Some of us take our hair for granted.
We wash it, style it, color it and generally do everything we can to mistreat it without a second thought. We’re lucky. Others have the misfortune of not having enough hair – or any at all – to work with.
NeoGraft surgical hair transplants, a surprisingly quick hair-restoration process
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, hereditary hair loss affects 50 million men and 30 million women each year. However, that statistic does not include those who suffer from alopecia areata, trichotillomania or other medically related hair loss.
Follicular unit extraction (FUE) is a relatively minor, minimally invasive procedure. This method does not require a piece of the scalp to be extracted, as is the case with standard processes. Instead, the hair follicles are removed directly from the donor area, which creates a more natural look and doesn’t leave a scar.
The benefits of FUE hair transplantation from the patient’s perspective is that there are no incisions or linear scar along the back of the head and hence no sutures or staples because there is no wound to close, significantly lowered risk of surgical complications, much quicker post-operative recovery, minimal discomfort, and a much more natural looking outcome.
NeoGraft FUE Hair Transplantation: the Latest Breakthrough
The newest, most advanced method of hair transplantation is called the NeoGraft Assisted FUE hair transplant system, which helps eliminate the difficulties associated with a standard Strip Graft method.
NeoGraft uses pneumatic pressure to extract the follicles and precisely implant them, taking away the need for touching the follicles with forceps during harvesting and leaving them in a more robust state.
The process begins with a consultation with the Moore Hair Clinic staff a few days prior to the procedure to discuss exactly what will happen. The day of the surgery, the hair restoration technician will prepare the operating room, and the scalp will be numbed.
“It’s still a surgery, even though it’s less invasive or a minor procedure,” explains Dr. Moore. “They still have to anesthetize the area, so some patients do get nervous.”
An anxious patient actually may bleed more during the process, so the doctor may give the patient an anti-anxiety medication prior to the procedure.
Aiming for the Most-Natural Look
Once all preparations have been made, the hair transplant surgeon will begin extracting hair follicles, or grafts, from the donor area. Donor sites differ from person to person, but are typically on the sides and/or back of the head. The grafts are then inserted into the scalp where hair loss and thinning are occurring in order to create a natural looking hairline that the doctor and patient have agreed upon ahead of time.
During the initial doctor-patient consultation, the patient and doctor will come to an agreement on exactly where the newly restored hairline will be placed in order to achieve the most natural look result possible.
The patient will then have their bandages removed the following morning by an Moore Hair Clinic hair transplant technician and he or she will have their hair shampooed. It is also recommended that the patient begin PRP Platelet Rich Plasma hair therapy that same week in order to achieve maximum new hair growth and the best possible hair transplant final outcome. In all, the patient will be required to have one follow-up visit per month for the first six months.
The patient’s hair will start to grow back within six months and in most cases will be fully grown in 12 months following the procedure.
