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Bernstein Medical - Center for Hair Restoration

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Hair Restoration Answers

How Long Do Stitches Stay in After a Hair Transplant?

Q: I’ve heard that healing after a hair transplant requires stitches. How long will they stay in? — S.R., Cresskill, N.J.

A: In a follicular unit hair transplant, the surgeon removes a thin strip of scalp from the patient’s donor area that supplies the follicular unit grafts for the hair transplant. After the strip is removed we use either sutures (stitches) or staples to close the wound. We now close most wounds in the donor area with staples, rather than sutures, because we have found that staples cause less injury to the remaining hair follicles compared to sutures; therefore, more hair will be available for future hair restoration sessions. See Why We Changed from Sutures to Staples in FUT Hair Transplants.

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. Updated 2017-12-01
Hair Restoration Answers

When Are Surgical Staples Removed After Hair Transplant?

Q: I hear you leave staples in sometimes up to three weeks after a hair transplant. Why do you leave staples in that long? – M.C., Boca Raton, FL

A: My reason for leaving some staples in longer is that the tensile strength of the wound continues to increase (significantly) during the first three week period after surgery — actually, it will continue to gain strength for up to one year post-op. To give the wound the best chance to heal, on average, I take out alternating staples at 10 days and the remaining staples at 20 days.

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. Updated 2013-06-06
Hair Restoration Answers

Why Change from Sutures to Surgical Staples in FUT Hair Transplants?

Q: I recall that you wrote an article about Monocryl for the donor closure in hair transplants. Why are you now using staples? — R.S., Park Slope, NY

A: I have been using staples in almost all of our follicular unit hair transplants since the beginning of 2006. Continue reading for the detailed explanation as to why I made the switch from sutures to staples.

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. Updated 2017-12-01
Hair Restoration Answers

Do You Use Sutures or Staples in an FUT Hair Transplant?

Q: Can you please comment on the use of sutures verses staples in hair restoration procedures? — S.S., Prospect Park, NY

A: Sutures are great on non-hair bearing skin and allow perfect approximation of the wound edges, but on the scalp they can cause damage to hair follicles below the skin’s surface. The reason is that a running (continuous) suture traps hair follicles and when the skin swells (as it normally does after hair transplants) the trapped follicles can strangulate and die.

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. Updated 2017-12-01
Hair Restoration Answers

After Hair Transplant, What Happens if Transplanted Area is Injured?

Q: I am a patient of yours who had a hair transplantation procedure done mostly in the crown area and in the front about seven months ago. The hair is just starting to come in nicely and is starting to fill in the bald spots. Yesterday I carelessly banged the top of my head against a beam in my attic and cut a nice gash in, you guessed it, a transplanted area. I’d say that the cut is about a good inch. My wife works for a doctor who is certified in facial plastic surgery and I had him suture up the gash. He did not cut any hair, but it took 4 stitches to close the wound. I’m worried about the impact on the transplanted area. Just when it was starting to come in nice I now have a bald spot that I suspect is going to stay as a result of the accident. Please advise. — V.F., Fort Lee, N.J.

A: There is not much you can do at this time. Depending upon the doctor’s suturing techniques; you may or may not have permanent hair loss from the trauma and subsequent suturing. The problem is that if the sutures are placed too far from the wound edge they can strangulate hair follicles, particularly if there is any swelling. Hair loss may be temporary, but if it is permanent, it should be minimal. Additional grafts can be added at your next hair restoration procedure to cover any area of hair loss and the scar from the injury, if it is visible.

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. Updated 2017-12-01
Hair Restoration Answers

What is the Benefit of Staples in Closing Hair Transplant Donor Incision?

Q: I have heard that staples are uncomfortable after the hair transplant, why do doctors use them? — B.E., Great Falls, V.A.

A: Staples are used for two main reasons.

The first is that being made of stainless steel; they don’t react with the skin and, therefore, cause little inflammation.

The second is that, unlike sutures which are used with a continuous spiral stitch, each staple is separate and this causes minimal interruption to the blood supply.

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. Updated 2017-12-01
Hair Restoration Answers

Can I Have a Hair Transplant if My Scalp is Tight from Prior Surgery?

Q: What can be done if I want to have a hair transplant and my scalp is very tight from prior surgeries? — R.R., Long Island, N.Y.

A: Follicular Unit Extraction is ideal in very tight scalps, provided that there is enough hair to extract without leaving the donor area too thin and provided that the follicles are not too distorted from the scarring.

With strip harvesting, undermining techniques may be helpful to close the wound edges once the strip is removed.

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. Updated 2017-12-01
Hair Restoration Answers

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

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.

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. Updated 2017-12-11
Hair Restoration Answers

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

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.

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. Updated 2017-12-11



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