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Follicular Transplantation for the Correction of Various Stigmas After Rhytidoplasty

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Abstract

Background

Rhytidoplasty may cause permanent and unwanted stigmas, such as dislocation of the temporal and cervical hairline. Widened scars inside the hairline may cause considerable social embarrassment. Furthermore, pretrichial incisions, even if well placed, may widen or become hypochromic, thus revealing that an aesthetic procedure has been performed. Various procedures for the correction of these undesirable telltale signs of a face-lift have been published. This report aims to present the results of correction for postrhytidoplasty stigmas using follicular transplantation. Patient assessment is discussed, and relevant technical aspects are detailed and illustrated.

Methods

A prospective study at the Ivo Pitanguy Clinic investigated patients who underwent hair transplantation to correct unaesthetic signs secondary to rhytidoplasty from January 2001 to December 2004. The aesthetic results and complications were evaluated, as well as the patients’ satisfaction rate. The patients presented in this series either were referred from another service or had their rhytidoplasty originally performed in the authors’ service.

Results

A total of 33 female patients were included in this study. Two patients were lost to follow-up evaluation and not included. The complications were minor. In the late follow-up assessment, 24 patients classified the result as excellent, 4 as satisfactory, and 3 as unsatisfactory. Only the patients who classified the results as unsatisfactory requested a second procedure (i.e., another follicular transplantation).

Conclusions

When performed by an experienced surgical team, the follicular unit transplantation technique is a simple, safe, and efficient way to correct stigmas secondary to a rhytidoplasty, such as a visible scar or a displaced hairline, with satisfactory results and a very low complication rate.

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The authors state that no financial support was given in the preparation of this article. They also state that there are no commercial associations that might create a conflict of interest with any information presented in this article. All the authors are in agreement with the final version of the article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plastic Surgery, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Henrique N. Radwanski M.D., Daniel Nunes M.D., Flávio Nazima M.D. & Ivo Pitanguy M.D.

  2. Department of Plastic Surgery, Carlos Chagas Institute of Postgraduate Medical Studies, Rua Dona Mariana 65, Rio de Janeiro, 22280-020, Brazil

    Henrique N. Radwanski M.D., Daniel Nunes M.D., Flávio Nazima M.D. & Ivo Pitanguy M.D.

  3. Ivo Pitanguy Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Henrique N. Radwanski M.D., Daniel Nunes M.D., Flávio Nazima M.D. & Ivo Pitanguy M.D.

  4. Rua Dona Mariana, 143 Suite F 22, Rio de Janeiro, 22280-020, Brazil

    Henrique N. Radwanski M.D.

Authors
  1. Henrique N. Radwanski M.D.
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  2. Daniel Nunes M.D.
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  3. Flávio Nazima M.D.
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  4. Ivo Pitanguy M.D.
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Correspondence to Henrique N. Radwanski M.D..

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Radwanski, H.N., Nunes, D., Nazima, F. et al. Follicular Transplantation for the Correction of Various Stigmas After Rhytidoplasty. Aesth Plast Surg 31, 62–68 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-006-0141-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-006-0141-5

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