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Scar Repair using chest hair
Wide donor scars are a problem all hair
restoration surgeons see. They are difficult
to treat, can be caused by poor laxity
of the donor site, or too wide a strip
being excised. Often attempts at scar
reduction fail, as the scar "stretches
back" to its original wide state.
A method that I have been using is transplanting
chest hair removed by follicular unit
extraction (removal of hair follicles
one unit at a time, using a one mm punch)
and transplanting into the scar. I make
the recipient sites first, and hand the
grafts immediately to the technician to
plant into the sites, thus the grafts
are out of the body for only 10 to 20
seconds. The grafts were planted at about
30 per square cm.
In this particular patient (photos below),
the "after" photos are three
months post-op, showing almost immediate
growth. Also, body hair seemed to behave
in "recipient dominant" fashion
when transplanted into the scalp. It will
take up to a full year to get the final
results in this patient. Within three
months, the donor area was completely
healed. Body hair transplanted into a
wide donor scar is a viable method of
dealing with this common problem.
Wide donor scar from previous
transplant before repair.

Chest hairs transplanted
one at a time

Density is 30 per square
cm.
Three months post-op,
showing almost immediate growth.
It will take up to a full year to get
the final results in this patient.

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