Hair loss – surgical options (cont)

During hair grafting surgery a hair or a number of hairs are surgically removed, along with the hair follicles, from the donor area and inserted into the balding area where a small incision has been made to receive the follicle. This technique can cause trauma to the hair shaft, so is normally done in stages where a section of the scalp is treated at a time. It may take a number of visits to the surgeon to complete the process. One thing to bear in mind here is that there are a number of very small incisions made into the scalp, both in the donor area and the balding area, so extremely short hair cuts in the future may well reveal those scars.

Scalp Flaps and Scalp Reductions

With the introduction to the market of a number of products that can arrest the onslaught of hair loss, and the advancements made in hair transplantation and cosmetic solutions to hair loss, scalp flaps and scalp reductions, while having their place, are rapidly becoming an outdated method of addressing hair loss. A scalp flap or reduction procedure is where sections of skin are removed from the balding area and sections of healthy hair-bearing skin, or flaps of skin, are stretched over into the balding area and sewn up. Obvious advantages of this system are that the person doesn’t have to wait for new hair to grow, as the results are immediate, and large sections can be covered in one session. The patient will have an ‘instant’ head of hair that will not be affected by hair loss in the future. Some of the drawbacks include the fact that there will be likely to be scars that may be visible on some part of the head, particularly if the hair loss continues from unaltered areas of the scalp, and the fact that it is a major operating procedure where there is always a risk of infection or other complications. Additional factors to bear in mind are future stretching of the skin, direction and pattern of the hair in its new location, and continual balding of the area surrounding the transplanted tissue. Remember that there is only so much ‘stretching’ that your skin will tolerate before it starts to pull back in what surgeons refer to as ‘stretchback’. If you are considering this type of operation, spend a lot of time talking with various surgeons before deciding on using one. The ramifications of something going wrong with this procedure could far outweigh your concerns over hair loss.