A hair transplant procedure is the transference of hair grafts from the donor region to receded,
thinning or balding areas that are affected by normal male and female hair loss.
The procedure is done by removing a strip of
good genetically coded hair from donor area where hair growth is permanent, healthy and strong and not affected by DHT (Dihydrotestosterone).
The back center area of the donor area is the primary area where the strip should be removed. Going into the areas on the sides (behind
the ears) is risky because there are more blood vessels and arteries in those areas and it requires an extremely skilled and experienced
surgeon to know how to avoid serious issues.
This donor strip can vary greatly in size depending on the amount of grafts needing
to be harvested. After the strip is removed, the surgeon will suture this donor area back together. Since our surgeons specialize
in various suturing techniques, we consider the best suturing to be a baseball style running suture, which consists of just one running
suture line. This type of suturing ensures a good secure closure without the fear of scar spreadage.
Since we have such a large
roster of patients who are from rural areas and other countries entirely, it is not always easy or convenient for them to find a doctor
or facility to have their sutures removed. So, we have adapted to using dissolveable sutures for all procedures. They are 100% secure
and actually work out even better for patients with unusually tight scalps or those who have had more than one procedure because they
can leave the sutures in for an undetermined amount of time without any issues. Over time the sutures will simply dissolve away on
their own.
When removing the strip from the donor area, our Medical Facility cautions against surgeons going too deep into the
scalp to remove the strip. Going too deep cause excessive and unnecessary pain and/or bleeding and huge delays in healing. Our surgeons
only go as deep as the dermis layer because that is primarily where the healthy hair follicles are anyway.
Many hair transplant
clinics and surgeons go past the hair bulb and dermis layer and into the fatty layer when harvesting the donor strip. This causes
more pain in the first week of healing and takes longer for the feeling and nerves to bounce back.
While the surgeon is suturing
your donor area, other surgical specialists will dissect the strip into the desired size hair graft sizes. Our surgical team will
"dissect" these grafts into follicular units with the aid of microscopic like "goggles" (if necessary) under extremely powerful lights
built for the surgery room.
Depending on your particular hair loss pattern and the mutually agreed upon approach to giving you
the best hair transplant results, grafts can vary in size and/or hair amounts.
Typical graft sizes are as follows…
Micro
grafts: 1 hair (Excellent for recreating the hairline area)
Mini grafts: 2 to 3 hairs (Used to fill-in behind the new hairline and
for the rest of the frontal area)
Maxi grafts: 4 to 5 hairs (Great for maximum thickness and density in the crown area)
The “Old
Time Plugs” used to have 12 to 18 hairs per plug and looked completely unnatural.
While the grafts are being dissected and prepared
for implantation, the surgeon and surgical specialists will prepare the recipient areas of the scalp by making apertures (openings)
for the grafts to be inserted into.
This is not as easy to do as it sounds. Great care and Artistic approach must go into choosing
where to make these apertures. The hairline must be recreated to appear natural with grafts staggered so as not to appear to form
a uniform line. Minimal space will be left between apertures to allow enough blood to flow to each unit.
Like any experienced
and qualified surgical team; they will work together to complete every aspect of your procedure. Each member of the surgical team
has their own area of expertise and specialize in that particular area.
Once your hair implant procedure is finished, your Doctor
will advise you on how to take care of your newly implanted grafts. Over a period of around 10 to 14 days the larger grafts will develop
dot scabs that will form, heal and dry up and fall off during this healing period. When the scabs come off, the newly transplanted
hairs will typically come off with the scabs as well. This is perfectly normal. The new “permanent” hairs will just start to grow
at around 3 to 4 months post-op. Then it can take up to 12 months for the very last grafts to start producing their hairs.
The
smallest grafts will not be very visible as they begin to heal up almost immediately and typically do not form scabs. DO NOT mistake
this for thinking that no grafts were transplanted. They were…you just can’t see them.
We take great care in moving your existing hair out of the way to get our micro needle down to your scalp for your new transplants. But, your hair may look a little thinner directly after your surgery due to some of your longer hair getting nicked as the micro needle gets to the scalp to make a new aperture. This hair will grow back to length right away and be about an inch long in a couple of months. This hair does not have to go though the 3-4 month dormant cycle like the new transplants.
To get a better Idea of how your Donor area will look like after it is (done correctly) go to our Scar Revision page.
(Our Medical Institute honors all other U.S. clinic's quotes and will beat their price by 12 %)