Hair Restoration in the Scarred Scalp
Our head is one part of the body most vulnerable to injury, leaving injured sites often bald after healing. This results due to the destruction of hair follicles in injured areas. The most common cause of scalp injury is physical trauma. There are many other causes of scalp injuries including burns (fire, hot substances), chemical burns (corrosive substances such as acids or alkaline), radiation burns (excessive amounts of ionizing radiation x-rays or gamma rays), inflammatory diseases, surgery(s), and self inflicted injury.
Where hair follicles are destroyed, hair will not grow in that area. If scalp scars are small they may not cause any significant cosmetic problems. However, size and placement of some scars may make it impossible to disguise. An option to resolve this problem could be to consider hair restoration, usually through the method of hair transplantation. Sometimes, if suitable, the scarred area can be reduced in size by surgical excision and repair, leaving a smaller area requiring hair transplantation.
Hair transplantation in the scarred scalp is not undertaken lightly. It requires careful examination and consideration of numerous factors, including;
• Underlying chronic inflammatory diseases.
• Scalp blood supply in scarred area. Hair follicles need a good blood supply in order to survive and function, otherwise the transplanted hair follicles will die or be unable to function adequately.
• Scalp thickness of surgical hair restoration recipient site. Very thick scar tissue may limit accessibility to blood vessels, while very thin areas may be unable to hold transplanted follicles.
• Underlying surgical repair. Someone who has had surgical repair of head injury, or repair after neurosurgery, may have a metal plate underlying the scar tissue compromising hair restoration surgery or become the focus for postoperative infection. It may not necessarily rule out surgical hair restoration, however, it is a potential complication that must be assessed.
Utilising the latest hair transplantation technology and the knowledge of factors leading to higher graft survival rate, the result of hair transplantation into scar tissue today is very satisfactory. Although not all, a significant number of patients suffering from scalp scarring can now benefit from this form of treatment.
Where hair follicles are destroyed, hair will not grow in that area. If scalp scars are small they may not cause any significant cosmetic problems. However, size and placement of some scars may make it impossible to disguise. An option to resolve this problem could be to consider hair restoration, usually through the method of hair transplantation. Sometimes, if suitable, the scarred area can be reduced in size by surgical excision and repair, leaving a smaller area requiring hair transplantation.
Hair transplantation in the scarred scalp is not undertaken lightly. It requires careful examination and consideration of numerous factors, including;
• Underlying chronic inflammatory diseases.
• Scalp blood supply in scarred area. Hair follicles need a good blood supply in order to survive and function, otherwise the transplanted hair follicles will die or be unable to function adequately.
• Scalp thickness of surgical hair restoration recipient site. Very thick scar tissue may limit accessibility to blood vessels, while very thin areas may be unable to hold transplanted follicles.
• Underlying surgical repair. Someone who has had surgical repair of head injury, or repair after neurosurgery, may have a metal plate underlying the scar tissue compromising hair restoration surgery or become the focus for postoperative infection. It may not necessarily rule out surgical hair restoration, however, it is a potential complication that must be assessed.
Utilising the latest hair transplantation technology and the knowledge of factors leading to higher graft survival rate, the result of hair transplantation into scar tissue today is very satisfactory. Although not all, a significant number of patients suffering from scalp scarring can now benefit from this form of treatment.