Q: Can you perform a hair transplant into scar tissue? A.H. – Rockland County, New York

A: Yes, hair grows in scar tissue, but not quite as well as in normal tissue. The scar is not as elastic as normal tissue so the grafts are at slightly higher risk of being dislodged; therefore, more care must be taken to protect the grafted area after the hair transplant.

In addition, the blood supply in scar tissue is less than in normal tissue, so that area should not be transplanted as densely and the hair replacement should be performed over multiple sessions.

Finally, grafts do not grow well in thickened scars. If a scar can be thinned using injections of cortisone, it may improve the chance that the transplanted hair will grow.