Scalp Flap Surgery

Unfortunately, male baldness significantly affects over two-thirds of men and most of those who experience it feel that they are less attractive, regardless of their age.

Flap surgery is for patients with a receding hairline but sufficient hair at the back or sides.  The surgeon cuts a flap of hair-bearing scalp, about 2 to 3cm in width, and rotates and slots it into an adjacent bald area (from which surface tissue has correspondingly been removed), leaving one end of the flap still connected to the scalp. Either one long flap from a single side of the scalp can be transposed to form a new hairline, or two bilateral flaps can be incised from opposite sides of the scalp and transposed to the front.

Photos courtesy of Dr Mayer, Beverly Hills, California

The effects of scalp flap surgery are seen immediately and will restore natural hair to bald areas in the same style and thickness as the rest of the head.

Scalp flap surgery for male baldness is usually performed under general anaesthesia and requires several stages. The first couple of stages are relatively minor and prepare the flap to be mobilised. The definitive stage utilises 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.

After 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.

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.

Please ask your doctor for further information.