Getting a hair transplant on scar tissue is very possible, however, it is done differently from the typical hair transplant, since the scar tissue is different from the regular skin. We know that hair won’t grow back in the scar tissue since there are not any hair follicles in that tissue.
Hair follicles are capsules underneath the skin, They hold the hair and make it regrow with the help of the blood vessels. However, you got a scar from damaging your skin and hair follicles underneath it, that doesn’t grow back since the scars are made of thick fibrous tissue that protects the skin underneath.
Therefore, since there are no hair follicles, blood vessels, or even nerves in the scar tissue. We can not deal with it as any regular skin at all, it won’t accept a typical hair transplant where we transplant hair into existing follicles. The surgeon will graft hairs that are still contained in their follicles into the scar, which will make the hair begin taking root and growing after it contacts with blood vessels.
Hair transplants on scar tissue also need special aftercare or multiple procedures, in some cases, to help to restore blood flow to the targeted area. Scar tissue can look thickened or raised, that is why the doctor recommends injecting the area around your scar with corticosteroids to flatten the scar surface and give it look more natural.
In addition to all that, or to summarize the case, we can say that the possibility to do a hair transplant depends on three essential factors, which are:
The thickness of the scar: Scars can be very thick sometimes, which may decrease the hair’s chance to grow inside it. However, according to experts; many techniques can be done to improve a thick scar and make it more apple to receive new hair follicles. That may include thinning the scar slightly with steroid injections and debulking the scar by removing parts of the scar before implanted any new hair follicles.
The thinness of the scar: In addition to thick scars, think scars can be hard to receive hair follicles successfully. Surgeons use a medical term, which is ‘atrophy.’ So, yes, some scars can be too atrophic to get new hair follicles implants. However, they are many techniques that can be performed to improve the growth of transplanted hairs in atrophic scars.
Blood supply to the scar: The reduction in the blood supply to the scar area can reduce the chances of having a successful implant of hair follicles. The surgeon can use a number of improved techniques, such as pre-operative and post-operative use of minoxidil that can improve blood flow into the scarred area, which will be very recommended in some cases.
Be sure to consult your doctor about your scar type and problems before starting the procedure.
How the Hair Transplant on Scar is done?
There are two main types of hair transplants that can be done to scar tissue, we will learn about the two of them, and how each procedure is done.
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT)
In this type of hair transplant, the surgeon will take a 15 to 25 cm piece of skin using a scalp (depending on the size of your scar) from your nearby skin, then close the incisions with stitches.
After that, the surgeon will split the skin into tiny pieces called grafts, which may only contain one hair and its follicle, your surgeon will create many openings in your scar tissue to insert the follicles and wrap up the surgery by bandaging the whole area with cotton and gauze.
The FUT hair transplant or Follicular Unit Transplant can leave a linear scar where a strip of skin is taken from the donor area of the scalp in order to harvest healthy hair follicles.
However, since this scar is will be in an area of permanent hair growth such as the back of the head, it can be easy to conceal when the hair is is at grade 4 or longer.
Follicular unit extraction (FUE)
The surgeon will first shave the hair around the scar area, then he would extract many follicles from the skin and create openings in your scar tissue to inserts these, finally, the doctor will bandage your scar tissue with cotton and gauze.
The FUE method or Follicular Unit Excisioncan also leaves a series of tiny dot scars on the scalp, they are usually so small, we are talking about less than 1mm scars, it won’t be noticeable unless your head is completely shaved.
What is the success ratio of a Hair Transplant on a Scar?
Hair will grow back in the scar area but in a different way. In 2013, a hair transplant on scars study found out that the majority of patients had more than 75 percent hair growth in the first six months of the procedure.
While another study in 2014 study discovered that 65 to 95 percent of the transplanted hair in scar tissue will survive after one year after the transplant. A recent study in 2019, shows that when asking people who did a hair transplant on the scar to rate their level of satisfaction between 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied), they give an average score of 4.6.
How much will Hair Transplant on Scar cost?
The cost of a hair transplant on scare depends on the amount of hair you are willing to transplant and the scare size, in addition to that, this procedure cost relay on the clinic quality and location.
The cost of a hair transplant operation in Istanbul and Turkey is between $1,500 – $3,000, while the same operation with the same quality of service will cost around $10,000-15,000 in the US, UK, and most of the European countries. We would also like to tell you about Grafts cost in Istanbul on average.
Graft Average Pricing in Numbers:
| 3000 graft | 2250 $ |
| 4000 graft | 2500 $ |
| 5000 graft | 3000 $ |
| 6000 graft | 3000 $ |
References:
https://www.themaitlandclinic.com/can-hair-transplant-be-done-on-scar-tissue/
