Several years ago, a patient who had a tumor removed from his throat reported hairs growing beneath his tongue. Uncomfortable, right?
But more to the point, how did this happen?
How Hair Transplanting Began
This particular patient required a skin graft in the affected area. They farmed skin from the underside of the patient’s forearm and used it to repair the hole beneath his tongue. There were tiny hair follicles in the skin and those hair follicles actually began growing. Don’t worry, because of the acids in his mouth, the follicles soon died. But the ability for hair follicles to grow, once transplanted, is the whole idea behind hair transplanting.
When the hair transplant industry was still in its infancy, surgeons would remove strips of skin from the thickest areas of natural growth and graft these panels onto the affected area. Hair grew, but there was a certain amount of scarring around the skin graft that resulted in areas that would not grow hair. The result was less than desirable.
The Birth of Micro Follicular Hair Transplanting
Fortunately, hair loss experts didn’t give up. They have now refined the process so that it no longer is plagued by scarring. By mining hair follicles that are bound by collagen fibers, they attain viable root systems that contain all the elements for growth.
Armed with this knowledge, many utilize a technique of mining a strip of skin that contained sufficient bundles of hair, place the viable roots into a Petri dish and carefully lift each into place on the scalp after making incisions that would receive the follicles. Incisions were made according to the angle they decided the hair should grow. This was a tedious method, because thousands of individual bundles had to be inserted in order to achieve an overall appearance of full hair, and the longer these follicles were away from the host scalp, the less viable they were. Immediately following the procedure, patients would fight off scabbing through the use of medicinal shampoos. Subsequent hair loss always occurred in the beginning due to follicles that did not take, which oftentimes resulted in subsequent visits to the hair clinic to redress the issue.
With the birth of Micro-Follicular methodologies however, many of these issues have been resolved. Today’s practitioners utilize miniature needle-like instruments, both when removing and replanting hair follicles. Rather than cutting strips, they pull hairs from the donor areas one bundle at a time and immediately implant them into the receiving area.
While this sounds simple, there is a real art to mining hair that grows in a certain direction and then replacing it into another area with desired growth patterns in mind. A surgeon who has an eye for these details is highly sought.
Factors to Be Considered while Transplanting
But a surgeon’s skill is not the only factor that will determine results. Of equal concern is the density of your natural hair, the color differences between one area and another, including scalp color, and whether your hair has a natural wave or curl. Other factors that might affect the outcome are the amount of toxins built up in your system. Alcohol and medication consumption will have to be curtailed for a period of time to assure the best retention. It is advised that you work in tandem with your medical physician to ensure that you can reduce your medication for the 4 to 7 weeks required to ensure the hair grafts are established.
This is an industry where shopping around is a good idea. Not only are there noticeable price differences between practitioners, but there are different philosophies. Many reputable hair transplant specialists will council you fully and provide real-life examples of their work. While Micro-follicular methods certainly seem the most compelling of our day, many surgeons utilize a combination of techniques in order to procure the most viable solution for your particular pattern of loss and the reasons for that loss.
Making the decision to undergo this type of treatment requires research and trust. But for many it is the perfect prescription to ensure they can navigate through life without embarrassment.
Our clients are from the Greater Toronto Area, namely Mississauga, Streetsville, Brampton, Oakville, Etobicoke, Scarborough, Milton and Burlington. For further information please look through our website or you can reach us at (905) 821 1092