Operation Restore
Locks of Love
National Alopecia
Areata Foundation
|
THE HAIR RESTORATION REPORT May 2003 Congratulations! You have been selected to receive this issue of the "HAIR RESTORATION REPORT." This report contains tips on how to make the most out of the hair you already have, slow the hair loss process and more effectively plan and manage the restoration of your hair. In This Issue: Hair Transplant Graft HarvestingPatients are sometimes concerned about how the grafts for microsurgical or follicular unit transplantation are harvested, so I thought I would write this brief article to clarify harvesting methods and specifics. Harvesting is the process of removing a small strip of tissue from the back of the head for the purpose of hair transplantation. There is no one and only correct or standard approach to removing the hair follicles from the donor area for a surgical hair transplant procedure. Each doctor has his own system or style. But today most are very similar. In fact to the layman they differ so little that one would scarcely recognize the difference. The first system developed by a physician in New York in the 50’s was to take a round biopsy punch, usually 4 mm or one quarter inch and remove it, followed by placing it in a slightly smaller punch in the receptor area of the front of the head and leave the hole that the punch left open to heal on its own. This was called the “Open method.” The next system to be developed was to remove a cluster of round punches of scalp and hair and suture the area closed, leaving a linear scar. This unfortunately left numerous scars and of course the grafts were of rather large size. When transplanted to the top of the scalp they often were unnatural looking and recognizable to the naked eye. In the early 90’s physicians started removing a long thin strip of scalp, which was divided into the number of grafts needed, and the wound was then sutured closed. This is the most commonly used and generally accepted practice among the vast majority of hair restoration surgeons today. Some physicians used a single blade and remove an elliptical area of scalp. Others used a double-bladed knife, which had the advantage of parallel incisions. This produced a very well defined and quantifiable area both in length and width. Still other physicians developed multi-bladed knives with 3, 4, 5 and up to 8 blades with dividers between to measure the exact distance between the blades. Many felt this method caused too much loss of hair roots. Whether single blades or multiple blades, the strips can only be 10 to 12” long and only ¾ to 1” wide. This is due to the tolerance of the average available scalp area at the back of the head. Typically this produces the following results in the number of graft and corresponding hair count: • 600 grafts with 5 hairs per graft = 3,000 hairs Few physicians are going back to the old open method of punching individual holes but instead of 4 mm punches they are using 1 mm punches or needles and calling this a new method or follicular extraction. They try to claim that this will not produce scarring, that it is less traumatic, and that no suturing is needed. Yet few physicians agree with this as a preferable method. It is my opinion that this method is being touted primarily for publicity and commercial reasons and is not supported by any medical studies. Regardless of the methods of harvesting used to extract hair from the donor area, only so much harvestable area is available. Only so much hair can be removed during each procedure and there is a limit as to how much can be harvested from the donor area. In short it is a finite, limited resource. If you seek more information about harvesting, I recommend
that you contact a medical doctor that has years of experience
specializing only in hair restoration. These professionals
see the most number of patients and have the greatest level
of experience. West Covina One-on-One with the doctor Albuquerque One-on-One with the doctor Want to know more about the many options available to you
in hair restoration, hair maintenance and hair replacement?
Contact the Sword Medical Center office nearest you 1-800-242-6900
or go to www.swordmedical.com |
