Scalp Flap Transfer in Brampton CA

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Scalp Flap Transfer

Several medical conditions can produce baldness, such as illness, poor nutrition and thyroid imbalance.   Most baldness is not caused by illness, but is an inherited trait.

Bald men with vertex (crown of the head) balding may benefit substantially from scalp flap transfer, with proper preoperative planning, and when the procedure is performed by a skilled, experienced physician hair restoration specialist.

Scalp flap transfer is a technique that involves the transfer of large strips of hair-bearing scalp on the sides of the head (located above the ears) to an area of scalp without hair. The size and placement of the flap will be as per the patient’s needs. The area from which it is removed is closed with stitches. The scar left after the operation will be hidden by the relocated hair.  The hair transferred to the new location continues to grow at the same rate and with the same density as the original location. It is the most efficient way to move the greatest amount of hair in the shortest period of time.

Scalp flap transfer aims to repair a non-traumatic cosmetic defect. It also repairs a traumatic injury site and restores its functionality and cosmetic appearance. Another objective of scalp flap surgery is repairing a skin defect resulted by congenital malformation.

Cosmetic and reconstructive scalp flap transfer uses two types of flaps - pedicle flaps and free flaps.

 Pedicle flaps are surgically removed from the donor site and transferred to the recipient site with an attached pedicle of tissues. This pedicle of tissues contains the flap’s artery-vein blood supply along with the flap tissues. The transfer of artery-vein blood supply along with the flap boosts the survival and health of the transferred tissue. Pedicle flaps are most often used for cosmetic hair restoration.

Free flaps are transferred from the donor site to the recipient site without any attached pedicle. But it must contain arteries and veins reattached to blood vessels at the recipient site by micro vascular surgery. These flaps are regularly used in reconstructive surgery when local skin is insufficient to raise a pedicle flap to cover a defect.

Risks of scalp flap transfer:
• Blood supply failure to the flap due to pressure on the flap’s blood supply that can result in partial or total loss of the 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.

The discomfort of this operation is minimal. A dressing is worn for three to four days; no hair is cut during any of these procedures so the hair may be shampooed and styled immediately after dressings are removed. The stitches at the hairline are removed after six days; after ten to fourteen days, the stitches behind the Flap and on the side of the head are removed.

Advantages of scalp flap transfer:
• Excellent frontal scalp coverage
• Natural frontal hairline
• Excellent hair placement in temporal areas
• Good hair direction
• Avoidance of hair pattern distortion
These surgical procedures can be performed on an out-patient basis under either general or I.V. anesthesia.

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