Dr. Gho Follicle Transplantation - Comparing Traditional Strip Excision Surgery to Follicle Transplantation

HairSite's
PERSONAL JOURNAL
FIRST THREE WEEKS AFTER FOLLICLE TRANSPLANTATION AT GHO CLINIC

The following is based on my personal experience. What happened to me in 1995 is not indicative of the quality of strip excision surgery nowadays. There were complications with my surgery in 1995 and it is very unusual that a 7-hour procedure would only yield approximately 300 grafts and a linear scar that measured much wider than normal. Strip excision can be an effective hair loss treatment for some individuals and in my opinion, strip excision is still more efficient than Follicle Transplantation especially if your goal is to have a large number of grafts done within a short period of time. However, if your goal is simply to touch up on smaller areas, I personally feel that Follicle Transplantation is a much better solution. Also, I feel that Follicle Transplantation is a hundred times more patient friendly in the donor site than traditional hair transplantation.
Regardless, of what I said here, the most important question is
"do you really need a hair transplant?"

Comparison Chart	August 2002 Follicle Transplantation Dr. Gho, Gho Clinic	June 1995 Strip Excision Hair Transplantation Dr. Gore, Center for Hair Transplantation
Number of Grafts (approximately)	170	250-300 strip excision is definitely more efficient if your goal is to have a large number of grafts done within a short period of time.
Duration of the Procedure	7 hours	7 hours
Assistants involved in critical aspects of the surgery?	No. All performed by either Dr. Gho or Dr. Schreurs.	Yes. Especially when it comes to placement of the grafts.
Anesthetic	Applied using a high pressure injector.	Applied using needles.
Donor Hair Extraction	Hair follicles extracted one at a time using a gauge 23 needles, about 0.75 mm in diameter.	Excision of an entire hair and skin bearing strip using a scalpel. The strip measured at least 5-6 inches in width.
Donor Site Scar	Microscopic dots measuring about 0.5 mm to 0.7 mm all over the back of the head.	A linear scar measuring about 5-6 inches wide.
Did Donor Scar Stretch?	Too early to tell if this will happen to microscopic dots or not.	Yes. The procedure was performed in 1995 and by 2002, the scar was stretched vertically by approximately 100% or twice as big as it used to be.
Swelling after the procedure?	No	Yes, it occurred about 3 days after the procedure and mainly on the forehead and around the eyes. Swelling subsided spontaneously in about 3-4 days.
Shock Fallout	None noted so far. Only three weeks after the procedure. Probably too early to tell.	Yes. A major case of shock fallout on the top of my head soon after the surgery. At least 30% hair loss, totally irreversible.
Pain during the procedure	Minimal to non-existent.	Minimal to non-existent during the procedure, but it was painful when anesthetics were applied using needles.
Pain after the surgery	None other than slight tenderness on the donor site while sleeping. Disappeared after one week.	Recurring pain and substantial tenderness on the donor area for at least one month.
How soon was scalp sensitivity regained after the procedure?	Several hours after the procedure.	24-36 hours later.
Trouble sleeping?	Mild tenderness on the donor site while sleeping the first week. Not major.	Yes. Recurring pain and substantial tenderness on the donor area made it extremely difficult to sleep at night.
Heightened Nerves Sensitivity on the Scalp?	None	Yes. It lasted for about a year after the surgery.
Able to resume regular activities soon after the procedure?	Felt fine immediately after the surgery. But waited about a week before going to the gym. No weight lifting or strenuous exercises for 3 weeks.	Felt horrible immediately after the procedure. Numbness persisted on the scalp. Donor area beginning to get increasingly tender soon after the procedure. Neck was extremely stiff and felt recurring pain in donor area with even the slightest movement. Unclear why such an invasive donor scar is necessary for only 300 grafts.
Grafts continued to grow in recipient area?	So far the answer is yes. Grafts still continuing to grow 3 weeks after the procedure.	No. Almost all grafts were attached to the crusts and scabs and fell out at the same time. The follicles then went through a resting phase and it took about 3-6 months before they started to grow.