Many patients who did a hair transplant in the 1990s or the early 2000s wonder how to hide FUT hair transplant scars.
Here is everything to know!
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How to hide FUT hair transplant scars?
FUT hair transplant, also known as the “strip method,” was very used in the 1990s and early 2000s. It was a revolutionary technique to get one’s hair back. However, this technique is no longer used because it has a significant flaw: grafts harvesting involves cutting a strip of flesh on the back of the head, letting major scars, especially if the patient wants a shorter haircut. As the hair transplant techniques improved, it is now possible to grafts hair without letting scars and to hide the preexistent ones, such as FUT hair transplant scars.
Why does a FUT hair transplant let significant scars?
To understand why a FUT hair transplant leaves significant scars, let’s take a closer look at this procedure.
The first step is to cut a strip of flesh at the back of the head. The hair at the back of the head is genetically resistant to androgen, this male hormone causing baldness in 70% of men. The doctor cut a horizontal strip of the scalp about one centimeter wide; the length depends on the number of grafts needed. The cut is then sewed with a removable string. The patient has to have hair at least 5mm long on the back of the head to hide the scar.
The scar’s appearance dramatically varies depending on the doctor’s skill and sewing method and on the patient’s skin.
How to hide a scar after a hair transplant?
There are several methods to hide FUT hair transplant scars.
Correct the old scar with a trichophytic suture
It is possible to remove the old scar’s white part with a precise incision and close it back with a trichophytic suture. This technique uses a very thin removable suture string, letting the hair grow back in the new scar.
Have another hair transplant procedure with another technique
The patient can have a hair transplant using the DHI technique to hide FUE hair transplant scars or any other scars. This method does not let any visible scar and can cover the old FUT scar with hair to make it invisible.
With this technique, the doctor harvests grafts one by one at the back of the head with a micro-punch. This method is much more precise than the FUT harvesting technique, and it does not let any scar. The doctor implants the grafts on the scar to get a very natural-looking result. After a short healing period, the old scar is invisible.
SMP and derma pigmentation
It is possible for patients who do not want to undergo another hair transplant to hide the FUT hair transplant scar with scalp micro pigmentation (SMP), a derma pigmentation technique. This technique is also known as a hair tattoo. This technique involves tattooing tiny dots on the scalp to mimic shaved hair effects.
Dermapigmentation involves local anesthesia and is very similar to a standard tattoo, with the difference the pigments are injected into the superficial layer of the skin. In contrast, traditional tattoos put the pigments deeper. This technique offers good results because the medical ink does not spread under the skin and stays natural. Depending on the ink used and the patient’s lifestyle, the hair tattoo may fade and need fixing. Regardless of this point, derma pigmentation is an excellent way to hide FUT hair transplant scars. Patients can undergo this non-invasive procedure less than six months after the hair transplant.
Nowadays, most hair transplants use the FUE or DHI technique and do not leave any visible scars.
