Hair Restoration Surgery

In most cases, hair loss is genetic. If it is determined that you have genetic hair loss, hair transplantation can successfully restore your lost hair. During hair transplant surgery, Dr. Yazdan removes donor hair follicles from the sides and back of the scalp and relocates them on the top of the scalp where the hair loss has occurred.

The hair transplant procedure is a minor surgical procedure and you will be awake throughout the procedure, although sedatives can be provided to reduce anxiety.

A hair transplant can normally take 6 to 12 hours. During the procedure you can watch TV, eat, and even work on your tablet or phone. Our goal is to make the procedure as comfortable as possible.

Hair Line Design

The first step in the hair transplant process is the design of the hairline. Dr. Yazdan will sketch a suggestion for placement of the hairline. You are encouraged to participate in this decision process.

Local Anesthesia

Prior to the procedure Dr. Yazdan will gently apply local anesthesia similar to what you have during a dental visit to the donor area and later the recipient area. The discomfort is minor and once applied there is no pain.

Donor Hair Removal

FUT Strip Method

stripDonorDuring a FUT Strip extraction procedure the donor area is prepped by lifting the hair in the back and then trimming a narrow strip where the hair will be removed. The hair from above will cover the area after the strip is removed and the donor area is sutured closed.

The stitches are removed in about ten days, usually leaving a fine scar line that is concealed by your own hair. Dr. Yazdan performs an advanced donor closure surgical technique to assure the scar line is virtually invisible unless the scalp is shaved.

From the donor strip, naturally occurring Follicular Units, usually groups of 1-4 hairs, are dissected into natural groupings under a microscope to preserve every follicle.

FUE – Follicular Unit Extraction

During FUE hair transplantation follicular units are extracted individually. There are several mechanized devices like NeoGraft Hair Transplant System, Artas Robotic, AlphaGraph and Safescribe that are utilized by different hair surgeons to perform FUE hair transplant but basically they are all doing the same task, creating a tiny circular incision like a biopsy to remove a single intact follicular unit of 1-4 hairs.

Dr. Yazdan has developed customized instrumentation to assure the best possible result for his patients.

During FUE the donor needs to be shaved so Dr. Yazdan can follow the angle the hair exits the scalp so that the angled follicular unit is not cut or damaged during extraction.

Dr. Yazdan feels that in his hands his custom made surgical devices provide him with the best control when extracting the follicles. He hand makes and sharpens his instruments and inserts the hair grafts to assure the maximum harvest. There are several mechanized devices like NeoGraft Hair Transplant System, Artas Robotic, AlphaGraph and Safscribe that are utilized by different hair surgeons to perform FUE hair transplant but basically they are all doing the same task, creating a tiny circular incision like a biopsy to remove a single intact follicular unit of 1-4 hairs.

Because the incisions need to be spaced safely so that the tiny wounds heal and are virtually invisible to the human eye, a larger area of the donor normally needs to be shaved and the hair from above cannot camouflage the wounds. The good news is in few days the area will look as if no surgery had been performed as the tiny wounds heal.

Recipient Sites

Once the grafts are excised whether by FUT or FUE the placement of the grafts is the same. Dr. Yazdan next creates the sites where the follicular unit hair grafts will be placed. Tiny recipient site “envelopes” are made with a specialized instrument at the hairline for the smallest exclusively single hair grafts. As the surgeon works back he will place gradually larger grafts containing two, three, or four hair follicles. This allows your surgeon to accomplish more density without sacrificing naturalness. During the procedure, you will be awake and can chat with the doctor and the staff. Procedure time is usually between 3 to 6 hours and you may eat or drink during the procedure.

When your hair transplant has been completed you will be provided with post-operative instructions, medicines and shampoo. You will leave the office with a little or no bandage and will be able to shampoo your hair the next day.

Most patients resume normal activity in a day or two. Tiny crusts will form where the transplants have been placed and usually shed in 4 to 7 days. The small hairs in the newly transplanted grafts normally shed within 2 to 4 weeks after the procedure, and permanent hair growth begins in 8 to 12 weeks. You should expect significant cosmetic hair growth within 6 months and full hair growth within 9 to 12 months.

Only one or two procedures are usually enough to treat a specific area of hair loss. Potential future hair loss is taken into account when any hairline work is performed. The initial consultation between the patient and surgeon helps to individualize the procedure to the patient’s hair quality and density, as well as their expectations.