The operation

This operation is painless (contrary to micrografts using other techniques). The patient is not hospitalised. The follicular micrograft technique is based on discreet removal of hair. Hair is not shaved but kept at a length of 2 cm and no loss is apparent in the donor zone from the first day.

The procedure consists of 3 steps: follicle removal, follicle separation and translation.

1/ Follicle removal

5 to 6 follicle lines are removed from the same point. Each line extends over a length of 10 to 20 cm. The « edge overlaying » technique combined with making use of the suppleness of the scalp means that there is no scarring in areas where hair is removed. To minimize scars, hair is removed from the same point and the number of implants removed depends on the suppleness of the scalp (if the width of the incision is too wide and the skin is rigid, it would be hard to bring the edges together). There is no patchy appearance resulting from the removal of hair carried out at various points, and there is only one scar which is covered by surrounding hair.

2/ Separation of follicles

The follicles are separated one by one, manually along the lines removed, by the surgeon’s assistant.

3/ Follicle transplantation

The surgeon manually selects different hair properties depending on whether subtle transplantation or volumising transplantation is desired. Fine hair is reserved for delicate areas such as the temples and front of the head while thicker hair is used for central zones. Hair is re-implanted in the direction of its natural growth. In women with baldness problems, only the thick neck hairs can be used to achieve the best results in terms of volume.

The surface area, suppleness and density of the crown define the amount of transplantable hair (up to 6000 hairs in one session). Nevertheless, this technique can also be used in the case of total baldness or progressive baldness. It is possible to operate again several years later in the case of gradual hair loss. If another session is needed, the surgeon operates in the same area in order not to create another scar. The number of sessions required depends on the suppleness of the scalp in the donor zone.

The operation takes 3 to 6 hours.

After the operation

The day after surgery, an antiseptic shampoo is applied daily to minimize small scabs because this speeds up their elimination from the 8th to 12th day.

After surgery and in order to preserve the capillary mass, it is advisable to apply anti-hair loss treatment such as Minodixil. Anti-hair loss treatment can be applied to non-operated areas or stopped for 10 days.

Administration of antibiotics for 4 days prevents any risk of infection.

Sports activities can be resumed from the 6th day.

From the 10th day after surgery, micrografted hair does not need any particular care. One it has re-grown, it is no more fragile than the rest of the hair and can be combed, tied up, dyed and styled.

It should be pointed out that micrografted hair is living hair and resistant to thinning. Its life-span is the same as that of hair on the crown of the head and it therefore grows normally.

Result

The first re-growth occurs after 3 months and the full effect of the operation becomes apparent between the 6th and 9th month.

Generally speaking, for the same bald patch, two sessions with an interval of 4 months in between are sufficient to allow volume to be regained. However a third operations can be performed to increase hair density for a longer hairstyle.

Possible complications

After surgery, oedema of the forehead can occur in 1 in 10 cases. This disappears within 48 hours when anti-inflammatory medication is used (in very rare cases, fluid can be eliminated by means of massage).

There may be a loss of sensitivity in transplanted zones for several weeks after which things return to normal.

A scar in the area where hair is taken, while very small, means that hair less than 1 cm long cannot be styled.