Dr. Gabel strives to make sure patients experience optimal healing and minimal scarring after their hair restoration procedures and he has made certain that his methods are conducive to reducing scar tissue and mitigating the cosmetic impact of potential scars.
Scarring After A Hair Transplant
A scar is a byproduct of your body healing an injury or wound, and because of the surgical nature of hair restoration procedures, it is inevitable to varying degrees. Any clinic that claims to offer “scar-less” surgical procedures is misleading. There are a number of factors that can contribute to lessening the appearance of scarring after a restoration procedure, such as the technique used to remove the hair from your donor area, the skill of the surgeon operating, the length of your hair following the procedure, as well as a patient’s individual physiology.
Due to factors beyond a surgeon’s control, it can occasionally be necessary to revise scars, which entails camouflaging techniques such as the surgical removal of tissue to lessen a scar’s appearance or transplanting FUE grafts into a scar to blend it in with existing hair. Dr. Gabel routinely fixes the scars of patients who seek repairs from past procedures with other clinics and does it for his own patients if necessary.
Hair Length And Scars
Dr. Gabel specializes in both FUT and FUE for removing hair from the donor area around the back and sides of a patient’s scalp. Which method is used depends upon the preference of the patient, and recommendations of Dr. Gabel after a thorough evaluation of the patient’s scalp and hair loss history.
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT)
A FUT hair transplant involves a small section of hair-bearing skin to be surgically removed from the donor area, this is then dissected under a microscope into individual hair grafts that can then be transplanted into the balding or thinning portions of the scalp. Dr. Gabel then closes the donor incision with a trichophytic closure, a technique perfected within cosmetic surgery for minimizing the appearance of scars. This scar is normally completely concealed by hair that is at least 2 to 3 cm in length.
In the event of a second FUT procedure in the years to come, Dr. Gabel can remove the original linear scar and extract a second donor strip of tissue to avoid creating multiple scars in a patient’s donor region. With the use of the FUE technique, this is not possible as a small circular scar is created by each individual graft harvested from the scalp.
The incisions in the recipient (balding) regions of the scalp, where the transplanted hair is placed, are very small which makes any scarring in this area virtually undetectable to the naked eye when carried out by an experienced surgeon with a competent staff.
Follicular Unit Excision (FUE)
The FUE hair transplant technique requires each individual hair graft to be removed one by one from the donor area. Patients are left with small circular scars created by the surgical punches that removed the respective grafts. In this method, the amount of scarring is spread out over a larger area so it is often less noticeable and allows patients to trim their hair relatively short without the risk of a linear scar being visible.
Ultimately, the final outcome of a scar rests in the techniques of a capable surgeon and in how a patient’s respective body heals during post-op. Scars will happen in the aftermath of any surgery, but steps can be taken to ensure that they are less noticeable and virtually undetectable.
Contact Gabel Hair Restoration
To learn more about hair loss, the latest medications, and the latest techniques in hair restoration and surgery, contact Dr. Gabel’s Hair Transplant Oregon office. Our team at the Gabel Hair Restoration looks forward to your visit and discussing these matters with you in greater detail.
