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Can You Get Hair Restoration Surgery After Radiation Treatments?
asked 3 months ago by LB22 in Lexington, KY
Latest answer by Amiya Prasad, MD
Question viewed 160 times
Tags: 18 months post-op, candidate, crown, radiation
I have a bald spot on the crown of my head that was caused by radiation treatments that I received to cure my brain tumor. Its been a year and a half since I've received the radiation and my radiation doctor says that the hair is not going to grow back. Is hair restoration surgery a good option for me?
8 answers to Can You Get Hair Restoration Surgery After Radiation Treatments?
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Hair Restoration Surgery After Radiation Treatment
Hair restoration surgery is definitely an option for your condition. Namely, FUE hair transplant or even strip surgery will work if the surrounding hair is in tact. If you don’t have enough donor hair on your scalp, body hair transplant is also a viable option today. I would not recommend scalp reduction as it can result in visible scarring called “slot formation.” For that matter, if you’re choosing between strip harvesting and follicular unit extraction, the latter...
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Hair Transplant after Radiation Cancer Treatment
The sudden loss of growing hairs as a result of chemicals or radiation is known as Anagen effluvium. Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy halt the growth phase of hair follicles, and result in the sudden shedding of hair. Hair Restoration Surgery can work in burn (radiation) sites very well. My colleague and New York Hair restoration expert Dr. Gary Hitzig has performed several cases that have been successful. We generally do an evaluation and a test session first to...
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Hair Transplant after Radiation
Yes, hair transplant can be a very natural option in a patient after radiation. The one issue is potential scarring in the area may inhibit the blood supply of the new hair. Your surgeon should be able to address this issue in your particular situation and counsel you on options. Good luck!
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Hair Transplant after Radiation
Yes, in fact, this is an indication for performing a hair transplant.
Because of the challenges in assuring full hair regrowth, I suggest you
seek out a highly experienced surgeon in this area. I usually recommend
that patients wait a minimum of 18 months following the completion of
the radiation therapy.
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Hair Restoration after Radiation Treatments
If the hair has not grown out by now your doctor is correct. It is unlikely it will recover. I have tried hair transplants in radiated areas and unfortunately only about half of the grafts ever grew in. Getting hair to grow in a radiated area can be very difficult.
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Hair restoration after Radiation Therapy
If you have lost hair following radiation treatment for a brain tumor you have obviously had radiation damage to that skin and the hair will not regrow. Rather than putting transplants into skin with possibly compromised circulation I would transfer hair bearing scalp with a flap from the surrounding normal tissue with or without expansion depending on the size of the bald area and the tightness of your scalp.
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Scalp Flap or Multiple hair transplant sessions after radiation
The options for hair restoration on your crown will depend on the size of the area that is bald and the quality of the surrounding scalp. If the area is small enough, a simple excision of the area, with either a rotation flap or advancement flap after galeotomies is one option. For larger balding areas, a scalp expander would be inserted, followed by a scalp flap procedure. Hair transplants are also an option for some coverage, but multiple sessions are likely necessary.
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Kevin Ende, MD
Manhattan Facial Plastic Surgeon
Manhattan Facial Plastic Surgeon
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Hair restoration after radiation therapy
I have many successful hair restoration procedures done on patients who lost hair from radiation therapy for brain tumors. My usual approach is to expand the adjacent scalp with a balloon expander for about 6 weeks and, then with a second procedure, move the stretched hair bearing skin over the bald area which is cut out. This gives a result immediately . Hair transplants could also work.
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