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:
- Stretching the scalp can reduce the amount of donor
hair available for future hair transplantation.
- New hair growth in the scalp reduction area can grow
in odd patterns, according to the scars left behind
by the reduction.
- 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.
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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.
