Contemporary hair loss sufferers are quite spoiled for choices in today’s hair transplant marketplace, as surgical advances in FUE and FUT have resulted in much more refined and natural-looking outcomes. With the exception of black-market clinics, the potential hair transplant patient today faces a renaissance of robust procedural options.
But this was not always the case. Prior to the refined and exacting technical FUE advancements of the 21st century, the ‘plug’ method of hair transplantation was ubiquitously employed in hair restoration clinics across the world.
Hair plugs were widely used until they were replaced by newer transplant techniques in the late 1990s. The plug technique involves small, circular pieces of tissue – each containing 20 or more hairs – being removed from the back of the scalp using a clunky punch tool. Slightly smaller circular sections would then be cut out of the balding areas of the scalp, before the hair plugs were transplanted into the holes.
There were several flaws with this technique. For a start, when the plugs of hair were removed from the back of the head, the patient would often be left with tell-tale circular scars. Worse still, the hair plugs would grow in an unnatural pattern, often clustered together in bunches, not unlike dolls’ hair.
In every case regarding an experienced and skilled hair transplant, the end result ought closely to align with what was discussed during the initial consultation between the doctor and patient. It is also during this time that the doctor will be able to outline any potential issues that could arise due to circumstances unique to the patient. A relative lack of available donor tissue, for example, could make it difficult to deliver the appropriate degree of coverage in the recipient site.
Modena Hair Institute’s Corrective Treatments
The best way to address and repair any problem with a previous hair transplant is to seek out the assistance of an experienced and reputable hair transplant surgeon who possesses a substantial track record of successfully performing hair transplant repairs.
This includes problems associated with a lack of adequate coverage or problems associated with a failed hair transplant in which far too many grafts failed to take root in the patient’s recipient site.
Patients with inadequate coverage but sufficient donor tissue available can easily address their hair transplant issue with additional sessions of FUE or FUT. Needless to say, patients requiring multiple sessions of hair restoration should have been informed of the need for more than one transplant right from the outset during the initial consultation process, but, unfortunately, this is not always the case.
Finally, patients who are dissatisfied with the result of their hair transplant due to the failure of the grafts to take root can also undergo additional sessions to achieve the coverage they initially sought, provided, of course, that there is sufficient donor tissue still available for use in future sessions.
Dr. Amir Yazdan, MD, is an internationally renowned hair transplant surgeon, expert guest on Dr. Phil and The Doctors, creator of the GroMD hair restoration product line, ISHRS member, accredited member of the IAHRS and a visceral advocate for patient care. Learn more about Dr. Yazdan or read rave reviews from his patients.
