Here at Modena, we consider hair transplant surgery a personal investment. And it’s not just because we love what we do.
Hair transplant surgeries involve extracting hair follicles from a ‘donor area,’ (usually the back of the head) and transplanting them into the areas effected by hair loss, also known as the ‘recipient area.’
These transplanted follicles have a very unique trait: they’re permanent. Yep, you heard that right. These transplanted grafts are not subject to the same hair loss the previous recipient zone was. This is because the hair follicles are native to the healthy ‘donor area’ that is not effected by the hair loss.
One thing we’re always sure to explain to our patients is that there is no cure for hair loss. If you’ve been experiencing hair loss thus far in your life, your more than likely to continue experiencing it throughout your life.
This means that while your hair transplant results are permanent, you may see continued hair loss in the native surrounding hairs. For these individuals, multiple hair transplants may be necessary over time to maintain the desired look of the hair.
While we can’t count on our native hair to stick around, we can count on our transplanted hair to. We love to give our patient’s one less thing to worry about. When considering a hair transplant surgery, you don’t have to worry about throwing your money down the drain. Your hair transplant surgery will be an investment that will keep the youthful, healthy appearance of your hair throughout your life.
If you would like to make a personal investment in your hair, give us a call today. We specialize in multiple methods of hair transplant procedures and hair restoration methods.
*Please note that all individual hair transplant results vary case by case. Results are not guaranteed. Schedule a consultation with a hair restoration surgeon to get an idea of your potential results.
Tag Archives: fut strip hair transplant
How to prepare for your hair transplant consult
So you’ve decided you want to find out more information about hair transplant surgery. Consultations are the best way to find out more about hair restoration procedures. Most importantly, consults are how you obtain hair transplant price and grafts quotes.
Make sure you get the most out of your consult by preparing for it.
First, do your research.
Make sure that you’ve researched your potential hair transplant surgeon. Are they qualified and experienced? Are they certified by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons? These questions will help you ensure that you’re placing your hair in the right hands.
Additionally, your surgeon should have plenty of before and after photos as well as reviews. These will help give you an idea of their skill ability and what outcomes may be possible for you.
Second, don’t be afraid to ask questions.
There are many methods and techniques in the field of hair restoration. Will your surgeon be doing the procedure by hand or machine? Will the doctor be present throughout the procedure or will a technician be doing the work? What size punch tools will be used? What is his/her success rate for graft survival in hair transplant surgeries? These questions will shine light on the doctor’s process and inform you what to expect.
Third, consider the cost-benefit analysis.
Cheaper is not always better. While a lower price for hair transplant surgery sounds ideal, you often get what you pay for. Most cases of botched hair transplant surgeries come as a result of cutting costs (via traveling abroad for surgery or choosing someone with inferior credentials). While you may save money in the short-term, you’ll end up spending more long-term to fix the botched surgery.
If you’re ready for a hair transplant consult, give us a call today!
How to determine how many grafts you need for hair transplant surgery
The most common questions regarding hair transplants are how many grafts are needed and how much the procedure will cost.
To get an idea of the cost of your surgery, you’ll first need to get an idea of how many grafts you’ll need. While the cost is not always directly correlated to the graft count, the two numbers are often correlated.
To best answer these questions, you should meet with an experienced and qualified hair transplant surgeon. During a consultation, the stage of hair loss, scalp and follicle health, density of hair coverage, quality of donor area, medical history, and many other factors can be evaluated to give you an accurate idea of the amount of grafts you’ll need.
An additional factor to keep in mind is that hair goals differ from patient to patient. What makes one patient happy may not make another patient happy. These goals definitely play a role in the amount of grafts needed.
For first time patients, scalp hair transplant surgeries typically range between 1,000-3,500 grafts needed. All of the factors above will determine your exact graft count needed.
If you’d like to get a surgical quote to determine how many grafts you’ll need and how much the cost of the procedure will be, give us a call for a free consultation today.
If you’d like to learn more about what factors go into graft count quotes, read here.
Is FUE hair transplant surgery scarless?
The FUE method of hair transplant surgery is often referred to as the scarless surgery method. But is FUE really scarless?
FUE surgery was probably first named the scarless method due to the difference in extraction technique from the FUT/Strip method. The FUT/strip method utilizes the excision of a strip of scalp on the back of the head. The grafts are then extracted from this piece of scalp. This method leaves behind a scar where the scalp was excised.
The FUE method utilizes individual graft extraction from the scalp. Each graft is extracted one-by-one directly from the scalp. No scalp excision is required.
While no elongated scar is left behind by the FUE method, there is still a possibility for scarring. This comes from the punches that are being made in the back of the scalp to extract grafts.
That being said, if the FUE method of surgery is done correctly, with the latest advanced extraction tools and advanced skill and technique, scarring can be non-existent or at least non-visible to the naked eye.
According to Dr. Amir Yazdan, many hair transplant practices are utilizing a punch tool that is much too large and increases the risk for scarring. He states that most practices use a 1.0-2.0 mm punch to extract grafts. This is much larger than the 0.7 mm punch he uses at Modena Hair Center.
Why don’t they use a smaller punch tool? Dr. Yazdan states, “the smaller the tool the more skill that is required to properly extract the grafts. Not only do many physicians lack this level of skill, but so do robotic hair transplant assistants like the Neograft and Artas. These machines are notorious for leaving very visible punch scars.”
If you are interested in the FUE method of surgery and are hoping for the most scarless outcome possible, make sure to research your potential surgeon thoroughly. You’ll want to make sure they do the procedure by hand (not through robotic assistance), they are certified and registered as a hair transplant surgeon by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons, and they have plenty of experience.
If you’d like to schedule a consultation with Dr. Amir Yazdan, give us a call today.
Risks of FUE hair transplant mega-sessions
FUE hair transplant mega-sessions consist of extracting and placing 4,000+ grafts in a single procedure. This is much more than the usual 1,000-3,500 that is extracted and placed in a typical FUE hair transplant procedure.
With a higher number of grafts extracted in one sitting, the risks of shock loss, scarring, and low-graft survival rate increase. Below, I break down how each of these risks is increased by an FUE mega-session.
Shock loss – What’s important to understand is that any surgical procedure is a type of trauma that the body endures. Your surrounding follicles are affected by the extraction and placement of grafts in the scalp tissue. If certain surrounding hairs in both the donor and recipient zones are weak and nearing the end of their life cycle, it’s possible the trauma of surgery could push them over the edge. This means they may be permanently shed through a condition called shock loss. During FUE mega-sessions, this surgical trauma is amplified. More grafts are extracted and placed which means more of the surrounding hairs are susceptible to shock loss.
Scarring – The FUE method of hair transplantation consists of each graft being hand extracted one-by-one. While tedious, it offers natural looking hair transplant results with minimal scarring. Anywhere from 1,000-3,000 grafts are comfortably and safely extracted during FUE. Much more than that and the low risk of scarring is negated. This is because the donor area is getting completed depleted in order to sustain the high number of grafts needed. This creates more scar tissue which means visible scarring and decreased hair growth returning in the donor area.
Low-graft survival rate – The longer grafts are out of the scalp, the greater the likelihood they will not survive once transplanted. Due to the nature of mega-sessions and the extended amount of time they take to complete, grafts tend to be sitting outside of the scalp for a longer period of time. Additionally, grafts are extremely fragile and sensitive. Mega-sessions don’t often allow time and space for the quality of care needed to maintain the health and safety of the grafts. Any damage to the graft and it will not survive once transplanted. It is believed by many experienced hair transplant surgeons that less than half of all transplanted grafts in a mega-session survive.
So how do we achieve high graft hair transplants for those patients who need it without doing a mega-session?
When a high number of grafts are needed to achieve the desired density and fullness the patient wants in their hair, it is often better to utilize multiple surgeries over time. This allows the scalp to heal and newly transplanted follicles to grow naturally and fully.
This in turn yields better results over time, as shock loss is reduced, scarring is minimal to non-existent, and graft survival rate is high. You are much more likely to see the full results of a high graft FUE hair transplant if the surgery is split up.
If you’d like to learn more about the FUE method of hair transplantation and get a graft and price quote for your specific hair needs, give us a call for a free consultation today.
Hair transplants then versus now
Hair transplants have changed a lot over the years. Hair transplants were first developed in the 1950’s but didn’t gain popularity until the 1980’s.
Due to the newness of the technology available and the lack of experience of the doctors at the time, the results of these hair transplants were not too favorable. Grafts or “plugs” were taken out of the donor zone, and placed sporadically in the balding areas. This haphazard placing of grafts led to the appearance of the hair being ‘plugged’ in. Many individuals were left with their hair looking very doll-like.
Thankfully, hair transplant technology has advanced tremendously over the past 40 years. Specially crafted tools are used to extract and place grafts. Grafts are now placed closely together, just like our natural hair is, which gives the transplanted hair a nice, natural, and blended look. Experienced and qualified hair transplant surgeons are now able to leverage their skills and techniques to give the best and most natural looking hair outcomes possible.
Unfortunately, not all surgeons are up to date on the latest techniques. Some less experienced surgeons are still using the plug technique as is illustrated below.
Most individuals seeking hair restoration are not looking for this plug-like look. Your best defense against a botched hair transplant surgery such as this one, is to research research research. While hair transplants are considered a non-invasive cosmetic procedure, when they go wrong they can make a drastic difference in your overall appearance. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, read reviews, and study the before and after pictures of your prospective surgeon.
If you are the victim of a botched surgery and would like to learn more about what options are available to you to fix your hair, give us a call today. Here at Modena, we specialize in reparative hair transplant surgery.
Medical Management of Hair Loss
What is the medical management of hair loss?
Medical management of hair loss refers to utilizing various methods and tools to maintain your current hair and even potentially re-growing hair for those who are experiencing recent mild hair loss.
While most individuals who are experiencing hair loss are concerned mainly with the areas of hair loss, there’s one very important reason you should be just as concerned with maintaining the areas you still have hair: PREVENTION.
If you’re not actively working to prevent future hair loss, your hair loss will continue and worsen as you age. Dr. Yazdan believes proactively fighting hair loss is the only way to stall the hair loss process and protect the hairs you have now. The best way to do that: medical management.
Medical management methods and tools range from more aggressive methods like PRP therapy and laser therapy, to more prolonged and maintenance-minded methods like prescription medications such as finasteride, topical products such as minoxidil, and shampoos such as nizoral.
The great thing about these medical management tools is that many can be used in conjunction with each other and even with hair transplant surgery. In fact, utilizing multiple methods or adding them to your surgery can increase the efficacy of each method and your overall results tremendously.
But before you can get started, you should first see if you’re a candidate for medical management. While most individuals experiencing hair loss can benefit from medically managing their hair, it won’t help everyone reach their specific goals.
You should meet with an experienced and certified hair restoration surgeon to determine if you are a candidate for medical management and what methods specifically would help you reach your goals.
Here at Modena, in addition to specializing in FUE and FUT/Strip methods of hair transplant surgery, we also specialize in various methods of medically managing hair loss.
If you’d like to learn more, give us a call today.
FUE vs. FUT/Strip – which hair transplant surgery method should you choose?
Many individuals researching hair transplant surgery as an option to restore their hair loss, have come across the two main methods of hair transplant surgery: FUE and FUT/Strip.
Before you can assess which method of surgery is best for you, you must first understand how the two methods work.
The FUE method of hair transplantation works by excising one hair follicle at a time from the donor area using a very small circular scalpel. These follicles are then transplanted one by one into the recipient area. When done properly and using the proper tools, these incisions are so tiny that once healed cannot be seen with the naked eye. This is why the FUE method of hair transplantation is sometimes referred to as virtually scarless.
The FUT/Strip method of hair transplantation works by excising a thin strip of the scalp in the donor area. Grafts are then microscopically dissected from the strip and placed in the recipient area. The area where the strip was removed is closed using modern tricophytic donor closure technique. When done properly, the scar is very fine and easily covered by the existing surrounding hair.
Typically, the FUT/Strip method of hair transplantation produces more grafts. Because there is a small scar left behind by the procedure, this method is more suitable for someone with a slightly longer hair style. Therefore, the FUT/Strip method is ideal for someone who has a slightly longer hair style and is need of a high number of grafts to reach their hair goals.
In general and when done properly, the FUE method is hair transplant is scarless. That means when the procedure is done and the patient is healed, no one should be able to tell you had a hair transplant surgery. This would be the ideal method for someone who likes to wear their hair short and doesn’t have advanced and severe hair loss/balding.
In order to determine which surgical method is best for you, you should meet with a qualified and experienced hair transplant surgeon. During a consultation, you and the doctor can work together to pick the most effective hair transplant method for your hair type and goals.
If you’d like to schedule a consultation to determine your hair transplant method, give us a call today.
Case Study – Botched Strip FUT Hair Transplant Surgery Repaired by Dr. Yazdan
Patient presented 1 year post-op with a scar that was the result of a botched Strip/FUT hair transplant. The patient was not satisfied with the results his previous surgeon had given him. As you can see, the scar is thick, wide, and very obvious. In addition, there was poor graft survival rate in the recipient zone. This patient had traveled abroad to get his surgery in an attempt to save money.
The appearance of our hair is directly tied to our confidence and self-esteem. Its no surprise that hair loss results in a lower self-confidence. When we are examining the effects of a botched surgery, the harm it has on an individual’s emotional and mental state is heightened. They go into a hair transplant surgery thinking the issue causing them stress will be resolved. Instead, they come out worse than before. The patient in this case study was extremely upset about the results of his surgery, rightfully so.
Dr. Yazdan took his case as a scar repair procedure. As seen in the before picture, the patient had no hair growth in the scarred area due to scar tissue. Dr. Yazdan transplanted grafts into the scar so that hair could grow in that area and cover the appearance of the scar. As seen in the after pictures, the patient now has full hair coverage throughout the scarred area. The patient states they feel immensely better, having a new sense of restored self-confidence and self-esteem.
Don’t let this be you! While hair restoration surgery is minimally invasive, it is still a medical surgery. That means your surgeon needs to be qualified and experienced. Do not hesitate to research and ask questions. A good hair transplant surgeon will take the time to walk you through the process and share their results with you. If you’d like to learn more about scar repair options, give us a call.
