Can a Hair Transplant Scar Still Stretch 3 Months After the Procedure?

This question, asked by a member of our Hair Restoration Social Community and Discussion Forums, was answered by Coalition surgeon Dr. Cam Simmons:

Three months ago, I underwent follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and was very careful not to overextend myself and potentially stretch my hair transplant scar. However, I’m now three months post-operative, and want to return to my daily activities without worrying about putting too much tension or stress on the strip scar. I’m wondering, can a hair transplant scar still stretch 3 months after the procedure?

It is uncommon for a scar to stretch after 3 months. As a rule of thumb, a scar has about 30% tensile strength at 3 weeks and 80% at 3 months (tensile strength referring to the ability of the new tissue to resist tension and stretching). We used to think that scars became stronger than skin, but they may never get to 100% strength. I advise patients to avoid forcefully stretching their scalp for the first 3 months and discourage active scalp stretching exercises until they have reached 5 months.

Dr. Cam Simmons
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Blake – aka Future_HT_Doc

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