It is a query that awakes simultaneously many fears
and expectations when the plastic surgeon is visited.
Generally the patient has intended or tried other alternative
treatments with a non-favorable result.


It is about patients that are from 20 to 50 years old, and that in some way want to recover the hair they lost during the last years. The first to investigate are the family antecedents.

The micro transplant of the follicle unit was described in 1984 by Headington and was later improved with the hair-by-hair technique (from Uebel) and the utilization of the microscope to magnify the size of these small transplants, that are retired from the posterior area of the scalp (occipital region), and transferred to the anterior region where they are implanted with LASER technology’s help, obtaining more natural and satisfactory results.

With LASER’s introduction the possibility of realizing the orifice of the receipting zone (where the small transplants are put) with greater precision appears. The improvements achieved along time, are currently providing excellent results with a good integration of the micrografts transplanted.

SURGERY

It is an ambulatory surgery, the patient returns home on the same day. With a 4-hours-surgery, the integrity of the lost hair is recovered. As the sedation is minimum the patient feels the surgery the least possible, thus it is not a traumatic treatment.

The area from where the micrografts are retired is closed with various stitches, and next the little transplants’ orifices are realized with the LASER. The micrografts are separated in follicular units that contain one or two roots, applying the hair-by-hair technique and always helped by the use of the microscope. Later the head bandage is realized; bandage is retired after 24 hours.

The hair grows 5 mm during the first two weeks and later it, practically all, falls off to reinitiate the germination process fours months later. The definitive results are obtained around the eight months approximately.

RESULTS

This innovating surgery can be utilized on most baldness types, on incipient cases as well as on advanced ones with no residual hair. The final result varies from patient to patient since some will need only one session and others two or three.

The advantages of utilizing the LASER for this surgery is that the edema or swelling is minor, and provides greater precision to carry out the small orifices where the hair is implanted, allowing an integration of the 90% of the micrografts. The main advantage is that allows the transplant of more hair per surface unit with more natural results according to patient expectations.