Will Hair Grow Back after Head Wound

Your hair can be compared to a plant. It sprouts from roots that are surrounded on all sides by the scalp’s cellular version of soil. Hair follicle roots are, of course, found inside these tiny cell-filled sacks.

These cells are in charge of keeping the quality of the hair that grows from the follicles by supplying it with the necessary nutrients and oxygen. Therefore, the health of your hair follicles is what determines the condition of your locks.

The scalp and follicles can be injured by a wound and new healthy hair will develop in 3-6 months to replace damaged strands, but the damage isn’t permanent.

Because a scar on the scalp lacks hair follicles, hair does not naturally develop in that area of the body. Capsules under the skin called hair follicles are responsible for storing and regrowing hair. Hair follicle blood vessels aid in growth and regeneration. However, hair follicles do not regrow in the presence of a scar on a wounded scalp. Why? Scars include collagen, a fibrous structure that develops to defend the skin underneath the superficial layer. Hair follicles, blood vessels, and nerves may be squeezed out as a result. It’s not at all like the scalp of a normal person.

However, if your damaged hair follicles are beyond repair, a patient can use a number of treatments for hair growth after the wound has healed.

Scientifically Proved Methods to Treat Damaged Hair Folicles

Natural Mane

After a trauma or surgery, hair regrowth takes time. Hair does grow back on the scalp, with the exception of the scar from the craniotomy surgery. Waiting for natural hair to regrow after surgery is the best option for those who have had hair loss as a result of the operation. As the hair around the craniotomy scar grows, it will eventually hide the scar. However, natural hair growth and concealment of a scar may take months for a patient.

Cortisone Injections

The anti-inflammatory drug cortisone is sometimes prescribed to address hair loss. Alopecia areata is treated with an injection of triamcinolone acetonide (Kenalog). According to the patient’s requirements, the number of injections given might range from 2 to 50 or even more.

After cortisone injections, some individuals have as much as a 95% increase in hair growth. However, this treatment isn’t appropriate for many patients. This procedure is best suited for a young woman who had gorgeous hair before the procedure. Before seeing a dermatologist about this hair regrowth procedure, a patient must first get their doctor’s permission.

Hair Transplantation – Surgical

Hair transplantation is a potential alternative for people who have had hair loss as a result of a scarring wound.

When hair follicles die, they are permanently lost. You may, however, use living follicles to replace your dead ones. Of course, we’re speaking of hair transplants. Hair transplants are surgical procedures in which hair follicles from other regions are removed and placed in the areas where your hair follicles have perished.

The follicles that are being transplanted may be from either your scalp or body or they may be from a different person. Hair transplants have a success record of 100 percent if done by a reputable medical professional.

Hair transplantation, on the other hand, is nearly usually the last option. This is for two reasons. The first is that it’s an invasive operation that can leave significant scar tissue behind, and the second is that it’s quite costly.

Doctors provide two surgical hair transplantation options: Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).

FUT involves the removal of a thin strip of tissue from your donor region by one of our board-certified plastic surgeons (usually at the back or side of the head). Later the doctor split the strip into follicular unit grafts using ultra-delicate microscopic methods. After that, the grafts are transplanted to the balding regions.

FUE is a less invasive procedure than FUT. Instead of removing the whole scalp, a medically licensed doctor (not a technician or robot) will remove individual follicular units one at a time during an FUE session (as is done in FUT). Despite the fact that FUE takes longer to execute than FUT, the benefits of this procedure outweigh the drawbacks.

PRP Therapy – Non-Surgical

Patients who don’t want to undergo surgery may choose medicinal treatments like Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy. PRP includes growth factors that may be able to stimulate hair follicle stem cells in places where there is thinning hair. While a hair transplant operation does not employ PRP intraoperatively, it can help with healing and encourage new hair growth in the recipient area thereafter.

Scalp MicroPigmentation

Using scalp micropigmentation (SMP), permanent pigments are injected directly into the bald patch’s dermis. Custom pigments and highly skilled technicians are required for this procedure, which is akin to tattooing. In reality, the entire process is tough.

A 5 to 8-hour operation is possible depending on the patient’s health history, the size of the head, and the extent of the baldness. SMP provides long-lasting effects and does not need frequent clinic visits for improvement or maintenance.

Tattoo artists cannot do SMP since they are not qualified and certified cosmetologists or specialists in the field. Because of this, it seems as though you had a colorful mane covering your bald spot. Before making a decision, patients with a craniotomy scar should speak with their doctor and the SMP specialist.

After undergoing SMP, one might expect a rapid return to normal activities. After the treatment, the redness and discomfort should go away.

Scar Revision

An operation to reduce the prominence of a scar is known as scar revision surgery. The plastic surgeon may suggest a specific technique based on the scar’s kind, size, and placement. Surface treatment or injections of particular dermal fillers (injectable therapy) may be used to smooth out the scar. All of these techniques leave the skin’s surface looking perfectly natural.

Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) – Non-Surgical

Some individuals who prefer a non-invasive, non-surgical treatment, such as photobiomodulation (PBM) or low-level light therapy (LLLT) with laser, do see hair regrowth. Medical research on the results is mixed. Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) uses a specific wavelength of light to stimulate and rejuvenate thinning hair follicles that have been damaged. Several research has shown throughout the years that it is a tried and true approach. Professional LLLT services are far more effective than home-use devices, but they are also far more expensive. At-home LLLT devices, on the other hand, are not only more cost-effective but also simpler to use. 

Minoxidil

Using the topical drug Minoxidil on a daily basis encourages hair growth. However, you will only continue to see growth in your hair if you continue to take the medicine.

With minoxidil, low-level laser treatment is frequently utilized to improve blood flow and, therefore, the scalp’s supply of oxygen and nutrients, promoting follicular regeneration.

DHT blockers

A rise in the body’s testosterone levels causes hair loss rather frequently. The 5-alpha reductase enzyme interacts with excess testosterone to generate dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which affects hair follicles and causes male-pattern baldness.

Finasteride, a drug that prevents testosterone from being converted to DHT, can help keep hair follicles from shrinking.

Finasteride works by raising the number of hairs in the scalp, which can help cure male-pattern baldness. It also has the potential to enhance the look of one’s hair.

Microneedling

Microneedling is a technique that uses very fine needles to create tiny incisions on the scalp in order to increase circulation. The body also produces more collagen and creates new skin cells to help repair wounds, which in turn promotes hair growth.

Microneedling operations should be handled by a dermatologist.

Mesotherapy

Mesotherapy is a procedure in which vitamins are injected into the scalp’s inner layers of the epidermis to enhance nourishment and blood flow.

A Glimmer of Hope: Hair Follicles Could Regrow After Head Wounds

Molecular signaling pathways that inhibit hair development on injured skin have been found by a team led by experts at NYU School of Medicine, possibly assisting in the hunt for new medicines to restore hair growth. According to the study, broken hair strands on laboratory mice were regrown by stimulating crosstalk among skin cells that produce hair roots. The study’s findings were published today in Nature Communications under the title “Hedgehog stimulates hair follicle neogenesis by creating inductive dermis during murine skin wound healing.”

Researchers stimulated a cell-to-cell communication mechanism called sonic hedgehog (Shh). Hair follicles are normally generated during the early phases of human growth in the womb when the route is very active. However, in healthy adults with damaged skin, the process is halted. Hair follicles that have been damaged or surgically removed do not regrow, according to the study.

Hair regrowth was seen in all treated mice four weeks after a skin injury, with hair root and shaft structures appearing nine weeks later.

Dr. Ito’s team will continue to look at how fibroblast chemical and genetic stimulants activate the sonic hedgehog pathway in human skin that has been injured, she says. Her ultimate objective is to discover potential therapeutics for hair regeneration.

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