Pain in Hair Transplant Donor Site Due to Remaining Suture?

This question, from a member of our Hair Restoration Social Community and Discussion Forums, was answered by Coalition hair transplant surgeon Dr. Glenn Charles:

So far I’m at 68 days (give or take a day) post-op and I’ve experienced some limited hair growth in the recipient area (I had hair transplanted into a childhood scar) as well as shock loss around my donor scar. Since my procedure, I’ve been experiencing mild sensitivity around my donor scar. It’s difficult to explain. It isn’t painful but it isn’t comfortable either and, on occasion if I turn my head in a certain angle, it can still hurt my donor scar or make it feel uncomfortable. I’ve always attributed this to tightness, etc., of the donor scar. It feels like pulling or something.

Anyway, I’ve been surfing around trying to see if anybody else has been experiencing any odd pain such as weird stinging pain above the actual donor scar and I think I found a post where one hair transplant patient mentioned he had a staple or stitch left over in his donor area. I’m thinking the same may apply to me, which has me worried, and I noticed when I feel my scar there’s a slight thread-like substance felt above the very edge of my donor scar. What is it? I have no idea as I’ve never noticed it until now and nobody has ever mentioned it despite the number of people I’ve had inspected my scar to assure it wasn’t stretching during the initial first month or so.

I’m planning to go back to my surgeon to have him take a look but I wanted to know if anybody else has had an experience with this. Will this cause any damage or hair loss to my donor scar? Make it stretch? I appreciate any answers.

A piece of non-absorbable suture that is not removed at the proper time after the hair restoration procedure can cause a tissue reaction that may lead to some additional scar tissue in that particular area. It would not necessarily cause a stretching of the scar.

Prolonged discomfort can be a sign that some of the suture was not removed but some patients experience formation painful spots in the suture are for several months post-op and it is not from any remaining suture material.

Dr. Glenn Charles
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David (TakingThePlunge)
Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog.
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