Treatment of scarring alopecia in children using follicular unit hair transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Scarring alopecia can significantly affect children emotionally. Follicular unit excision (FUE) and follicular unit transplantation (FUT) have been applied for scar treatment.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of follicular unit hair transplantation in treating scarring alopecia in children.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of nine children (seven males and two females) with cicatricial alopecia, ranging in age from 5 years, 2 months to 12 years, 10 months were included in this study. Scar formation time ranged from 7 months to 5 years. Sites were vertex (2), eyebrow (3), frontal hairline (3), and temporal regions (2).

RESULTS: Nine children in this group were followed up for 6-34 months with the following treatment options: FUE (5 cases), FUT (3 cases), and FUT combined with FUE (1 case). No significant complications were observed during the treatment. The transplanted hair grew well, the direction and shape were satisfactory, and the survival rate was >90%.

CONCLUSION: For children with burn trauma and cicatricial alopecia after surgery, hair transplantation can significantly improve their appearance with low surgical risk and high patient satisfaction rate.