Bernstein Medical Blog

This page contains all posts in our News, Answers, Video, and Research sections.

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How Long After Hair Transplant Can Grafts Fall Out?

July 29th, 2005

Q: How do you know if you have lost any grafts after a hair transplant and how long after the hair transplant can you still lose them? — T.R. Easton, Pennsylvania

A: Each day following the hair restoration, the transplanted grafts become more fixed in the scalp and the hairs in the grafts become more dissociated (loose). At nine days post-op, the grafts are fixed firmly in the scalp – it has essentially become part of the scalp in the new area and can’t be dislodged.

The hair, however, has totally separated from the follicle by this time, so that it can easily be pulled out without dislodging the remainder of the follicle that contains the growth center. When this hair is pulled out (or is naturally shed) one often sees a tiny bulb at the end. This is the root sheath of the hair and not the growth center. This is normal and is not a lost graft.

If a graft is lost, an event that may occur within the first 3-4 days following surgery, it is almost invariably associated with a small amount of bleeding.

For details on how to care for a hair transplant, visit the Instructions After Your Hair Restoration Surgery page on the Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration website.

Dr. Bernstein Is Lead Author Of Follicular Unit Transplantation Article In ‘Dermatologic Clinics’

July 28th, 2005

“Dermatologic Clinics” is a hard-cover quarterly peer review publication with comprehensive, state-of-the-art information by experts in the field of dermatology. In a 2005 issue entitled “Advanced Cosmetic Surgery”, Dr. Bernstein is lead author of the article: “Follicular Unit Transplantation: 2005.”

This valuable contribution to the field of surgical hair restoration explores techniques and best practices of the surgical procedure known as Follicular Unit Transplantation that Dr. Bernstein pioneered and is now considered the state-of-the-art in hair transplant surgery.

Trichophytic Closure: A New Way to Camouflage a Hair Transplant Incision

July 27th, 2005

Summary of “Trichophytic Closure of the Donor Area” which appeared in Hair Transplant Forum International July/August 2005 by Mario Marzola, MBBS Norwood Australia

When hair transplant surgeons meticulously close the edges of a donor wound, they generally end up with a fine, linear scar that is approximately 1-2mm in width. Sometimes, the scar can be a bit wider and every once in a while, when the person’s connective tissue is weak, or the edges of the scar are closed too roughly or have too much tension, the scar can be a cosmetic problem. The educated patient, who has expectations of a thin scar, or the patient who is likely to wear his hair very short, hopes that their hair transplant doctor can produce scars that are practically invisible.

A Trichophytic closure is a way of improving the linear donor scars of hair transplant patients. A Trichophytic incision in hair transplantation involves trimming off the upper edge of the incision and then closing the wound in such a way the hair near the edge can grow through the scar. This has the potential to produce a scar that is virtually undetectable.

To perform a comparison study, Dr. Marzola conducted a trial using 26 consecutive patients. Each hair transplant patient had one side of their scar closed trichophytically (i.e., with the top edge removed) and the other side closed with the edge left as is.

In an FUT Hair Transplant, What Percentage of Telogen Phase Follicles in Donor Strip are Wasted?

July 14th, 2005

Q: When a donor strip is taken out during a hair transplant and separated under the microscope, you can read on the internet that there is a wastage of grafts (about 15%), because of those unseen telogen hairs. What do you think about that and how does it affect the hair restoration? — T.B. Baldwin, New York

A: The Telogen phase of the hair cycle is about 3 months long and about 12% of follicles are in this phase at any one time. It is speculated that the follicles may be empty for perhaps 1/2 that time (this number may vary significantly between people). Therefore, approximately 6% of the hair follicles may be in telogen at any one time.

Can a Hair Transplant Restore Original Hair Fullness?

July 5th, 2005

Q: Can you get your original density back with a hair transplant? — C.C. Scarsdale, New York

A: Although the cosmetic benefit can be dramatic, a hair transplant only “moves” rather than creates new hair. In surgical hair restoration, a limited amount of hair from the donor area is transplanted to a much larger area in the front and top of the scalp, so that we can never reach the original density.

How Do You Recommend Treating Early Hair Loss?

July 1st, 2005

Q: I am 27 years old and have a Class 3 degree of hair loss. Should I do a hair transplant or consider non-surgical methods of hair restoration? — Y.B., Lake Forest Illinois

A: At age 27 with early hair loss, you should consider non-surgical options first.

Propecia is the most important medication, but you need to be on it for one year at the full dose of 1mg a day to assess its benefits.

If you have done this and other parameters are OK for a hair transplant, such as adequate donor hair density and scalp laxity and you have little evidence that you will become extensively bald (i.e. no donor miniaturization and no family history of extensive baldness), then hair transplantation can be considered.

After FUT Hair Transplant Surgery, Can I Travel on an Airplane with Surgical Staples?

June 28th, 2005

Q: I’ll be traveling from New York to Cincinnati the week after my hair transplant. Will I be able to get through airport security if I have staples? — D.B. Fort Lauderdale, Florida

A: Yes. Although the staples that we use to close the donor area after hair transplant or restoration procedures are made of stainless steel, they are too small to be picked up by metal detectors.

I generally prefer staples, as they are superior to sutures in preserving donor hair.

Can Hair Loss Be Caused By Braids and Extensions?

June 23rd, 2005

Q: Over the years, I have worn my hair in braids and extensions. My hair is not growing at my hairline and temples. Can the braids be the cause and can this be treated with a hair transplant? — Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC

A: The name for hair loss is this area is called alopecia marginalis. It is almost invariably caused by continued traction from braids or hair extensions. When this is the case, the condition is also called traction alopecia. If the problem is long-standing, the hair will rarely come back, even if the braiding is stopped, and a hair transplant would be indicated.

If there is enough hair loss on the sides of the scalp that the donor supply is significantly reduced, surgical hair transplantation may not be possible.

Read about Traction Alopecia

What are Follicular Unit Transplantation and Follicular Unit Extraction, and How do They Differ?

June 21st, 2005

Q: What is Follicular Unit Transplantation and how is it different from Follicular Unit Extraction? — H.L., White Plains, NY

A: Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation, called FUT for short, is a procedure where hair is transplanted in the naturally occurring groups of one to four hair follicles. These individual groups of hair, or units, are dissected from a single donor strip using a stereo-microscope. The area where the donor strip was removed is sutured closed, generally leaving a thin, fine, line scar.

In Follicular Unit Extraction, or FUE, the individual units are removed directly from the back or sides of the scalp through a small round instrument called a punch. There is no linear scar. There is, however, scarring from the removal of each follicle. Although the scars of FUE are tiny and round, the total amount of scarring is actually more than in FUT.

In addition, since in FUE the bald skin around each follicular unit is not removed, the total amount of hair that can be removed in FUE is substantially less than in FUT. This is because if one were to remove all the hair in an area, it would be bald. In FUT, the intervening bald tissue is removed along with the follicles in the strip.

What Causes Poor Hair Transplant Growth?

June 20th, 2005

Q: Do you ever see poor growth from a hair transplant? — R.L., Edison, NJ

A: The situations where I have encountered poor growth are:

1) When hair is transplanted to areas of skin that has been thickened due to the prior placement of larger grafts or plugs (this is called “hyperfibrotic thickening”). Removal of the larger grafts can somewhat ameliorate this problem.

2) When hair is transplanted into a thickened scar.

3) When a hair transplant is performed into an area of severe chronic sun damage. In this case, a very modest number of grafts should be used in the first session and if these grow well, additional grafts can be added in a subsequent session.

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