Scalp Extension: A Quantitative Study

In the 1999 study by Nordström and Raposio, the effectiveness of scalp extenders in preventing stretch-back after scalp reductions for male pattern baldness was assessed. The study involved 10 patients who received scalp reductions with extenders and compared their results to 13 patients from a previous group without extenders. The use of extenders resulted in a mean negative stretch-back of 5.6 mm at level A and 4.5 mm at level B, leading to a net reduction effect of 37.4 mm with extenders versus 20.1 mm without, at 4 weeks postoperatively. This represented a 30 to 86% increase in the net effect of reduction at levels B and A, respectively. The study concluded that scalp extenders significantly increased the net effect of scalp reduction, but they also caused more severe and prolonged headaches in about half of the patients.