Hair Transplant Adviser » follicular unit hair transplant

Is Numbness In The Back/Donor Area Permanent?

Brandon Ross, MD — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:23:17 +0000

Question:

Is numbness in the back/donor area permanent?

Answer:

The loss of feeling associated with the strip technique of donor hair harvesting should be temporary. The nerves in the back generally carry sensation vertically in an upward fashion. When the incision is made these nerves are severed, which causes a numb-type feeling directly above the incision line. The sensation in this region almost always returns to normal, but the length of time varies from person to person (usually anywhere from 2-3 weeks to a year). As the nerves gradually reconnect with one another, it is common for the patient to have a slight “pins-and-needles” feeling in a patchy distribution. Some things that could cause numbness to persist a bit longer are a history of prior scarring, keloids, and diabetes.-

Brandon Ross, MD
http://www.rmhri.com
IAHRS Recommended Hair Transplant Surgeon

Difference Between Strip Method and FUE ( Follicular Unit Extraction) ?

Paul J. McAndrews, MD — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 23:36:52 +0000

Question:

What’s the difference between the Strip method and FUE (follicular unit extraction) for getting the donor hair?
Answer:

First and most importantly, I make sure my patients understand the greatest limit to any hair transplantation is that there is a fixed and limited amount of good genetic hair that we can transfer to the balding areas.

With that in mind, I explain that no matter how experienced the surgeon, when I remove the donor area with either method, I am removing it blindly (i.e. – I can not see under the skin until after the donor tissue is removed). The problem is that I can not see if the follicles have been damaged or transected until after it’s been removed. So it’s best to have as little tissue as possible exposed to any device removing the tissue.

With the strip method, we minimize the amount of donor area being exposed to the risk of damaging hair follicles while obtaining the donor hair. With F.U.E., the patient no longer runs the risk of having a linear scar on the back of their scalp, but there is a significant increase in the amount of surface area being blindly dissected and with that a significant increase in potential damage to the hair follicles.

While I use both methods to obtain donor hair, I make sure the patient understands the risks and implications of both and I help the patient make an educated decision.

Paul J. McAndrews, MD
http://www.hairgrowthdoctor.com
IAHRS Recommended Hair Transplant Surgeon

What Is A Follicular Unit Hair Transplant?

admin — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 20:19:32 +0000

When a scalp is shaved and magnified, it is noted that the hair does not come out only as closely-spaced, single hairs. Instead, the hair exits the scalp in small bundles. These are follicular units. Although some follicular units do consist of a single hair, the majority are 2 and 3 hair units. In scalps with more density, there will also be 4 hair follicular units. These follicular units are distinct units under the skin also. Each unit consists of hair roots closely surrounded by small glands, blood vessels, nerve fibers, and a connective tissue sac making a small independent package. We now realize that if these units are damaged during removal or dissection, the hair may grow poorly. It is important to dissect in the loose tissue between the follicular units. A dissecting microscope is necessary to accurately dissect between these follicular units with minimal damage.
Before follicular unit transplantation, grafts were dissected in random sizes and without magnification. The smaller grafts (not the 4 mm plugs) are called minigrafts and micrografts.

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