Will I Have Noticeable Scars After Hair Transplant Surgery? By Bernard Arocha, MD on October 02, 2023

Hair loss can affect confidence and become a worrisome problem. A hair transplant can restore the hairline and add volume to thinning hair, helping you to look and feel more confident.

Many patients ask Dr. Bernardino A. Arocha, “will I have noticeable scars after hair transplant surgery?” during consultations at our Houston, TX-based hair restoration and transplant center.

Fortunately, hair transplant surgery has come a long way since the early days of hair plugs. Modern hair transplant surgery produces more natural looking results with less noticeable scarring.

Are Hair Transplant Surgery Scars Noticeable?

Anyone undergoing hair transplant surgery should expect some scarring but the good news is scars are usually easily hidden by hair growth and tend to fade over time.

In addition, the amount of scarring after surgery largely depends on the type of hair transplant surgery performed. There are two primary types of hair transplant surgery, follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and follicular unit extraction (FUE), performed at our Houston practice. Although scarring is to be expected after both procedures, many find scarring from FUE to be less noticeable.

More about FUT and Scarring

FUT is a technique that involves removing a thin strip of skin with hair follicles from the back of the head. The individual hair follicles are then isolated and transplanted into areas of the scalp with balding or thinning hair.

After the strip of skin is removed, sutures are used to close the skin. This does leave some scarring along the back of the head. However, scarring from FUT can be hidden by hair growth.

With this in mind, those who plan to wear longer hairstyles should have no problem hiding their hair transplant scars while those who want to wear short hairstyles may find their scars more noticeable.

More about FUE and Scarring

With FUE, individual hair follicles are removed from the back of the scalp and transplanted into areas of thinning hair. FUE does not require sutures. Instead a special tool is used to remove the hair follicles. This results in less noticeable scarring than with FUT.

FUE scars usually look like tiny dots that fade to white over time, making FUE a good option for those who prefer to keep their hair short or would just like as little scarring as possible from hair transplant surgery.

Other Considerations

Scarring after hair transplant surgery is usually easily hidden by hair growth, making it well worth the risk for a fuller head of hair.

Even so, it’s important to keep in mind that scarring after hair transplant surgery is also affected by how each patient’s body heals. Those who are prone to keloid, or raised, scars may have more noticeable scarring after hair transplant surgery.

Working with an experienced surgeon can also help minimize the appearance of scarring and improve overall results.

Additionally, patients should follow all aftercare instructions to reduce the risk of complications and encourage proper healing to further help keep scars less noticeable.