Scalp Flap Surgery to Treatment Hair Loss

Like bald scalp reductions, scalp flap surgery is rarely performed today, due to the superiority of follicular unit grafting.

In scalp flap surgery, as many as 10,000 hairs are transplanted in a single procedure. The scalp flap is unique in its ability to create the densest hairline possible, in the shortest period of time. Unlike with hair grafting, the hair in a scalp flap begins to grow immediately. As with all other transplantation techniques, the hair continues to grow for a lifetime.

Scalp Flap Surgery Procedure with Illustrate

  1. First Stage :The flap is designed and cuts are made along the sides and the cuts are sewn.
  2. Second Stage :One week a cut is made. The 1st and 2nd stages are performed to reroute the blood supply so that the flap is nourished only by the blood vessels at its front.
  3. Third Stage :Two weeks after the 1st stage, the flap is elevated and a hairline incision is made. The flap is rotated towards the front, and the donor area is closed.
  4. Fourth Stage (completed) :The flap is sewn in place. Note the bulge at right side of the flap which is corrected in 4-6 weeks. The blue line shows position of a second flap, if used.
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                    First Stage                                         Second Stage                                        Third Stage

Scalp Flap Surgery Advantages

There are many advantages of scalp expansion technique used in the scalp flap surgery. These advantages include the following :

  • Excellent frontal scalp coverage
  • Natural frontal hairline.
  • Excellent hair placement in temporal areas
  • Good hair direction
  • Avoidance of hair pattern distortion

Scalp Flap Surgery Side effects

Possible side effects of scalp flap surgery are the following :

  • Blood supply failure to the flap due to "kinking" or pressure on the flap's blood supply that can result in partial or total loss of flap.
  • Nerve transaction during surgery that can cause loss of feeling over all or part of the scalp.
  • Scarring at donor or recipient sites.
  • Permanent hair loss at donor sites.