Nobody wants to lose their hair, and unfortunately male baldness significantly affects over two-thirds of men. Men who experience it early or late in life feel that they are less attractive and are showing signs of aging, regardless of their actual age. Flap surgery involves a series of steps that includes identifying an area of hair on the head that is not at risk for hair loss and cutting a flap that will be rotated into a new position where there is hair loss.

Understanding the Procedure

Scalp flaps for male baldness is usually performed under general anesthesia and requires several stages. The first couple of stages are relatively minor and prepare the flap to be mobilized. The definitive stage utilizes the flap from hair bearing areas and transposes them to the desired regions such as the anterior hairline. Occasionally an additional procedure is necessary to refine the edges and scalp contours.

What to Expect After the Surgery

A full head wrap bandage is usually necessary to maintain pressure on the operated areas. The definitive stage will usually be associated with a small drain that is removed after one to two days. Many people will have some degree of numbness in areas of the scalp that slowly resolve over the course of one year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I need to have this procedure repeated?
The scalp flap comes from areas that have proven to be refractory to hair loss. With this in mind, the transposed flap should maintain its hair indefinitely.

What are possible complications?
The scalp flap is tenuous and the border of the flap may die. When this occurs, one can get areas of scar that does not contain hair.