Botox in/around FUT scar to prevent stretching?

[Radius]

Has anyone tried having botox injected in and around the FUT scar right after the stitches/sutures were removed, to prevent stretching of the scar?

 

Is there any proof or indication that this works?

[Blake Bloxham]

Radius,

 

In my opinion, this wouldn't work. Botox is a purified form of Botulinum toxin, which is a well studied muscle paralytic. Botox, when used for cosmetic purposes in the face, "relaxes" facial muscles and decreases the wrinkled, furrowed, aged appearance associated with excessive muscle contraction.

 

During follicular unit transplanation (FUT) the depth of the "strip" removed from the donor region goes to the dermis and (likely) slightly into the deeper subcutaneous fatty tissue, but stays superficial to any muscle tissue (which in that region of the scalp is likely to only be the occipital region of the occipitofrontalis muscle).

 

Because any scar tissue forms from the more superficial layers and not the muscle tissue, providing an agent that would decrease potential contraction from the muscle, but not necessarily the overlying tissues, really would not prevent excessive stretching. Furthermore, injecting botox into muscles in the back of the scalp would result in unwanted muscle paralysis with no cosmetic or anti-spastic benefit to the patient.

 

Again, this is just my novice opinion on the situation, and I invite any other medical professionals to share their input.

 

Great question!

[HARIRI]

Thanks Future-HT-Doc, I always had that question in my mind. So i guess the only solution after a scar revision (excising dead scar tissue) is FUE into the scar.

[mmhce]

 

Great question!

 

 

You mean GREAT response!

[Radius]

Thank you for your view on this matter, Future_HT_Doc!

 

The reason I asked, is because after my FUT, my doctor gave this option to me and said that he had seen promising results from other patients of his. So I let him try it on me. It wasn't cheap (a whole ampul of botox!) but in the end my scar still stretched...

 

So I'm curious if anyone else has a positive experience with botox and FUT scars.

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

I have never heard of using Botox in a donor area to prevent stretching of scar or to limit scar tissue formation. Are you saying you did it and still ended up with a wide scar? Was your procedure just a scar revision or a full procedure?

[RCWest]

While I don't know if this would work or not, that's pretty good thinking!

[Radius]

I have never heard of using Botox in a donor area to prevent stretching of scar or to limit scar tissue formation. Are you saying you did it and still ended up with a wide scar? Was your procedure just a scar revision or a full procedure?

 

Hello Doctor. It was a full procedure and yes I tried the botox thing. The scar still stretched. Not to enormous proportions, but still wide enough to get FUE in the scar. Now I'm hoping the grafts in the scar tissue will grow well. Fingers crossed!

 

Maybe without the botox it would have stretched more, I don't know... I don't regret trying it (though it wasn't free).