Could the Donor Scar Become Visible from Senile Alopecia?

Hello Dr. R and all.

Thank you for your blog, I’m sure everyone would agree with me that it’s a venerable resource. With regard to strip surgery in a typical male who is losing hair to a NW5 pattern at 40 years of age (eg. William Hurt like) when would you anticipate the donor scar to become potentially visible due to senile alopecia?

The reason why hair transplants work in men is because men don’t usually bald in the donor area (back of scalp). And since men don’t bald in the back of the scalp, the scar from strip surgery isn’t shown.

Senile alopecia does NOT occur in all men. It is a rare entity where the hair thins considerably in the elderly. If you end up with senile alopecia in the donor area, I suspect the donor scar will still be well hidden, because you likely wouldn’t bald completely and the donor scar is very minimal. Of course, this depends on how this area thins out.

We must all look at the pros and cons of anything we do in life. Having a hair transplant surgery is a great option for balding men. The donor scarring, possible senile alopecia, or even balding from chemotherapy is something to think about, but in most men the benefits outweigh the risks. The other option is do nothing. It is like staying home locked up on a perfectly sunny beautiful day because you are afraid it may rain (despite a beautiful forecast).