The History of Hair Transplants

Posted Wednesday, September 5, 2007 to PROCEDURES > Hair

Posted by The Original Anti-Aging & Cosmetic Surgery Magazine

25 years have seen many major advances in hair transplant techniques. Holly O'Neill charts the changes with L. Lee Bosley MD, who has been at the forefront of the innovations.

1963

Dr L. Lee Bosley began what was to be a pioneering role In the art and science of hair restoration. It was known hair along the side and back of the head did not fallout on men with thinning hair, and even those who were very bald. It was theorized this was due to genetic programming making the hair resistant to male Ilormones. It was also thought this hormone resistant hair could be transplanted to thinning areas and this "new" hair would remain hormone resistant and continue to grow throughout a man's life. The challenge for Dr Bosley was to perfect a technique that would make hair transplantation a simple and reliable outpatient procedure.

1964

Dr Bosley was transplanting grafts that were taking root and growing. He opened the Bosley Medical Group (BMG)in Beverly Hills. After perfecting techniques to achieve maximum coverage on bald or thinning areas, Dr Bosley worked on fullness and density. He found by choosing hair varying in degrees of thickness, and angling them so they grow in a natural direction, he was able to turn a thinning head of hair into a wave of thicker hair, tightly packed to maximize appearance of density.

1977

The Bosley Male Pattern Reduction technique was developed. It involves removing a portion of the bald scalp, then bringing the sides together. The balding area can be reduced by 5090%, and the resulting scar is usually inconspicuous. Any remaining bald or thinning area is then "planted" with donor hair. This technique can save thousands of donor hairs that can then be used for grafting at the front of the head.

1979

BMG hairline re-creation techniques were founded on the fact the hairline is not actually a line. It is a zone about a quarter of an inch wide, which contains many fine hairs that blend softly into the forehead. With refinement of the BMG trademarked Micrograft and Minigraft, a transplanted hairline could look as natural and soft as a man's original hairline.

1984

The BMG Donor Area Closure technique was developed to minimize scarring and maximize hair collection. It allows hair to be harvested in a linear configuration, leaving only one or two lines of suturing which surrounding hair can immediately cover. Not only is it difficult, in most cases, to see the areas from where the donor hair has been taken, the donor area can be maximized.

1988

The Bosley varigraft technique allows newly growing transplanted hair to stay subtle and unobtrusive between procedures. BMG see more and more younger men who don't want to wait around for baldness, but rather take action and stay ahead of their thinning hair. The low visibility Varigraft and Micrograft techniques subtly thicken hair over the course of several procedures.

NOW

BMG is working to change the misperception hair transplants are obvious and unnatural. Balding or thinning hair need no longer be an embarrassment to men, and they don't have to have the inconvenience of an artificial hair piece. Nor live with ugly plugs. Dr Bosley believes when a hair transplant is completed, it should be a work of art seen by all and recognized by none.

Add Comment

To discourage SPAM, we ask that you type your code (displayed below) in the text box.

Your Code:
Enter Code:	*