Live Broadcast Demonstrates New Vertical Harvesting Hair Transplant
Last week an Indian hair transplant clinic broadcast a live hair transplant during a webinar for students and prospective patients, to demonstrate a new surgery technique.
The Hairline International clinic in Bangalore covered the full procedure, which lasted five and a half hours. The surgeon, Dr. Dinesh G. Gowda used a new technique known as 'vertical harvesting' which is thought to minimize scarring.
He explains, “This is a different type of hair transplant technique which is superior to the FUE technique where in there will be more quality and quantity graft with near to zero scars. In this method one can get single follicular graft and also DFU (Difolicular graft) which gives immense density and much better results than FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction). If someone is worried about the scar in strip method they can opt for vertical harvesting. Till today globally horizontal strip method is the gold standard. This new technique of vertical strip method is in between much superior to FUE technique”.
Vertical harvesting works in a similar way to Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) surgery. Generally in FUT the hair will be taken in a horizontal strip from the donor site at the back of the client's head as this is an area that is not affected by male pattern hair loss (the cause of androgenic alopecia, DHT, only attacks the hair follicles at the top of the scalp in those who are sensitive to the hormone derivative). Vertical harvesting takes the strip of hair in a vertical strip in a bid to minimize scarring, although this type of scarring for both types of procedure can usually be covered by a good haircut.
UK and US viewers will have been able to see parts of hair transplant operations before, often on TV makeover shows such as Body Shockers and Extreme Makeover. However, these programmes are meant as entertainment and rarely show the full surgery.
Speaking about the decision to show a live hair transplant in full, Ms Bani Anand, the clinic's Managing Director said, “This event will bring out some interesting insights in the ever-evolving field of hair transplant procedures. The purpose was to make it informative and educative”.
Belgravia clients can be surprised - and delighted - at the regrowth results they achieve from hair loss treatments alone, meaning they don't need a hair transplant. Click on Joe's images above to see his full Success Story.
Top hair restoration surgeons often recommend that any men with advanced hair loss who may be considering a hair transplant, first follow a hair loss treatment course featuring at least one of the only MHRA licensed and FDA approved medications - finasteride 1mg (oral) and minoxidil (topical) - for at least six months. The reason for this is firstly to see if promising regrowth can be spurred on without the need for invasive surgery, and secondly so that, should they decide to proceed with the operation, the hair loss is stabilised and in the best possible condition for the surgeon to work with. Due to the natural timeline of the hair growth cycle, depending on where you are in this cycle when you start, it is generally possible to start seeing results from male hair loss treatment within the first four-to-six months.
Should a patient decide to go ahead with the surgery, they will need to continue to follow a comprehensive hair loss treatment plan as part of their aftercare. This is to maintain the rest of their hair surrounding the transplanted area as, given their genetic disposition to balding, DHT will continue to attack the original hair that has not been replaced. This means this hair could also shed, leaving just the transplanted area growing normally, if preventative measures are not taken.
If you are concerned about male pattern hair loss and are confused as to which treatment option would be most suitable for you, speak to a hair specialist who can provide personalised treatment recommendations to help restore your hair, whether by pharmaceutical or surgical methods.
Vertical harvesting technique
He explains, “This is a different type of hair transplant technique which is superior to the FUE technique where in there will be more quality and quantity graft with near to zero scars. In this method one can get single follicular graft and also DFU (Difolicular graft) which gives immense density and much better results than FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction). If someone is worried about the scar in strip method they can opt for vertical harvesting. Till today globally horizontal strip method is the gold standard. This new technique of vertical strip method is in between much superior to FUE technique”.
Similar to FUT surgery
Vertical harvesting works in a similar way to Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) surgery. Generally in FUT the hair will be taken in a horizontal strip from the donor site at the back of the client's head as this is an area that is not affected by male pattern hair loss (the cause of androgenic alopecia, DHT, only attacks the hair follicles at the top of the scalp in those who are sensitive to the hormone derivative). Vertical harvesting takes the strip of hair in a vertical strip in a bid to minimize scarring, although this type of scarring for both types of procedure can usually be covered by a good haircut.
Educational broadcast
UK and US viewers will have been able to see parts of hair transplant operations before, often on TV makeover shows such as Body Shockers and Extreme Makeover. However, these programmes are meant as entertainment and rarely show the full surgery.
Speaking about the decision to show a live hair transplant in full, Ms Bani Anand, the clinic's Managing Director said, “This event will bring out some interesting insights in the ever-evolving field of hair transplant procedures. The purpose was to make it informative and educative”.
Hair transplants and hair loss treatments
Top hair restoration surgeons often recommend that any men with advanced hair loss who may be considering a hair transplant, first follow a hair loss treatment course featuring at least one of the only MHRA licensed and FDA approved medications - finasteride 1mg (oral) and minoxidil (topical) - for at least six months. The reason for this is firstly to see if promising regrowth can be spurred on without the need for invasive surgery, and secondly so that, should they decide to proceed with the operation, the hair loss is stabilised and in the best possible condition for the surgeon to work with. Due to the natural timeline of the hair growth cycle, depending on where you are in this cycle when you start, it is generally possible to start seeing results from male hair loss treatment within the first four-to-six months.
Should a patient decide to go ahead with the surgery, they will need to continue to follow a comprehensive hair loss treatment plan as part of their aftercare. This is to maintain the rest of their hair surrounding the transplanted area as, given their genetic disposition to balding, DHT will continue to attack the original hair that has not been replaced. This means this hair could also shed, leaving just the transplanted area growing normally, if preventative measures are not taken.
If you are concerned about male pattern hair loss and are confused as to which treatment option would be most suitable for you, speak to a hair specialist who can provide personalised treatment recommendations to help restore your hair, whether by pharmaceutical or surgical methods.
The Belgravia Centre
The Belgravia Centre is a world-renowned group of a hair loss clinic in Central London, UK. If you are worried about hair loss you can arrange a free consultation with a hair loss expert or complete our Online Consultation from anywhere in the world for home-use treatment.
View our Hair Loss Success Stories, which includes the world's largest gallery of hair growth photos and demonstrates the level of success that so many of Belgravia's patients achieve.