Background
Burn scar and alopecia on hair bearing area can severely affect social life of the patients. Unlike healthy skin, poor biological and mechanical properties of scar tissue in the recipient area can reduce survival rate of hair graft following hair transplantation.
Objectives
Combined non-ablative fractional laser (NAFL) and microfat injection could improve survival rate of hair grafts on post burn scar.
Methods
Thirteen patients with alopecia resulting from burn scar in hair bearing area of the scalp and face were treated with combined NAFL and microfat graft and subsequently follicular unit extraction (FUE) hair transplantation. Cicatricial alopecia occurred on the scalp, eyebrow, mustache, and beard areas. Patients were treated with 3-6 sessions of NAFL, and-2-5 sessions of microfat graft injections, followed by one session of hair transplantation using FUE technique.
Results
Hair transplantation was successfully performed with good to excellent results. The survival rate of transplanted follicular units ranged from 76 to 95 percent (mean, 85.04%) and the density success rate per square centimeter ranged from 76.9 to 95.2 percent (mean, 84.54%). All patients expressed high satisfaction with the results and no complication was encountered.
Conclusions
Hair transplantation, after combined NAFL and microfat injection is a promising treatment for post burn alopecia.
BACKGROUND: Patients suffering major burns of more than 50% total burn surface area lack an adequate skin graft donor site to resurface extensive burn wounds and usually need widely meshed autografting and allografting. Anything over the 3:1 expansion ratio is strongly associated with low graft take, poor or delayed epithelialization, and hypertrophic scarring.
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