Trichophytic Closure: A New Way to Camouflage a Hair Transplant Incision

Summary of “Trichophytic Closure of the Donor Area” which appeared in Hair Transplant Forum International July/August 2005 by Mario Marzola, MBBS Norwood Australia

When hair transplant surgeons meticulously close the edges of a donor wound, they generally end up with a fine, linear scar that is approximately 1-2mm in width. Sometimes, the scar can be a bit wider and every once in a while, when the person’s connective tissue is weak, or the edges of the scar are closed too roughly or have too much tension, the scar can be a cosmetic problem. The educated patient, who has expectations of a thin scar, or the patient who is likely to wear his hair very short, hopes that their hair transplant doctor can produce scars that are practically invisible.

A Trichophytic closure is a way of improving the linear donor scars of hair transplant patients. A Trichophytic incision in hair transplantation involves trimming off the upper edge of the incision and then closing the wound in such a way the hair near the edge can grow through the scar. This has the potential to produce a scar that is virtually undetectable.

To perform a comparison study, Dr. Marzola conducted a trial using 26 consecutive patients. Each hair transplant patient had one side of their scar closed trichophytically (i.e., with the top edge removed) and the other side closed with the edge left as is.

At seven months, the study proved to Dr. Marzola that the trichophytic closure was significantly better than the traditional closure in leaving a hair transplant scar that was better camouflaged and thus less visible.

The principles of good surgical practice apply in hair transplantation as much as in any other area of surgery. Start out small, be careful and conservative, treat the tissues with respect, and above all else, avoid creating too much tension on the wound.

Summarized by Bernstein Medical, P.C.