Follicular grouping the innovative hair transplant technique
Experiments performed by the hair transplant surgeon Dr Seager
in 1996 gave significant credence to the surgical technique of
unit follicular hair transplant. Since these experiments had
demonstrated that the survival rate of intact follicular unit
was better than the single hair micro-grafts, the use of
micro-grafts for hair transplant surgery was more or less
dropped. Although the results of surgical hair restoration with
the use of follicular unit transplants were sound and
aesthetically pleasing, this form of hair transplant surgery
suffered from drawback of requiring a long time period (6-8 hr)
to complete a transplant session. It involved teams of highly
skilled assistants for the hair transplant procedure of
separating the follicular units. As the procedure required long
time and much skill the procedure was proving to be very costly
to the patient. The surgical damage caused to the follicle when
two follicular units extremely close together were dissected
apart, also started to affect the results of Hair Restoration
Surgery. A reduced success in follicular unit transplantation
was more frequent in hair restoration surgeries that were being
performed by hair transplant surgeons undertaking follicular
unit transplant surgery only infrequently. The fact was of much
concern to the professional hair transplant surgeon. The primary
reason for a reduced success rate was that the assistants of the
hair transplantation surgeon lacked the expertise and experience
in correctly isolating single follicular units and dissecting
them at a fast pace. Ensuring that the follicular unit remains
intact and is dissected and implanted into the scalp in the
shortest possible is essential for increasing the chances of the
hair follicles surviving the process and growing. But whenever
an assistant was not able to take care of this important aspect,
it affected the results. For the above mentioned reasons, a
technique that leaves the follicular unit intact but at the same
time advocates the use of three and four-haired follicular
groupings for surgical hair restoration was evolved by the
innovative hair transplant surgeons. This procedure was found to
have many advantages over follicular unit transplantation. A
single hair follicular unit does not necessarily comprise a
single hair and may contain 2-4 hairs in a single hole. When the
follicular units are found very close to each other in the donor
skin sample it is not advisable to separate them as it can cause
iatrogenic damage to them. Advantage of this fact is taken to
form three-and four-haired groupings when 2 two-haired
follicular units or a three haired unit and one-haired unit are
naturally placed very close to each other. A group (of 1-4
follicular units naturally placed close to each other)
transplanted as a single graft results in superior hair growth
and at the same time lessens the surgical damage and trauma to
the recipient site. The hair transplant procedure of using
natural groups for the hair transplant surgery has many
advantages: 1. It results in much quicker hair transplant
procedure as it saves time for separating each follicular unit
and less time is required for their placement.
2. Hair transplant procedure prevents iatrogenic injury to
follicular units during the dissection phase.
3. It lessens iatrogenic injury during placement phase because
follicular groupings are not as fragile as follicular units
because of more tissue attached to them.
4. As this hair transplant procedure proceeds at a faster rate,
it allows the grafts to be left out of the body for a shorter
period of time and increases their survival rates. 5. The last
but not the least important advantage of this hair transplant
procedure is that it reduces the cost of hair transplant surgery
and is there for affordable to the patient. Besides the above
mentioned advantages, the technique of grouping of hair
follicles can serve as a crucial tool in an expert hair
transplant surgeon's hands to create wonders through the hair
restoration surgery! Success and a natural looking hair
transplant requires strategic planning! The grouping technique
does not undermine the importance of a unit follicular hair
transplant but actually compliments it by conserving more
single-haired follicular units for the defining the hair line.
The 2-haired follicular groups can be used for gradation in the
area immediately posterior to the hair line and use of denser,
but not bigger, 3 haired groups to provide the hair-density to
the bald scalp behind. Besides saving the hair in the donor area
for the future hair transplants this innovative technique of
hair restoration surgery provides you the results which are just
wondrous! Have you found the above article interesting? You can
get more hair transplant information to read on the topic by
logging on to the website hairtransplantadvice.com.