Ronald J. Caniglia, M.D.,F.A.C.S.
Hair transplantation, also referred to as hair restoration or a hair transplant, is a procedure designed to restore hair to thinning or balding areas of the scalp. The most common hair restoration techniques involve mini and micro-graft techniques. There are several factors that your surgeon should evaluate to determine whether or not you are a good candidate for hair transplantation surgery, including your age, the area of thinning, the skin-to-hair color match and the density of hair in the donor area. This procedure can be performed on most individuals, however some may be better candidates than others.
Dr. Caniglia performs hair transplantation surgeries at the Plastic Surgery Center at Kierland (PSCK), which is located in the Caniglia Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. The PSCK is a state- and Medicare-licensed, AAAHC-accredited outpatient surgery center. Most hair transplant surgeries are performed on an outpatient basis and take between two and three hours to complete. Dr. Caniglia prefers to use twilight sleep, which is a combination of local anesthesia and intravenous sedation. Some facilities will perform these procedures under local anesthesia only.
Once adequate local anesthesia and sedation have been administered, a special knife is used to excise three strips of hair bearing scalp from the donor site. The donor site is located on the back of the scalp, and each strip measures 1.5mm. These strips are then stored in cool saline (water). The donor incision is then closed with one continuous suture. The three strips of hair bearing scalp are then separated and the individual hair follicles are separated and again stored in cool saline. Once all of the individual hairs have been separated, they are ready to be placed in their recipient areas. A special instrument is used to create the recipient sites for the individual hairs. Using fine forceps, each hair is then placed in its recipient site. At the end of the procedure, the scalp is washed and a light gauze dressing is placed. The patient is then transferred to the recovery room.
Most patients will feel fine the next day. The new hair grafts will go into a resting phase for two to three months, after which time the hairs will begin to grow. However, it will take up to a year for each individual hair to grow and fully thicken in size. All sutures from the donor area are removed in seven days. Many patients are able to return to work as early as the next day after surgery, though Dr. Caniglia prefers that his patients wait two weeks before undertaking strenuous activities and exercise. Risks associated with hair transplantation are generally rare but may include bleeding, infection and poor hair growth.
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