How to Properly use the Laxometer

 

Laxometer

The Laxometer, a device used to measure the laxity of the scalp in a more objective way, was invented by Dr. Parsa Mohebi back in 2007.  In 2011, it was made to be more precise and was called “Laxometer II.” Surgeons around the world are now using this device for all Strip hair transplant procedures to measure scalp laxity. With this device the safety of a hair transplant procedure is increased, since it allows the surgeon to record the needed distance in order to efficiently close the wound in the donor area.

 

Latest Technology in Hair Transplantation – Webinar by Dr. Parsa Mohebi

Latest Technology in Hair Transplantation

 

 

The art and science of hair restoration is always evolving and here Dr. Mohebi talks about the current and the most updated techniques of hair restoration that are available today.

 

Scalp Exercise Instructions

Here is our recent instructional Scalp Exercise Video which is to be done at home prior to a Hair Restoration

It is very important to do these scalp exercises prior to a hair restoration procedure as it increases the laxity needed for the Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) strip method. When the skin laxity on the back of the head is increased, the size of the donor strip is also increased and more hair grafts can be transplanted in one surgery as well as receive minimal scar results. This pre-operational exercise has helped to move the hair restoration industry forward into having larger one-time procedures which has helped to save time and money for both the patients and physicians. Taking the necessary time to properly do these will help to bring about the best possible results.

The 19th Annual Meeting of The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS)

 

The 19th Annual ISHRS meeting for 2011 was held in Anchorage, Alaska. It was my first trip to Alaska and I was looking forward to seeing the beauties of the largest state in America.  Being very busy with many different activities, it made my time for sightseeing nearly impossible. I was required to be available one day prior to the opening day of the conference to get prepared for the many different events which were to come.

Hair Transplant Workshop

Dr. Parsa Mohebi, faculty in Hair Restoration Surgery meeting
Dr. Mohebi and other faculties teach Hair Transplantation Techniques in ISHRS Meeting Anchorage, Alaska

I was one of the faculties for the surgical workshop. There were many new hair transplant surgeons who came from around the world to this annual scientific meeting to learn more about the art and science of hair restoration. The workshops included topics such as hair line design, cutting, placing, anesthesia, and donor harvesting and I was there to teach the latter course. There was great interaction between the faculties and students as they got the chance to learn the hands on techniques of surgical hair restoration.

Latest techniques of Hair Transplantation

The main thrust of the conference was the lecture series which gave a forum to many lecturers covering multiple topics regarding the many different areas of hair restoration. Since hair transplant surgery is still a relatively new field in the medical world, the greatest emphasis was on new technologies in hair transplantation, the latest techniques of hair transplant surgeries, devices, tools and methods of diagnosis and the treatment of hair loss.

Hair Transplant New Surgical Techniques
ISHRS 19 Meeting: New Hair Transplant Surgical Instruments and Techniques Panel, Drs. Parsa Mohebi, Alan Bauman, Sara Wasserbauer and Kongkiat Laorwong

 

This year I was the moderator for the Giga-Session Hair Transplantation Panel. The panel included 2011 Golden Follicle Award winner Dr. Jerry Wong and Doctors Sharon Keene, Arthur Tykocinski, and Akaki Tsilosane. The discussions included properly choosing the best candidates for large number of grafts hair transplant surgeries (Giga Session Hair Transplants), planning for surgeries, as well as the full spectrum of Giga-Session Hair Restoration.

The Laxometer II was one of the newest innovative technology devices presented by me. The Laxometer was developed as a response to the need within the hair restoration industry for a measuring device for calculating the scalp laxity or skin mobility before hair transplantation surgeries. The Laxometer precisely measures the mobility of the scalp giving greater accuracy for larger surgeries or if a patient has a tight scalp. This device was introduced to the market for increasing the safety, precision, and efficiency of the hair transplantation.Laxometer

Another device presented at the 19th Annual ISHRS Scientific Meeting was the upgraded Restoration Robotics, now called ARTAS System. This machine is now FDA approved for use in the United States and several lectures were presented about this new hair transplant technology. ARTAS was developed to help meet the need for increased precision and speed for scoring the follicular grafts in Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) hair transplants. This is considered a very new technique in hair transplantation, but the robot currently only assists in one step of hair restoration. That is scoring the follicular grafts.  We still do not have a perfect automated system to extract and transplant the hair grafts. This device will need more time for testing and post-operation, long-term patient results.

Other New Technologies for Hair Restoration

In last few years, we have witnessed emergence of several new tools in hair transplantation that carried the claim to be the latest technologies and ground breaking tools for the field.  A lot of devices claimed they could change the way hair transplantation was done. However, many of those new tools did not deliver on their promise.  This has been a trend which has continued to be repeated for several years now. One of these devices was the NeoGraft that was sold to many non-hair transplant doctors with the promise of the simplicity of use and the minimal need for a surgeon’s involvement. The company has stated that the technicians can run the machine for the most part. One major issue the NeoGraft company forget to point out to these new costumers is the fact that hair transplant surgery requires experience and proper training in order to deliver great result. No machine, especially in the wrong hands, can substitute for lack of experience and expertise.

There were a number of lectures presented regarding the problems involved in hair multiplication, auto-cloning, hair stem cell research, and others important topics. Like years previous, there were several debates about Strip FUT vs. FUE,  manual FUE vs. automated FUE, also sharp vs. blunt punches for Follicular Unit Extractions.

Controversies in Hair Restoration

This year we had many controversial lectures such as lasers for hair restoration and growth factors, as well as mesotherapy and PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma).  The ISHRS allows for an open forum for hair transplant surgeons to share their innovative ideas, work, and theories that they can be giving constructive criticism and analysis by other experts in the field. This has been effective in keeping members of the society updated with new ideas and methods for hair restoration. It is unanimously agreed by members of ISHRS that hair restoration surgery is a progressing science and art which is rapidly growing into more advanced technologies and cellular level manipulations. It is well accepted that greater research is needed in order to thrust the industry forward in these new innovative areas for the art and science of hair restoration

Hair Transplant New Technology – Laxometer II

 

 

Laxometer II

Often times we receive inquiries at Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration about the latest hair transplant technology, and we feel obligated to spread the news about the latest hair transplant technology.  We are excited about the new generation of Laxometer, the newest hair transplant device invented by Dr. Parsa Mohebi. The Laxometer II is a handheld device which revolutionizes the art and science of hair restoration. Being in the growing sector of the cosmetic surgery arena, progressive updates on hair transplant new technology is critical.

Applications

The revolutionary Laxometer II increases the number of hair grafts which can safely and precisely be transplanted in one surgery. A hair transplant of more than 3500 hair grafts once upon a time took two or more surgeries to complete, but with this latest technology in hair transplantation, it can be done in only one procedure.

The Laxometer II, the new technology in the hair transplant industry, is basically a measuring device which is used to calculate the laxity of one’s scalp. An accurate measurement of scalp laxity is critical when determining how large the donor strip can be. This latest breakthrough hair transplant technology gives a precise measurement which can be increased as a result of patients actively doing daily scalp exercises. The larger the available strip, the more grafts can be made available for transplantation.

At the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery’s 19th Annual Scientific meeting in Alaska in September 2011, Dr. Mohebi unveiled his new invention for purchase to all hair transplant surgeons. This latest technology in hair transplant surgery was welcomed with anticipation and applause as it will help to continue the industry progressing forward.

Orlando Live Hair Transplant Surgical Workshop – OLSW-17

Orlando live hair transplant workshop

The Orlando Live Surgical Workshop (OLSW 17) of The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) was recently held in the beautiful city of Orlando last month.  Hair transplant surgeons from all over the world participated in presentations, seminars and Q&A sessions.

The event had many great lectures from the leaders of hair restoration surgery from across the globe. Topics covered basic information about hair restoration methods for new hair transplant surgeons and to also refresh and update the knowledge of advanced hair transplant techniques for more experienced doctors.

We had lectures every morning and, in the afternoon, we went to visit a surgery center for hands-on procedures that were designed to teach the techniques of hair transplant surgery. I have to congratulate the whole staff involved with this workshop for the great work they performed coordinating a large group of doctors from all over the world. The planning committee put together a great set of lectures that covered a wide variety of subjects about modern hair restoration procedures and medical treatments.We enjoyed lectures and interactive presentations about new methods of hair restoration surgery such as robotic hair transplant surgery. The latest updates on robotic surgery were shown to the audience.  There is a hope that the practical model of robotic hair restoration will be available within a few months.

I conducted two lectures that both emphasized the techniques involved in the removal of follicular units in hair transplants with a large number of grafts through the use of a Laxometer. I also demonstrated the applications of Laxometer in sequential strip removal techniques during a live surgical workshop.

I also conducted a lecture on scalp scars and the methods used to revise them. The lecture was focused on making surgeons more familiar with the proper techniques of scar revision and the indications of each particular technique.

I went over trichophytic closure methods for a variety of different scars.  I discussed the implications of Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) to revise scalp scars. I also presented a variety of scalp scars treated with FUE methods.  I went over the pros and cons of FUE to revise scalp scars and provided a guideline that helps hair transplant surgeons decide which method should be used for each type of scar.

Hair Transplant Scar – How to Improve it?

Hi Doctor,

My son has had a hair transplant years ago with old techniques and he has bad hair transplant scar now. He now wants to shave his head, but the scar of hair transplant on the back of his head may become exposed. Do you perform hair transplant scar repair or do you recommend any procedure that can help with hair transplant donor scar coverage?

Answer:

Hair transplant with strip technique can cause a linear scar that could be visible on the back of head if the patient wants to shave his/her head. A hair transplant scar is not limited to a bad hair transplant technique and it might have to do with one’s personal healing process too (some people are generally better healers compared to the others).

The good news is that we have methods to minimize the size of the scars nowadays and if you have bad hair transplant scars from bad transplants in the past, there are several new methods that can help improving the appearance of the donor scar. A hair transplant scar could be improved by repair of linear widened scars with different methods that we perform at our Los Angeles office of Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration. Dr. Mohebi is the inventor of the Laxometer, a device that measure the laxity of the scalp precisely before hair transplant surgeries. Good measurement of the scalp laxity is one of the best ways to minimize development of donor wound complications and widening of donor scar and the Laxometer is the device to do these measurements.

Scar Excision

One method is through simply excising the scar. Excision of the donor scar may be helpful for some donor scars. After removing the scar, hair transplant surgeon can close the skin with the trichophytic closure method in which a small wedge on one or both sides of the skin edge is removed and the skin is closed primarily. Trichophytic closure allows some hair follicles to grow new hair into the final scar. Presence of hair helps making the hair transplant scar become invisible.

FUE implantation

Hair transplant donor scar coverage could also be performed by transplanting hair into the scar. Hair could be harvested from other areas using FUE or mini-strip techniques. Again, presence of the hair inside scarred area could trick the discriminating eye and the scar would become less detectable. Patients may need more than one hair transplant procedure into the donor scar for minimizing the difference between the densities of hair in scar and surrounding areas.

SMP

The last method that could be used to camouflage the linear scar is by SMP into the scar. People who plan to keep the hair very short can easily tattoo the scar with the figures of short hairs so it seems that there are some hairs present in the scar area, which can help minimizing the visibility of the scar.

Laxometer and Hair Transplant Surgery

What is A Laxometer?

A Laxometer is an innovative device that measures scalp characteristics, and is mainly used in hair restoration surgery. A Laxometer can help determine the laxity (looseness) of the scalp using the strip technique, which gives hair transplant physicians valuable information before a hair transplant surgery. The Laxometer was first presented at the 15th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery in Las Vegas.

The Laxometer was invented by Dr. Parsa Mohebi and introduced as the first tool that could objectively measure the laxity of scalp in hair transplant patients.


The Laxity of the scalp is a critical factor in evaluating patients before hair transplant a procedure, especially for those patients who have a high demand for hair and scarce resources. The Laxometer can reduce the risk of donor complications. Donor complications happen when a surgeon cannot easily close the donor wound after removing the strip of skin from the donor area.

Laxometer types:
1. A Clinical Laxometer can be used during a clinic visit. Clinical Laxometers are non-invasive and easy to use in assessing patients‚ scalp laxity in pre-op evaluation or following the improvement of scalp laxity after a period of scalp exercise.

2. An Intra-operative Laxometer is more precise and used during hair transplant surgery right before removing the strip. Having a more exact measurement of scalp laxity can significantly reduce the chance of removing too much skin, which can make closure of the donor wound difficult.