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AFTER | While hair in all humans grows in natural bundles of one, two, three and sometimes four hairs, the objective of follicular transplantation is to place as many bundles as close together as possible to re-create what occurs naturally in nature. True follicular transplantation mixes hundreds and sometime thousands of the natural hair bundles spaced within 1 millimeter in the balding area.
State-of-the Art- Follicular Unit Transplantation
Follicular Transplantation, recognized by the world's most experienced hair transplant surgeons as the state-of-the-art in hair replacement today, is the method performed at our center.
While most clinics utilize micro and mini grafting, not all clinics perform follicular transplantation because the procedure is technically difficult and time consuming.
Skilled surgical teams utilizing microscopes and other special instrumentation, dissect each of the natural hair units prior to implantation. Very small gauge needles or lances, rather than punches, are then used to make minute slits in the recipient area. Utilizing magnification, the follicular units are carefully oriented for hair direction and placed 1 millimeter apart. This micro surgical method is less traumatic than traditional methods, allowing most patients quicker healing and less noticeable post operative problems.
New hair growth should begin in approximately 8-10
weeks and will continue to grow one quarter to one half inch per month the remainder of your life.
The premier edition of the new Journal of Aesthetic Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery, with a Spring 1999 cover date, devotes 45 pages - half the magazine's total - to an article titled "The Future in Hair Transplantation". Co-authoring this article is Joseph F. Greco, PhD, PA/C, transplant specialist at Advanced Facial Cosmetic & Laser Surgery Center. Dr. Greco's section of the journal deals with the "H (Human)-Factor" in graft injury, and discusses various ways that surgeons can take greater care of how they harvest and handle fragile grafts to ensure better survival rates (and a healthier head of hair!). Careful handling of donor hair is increasingly more important with today's "mega sessions," Dr. Greco explains, because he is using follicular unit transplantation techniques to transplant 1,000-to-1,500+ grafts at a time in order to obtain natural results in just one session. Quality control is an absolute must, because it maximizes the number of grafts that can be harvested and successfully transplanted from a minimal donor area.
This journal article also discusses the development of mechanized harvesting methods using pre-spaced razor blades that are often used to speed up hair transplantation, at the expense of quality and preservation of donor tissue.
The more painstaking microscopic dissection of follicular units keeps naturally occurring groups of one-to-four hairs intact, along with their surrounding collagen, glands and muscles. Dr. Greco reports a growing demand for follicular unit transplantation employing microscopes for harvesting and dissecting hair from the donor site. The "typical" patient he sees here is a 30-to-60-year-old male who has heard about the procedure from a friend who has had it done.
If you think hair restoration may be right for you, contact us today for more information or to schedule your personal consultation.
The Advanced Facial Cosmetic & Laser Surgery Center serves all of Florida, including Orlando, Melbourne and Vero Beach.
Facial News 2004 by Ferdinand F. Becker, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Facial Framing: The Art of Hair Restoration
Imagine that you are viewing a masterpiece painting . . . but a piece of its frame is missing. Where will your eyes lead you first? Rather than noticing the picture, your attention will be drawn to the asymmetry of the frame.
The principles of facial framing have much in common with this scenario, according to Joseph F. Greco, PhD, PA/C, hair transplant specialist at the Center. “The goal is to frame your face as proportionately and beautifully as we can,” he says. “What we are essentially creating is a portrait of your face.”
Dr. Greco, who has performed over 3,000 hair transplants, is at the forefront of the field of follicular unit grafting. This procedure involves the transplanting of hair to targeted scalp areas in naturally occurring bundles of just one to four hairs each. The extremely detailed process results in hairlines that are exceptionally natural in look and feel.
The science of follicular unit grafting doesn’t tell the entire story, however. Beyond this state-of-the-art hair restoration technique is the true art of sculpting a hairline that draws attention not to itself, but to the eyes. “The eyes are the jewels of the face,” says Dr. Greco. “We want your hairline to look so natural that people notice your eyes first.”
To achieve true balance, beauty and proportion, all three hairlines must be restored: the frontal hairline, lateral hairlines and temporal peaks.
For those who are losing hair at the crown of the head, the pattern for posterior crown restorations is inspired by the perfect symmetry of the spiral design, found throughout nature in everything from flowers to seashells. Hair is restored in this area can be spiraled clockwise, counterclockwise, or in some instances, a spiral in opposite directions for those with rare cases of a double cowlick.
Dr. Greco has studied in-depth the relation of artistic and mathematical principles in facial framing and hair restoration. He applies these principles to achieving as natural a result as possible for each patient. “It’s all about design,” he says. “Good composition is achieved when all elements of a picture relate to each other in a balanced way.”
Click here to view "Utilizing Art and Mathematic Principles in Facial Framing and Hair Restoration Design" by Joseph F. Greco, PhD, PA/C |
