure Revealed
During Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) surgery, the surgeon will individually remove hair follicles from the skin.in order to insert them into openings created in the scar tissue. The hair follicles are taken from the back or sides of the scalp as the hair in these areas are resistant to balding.
During the first few days after the surgery, the doctor might recommend pain medication to address any discomfort felt by the patient. The patient might also take antibiotics that help to reduce the chance of an infection and anti-inflammatory medications, such as steroids, for swelling.
Do not worry if the transplanted hair starts to fall out after the treatment as this is a normal part of the healing process. The transplanted hair will begin to grow back and then grow like the natural hair in the scalp.
Hair Transplant to Hide a Scar – Possible Risks and Complications
Patients need to be sure and contact their doctor for advice and steps to take if they experience one (or more) of the following risks or complications:
- Infection
- Intense pain
- Prolonged or unbearable itching
- Bleeding from the treated area
- Prolonged numbness
- Drainage of fluid or pus from the treated area
- Scalp irritation
- Dizziness
Hair Transplant to Treat a Scar – First Steps
The first step in reducing the appearance of a scar through a hair transplant is to schedule a consultation appointment with a doctor who is experienced in performing this type of surgery. The patient also needs to make sure the surgeon has the proper board-certification and the necessary medical background and knowledge. A patient can also look at actual patient reviews to get a better idea about how the doctor interacts with patients and to check their level of satisfaction with the surgeon and the medical staff.
The consultation appointment is the ideal time to ask any questions about the procedure and to try and get an idea about the type of results that can be expected from the surgery. In addition, a consultation appointment is an opportunity for the patient to make sure they are comfortable with the doctor and that they feel a sense of trust and safety when it comes to choosing this surgeon to perform their hair transplant surgery.
The doctor will also examine the patient to make sure the person is healthy enough to have surgery and that the issue with the scar can be addressed and improved through a hair transplant. The doctor will examine the scar to determine its size and to develop a treatment plan that will provide the desired results. It is also important for the doctor to set realistic expectations when it comes to the final results so the patient will not be surprised or disappointed by the type of results that are visible after the procedure.
Anyone who has lost hope that the scar on their scalp cannot be hidden from the view of others needs to do proper research in order to decide if a hair transplant is the procedure they want to undergo to improve the appearance of their scalp.