I Want a Scar Revision After 5 Hair Transplants
I have had 5 hair transplants. All were done by way of the strip method and I am very pleased with the ultimate outcome. However, the linear scar from my 4th surgery is horrible. It is very wide and red. The scars from my prior surgeries and the one subsequent surgery look fine. Because of concerns about elasticity issues, between the 4th and 5th HT I did scalp exercises to improve the donor elasticity which I found on Youtube. My Doctor said that the elasticity between my 4th and 5th surgeries was greatly improved and attributed it to these exercises. With this improvement, I am considering a scar revision with the hopes that the scar from my 4th surgery can turn out like the one from my 5th surgery. Is this realistic?
Lastly, in general would you recommend a plastic surgeon for the scar revision or a hair transplant Doctor? I traveled some distance to have my last hair transplant and don’t plan on making this trip again for a scar revision so I would look for local Doctor to do this procedure.
Thank you for your time
Scar revisions in the hands of an experienced surgeon that deals with hair transplant scar issues on a regular basis is generally better than a plastic surgeon for this type of work. Experience is everything in this process. I don’t know what is realistic to expect, as each case is unique and I haven’t seen you.
If you want to find a doctor in your area, I’d suggest using the physician search at ISHRS.org.
Most up to date surgeons reopen the same scar, so you only have one scar. I had 4 surgeries about 17-18 years ago, and have a scar for each surgery like this patient. Why do some clinics do this?
Robert, You have multiple scars because the doctor probably wanted to harvest more grafts without thinking or considering much about your donor area scarring. The doctor could have easily harvested from the same scar but it was easier for them to just harvest from a virgin area of the scalp. I do not agree with this practice but I see it all the time.