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Ten
reasons our work looks better than the others!
At The Hair Loss Center we:
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The
front half inch of each hairline is composed of single
hairs only. In a naturally occurring thinning scalp, the
frontal hairline is always composed of single hair follicular
units. Quite simply it’s nature’s way. In a
balding area, the 3-haired groups become 2-haired, the
2-haired groups become 1 haired,
and the one-hair solo hairs miniaturize until they are
completely out of sight. And although 1, 2, 3, and 4 hair
follicular units randomly exist in the donor area, we
do not plant them randomly in the recipient area. The
1, 2, 3, and 4 hair follicular unit grafts are divided
into separate groups, and then the one haired grafts are
planted most forward, followed by the two haired grafts,
etc. The result is a delicate feathered hairline.
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If
nature does it, so do we. Placing single haired grafts
in the front quarter inch of hairline is simply not good
enough! Only the single hairs of the smallest diameter
are placed in the very front areas. They are placed into
the areas with delicate, subtle, and random irregularity.
We use the fine vellus-like hairs that truly characterize
a natural hairline. This is demonstrated on the 100% transplanted
hairline to the left. |
The angle of exit of hair from the normal scalp is approximately
30 degrees. A 90 degree or perpendicular exit from the scalp
is not the way hair normally grows. Therefore we create hundreds
of slit incisions into the anesthetized scalp with special
micro scalpels. Each incision enters the skin at a 30 degree
angle and creates a slit that is 0.9 - 1.25 in length. (a dime
is 1mm thick) If a conventional pointed scalpel were angled
to enter the skin at 30 degrees, it would create a slit that
is more than 2.0 mm in length. A recipient site of 2mm is
simply too big to properly accommodate one and two haired
micrografts.
In the frontal hairline, all hair point
in the same direction... forward. Real hair does not grow in
any and all directions. Many rushed and inexperienced HT techs
plant without regard to direction. Patients are assured that
repeated brushing will “train” the hair to grow in
the desired direction. Unfortunately, that’s not the way
it works. In the posterior scalp however, we do not plant hairs
all in the same direction. They are planted in a whirlpool configuration
as it normally occurs in nature - as you can see on the right.
Our hairlines are irregular, asymmetric, imprecise, and feathered
-- just as they occur in nature. Creating a smooth, sharp
hairline like the actor Stephen Segal may be someone’s
idea of how a hairline should look - but you won’t find
that kind of work performed in our facility.
If micro grafts are allowed to dehydrate or exist at room
temperature, there’s a good chance that they won’t
grow as well as they should. All grafts are continuously maintained
in a nutritious, moist, cool bath until time of planting.
Our instruments are incredibly sharp and true “micro”
scalpels. The actual thickness of each blade is 50% thinner
that what most facilities use. A clean sharp slit is the key
to fast healing, less redness, and no scarring. Never, ever
do we punch round holes into the skin! The curved-edge scar
that results is easily detectable.
Take a look at many other transplants
and the hairs are growing
from a tiny depressed area or a slightly raised bump. This results
if the technician places the graft too deeply or too shallow
in the recipient site. It’s all a matter of taking the
time to do it properly. Here’s an example of our work to
the left. Our techs have years and years of experience and quality
control is maintained at critical levels. Don’t expect
any textural changes in the skin of your scalp.
The skin of the donor area is lighter in color than the skin
of the recipient area. That’s because it’s been
covered by hair and never been exposed to the sun. This skin
travels with the hair in the graft to the front of the scalp.
In order to minimize the color/texture variation, our techs
carefully trim any excess skin from each graft. That means
the grafts are somewhat pear shaped, rather than rectangular.
Is that very time consuming? You bet it is... but these small
details make the difference between good results and great
results!
Remember the old Barbie doll look? This appearance, called
“tufting” was the major complaint patients had
with the old style 5 to 15 hair plugs that were popular at
the time. Yet in many clinics today, tufting is still a problem,
even though the grafts contain only 3 hairs. Tufting occurs
because excess skin is not trimmed from the graft, and the
oversized graft is placed into a slit that is too small to
accommodate it. The result? A 3-haired “micro-tuft.”
By
trimming the excess skin from each and every graft, the grafts
themselves are smaller, and therefore the recipient slits can
be made smaller, and placed much closer to one another. (as
close as 1.25 mm apart!) That means 40-50% more grafts can be
planted per session. With high-density packing, a normal density
of growing hair is achieved sooner, and patients are usually
finished in just 2 sessions! |
