Cutis Verticis Gyrata treated with scalp reduction

[Jerry Cooley, MD]

This patient came in for a hair transplant consult to camouflage his cutis verticis gyrata. In this condition, the scalp becomes mounded up in thickened skin folds. The cause is unknown, and in his case, was not associated with any other medical problems. He was in his late 20's and had noticed the problem developing over the prior 10 years.

I felt that the best result would come from a scalp reduction followed by a hair transplant. A scalp reduction was performed using a 'Mercedes Star' pattern, allowing removal of approximately 50 cm2 of redundant scalp skin, which removed most of the skin folds. Visible on the op photo is a deep crease to the left of the incision; this crease had smoothed out dramatically by the time of suture removal. A transplant will be performed to cover the scar and remaining folds; followup pictures will be posted if available.