Do Scars Result from Hair Transplant Surgery?
There are plenty of options available to address balding at our Boston and New York hair loss clinics. One of the most popular treatments over the years has been hair transplant surgery. Yet many people who are interested in hair transplant surgery wonder if the procedure will result in scarring, particularly visible scarring. This is a legitimate concern, and we'd like to take a moment to address it right now.
What does hair transplant surgery involve?
There are actually two different hair transplant surgery options that we offer at our practice. During your visit, the hair loss and restoration surgeons in New York City and Boston will be able to help you decide which one is better for you and your needs. Briefly these two options are as follows:
- Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT): During FUT, a strip of skin is removed from the donor area of a patient's scalp. This strip of skin will be from part of the scalp that yields good hair growth. From this donor strip, individual hair grafts are created to be placed into the follicular units in the balding part of the patient's scalp.
- Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE): During FUE, individual follicular units are removed from the donor area so that they can be placed in the patient's balding portion of the scalp. Note that this involves individual follicular unit removal rather than the removal of a donor strip to create hair grafts.
Scarring and Surgical Hair Restoration
The fact is that any surgery that you undergo will result in some level of scarring. There has been a lot of concern about the scarring of New York follicular unit transplantation in particular given the removal of a donor strip for the follicular units.
With this in mind, rest assured that the FUT scar itself is relative small. The width of the scar is usually around 2mm, though the length will depend on the needs of the patient.
Minimizing Scarring in Hair Restoration Treatment
Modern FUT techniques have resulted in greater ability for surgeons to conceal scarring with hair growth both above and below the scar. If a patient undergoes FUT, this scar will be well-hidden so long as the patient doesn't cut his hair too short. In most cases, the scar will not be visible so long as the hair is no shorter than a three-guide on electric clippers.
Scarring tends to be less noticeable with follicular unit extraction given the way that the individual follicular units are extracted using minute incisions. But again, we stress that patients not have their hair cut too short in order to conceal the small scars that result from FUE.
Other Options for Hair Restoration to Consider
If surgery doesn't seem like a good option to you, rest assured that there are other treatments for hair loss and balding that we can use. We'd be more than happy to discuss all of your options for hair restoration during your visit to our practice.
Learn More Hair Restoration Options
For more information about hair restoration treatment how you can achieve a full head of hair again, be sure to contact our New York hair transplant and restoration center today. Our entire team looks forward to meeting you in person and helping you achieve the best possible results.