Hair Replacement

Hair Replacement Calgary We design customized treatment plans for individual patients using the latest techniques and technology to successfully compensate for thinning hair or baldness. Treatments vary depending on the extent and pattern of hair loss and the patient’s preferences, lifestyle and expectations. Common methods include PROPECIA®, topical treatments, medication, hair transplants, scalp reduction, or skin lifts/grafts, or a combination of these.

In a hair transplant, thin strips of skin containing hair are removed from the scalp and replaced in tiny holes (often created with the use of lasers) in the bald or thinned area. The grafted hair falls out after the procedure but then grows back and should last as long as the hair from the area in which it was taken.

Scalp reduction involves surgical removal of all or part of the bald scalp, followed by the lifting and pulling-together of the remaining hair-bearing skin. Occasionally scalp extenders or tissue expanders are used.

During a skin lift or graft, a "flap" of hair-bearing skin is surgically created and rotated onto the bald or thinned area.

Additionally, drugs such as Minoxidil and Finasteride may be applied to the scalp alone or in conjunction with the above procedures to preserve existing hair and stimulate the growth of new hair.

Hair Transplantation

Hair Transplantation Calgary Hair transplantation began as a simple procedure where circles of skin from the back of the scalp were excised as single arbitrary units and implanted on the bald skin at the crown and hairline. This overly simplistic approach led to unsatisfactory cosmetic results, in most cases, being referred to as “doll’s-head” or “pluggy”, clearly evident when considering the entire hairline was composed of connecting circles. Additionally, scarring on the back of the scalp could become very noticeable.

Procedures have improved to a new standard where great care and planning by the surgeon ensures a natural-looking hairline, as well as a full head of hair. These two goals are achieved through two different methods of grafting: mini-grafting and micro-grafting.

Micro-Grafting

In order to create a natural looking hairline, the hair placement by the surgeon must be both precise and slightly irregular. No person has a hairline of rigid angles or a conformed strip of hair, and the surgeon is well aware of this. This is why when preparing the donor grafts from the hair at the back of your scalp, your surgeon cuts very fine micro-grafts which consist of just one to four hairs each. These small grafts can be implanted at the desired hairline in a natural-looking fashion due to their small size.

Mini-Grafting

Although the fine nature of micro-grafts is quite natural-looking, they are also less voluminous. With less than five hairs per graft, it would take many hours to transplant a full head of hair, risking safety of the excised donor tissue and recently transplanted tissue. For this, the surgeon cuts mini-grafts of about five to twelve hairs each that can be used for the bulk of the balding skin, but behind the micro-grafts. This way, the fullness of the scalp is attained without sacrificing the meticulous work done with the hairline.