Hair growth following scalp microvascular flap transfer for baldness due to burn injury.

A female patient, 8 years of age, presented with baldness of the right scalp following deep scalds from boiling soup landing on the head, neck, and chest. The depth of the burn was severe enough to cause baldness. She was primarily advised to wear a wig to address the problem of baldness on one side. Surgery was planned to use uninjured scalp skin to offer hairy skin coverage of the bald site. A left scalp skin flap (2.5 by 7 cm) based on the superficial temporal artery and vein was transferred to the bald area, with microvascular anastomosis to the superficial temporal vessels on the right side. There was complete survival of the flap with uneventful recovery and satisfactory growth of hair. Hair growth from the flap was comparatively thicker than from the rest of the scalp. This microvascular flap has produced sufficient hair to cover the entire area of the baldness and the patient does not need to wear a wig.