Hair Transplants: Plastic Surgery

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Hair Transplants: Plastic Surgery Procedures
The principal behind hair transplant plastic surgery stems from the permanency of some hair. While some hair on your scalp has a transient life span, other hair tends to endure for a lifetime. It was found that permanent hair could be transplanted to any part of the body where it can continue to grow and behave as if it were still in its original site.

Hair transplant plastic surgery is a safe, minor surgical procedure that involves removing donor hair from the back or sides of the scalp (donor area) and placing them into the bald or thinning areas of the scalp (recipient area).

Dr. Okuda, a Japanese dermatologist has first described the punch technique of hair transplantation in 1939. This was first applied on scalp of severe burned patients and it was noticed that there was considerable growth. Five years later, Dr. Tamura tried a micro grafting technique to restore female pubic hair, which was in demand from the Japanese society during that time. It was Dr. Orentreich from New York, who first performed hair transplantation in the western world in 1952. His findings were published in 1959 and it was since then that transplanted hair was more commonly used to cover naturally balding areas.

For 30 years the techniques have not shown any considerable improvement and it is only in 1990 that an innovative technique that gave natural results was firstly applied. This was the Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) Technique.

The FUT technique identifies the patient’s natural hair groupings called follicular units. These are then removed from the surrounding skin in a way that leaves them intact in their genetic form. They are then placed in the recipient area with the appropriate density, distribution, direction, angulation and orientation thus giving natural results.

FUT hair transplants can be performed in two different techniques:

* The “Strip Harvesting Technique” which involves removing a strip containing a large group of follicular units from the donor area
* The “Follicular Unit Extraction” (FUE) Technique", which involves removing one follicular unit at a time directly from the donor area.

In addition to explaining our techniques we show a different result in every section, because we understand that what counts for the patient at the end of the day, is how he looks after the hair transplant.

Strip Method Hair Transplant
The Strip Harvesting technique of hair transplant plastic surgery involves removing the follicular units to be transplanted as one group, from the donor area. By this way the follicular units are kept intact in their genetic form and prevent the individual hair follicles from being damaged. Each follicular unit contains one to four hairs, the average being 2.2 hairs per follicular unit.

These follicular units are then dissected with great care under microscopes equipped with fibre optics so as to avoid the application of heat to the follicles. These follicular units are preserved in a special solution at the right temperature until the doctor prepares the recipient sites on the patient. They are then placed with great care in to the bald or thinning areas of the scalp, called the recipient area.

Follicular Unit Dissection: Placement of Grafts
There are many factors that contribute towards a complete and natural hair transplant plastic surgery result. The most important one is the experience and the know-how of the surgical team involved in the surgery. An expert hair transplant plastic surgeon will deliver a state of the art hair restoration by observing strict quality control procedures during every phase of the procedure.

There are several key elements necessary to achieve a satisfactory result. The most important of these key elements are the following:
* Proper donor extraction and closing
* Proper follicular unit dissection
* Proper graft hydration and storage
* Recipient site creation using proper angulation, direction and arrangement
* Natural hairline design
* Careful placement of grafts with the proper technique so as to avoid their damage
* Proper post-surgery care

The dissection of the grafts is vital to the final result. The strip is first dissected in slivers as shown below, and then the slivers are dissected into follicular units or grafts. This way of dissection under the hands of a well trained team, ensures no wastage of grafts and makes placing easier without the fear of graft damage. This is one factor that ensures higher percentage growth.

Sliver as seen under the microscope ready for dissection

Two hair follicular unit as seen under the microscope ready for placement
In addition to explaining our techniques we show a different result in every section, because we understand that what counts for the patient at the end of the day, is how he looks after the hair transplant.

For Hair Transplant Plastic Surgery Information and before and after photographs follow the links above. For a free no obligation hair transplant consultation at Allure Plastic Surgery & Dermatology use this convenient on-line form.