It has come to our notice that many patients have undergone substandard procedures in name of hair transplant.
In addition, their doctor or clinic told them that only 50 to 60% of the transplanted hair are expected to grow (something that is totally misleading and a lie).
Such procedures are sold with a the USP of Direct hair transplant (DHT) viz., that the grafts are extracted and then inserted into the recipient slits without examination under microscope and dissection of unnecessary skin (dermal, epidermal and subdermal) tissue.
In reality, DHT is of no benefit to the patient.
The only person to benefit maybe the doctor/clinic who does not wish to spend the extra effort and time required to perform all the steps of transplanting hair grafts.
The following pictures show some examples.
The correct method involves
Important
The pictures show that a part of the grafts in the so called DHT method stay outside the recipient slit (see picture below).
This often leads to poor growth as a part of graft that includes the stem cells (bulge area) is not inserted into the skin.
Even in the best of conditions, placing a 1mm cylindrical graft in a 2 – dimensional recipient slit creates cobble stoning as shown in the picture.
Conclusion: Examining and trimming of the grafts under magnification is an important, non removable step in hair transplant.
So, my request to patients is to beware of 2 things:
1. Do NOT fall for the marketing gimmick behind DHT (direct hair transplant). Its, at best, of no benefit to the patient.
2. Look at ONLINE pictures (immediate post operative pictures) of the patients of the clinic.
Also ask to be shown your own recipient area pictures immediately after procedure and on subsequent days.
Take daily pictures post hair transplant.
If all goes well you should not notice the telltale grafts extruding from the recipient slits.
If you take all precautions (and tell the doctor you want correctly trimmed grafts to be placed snugly), AND PICTURES THEREOF, you shall not fall prey to this lie.
Please let me know if you have any queries.
Regards,
Dr. (ex-Capt) Arvind Poswal