Scar revision hair transplant restores hair in areas where follicles have been permanently destroyed by burns, trauma, surgical procedures, suture lines, or congenital conditions — including areas where hair has never grown. At Hair of Istanbul, scar cases are managed jointly by Dr. Mahmut Satekin and Dr. Ahmet Dilber, Consultant Plastic Surgeon — combining surgical hair transplant expertise and reconstructive plastic surgery capability in a single team.
Scar revision hair transplant is a specialised surgical procedure that implants healthy, DHT-resistant follicular units from the scalp donor area into regions where hair follicles have been permanently destroyed by scar tissue — or where hair has never existed due to a congenital condition. Scar tissue presents unique challenges that do not exist in standard hair transplant surgery: reduced blood supply, altered tissue architecture, increased fibrosis, and diminished skin elasticity all affect graft survival and require a fundamentally different surgical approach.
Transplanting into scar tissue is technically more demanding than standard hair restoration. The clinical evidence is clear: graft survival in well-vascularised scar tissue with FUE technique averages 80–81% — lower than the 85–90% achieved on healthy unscarred scalp, but clinically meaningful and sufficient to produce significant cosmetic improvement. Published studies on postsurgical scar cases (Yoo et al., 2019, n=15) confirm 80% graft survival at 12 months using FUE and DHI implantation at conservative density. At Hair of Istanbul, the joint involvement of Dr. Ahmet Dilber, Consultant Plastic Surgeon, and Dr. Mahmut Satekin ensures that every scar case is assessed with the full combined expertise of reconstructive surgery and hair restoration.
Flame, chemical, scald, and electrical burn scars causing permanent hair loss on the scalp, hairline, beard area, or eyebrows can be addressed with FUE hair transplantation once the scar is fully mature — typically 12–18 months post-injury.
Scars from neurosurgery, forehead reduction, plastic surgery procedures, previous hair transplants, nevus excision, and other operations causing hairless zones can be camouflaged with FUE grafts implanted into and around the scar tissue.
Areas where hair has never grown due to a congenital condition — including sebaceous naevus, congenital pigmented naevus excision sites, and other birthmark-related hairless zones — can be treated with hair transplantation once the tissue is confirmed stable and suitable.
All scar revision cases at Hair of Istanbul are assessed jointly by Dr. Ahmet Dilber and Dr. Mahmut Satekin. For complex or large-area cases, Dr. Dilber's reconstructive plastic surgery expertise contributes to pre-operative scar assessment, tissue conditioning strategy, and combined surgical planning.
The cause, age, and maturity of the scar are assessed. Tissue vascularity, donor supply, and expected graft survival are discussed honestly. Dr. Dilber and Dr. Satekin jointly review all scar revision cases before a treatment plan is confirmed.
Anaesthesia evaluation by Dr. Barış Adaklı. Cardiovascular assessment by Dr. Hayriye Dilber where indicated. PRP pre-conditioning planned where vascularity requires improvement. Test session discussed for large or complex areas.
FUE extraction from the scalp donor zone under local anaesthesia, followed by DHI implantation into the scar tissue at conservative density. Duration: 3–8 hours depending on scar size and graft count. Outpatient procedure.
Scabs at both donor and scar recipient areas resolve within 7–10 days. Mild swelling and sensitivity are normal. Shock loss of transplanted hairs at weeks 2–4 is expected — follicles remain intact.
Scar tissue graft survival is assessed at 6–12 months. In large or complex areas, a staged second session may be planned at this point — building on the improved vascularity established during the first procedure.
Full results visible at 12 months. For multi-session cases, final density is achieved across 2–3 procedures over 12–24 months. Once established, hair growth in scar tissue is usually long-lasting — transplanted follicles generally keep growing over the long term.
Sleep with head elevated. Avoid touching or compressing the scar recipient area. Attend the supervised first wash the morning after the procedure as directed by the clinical team.
Begin gentle washing as instructed. Scabs in the scar tissue area may take slightly longer to resolve than on healthy scalp — do not pick or rub them. Avoid direct sun on the recipient area.
Shock loss of transplanted hairs is normal and expected. The follicles remain beneath the scar tissue and will enter the growth phase over the following months. Scar tissue may appear slightly more red than usual — this settles.
Avoid any pressure, friction, or trauma to the scar area. Do not apply cosmetic products or chemical treatments to the recipient zone. Mild itching as follicles establish in scar tissue is normal.
Fine new hairs begin emerging from the scar zone. In deeply fibrotic areas, growth may begin slightly later than in less scarred tissue. Hair quality and thickness improve progressively through months 6–12.
Graft survival formally assessed at this point. Full results visible at 12 months. A staged second session is planned where additional density is required. Established grafts in scar tissue are usually long-lasting and generally keep growing over the long term.
Hair of Istanbul treats a broad range of scar aetiologies — from acute burn injuries and traumatic wounds to surgical complications, previous hair transplant scarring, and congenital hairless zones. The key clinical prerequisites are the same regardless of cause: the scar must be fully mature and stable, tissue vascularity must support graft survival, and donor supply must be sufficient for the area requiring coverage. Every scar revision case is assessed individually by Dr. Ahmet Dilber and Dr. Mahmut Satekin before any treatment plan is confirmed.
Flame, chemical (acid/alkali), scald, and electrical burn injuries causing permanent scalp, hairline, beard, eyebrow, or eyelash hair loss. FUE into mature burn scar tissue produces clinically significant results — published evidence suggests burn scars may respond particularly well due to typically shallower scar depth relative to other scar types.
Scars from lacerations, blunt trauma, neurosurgery, forehead implants, plastic surgery procedures, and previous hair transplant donor sites. Postsurgical scar cases show 80% graft survival at 12 months with FUE and DHI implantation at appropriate density (Yoo et al., 2019).
Linear suture scars — including FUT strip scars, forehead reduction incision lines, and any surgical incision that has produced a visible hairless line — are treated with FUE grafts placed directly into and along the scar line. DHI implantation allows precise angulation matching the surrounding natural hair direction.
Areas where hair has never grown due to a congenital condition — including post-excision sites from sebaceous naevus, congenital pigmented naevus, and other birthmark-related procedures — may be suitable for hair transplantation once the tissue is confirmed stable, mature, and adequately vascularised.
Yes — with important caveats. Hair transplant into scar tissue is possible and clinically effective, but graft survival is lower than on healthy unscarred scalp. FUE into well-vascularised scar tissue achieves approximately 80–81% graft survival at 12 months — compared with 85–90% on healthy skin. The critical factors are scar maturity, tissue vascularity, conservative implantation density, and surgeon experience. At Hair of Istanbul, scar cases are planned jointly by Dr. Ahmet Dilber and Dr. Mahmut Satekin to maximise graft survival outcomes.
The scar must be fully mature before any transplantation is attempted. A mature scar is pale, soft, flat, and freely mobile — not pink, raised, or actively changing. The minimum recommended wait is 12 months post-injury or post-surgery. For extensive burns or complex surgical scars, 18–24 months is often more appropriate. Attempting to transplant into immature scar tissue causes poor graft survival and risks ejecting grafts during healing.
For small, localised scars — yes, a single session can achieve satisfactory coverage. For large or extensive scar areas, 2–3 staged sessions over 12–24 months are typically required. This staged approach is clinically strategic: each session improves the vascularity of the scar tissue, making subsequent procedures progressively more effective. A test session of 100–200 grafts may be recommended for large or uncertain areas before a full procedure is planned.
Scar tissue has reduced vascularity compared to healthy scalp — the blood supply that normally sustains transplanted follicles is compromised by fibrosis. This is why implantation density in scar tissue is kept conservative (20–35 grafts/cm² vs 40–50 on healthy scalp): overcrowding the available blood supply reduces survival. Altered tissue architecture also makes precise angulation more difficult. PRP pre-treatment can improve vascularity and graft survival in compromised scar zones.
Yes. Hair transplantation for burn-related hair loss is not limited to the scalp. Facial hair loss from burns — including beard, moustache, eyebrow, and eyelash zones — can be addressed with FUE extraction from the scalp donor area and zone-specific implantation. Facial scar tissue transplantation requires precise angulation matching the natural growth direction of each zone, performed by Dr. Satekin using the DHI Choi pen. Dr. Ahmet Dilber’s reconstructive plastic surgery expertise contributes to facial scar assessment and complex case planning.
Congenital hairless areas are zones on the scalp or face where hair has never grown, typically resulting from a congenital skin lesion — such as a sebaceous naevus or congenital pigmented naevus — or from surgery to remove such lesions. These areas contain no hair follicles and are covered only by hairless scar tissue. Hair transplant into these zones follows the same principles as scar revision: tissue vascularity must be sufficient, the area must be stable, and donor supply must cover the zone to be treated. Published case series report successful transplantation into congenital and post-excision hairless zones with 85% average graft survival.
Scar revision cases are managed jointly by Dr. Mahmut Satekin and Dr. Ahmet Dilber. Dr. Satekin performs the FUE extraction and DHI implantation. Dr. Dilber, Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon, contributes pre-operative scar assessment, tissue vascularity evaluation, and surgical planning input for complex or multi-stage cases. Dr. Barış Adaklı manages anaesthesia; Dr. Hayriye Dilber conducts cardiovascular assessment where indicated.
No — these are distinct procedures. Scar revision hair transplant refers to transplanting into scar tissue caused by burns, wounds, surgery, or congenital conditions. Revision hair transplant (corrective revision) refers to correcting an unsatisfactory result from a previous hair transplant — addressing unnatural hairlines, misplaced grafts, or poor density from prior surgery. Both are available at Hair of Istanbul. If your concern involves a previous hair transplant that produced visible scarring or poor results, the revision hair transplant page covers that in detail.
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