For men and women who are losing their hair, a hair transplant surgery can be an efficient way to restore a fuller head of hair. At Dermatology Associates of Atlanta (DAA), we have established two unique specialty centers for the purpose of hair restoration—The Griffin Center of Hair Restoration and Research, and The Griffin Center for Women’s Hair Loss. As life-changing as a hair transplant can be, it is still a surgery, so scarring is a concern for many patients. That’s why our highly skilled and experienced surgeons use a variety of methods to limit scars and to reduce them after they’ve formed.

Minimizing Scars during Surgery

Keeping scars mild actually begins during the procedure itself. There are two primary types of hair transplant surgeries: Follicular Unit Grafting (FUG) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). FUG has gotten a reputation for leaving a significant scar, because it involves a strip of hair-rich skin being taken from the back or sides of the head so that the follicles can be grafted onto areas where the patient is losing their hair. This usually leaves a narrow, linear scar. At our DAA hair transplant centers, however, all of our surgeries are performed by extremely skilled hair transplant surgeons Dr. Edmond Griffin and Dr. Ashley Curtis, who minimize scarring by keeping incisions and closures precise to allow for the most seamless healing possible. On top of this, Dr. Griffin and Dr. Curtis use a specialized suturing technique that allows hair to grow through the scar line, which greatly reduces the scar’s appearance.

In FUE surgery, on the other hand, the scarring takes a much different shape. Rather than removing a strip of skin, FUE extracts individual groups of hair follicles with a circular device, so the scars appear as many tiny dots instead of one thin line. This alone can make scars less noticeable because they’re more scattered throughout the existing hair, but at Dermatology Associates of Atlanta, we keep the scars even more subtle by taking advantage of the latest technology available for precise and successful extractions, which means we can produce the fullness you’re looking for with fewer scars.

Reducing Scars after Surgery

While the measures above can go a long way toward keeping your scars minimal, there are additional ways we can continue to reduce or disguise scarring after surgery, whether your procedure was performed with us at The Griffin Center of Hair Restoration and Research or The Griffin Center for Women’s Hair Loss, or at another facility. For many patients, hair transplant scars are flat and the color of their natural skin or a slightly lighter color, and the primary reason they’re noticeable is because they don’t have hair growing within them. For these patients, our certified micro-pigmentation specialist uses a highly precise form of tattooing to make the scar tissue more closely match your natural skin tone, including adding specks of color to mimic hair follicles and “stubble.” This same technique can also be used for patients who have other surgical or injury scars. Keep in mind, however, that micro-pigmentation is most successful in flat scars that are the same color or a lighter color that the patient’s surrounding skin. If your scar has a bumpy texture, your first step may be to use other scar reduction techniques that can help to flatten the scar.

There are a number of factors that affect hair transplant scarring, like patient health, surgical technique, the extensiveness of the surgery, following post-surgical care instructions, and many more. This is precisely why it’s so important to look for a surgeon who is a true expert in the procedure. To find out whether hair restoration surgery may be an option for you, call Dermatology Associates of Atlanta where we can connect you with the right specialty center for your needs. For more skin care tips, special offers, and information about the many types of treatments we perform, follow DAA on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.