Follicle hair transplant, also known as follicular unit extraction, is a technique that involves getting 1 to 4 follicular units from the donor areas and then transplanting these grafts to the recipient areas, which are basically the balding areas. In the past, transplanted hair was anything but natural because surgeons during those times used large hair grafts that comprised of at least 10 hairs and it wasn’t until the late 1990s that this field of medicine was able to discover a breakthrough technique, which is capable of creating natural-looking transplants.
Follicle Hair Transplant Overview
Today, follicle hair transplant is already considered the standard technique used in treating hair loss. The procedure is done by redistributing naturally occurring follicle units with the use of an elliptical excision. The surgeon would then dissect the follicular units with the use of magnification tools to ensure that the work is done as naturally and as effectively as possible. The donor tissues are separated and then implanted into the recipient sites with the use of 19 or 20-gauge needles. Although this technique is primarily used to address problems of balding and hair thinning on the scalp, it is also an option used in the repair of eyebrows and scarring alopecia.
Benefits of a Follicle Hair Transplant
Majority of surgeons recommend this transplantation technique because it can achieve excellent hair growth that would look very natural to the point that even a hairstylist would not be able to figure out that it’s transplanted hair. With a follicle hair transplant, most patients would only require a single surgical session. Additionally, because of the nature of the procedure, there is minimal trauma and healing is so fast that you can expect complete healing in one week. You also won’t see distortions in the transplanted sites and there is a more natural angulation of the transplanted hair, very much different from the pluglike transplants of the yesteryears. With a follicle hair transplant, it will only take less than 5 hours for the procedure to be completed and you will leave the medical facility without any bandage on your head.
Disadvantages of a Follicle Hair Transplant
This procedure, despite being considered the most reliable hair transplant technique today, also has its share of disadvantages. For one thing, it can be quite expensive considering that it requires long hours to prepare follicular transplants for every patient. Moreover, only a truly skilled hair transplant surgeon is capable of performing the procedure successfully and most of the good ones charge a premium for their services. But, considering the outcomes, the benefits of this procedure far outweigh its disadvantages.
Other Information You Need to Know
It wasn’t until the 1990s when the follicle hair transplant was introduced. The idea was conceived by Dr. Robert Bernstein, who termed it “follicular transplantation.” The concept was further developed and enhanced with the introduction of the binocular microscope as a means to accurately examine donor tissues instead of merely using direct visual examination, which was something that all hair transplant surgeons relied on in the past.