I See Redness Above and Below My Strip Scar from 20 Years Ago (with Photo)

Dear Doctor Rassman,

First of all, thank you for your blog, it’s a huge source of information. I had a hair transplant over 20 years ago. It has not given me the result I was (naively) looking for. This is why I want to shave my head with a no guards clippers. Then I am looking to fill my scar with SMP to hide it. I took photos today as part of the consultation but I noticed I have small squares of reddened skin above and below the scar. Do you have an idea what this could be and would you have any advice to maybe soften it? You have my permission to use my photo.

Thanks and all the best

And thank you for allowing us to publish your photo here. Click to enlarge:

We routinely perform Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) at our office on a daily basis for the type of scars you have. In fact, most scars we see are worse than the one you show. I’m not sure why you’d still see any redness around the scar if you had your surgery two decades ago, though. A topical hydrocortisone might reduce the redness, but you should talk to your dermatologist about this.

If you would like more information on having SMP done, you can call our office at (310) 553-9113 or (800) NEW-HAIR for a consultation with a doctor. And for those interested in seeing a before/after example of SMP done over a strip scar, here’s one such patient: