RECIPIENT SITE

How is the patient prepared for grafting in the recipient site?

Local anesthetics are applied to the recipient area several minutes prior to grafting. Instead of lying on a table with your face toward the floor, patient will be asked to sit on a chair much like one of those you will find in a dental office. The recipient area is prepared using the same gauge 23 needle that is used for the donor hair extraction.  

What kind of incisions are used in the recipient area?

 Gho Clinic prepares the recipient area using the same gauge 23 needle that is used for the donor hair extraction. The needle creates numerous micro incisions in the recipient site. Some incisions are made by removing tiny bald tissue from the scalp while others are not. Incisions that are created without removing tiny bald tissue are similar to the slits method commonly used in the hair transplant industry. There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods, (ie: incisions with tissue removal and incisions without tissue removal) and the appropriate mixture of either incisions will have to be evaluated on an individual basis. Considerations will be given to the patient's existing hair density, the texture and color of the hair, the size of the recipient site as well as patients' expectations. In general, incisions without tissue removal are more efficient to perform and they heal faster than incisions created by removing bald tissue. They are more appropriate for recipient site that still has a fair amount of hair as this method can safely create incisions without damaging surrounding follicles. However, when incisions are created without removal of bald scalp, the addition of grafted hair may create compression among existing hair and a build up of tissue which may eventually lead to undesirable cosmetic appearances such as cobblestoning and ridging. 

 There are numerous discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of either method, some of which can be found at:

http://www.siumed.edu/surgery/otol/hrtransplant.html

http://www.miamihair.com/htm/theprinciple.htm

http://www.walterunger.com/grafts.html

http://www.hairtransplantadviser.org/transplant/graft.htm

http://www.hairdoc.com/micrr.htm

http://www.microhairtransplant.com/technic.htm

http://www.saratogahair.com/definitions.htm

What does the recipient area look like immediately after the surgery?

 See patient's gallery.

What does the recipient area look like two weeks after surgery?

 See patient's gallery.