One of the most common questions top hair transplant doctor in india receive during consultations is about scarring from hair transplant surgery. It is understandable. This is understandable. Hair restoration is elective and people don’t want to be scarred by a procedure that improves their appearance. However, the best hair transplant in navi mumbai does more than just improve their appearance. Hair transplant surgery is still surgery. There is no way to perform any surgery without creating scarring. Many medical organizations have issued statements denouncing anyone who claims that a procedure is “scar-free.” Is there visible scarring after a hair transplant procedure? Is it possible to find the source of this visible scarring? What can be done to reduce scarring at the end?
Scarring after a hair transplant
Scarring is a result of any type of surgery, as we have already stated. top hair transplant in delhi is no exception. However, scarring is not permanent. Scar tissue forms when the body is subject to trauma that causes inflammation or wound healing. Scar tissue can be formed under the skin from even a simple paper cut or bump. Two areas are “cut” during a hair transplant: the donor area for graft removal and the recipient area (the area that is bald/thinning) where tiny incisions are made or slits are made to allow for new grafts.
Scarring from the creation of recipient sites is not visible if done correctly and using very small, minimally invasive instruments. Although there will be some scarring below the skin’s surface, it shouldn’t be obvious above the skin. Scarring can be visible in the recipient area only if you use large tools or if you place too many grafts together. This area of the scalp should otherwise look almost identical above the surface. This means that there is no “visible” scarring in the recipient area. However, it would be misleading to say there is any scarring because there have been changes below the skin’s surface.
The scarring that occurs in the donor region from the time the grafts were removed will be permanent and visible. No matter what method we use, we have to make cuts to remove the grafts. Scar tissue will remain in the place of the grafts if we make any cut of this type. This is a fact that can’t be denied. Anyone who says a hair transplant can be done “scarless” is lying. However, the good news is that scarring during hair transplant surgery is minimal and difficult to see. It is hidden beneath the hair. It is important to mention the two harvesting methods that can be used to reduce scarring in the donor area: Follicular Unit Transplantation (also known as FUT, or the “strip”) procedure and Follicular Unit Excision (also known as FUE, or its older name “Follicular Untidy Extraction”.
A small strip of hair-bearing tissue is removed from the donor area during a FUT procedure. The “strip” can be immediately closed using staples or sutures after it has been removed. This harvesting technique results in a linear, fine scar in the donor area. FUT scars can range from a small “razor blade”, which is less than 1mm wide, to a larger “marker line” of maybe 2mm for patients with certain physiological characteristics. Normal healing is anything within this range. The scar can be hidden completely underneath any length of hair, so hair grows above, below, or through it (using a special closure method). Patients who wish to have their hair cut shorter on the sides can do so because scars heal quickly. We recommend that patients trim their hair to a #3 with the barber clippers (3/8ths inch). FUT allows us to harvest the most grafts in one sitting. It also provides us with a traumatic harvesting process that is free from stress and strain. There is no damage to the donor area, so we have more donors available for future operations. With each strip harvest, we also remove any FUT scars. Strip patients will always have one scar in the donor no matter how many times they are harvested.
FUE is a procedure that uses tiny tools that range from less than 1mm up to several millimetres to cut around individual follicles or multiple follicles. Forceps are used to remove the grafts from the wound after the cut is made. The small holes that were left from cutting and removing the grafts are not covered by FUT. These are then filled with scar tissue, leaving small dots where the graft has been removed from the donor. FUE scarring can be just as good as FUT if done correctly. It is really difficult to appreciate. The keyword here is “appropriately”. This will minimize visible scarring from FUE. However, it is important to limit the number of extractions. If there are too many grafts being removed, you will see thousands of tiny dot scars. This can cause a diffuse thinning effect in the donor area which makes the damage visible more clearly. Patients with darker skin tones or darker scar tissue may experience more visible scarring from FUE. The pale dots will be noticeable on the tanned skin.
