Is Beard to Scalp Hair Transplant the Future?
Beard to scalp hair transplants have become more common. Most of these are performed to correct male pattern baldness. Encouraged by our strategies and new findings on how to use facial hair, we have performed numerous beard to scalp hair transplants in the last two years with great results. But, the procedure may need to be performed more than once on many of these patients to ensure full coverage of the balding area. Luckily, a beard to scalp hair transplant can provide patients with a plentiful source of hair. This is especially important for men who don’t have sufficient donor hair due to low density or extensive balding areas that need coverage.
Why has beard to scalp transplant been on the rise?
One reason is because our improved understanding of the anatomy of the hair follicular units has furthered the dynamics involved in removing grafts individually. The other reason is that our techniques for extracting follicular units has developed, allowing us to refine the extraction methods from different parts of the body. Previously, extracting hair from the face and implanting it into the scalp was a daunting task that frequently ended with poor results. Now, because of the change in tactics and FUE devices, it is much less demanding to harvest hair from the skin of different parts of the body. Comparing those hairs from different parts of the body like the face, limbs, genitalia, and torso, has taught us that the facial hair is most like the hairs on the scalp. Beard hair has a life cycle, shaft thickness, and length of growth that is very similar to the scalp hair.
Our expanding knowledge of the tools used and the advanced strategies has also made it possible to use facial hair to restore balding regions on the scalp more efficient. In the past, the use of bigger punch sizes made for a bigger wound surface area that prompted healing problems such as, scar development and hypopigmentation of the skin. A deeper insertion of the punches used by older methods led to low-level transections of beard follicles. Low-level transection resulted in a higher number of ingrown hairs in the donor area of the face. Development of ingrown hairs is an extremely undesirable complication of a beard to scalp hair transplant, which previously restricted the utilization of facial hair for restoration of the balding region. Incision depth control and utilization of smaller punch sizes have lessened such complications, making beard hair an extraordinary source for hair restoration for many men.
Beard hair to scalp transplantation has its own limitations
There are men who can’t grow facial hair or have a very sparse beard. Some men are not allowed to shave or trim their facial hair due to social or religious reasons. Many men would like to keep the option to grow beard in the future. Extraction of facial hair for these individuals is still a possibility but, the donor area would be limited to the neck and beneath the mandibular line. Despite of the limited donor area in these individuals, extraction of hair from these zones can provide a decent number of suitable hairs that can restore a good portion of the balding area furthering weapons used in the restoration of hair on those suffering from hair loss.
Introduction of ARTAS to Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration
In the last few years, we at Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration have monitored the evolution of one of the newest hair restoration technologies available, Robotic Hair Restoration. The ARTAS system offers a machinery that facilitates the extraction of hair follicles individually and with accuracy from the patient’s scalp.”
ARTAS has made the extraction of FUE grafts automated, but up until recently the speed of which the device extracted these grafts could not match the speed of our manual extractions. Furthermore, the ARTAS was handicapped by the larger diameter of its punches when compared to manual methods. However, in keeping its promise to advance FUE extraction technology, ARTAS has recently updated their software and hardware, and multiplied their rotation speed from 800 RPMs to 3000 RPMs, improving the speed and efficiency of the procedure. They have also successfully reduced the size of the punches to 19 Gauge, which is close to the punches that we use in our manual FUE procedures.
These changes have tipped the balance on the scale between ARTAS and non-automated FUEs, making the ARTAS system competitive in comparison to our current, manual techniques. ARTAS can produce higher quality grafts in some areas of the scalp when compared to other methods of follicular unit extraction. That is why we have decided to add this innovative device to our arsenal here, at Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration. We will be working on utilizing the ARTAS system and Robotic Hair Restoration techniques to add to the quality and efficiency of our FUE treatments. We will also be collaborating with ARTAS and other centers to fine-tune the process, making robotic hair transplant even more efficient in the future.
We believe that ARTAS will continue to make progress in the field of hair restoration and make hair transplant surgeries safer and more dynamic in the future.
CONTEST: Win a Free Hair Transplant!
Every day, we talk to many different men and women suffering from hair loss—and every day, we hear the same thing: that they were terrified to come in for their transplant. But what were they so afraid of? Many cited the stigma associated with getting “work” done; others were simply struggling with misinformation. In talking to these patients, we at Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration realized that there are so many people out there suffering from hair loss and not knowing that they can be helped. We’ve decided to do something about this.
We are offering a free hair transplant to a patient in need. The only requirement? That he or she lets us document the transplant experience on video. You will be a part of the definitive hair restoration video, demonstrating the procedure and its effects, and bringing the patient’s journey to light. We want to show not only how easy a hair transplant is, but how extraordinary the results can be. We’ve got an amazing film crew, an incredible staff, and a dream—all we need is you!
If interested in this amazing opportunity, please upload a video (no longer than five minutes) of yourself telling us why you think you are a good candidate for the free hair transplant, and what this procedure would mean to you. Video submissions will be accepted via our Facebook page until January 16, 2015, and the winner will be announced on January 23, 2015. We can’t wait to hear your stories.
Have you got a story you want us to hear? Submit your video now for the chance to win a free hair transplant!
Hair Transplant Technician Skills and Quality Control
Q:
It seems to me that successful outcomes can, to a substantial degree, rely on the technicians handling the hair follicles. How do you measure your technicians skills?
A:
We have a great quality control system at Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration in which every technician is monitored during cutting and placing. We also have surveillance cameras in the OR to record the entire procedure for quality control. We hire only highly qualified hair transplant technicians. We still need to provide some special training to assure they can function according to Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration standards. We hold regular educational meeting for hair transplant techs to keep them all up to date on current procedures as well as Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration quality expectations.
Check this post on my blog: Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration – Hiring Qualified Hair Transplant Technicians for more information on quality of hair transplant technicians.
Hair Transplant Problems
Hi everyone,
I had a somewhat funny call to me the other day from a past patient of mine and wanted to share his experience with this blog. Although we, at Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration, are known worldwide for our quality results and affordable prices, there are some downsides to the remarkable effects that your hair restoration may bring you without prior notice.
One of our patients called over to our office the other day laughing and telling our front desk receptionist that his passport photo looks NOTHING like him. He was traveling out of the country the following day when he had glanced at his photo and realized that the previously taken photo in no way resembled his current image. He called to request that I write a general letter confirming his procedure in the event that there were any discrepancies in his change of appearance.
We would like to apologize in advance for any unexpected changes in your appearance that may make you look years younger or like a different person following your hair transplant procedure. We are 100% proud of our patient results and happy to hear that if nothing else, these are the only few negative aspects of a hair transplantation with Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration. We thank our patient for the great laugh and hope that he made it through customs without a hitch!
Hair Care Beverly Hills Interviews Dr. Mohebi
Below is the second interview of Hair Care Beverly Hills with Dr. Parsa Mohebi. Dr. Mohebi is the medical director of Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration hair transplant centers in Southern California with offices in Encino, Beverly Hills, Orange County and San Diego. Dr. Mohebi is the author of Hair Restoration Blog. He also responds to the questions of many other resources of hair loss and hair restoration. Her is his recent interview of him by Hair Care Beverly Hills for BuzyMoms.com.
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If a client has already had a transplant with another hair transplant doctor and is disappointed with the hair restoration results, can the procedure be redone?
Yes, hair transplant repairs are a good portion of our hair transplant surgeries performed in our Southern California offices (located in Beverly Hills, Encino and Orange County). Many people may have unnatural results from previous hair transplants due to the older techniques such as plug surgery, but some may even have problems with recent hair restoration procedures due to technical issues or lack of proper judgment on the part of the hair transplant surgeon. In most situations, the repair is easy and can be done in one or two sessions.
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Is there a minimum age for hair transplant surgery?
It was not unusual that a Hair transplant surgeon discourage a person younger than 24 for a hair restoration surgery. However, nowadays microscopic techniques being used to evaluate the miniaturization of susceptible hair can assist surgeons in predicting the final pattern of hair loss. By being able to predict each patient’ s final balding stages, we are able to see where the pattern of baldness is heading and based on that recommend hair transplant surgery at an earlier age.
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Won’ t my bare scalp be showing in the back of my head once the donor hair is taken?
If you do not plan on shaving your hair after your hair transplant surgery, your donor wound will never be visible. However, if you plan on shaving your head for any reason, you may choose to have a FUE or Follicular Unit Extraction procedure done rather than the general FUT procedure through removing a strip from the donor area. FUE transplant eliminates the visibility of a linear scar on the back of your head and is the best option for patients who plan on shaving their head or keeping their hair very short in the future.
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What type of information should be brought to the consultation?
Anything related to your hair loss and hair restoration, including family history of hair loss, other medical conditions that may have been attributed to ones hair loss, medical, surgical or even cosmetic changes that you like and may help you have a better result after a hair restoration procedure.
Hair transplant cost for CTTA
Q:
Dear Doctor,
I am 14 years old and I have hair loss in form of CTTA and my parents agreed to let me get the hair transplant, but will it actually take months for my hair to grow and I need to know how much it cost for the operation please.
A:
Congenital Temporal Triangular Alopecia (CTTA) is a congenital condition that is noted by parents at birth or soon after that. CTTA could easily be treated with hair transplantation at any age. At Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration, we charge patients with the number of grafts and since patients with CTTA only need a small number of grafts, the cost falls into our minimum charge category. Having said that you need to have a consultation with us so we can confirm the diagnosis and make sure you are a good candidate for a hair transplant surgery.
Transplanted hair will grow in 2 to 3 months after hair restoration surgery and will become even better than that for the following months after that. Since the location of the transplanted hair is only in the temple areas, it may not show as much since most people can easily comb their hair to cover the hair loss area.
Please feel free to call our office at 1 (888) 302-8747 and schedule your complementary consultation at one of our Southern California offices. If you are contacting from other states, you can send us an inquiry through our website and we contact you to complete your online consultation.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
Dr. Parsa Mohebi