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Conditions & Diseases: Hair Loss & Hair Loss Treatment (Surgical & Non-Surgical)

Scalp Reductions

Scalp reduction surgery is performed on the crown or vertex area of the head and never the frontal area. As it's name implies, a portion of the bald scalp area is removed then pulled together and sutured - thereby decreasing the amount of bald area to be covered with hair grafts.

The best candidates are men with a clear bald spot on the vertex or crown. Scalp reduction surgery can reduce the total area of the scalp that needs hair replacement. Often, up to 2 inches of balding skin is removed, and an adjacent area of hair-bearing scalp is stretched over it and sutured into place. This type of surgery can only be used to cover small balding areas, since the scalp cannot stretch too much.

In the past 10 years, scalp reductions have slowly fallen out of popularity due to a few potential problems:

1. Stretching the scalp can reduce the amount of donor hair available for future hair transplantation.
2. New hair growth in the scalp reduction area can grow in odd patterns, according to the scars left behind by the reduction.
3. Due to the elastic nature of the skin, the skin pulled together for a scalp reduction can actually start to expand again, revealing the scalp reduction scar and a new bald area that will have be repaired with hair grafts.

Although it is a relatively simple procedure for cosmetic surgery doctors to perform, there are doctors in the United States that specialize in Scalp Reduction Surgery and have more experience in this type of procedure. The prospective patient should consider the additional time and expense of seeking out a scalp reduction specialist due to the potential problems that come with this type of hair loss surgery. Take special precautions when finding a surgeon that claims they specialize in scalp reduction surgery.

Article by Staff
OmniMedicalSearch.com