Repair work and special situations

Patients with older plugs or minigrafts, and their associated scarring, especially those with "tufted" hairlines, often seek corrective surgery. The plugs may be thinned by electrolysis or relocation/ removal of a portion or "core". The remaining grafts may then be camouflaged via several sessions of 1- and 2-hair micrografts placed along the hairline, with 3- and 4- hair micrografts used to fill in gaps among, and behind, the plugs. "Cobblestoned" (elevated or bumpy) areas of scarring can be smoothed by dermabrasion (sanding). Other special situations that can be treated by micrografting include surgical, scalp reduction, or scalp lift scars; cleft lip scars; or missing eyebrows, eyelashes, sideburns, or moustaches. Limitations of repair work include the possible lack of remaining donor area, persistence of scars, extensive areas of baldness, and the fact that plugs can often never be completely hidden, especially in windy or wet situations.