New to Forums, Scar Tissue Help??

[Muscleheadofhair]

Hi everyone. I'm in my early forties and about fifteen years ago I had a few hair transplants that didn't go so well. I had four surgeries in total, three with my first doctor and then the fourth was with another doctor to clean up the first mess. While the last doctor did a good job of cleaning up the scars and the bad work it never was enough to get me where I wanted to be.

 

 

I'm happy to say that now I'm a head shaver and since I've been bodybuilding for the past 7 years I really enjoy the look of my head. I have a good head shape and it's nice for people to notice me for me and not for my bad work or the donor scar, which is still visible. I'm here to look into new techniques, such as FUE into scar tissue and maybe SMP. I can easily live with my donor scar now because it is pretty good but it would be nice to improve it if possible.

 

 

If anyone has any suggestions on what works well I'm open to suggestions.

[seeker2014]

Hi Muscleheadofhair:

 

I am currently looking into options to repair my FUT scar as well. As far as I have gathered, there are three primary options for fixing a scar:

 

(1) FUE grafting into the existing scar: This is the option I am currently considering. Typically (based on other cases I have looked at), it takes 300-600 grafts to camouflage the scar. The advantage of this procedure is that the cosmetic impact of additional scarring is minimal, assuming you go to a reputable surgeon. However, there is the risk of the FUE grafts not taking since scarred areas are somewhat compromised in terms of blood flow. Therefore, from some of the cases I have seen, yield is typically around 50% so you might need to go in for more than one procedure in order to achieve the results you are looking for.

(2) SMP (Scalp MiroPigmentation): This procedure involves a technician tattooing a series of small black dots on your head in order to replicate the appearance of hair follicles. I have not researched this option very much so there are definitely other members on this forum who could provide more accurate information. This might be a good option for you in terms of concealing the scar while providing a “five o’clock” scalp appearance. However, as with any sort of tattooing, you have to worry about possible fading. Also, you have to make sure the technician is highly experienced because the dot size is critical for creating a realistic effect.

(3) Scar revision: This is when a hair surgeon excises or changes the direction of the scar in order to decrease its width. IMO, this is the best option for people with very wide scars and/or multiple scars. The major risk involved with this option is the scar possibly stretching back out (even becoming wider than your original scar) due to changes in scalp laxity/aging. Also, you mentioned bodybuilding in your post so you probably have a relatively tight scalp (at least the general rule of thumb is more active individuals do)—this would increase the probability of your scar stretching after the procedure.

You can also consider Fraxel laser procedures, but, from what I have read, this does not really improve the appearance of your scar unless it is red/inflamed or hypopigmented. Also, to go through a full rotation of treatments is expensive considering the benefits you will probably gain from it. Again, I would definitely ask around as there are more experienced members than me who can provide you with better guidance.

Hope this helped. By the way, what is your workout regimen?

[Muscleheadofhair]

Thanks seeker, definitely a lot to take into consideration. I think the key to everything you said was the cost vs actually benefits gained from more procedures. One thing I don't want, is more scarring. As for the workout regimen, that would take up an entire thread on it's own! I'll gladly give you some advice if you want to private message me and let me know what your specific fitness goals are. Thanks again for the help.