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Hair transplant methods

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Hair is not only an indicator of human health, but also an important part of appearance. Hair loss can be very stressful for anyone, so you need to take action as quickly as possible. If anti-hair loss medications can still help in the first stages of baldness, then there is not a single effective method other than hair transplantation, which is a minimally invasive surgical operation. The surgeon takes hair follicles from the donor area, which most often becomes the back of the head, and introduces them into areas of baldness. Transplanted hair will never fall out as it is not affected by hormones. The duration of the operation is usually from 5 to 7 hours.

Hair transplant methods

Officially, the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery recognizes only two methods of hair transplantation - FUT and FUE, but since clinics also offer other methods, let's look at them too.

There is no exact answer to the question “Which transplant method is the best.” Each type has both advantages and disadvantages. With any method, the operation is performed under local anesthesia without pain.

FUT ( Strip method, patchwork method)

The oldest of the methods presented. The name of the method speaks for itself; the word strip is translated as flap. The essence of the method is that the surgeon takes a piece of skin from the donor area, then it is divided into grafts - small particles that contain from 1 to 4 follicles, which will later be implanted into bald areas.

First stage

Assistants prepare the donor area, shorten the hair to the required length for collecting a strip of skin, after which it is cut out with a scalpel and healed. The flap is divided into small particles.

Second phase

The graft implantation area is prepared and channels are made. The surgeon implants grafts extracted from a strip of skin into previously formed canals.

The advantages of this method include: a low percentage of transection, graft damage, about 4 percent, as well as the ability to implant a large number of grafts in a relatively short time and low cost.

But there are disadvantages that cancel out all the advantages:

• Large scars and scars on the donor area that are almost impossible to hide
• Long recovery time
• Highly invasive. When removing the flap, tissues and blood vessels are seriously injured
• The surgeon uses the number of grafts that is in the removed flap

FUE (seamless method)

FUE is a seamless technique; grafts are removed without a scalpel, using a special micropunch. Using this technique, you can get greater hair density, since grafts can be taken from the entire surface of not only the back of the head, but also from other parts of the head and even the body, which allows you to transplant the maximum number of grafts. This technique is less invasive; the equipment allows for removal and implantation to be performed delicately, with a minimum amount of tissue damage; under such conditions, healing occurs quickly, painlessly, and without discomfort.

First stage

The surgeon collects each graft individually using a thin needle; assistants group them and place them in a special solution so that the survival rate is higher.

Second phase

The smallest channels are prepared, the surgeon implants the grafts, during which time you can watch TV or read.

Advantages:

• Ability to accurately calculate the number of grafts
• Low invasiveness. No scars after recovery
• Fast and painless recovery period, about 7 days
• Wide selection of donor areas

Flaws:

• Longer procedure for individual graft removal
• Higher price

DHI , HFE , IMPLANTER PEN , microFUE

This technique has its own name in different clinics. At its core, it is a type of FUE, this method is sometimes called non-surgical, but this is not so, the difference with FUE is that during implantation, an implant pen is used, into which the grafts are loaded and implanted manually, in one movement, which requires high responsibility of the surgeon , the channels are not prepared in advance.

For clarity, we have prepared for you a comparative table of transplantation methods.

If you want to get more detailed advice on hair transplant methods, then call our clinic at +7 980 685 84 50 or request a call back and our manager will contact you as soon as possible.

Who and where is hair transplanted?

The operation is performed on men and women. The main indication for the procedure is hair loss, which can occur for various reasons. We have already talked about them in a separate article.

Most often, hair transplantation is done on the head. Some people decide to transplant into the beard area if it is not thick enough or has an unsightly growth line. Hair follicles can also be implanted into eyebrows and sideburns.

The procedure is not available to everyone. There are no serious contraindications for Hair transplants, but the doctor may refuse if the patient does not have healthy hair on the back of the head or on the sides of the skull.

Transplant process

Hair transplant prices directly depend on the area of ​​hair transplantation and the degree of baldness. This transplantation lasts for 1-8 hours.

When transplanting using the FUE method, the skin area that is selected as the site for collecting hair follicles is first prepared. The hair in this area is cut short, and the skin is treated with an antiseptic. The same area of ​​skin is then numbed with a local anesthetic.

The grafts are collected using a special tool. At the same time, the specialist makes sure that the hair density in the donor area does not decrease significantly. In order to prepare the area where follicles are planned to be transplanted, the doctor uses a special instrument to make small holes in the skin. The hair transplant itself is carried out using microtweezers. An acceptable result can usually be achieved in one procedure.

Why does this technology make hair thicker?

Another significant benefit of using the Choi pen is the increase in hair density as it allows follicles to be transplanted between existing hair in the transplant area. Many patients who are interested in hair transplantation as a solution to their hair loss problem end up giving up on the idea because the hair needs to be completely shaved off before this operation. This is necessary so that the micromotor can make channel cuts in the scalp before transplanting the follicles.

However, when using the Choi Pen, existing hair in the transplant area no longer needs to be shaved off. This implanter can be used to make it easier to insert follicles between existing hair. This method of hair transplantation also has another important advantage: when follicles are inserted between existing hair, the doctor sees the angle at which the hair grows, which allows him to achieve the ideal location of the transplanted follicles, which will coincide with the existing ones.

These unique benefits of hair transplant using the Choi implant also allow you to achieve excellent results in beard and eyebrow transplants . And most importantly, this method guarantees the absence of scars on the face, since no incisions are made during the procedure.

What is a Choi pen and how does it work?

The idea for the Choi pen first originated at Gyeongbuk National University in Korea. Its essence is simple: to combine the punching of canals in the transplant area with the transplantation of extracted follicles. This implanter resembles a pen with a hollow needle at the end, which is connected to a tube and a piston.

During a hair transplant using the Choi implanter, the doctor loads follicles extracted from the donor area into the implanter. He carefully inserts them using tweezers into the hollow needle (which is located at the end of the implanter). The pen is then used to transplant the follicles into the scalp. The doctor places the handle at the desired angle to the head and transplants the follicles by pressing the piston.

This process is then repeated again for each individual follicle. During a normal hair transplant surgery , the doctor handles the procedure and the medical staff assists him while working with 6 more Choi pens to ensure the procedure takes place as quickly as possible. Each implanter is equipped with several needles of different sizes, into which one to three follicles can be placed.

How is the preparation going?

Before undergoing a hair transplant in an aesthetic medicine clinic, certain preparations are required. To identify contraindications for transplantation, the doctor prescribes an examination, which includes a biochemical blood test, urine test, coagulogram, and blood tests for common infections.

This procedure is contraindicated in the following cases:

• diabetes mellitus at the stage of decompensation;
• poor blood clotting;
• inflammatory diseases of the skin in the donor area or in the area where hair is planned to be transplanted;
• age up to 16 years;
• mental illness;
• oncological diseases;
• individual intolerance to drugs for local anesthesia.

Hair transplantation is not performed in case of chaotic hair loss throughout the body, as well as if baldness is caused by radiation or chemotherapy. It is not recommended to do this procedure if the exact cause of hair loss cannot be determined.

If no contraindications are identified, then two weeks before the transplant, the patient should stop using medications intended to combat baldness. A week before the transplant, you should stop taking medications that affect blood clotting. Two days before the procedure you need to stop drinking alcohol.

How does transplanted hair survive?

Since the hair, roughly speaking, is simply inserted into the holes, it needs to be fixed somehow. It would seem logical to use bandages to prevent the hair from falling out as soon as the wind blows or the patient shakes his head. In fact, this is not necessary at all, since the hair holds on perfectly with the help of natural glue - the protein fibrin.

This is how the transplant area is designated before surgery.

This fixation, combined with the low-traumatic nature of the procedure, in which anesthesia, if used, is local, allows the patient to go home on the same day.

Depending on your hair type and color, within a year you will be able to evaluate the results and be surprised at how modern medicine works.

Is this method suitable for all patients?

According to hair transplant experts, using the Choi pen during the follicle extraction phase of surgery may not be suitable for everyone. After this method was developed at Gyeongbuk National University in Korea, it was successfully used on Asians suffering from hair loss, so the technique became widespread there.

However, although doctors have had good results using the Choi implanter for hair transplants on patients of Asian descent, operations performed on people of other races have been less successful. Experts have studied this phenomenon and come to the following conclusion: Asians have dense and straight hair, while people of other races have thin and curly hair, which makes it difficult to load the Choi pen with follicles and transplant them into the scalp.

The procedure can result in curled follicles, improper insertion of follicles into the scalp, and excessive damage to the follicles. Therefore, using the Choi pen for hair transplantation may not be suitable for all patients wishing to undergo this surgery.

Prices for hair transplantation in Moscow

How much hair transplantation costs depends on the specific clinic and your individual indications. The cost will be based on the following factors:

• chosen method;
• required number of procedures;
• transplant area area;
• anesthesia (in some clinics);
• price for transplantation of one graft or follicular unit.

Expensive clinics where hair transplantation is performed charge prices for a graft at about 100–200 rubles per unit. Average prices are 70–100 rubles/transplant, low prices are 50–70 rubles. Typically, about 2000–2500 grafts are taken for transplantation. When transplanting using the HFE method, prices vary within the same limits, but not per graft, but per follicular unit. In 1 day, within a few hours, the HFE technique allows you to transplant up to 6000 FU.

Contraindications

Hair transplantation is recommended for all patients who are concerned about thinning or hair loss, for anyone who would like to restore or get a thicker beard, mustache, eyebrows, as well as cover scars of various origins. But hair transplantation must be approached with the principle of reasonable sufficiency, understanding that the donor area is not infinite, i.e. so as not to exhaust your physical capabilities ahead of time.

Hair transplantation is not performed if:

• mental illness;
• skin diseases in the acute stage.

You should be careful when choosing a hair transplantation technique for diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, and diseases of the cardiovascular system. Such patients are best suited to the non-surgical HFE technique, which is painless and has no complications. After transplantation procedures, be sure to follow all doctor’s recommendations for caring for your scalp and hair.