Does Deep Massage on Donor Scar Have Any Benefits?

Hi Dr.
Many Thanks for your efforts here. I’ve this one little enquiry. Have had a strip surgey for some 1000 grafts, Will the deep massaging of my 5 months old linear scar have any beneficial effects? like enhancing/improving it’s future appearence, Also, can now i resume my sport activites like swimming, jogging & some weight lifting without worrying that my scar could stretch, overheard that scars take up to 18 months to reach their maturity stage.

Thanks again & Best Regards

Deep massage can help loosen your scalp for future graft harvesting, however it will not improve the appearance of the scar. Sport activities such as swimming and jogging a few weeks after surgery should not widen the scar, provided that the incision was not made in the high neck area. When neck excisions are done, there is a higher incidence of widening donor scars. In the short term period after a hair transplant (first 4-6 weeks after a strip harvesting technique is use) weight lifting can potentially cause widening of the scar because straining the neck muscle may want to traction on the scar. After 5 months, I believe that everything is somewhat fixed in position. Massaging the scalp will have value if the scalp is tight.

For your information, there are three phases of wound healing:

1. Inflammatory response — day 0 to 4 days
2. Fibroblastic repair — day 4 to 6 weeks
3. Maturation/remodeling — 6 weeks to 2-3 years, although most of the strength (the width of the wound) is established by the end of the 4th month