Hair Transplant Procedure

view a video explanation of the hair transplant procedure with Dr. Wolf's comments.

In hair transplantation, living hair from the back and sides of the head (donor area) is surgically removed and transplanted "by the graft" to areas where hair has stopped growing.

Hair from the back and sides of the head is used because it is genetically predetermined to continue growing for life. Dr. Wolf's experience, having transferred over one million hair follicles, has led to the creation of a technique that allows over 4000 grafts to be transplanted at one session and for 98-100% of the follicles to survive and grow. Hair naturally grows in small groupings of one, two, three, and sometimes four hairs called "follicular units".

We take advantage of these follicular units creating grafts from them. This eliminates unnecessary skin and fat that would be present if larger grafts were used. The grafts created are essentially "fat free" and contain only hair follicles. The donor tissue is dissected into follicular grouping using high powered state-of-the-art microscopes specially designed for hair transplantation. These microscopes allow us to visualize and preserve every hair follicle, regardless of color or thickness.

Most grafts used contain one to three hairs. All grafts are placed in tiny incisions made by microsurgical scalpels.

These small incisions allow for the fastest healing time and least amount of scabbing. Hundreds of single hair follicles are used to recreate a hairline. Larger grafts are placed behind the hairline. Occasionally four and five hair grafts are used to create greater density in the central area of the scalp.

When the hair grows, it recreates the natural distribution while leaving the surface of the scalp smooth and unaltered. The number of grafts required depends upon the location and size of the area to be restored and the density desired in that area. Generally, a minimum of 400 and a maximum of 5000 grafts are transplanted during each session. A session usually takes two to eight hours to complete. This outpatient procedure is performed under local anesthesia in our state-of-the-art, surgical suite. No bulky or unsightly bandages or dressings are used post-operatively.

After surgery, patients are given prescriptions for an antibiotic, an anti-swelling medication, and a pain reliever.