How are hair transplant procedures carried out?
When performing a hair transplant, small punch grafts or a larger portion of the hair-bearing scalp taken from a donor area are cut into smaller pieces to be used as grafts. After that, these grafts are moving to a part of the scalp that is bald or getting thinner. The grafts that are produced in this manner vary in size and form. The average number of hairs in a round-shaped punch graft is about 10-15. There are anywhere from two to four hairs in the much smaller mini-graft; and the one-to-two-hair micrograft. Cut units, which are embedded into cuts made in the scalp, contain around four to 10 hairs each; Strip grafts have 30-40 hairs and are long and thin.
To achieve satisfactory fullness, several surgical sessions are typically required, with a healing period of several months between each one. With a complete transplant series, you may not see the final result for up to two years. Your hair’s color and texture will partly determine how much coverage you need. Coverage is better with coarse, gray or light-colored hair than with fine, dark-colored hair. The average number of large plugs transplanted in the first session is approximately fifty, but this varies from patient to patient. The number of mini- or micro-grafts can reach up to 700 per session.
The “donor area” will be cut short just before surgery so that the grafts can be easily removed. Your doctor may use a special tube-like instrument made of sharp carbon steel for punch grafts. This tool punches the round graft out of the donor site so it can be replaced in the area that needs to be covered, usually the frontal hairline. Your doctor will use a scalpel to remove small sections of the hair-bearing scalp for other types of grafts, which will then be transplanted into tiny holes or slits in the scalp. Your doctor may occasionally inject small amounts of saline solution into the scalp following the removal of grafts to keep the skin strong. Stitches can be used to close the donor site holes; for punch grafts, a single stitch can close each punch site; There will be a small, straight-line scar for other types of grafts. The surrounding hair typically covers the stitches.
The grafts are spaced about one-eighth of an inch apart to maintain healthy scalp circulation. In subsequent sessions, additional grafts will be used to fill in the gaps between the plugs. When removing and placing grafts, your doctor will take great care to ensure that the transplanted hair grows naturally and that the donor site’s hair does not suffer.
After the grafting procedure is finished, the scalp will be cleaned and gauze will be applied to it. A pressure bandage may need to be worn for a few days. Some doctors let patients recover without bandages.
Tissue Expansion is a different approach to treating baldness that is used in the treatment process. Tissue expansion is a technique used in reconstructive surgery to repair burn wounds and injuries with significant skin loss. Plastic surgeons lead the field. In a relatively short amount of time, its use in hair transplant surgery has resulted in significant coverage and dramatic results.
A tissue expander, a balloon-like device, is inserted beneath a bald area next to a hair-bearing scalp in this method. Over the course of several weeks, the device is gradually filled with salt water, which causes the skin to expand and produce new skin cells. After several weeks, this causes a bulge beneath the hair-bearing scalp.
Another procedure is performed to bring the expanded skin over to cover the adjacent bald area when the skin beneath the hair has stretched sufficiently, typically approximately two months after the first operation. Request the Tissue Expansion: A Guide from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Inc. brochure from your plastic surgeon for additional information about tissue expansion. Making Old Skin Look Like New.
Over the past two decades, flap surgery on the scalp has been performed with success. This procedure is tailored to each patient and has the capability of quickly covering large bald spots. The patient’s objectives and requirements largely determine the flap’s size and location. 350 or more punch grafts can be completed by one flap.
A portion of the bald scalp is removed, and a flap of hair-bearing skin that is still attached at one end is lifted off the surface. While remaining “tethered” to its initial blood supply, the hair-bearing flap is moved into its new position and sewn in place. As you heal, you’ll notice that relocated hair that grows to the very edge of the incision disguises or at least hides the scar.
For improved crown coverage, plastic surgeons have made significant advancements in flap techniques that combine scalp reduction and flap surgery; or by expanding tissue to create a more natural-looking hairline and better frontal coverage.
Scalp Reduction This method is sometimes called “advanced flap surgery” because parts of the hair-bearing scalp are pulled forward to fill in a bald crown.
Scalp reduction is done to cover up the top and back of the head’s bald spots. It doesn’t work well for covering the frontal hairline. A portion of the bald scalp is removed following the injection of a local anesthetic into the scalp. Depending on the patient’s objectives, the pattern of the scalp section that is removed can be very different. Doctors typically remove a portion of the scalp in an inverted Y shape when there is a need for a significant amount of coverage. The shape of an excision can also be a U, a pointed oval, or another figure.
In order to stitch together the sections of the hair-bearing scalp, loosening and pulling the skin around the cut-out area is done. At this point, you probably will feel some pain and a strong tug.
