What are the advantages and disadvantages of “trichophytic” closure of the donor area?
Tricophytic closure of the donor area consists of the trimming of a portion of the most superficial layer of the skin—the epidermis—off one edge of the donor wound prior to closing it, such that the hair on the other edge of the wound might grow through the scar and render it virtually invisible. As mentioned elsewhere in this website, we strongly recommend that the scar be excised as a component of any strip that is carried out subsequent to the first one. (See “What are the advantages and disadvantages of leaving only one linear donor area scar regardless of the number of sessions?”) In addition, good conventional harvesting technique results in a scar that is no more than 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm wide in a large majority of patients. Moreover, it should run through the densest hair in the donor rim. Because of the preceding three factors, the donor area scar—even after multiple surgeries—is not noticeable in nearly all patients, including when the hair is wet, unless one looks carefully for
