Hair Restoration Using Body Hair
July 2011
As technology has advanced, dealing with hair loss has become much
easier. Hair Restoration is no longer restricted to prescription
medication, hair plugs or the traditional linear transplant. New
options which are based off the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
technique promise a natural looking hair transplant with less
visible scarring and now, donor hair may be successfully
transplanted from other parts of the body, not just the head.
According to Los Angeles hair restoration provider Dr. Sanusi Umar,
"Traditionally, hair transplants entail the transfer of hair from
the back and the sides of the head, where patients typically don’t
experience hair loss. Until recently, a strip of flesh was removed
from the back and sides of the head which was then sewn up, leaving
a scar from one side of the back of the head to the other." With Dr.
Umar's new technique, this scarring is no longer so obvious and
easily camouflaged with new hair growth.
"The method I practice removes hair individually from the donor site
and what is left behind are hundreds of tiny individual wounds in
the wake of the extraction," says Dr. Umar about his revolutionary
Single Follicle Extraction & Transfer (SFET) procedure which uses
the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) technique, "Because of the
minute size, the wounds heal and the the result is a hair transfer
with no linear scar."
FUE is a surgical technique which is also used in the NeoGraft
device, that removes groupings of hair follicles from a donor site,
traditionally the sides and back of the head. The technique is
considered minimally invasive and performed without a scalpel. What
makes Dr. Umar's procedure, the Single Follicle Extraction &
Transfer (SFET) unique is as a more advanced form of FUE, micro
surgical techniques are used to harvest each hair unit one at a time
and donor hair is not just limited to head hair. Ideal for patients
who are extremely bald or do not have sufficient donor hair on the
head, the SFET can restore hair on the head using hair from the
body.
Dr. Umar says, "Outside of the head, the beard is generally the most
common area that we take hair from. In some patients, dependent on
the need, we may have to take hair from the chest as well." Dr. Umar
stresses the importance of going to an experienced hair restoration
surgeon, one who is skilled in the nuances of different types of
body hair. Studies have shown that hair transplanted from other
parts of the body still retain their inherent characteristics,
whether it is texture, curliness, or length. A skilled physician
will take all these factors into consideration when planning for the
best results for his patients.
"The doctor who performs this particular hair transplant must be
experienced and understand how to use the innate quality of the
non-head hair," states Dr. Umar, "For instance, in the hairline
where there is finer hair, donor hair that is soft in it's natural
location is necessary to simulate that natural soft look. In areas
where you want density and thickness, beard hair is quite good for
that because it is typically very thick in patients in it's original
location. The more blending you do, the less it will stand out."
An ideal patient is somebody who is losing their hair through
typical pattern baldness. Age also plays a factor in determining who
is a candidate for hair restoration as the pattern of baldness or
the trending of the pattern of baldness is quite clear at age 35 and
above.
The SFET procedure is performed under local anesthesia, typically
lidocaine, which is the anesthetic used at the dentist. Most
patients remain awake during the implantation process. According to
Dr. Umar, the traditional FUE procedure is a time consuming
procedure but in comparison to the NeoGraft, his SFET procedure
requires less time and may be performed quicker.
In regards to when patients can expect to see final results, Dr.
Umar says, "It takes about 10 months in most cases. But between 12
and 18 months after the transplant, patients may continue to see
improvement so we typically tell patients 18 months for their final
outcome."
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