Progressive Hair Transplants

Posted Tuesday, September 11, 2007 to PROCEDURES > Hair

Posted by The Original Anti-Aging & Cosmetic Surgery Magazine

Jeffrey Waesche MD from the PAI Medical Group explains how more hair per session means a smaller number of sessions are required to produce the desired result with less disruption of normal life.

Now is a particularly exciting time in the field of hair restoration surgery both for patients and for those of us performing hair transplants. Just within the last decade we have seen significant improvements in techniques, instruments, anesthesia, minigrafting and numerous other areas. Because of these advances, we can now do larger grafting procedures more efficiently and at the same time achieve a more natural and cosmetically appealing result. A virtual explosion of standard and new information about hair transplantation is now available via textbooks, periodicals, scientific meetings, audio and video tapes and the Internet. This makes it possible for motivated surgeons to offer their patients the most up-to-date procedures and high quality results.

Increasingly, cosmetic surgery is viewed by the general public as an acceptable way of increasing self-esteem and quality of life. Hair transplantation, in particular, once viewed with skepticism even by those desperate for a solution to their hair loss problem, has now achieved mainstream status.

The success of the PAI approach to hair restoration is primarily due to the continued emphasis of certain basic principles: focusing our expertise and achieving the best results for our patients with minimum disruption.

Philosophy

Our basic philosophic approach begins with a time-honored idea: "Do one thing and do it well." We don't do facelifts, tummy tucks, breast implants, etc. We concentrate our energies on performing the best hair transplantation possible for each individual patient.

We endeavor to produce a natural appearing hairline with single follicle (called follicular unit) grafts. Then we carefully blend in progressively larger grafts behind the hairline. In this fashion we are able to move a maximum number of permanently growing hairs from the donor site on the back of the head to the recipient area. We move four to six times as much hair as the standard approach, using follicular unit grafts throughout. without sacrificing natural appearance.

More hair per session means a smaller number of sessions are required to produce the desired result. In the long run, this means less expense to the patient and less disruption of normal life.

Knowledge & Experience

Obviously our approach is more complex and requires better planning than the standard approach, and solid knowledge of the basic principles and techniques of hair transplantation is essential. We must consider numerous variables such as patient expectation, hair color, texture and density, facial characteristics, age, family history, degrees of present and future hair loss, scalp laxity and so on. This information must then be organized, the plan presented to the patient in an understandable way, and modified further, if necessary, until doctor and patient are 'on the same page'.

This is more work and takes more time, but experience tells us this individualized approach produces better results and happier patients.

Knowledge of technique is obviously not sufficient in itself. That technique must be specifically applied with meticulous attention to detail to produce superior results. And this is our goal.

However, no surgeon can achieve this goal alone. Hair transplantation, perhaps more than any other surgical procedure, depends on the assistance of skilled nursing personnel in a 'team' framework.

PAI has put together a remarkable staff of dedicated, well-trained nurses. Without the work of these highly skilled individuals, particularly in the precise cutting, preparation and placement of the individual grafts, the transplantation of large amounts of hair per session while maintaining the highest standards of quality would be impossible.

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