Hair Replacement: We’ve Come a Long Way!

Hair loss has been a problem that has plagued humans for the ages. Throughout history, the primary approach to hair loss was to disguise it. Toupées and wigs were the norm and also the best option anyone had for displaying a beautiful head of hair. It was only in the mid-1900s when a clinical approach to hair loss was developed. Here, we observe just how far we have come in the treatment of hair loss.

Early clinical therapy for hair loss involved a grafting technique in which hair was harvested from one or more donor areas and basically stitched into place in the area where hair was thinning or completely gone. The first grafts to be performed were often referred to as hair plugs. In just about every case, hair plugs looked just as they were described. Men who underwent this procedure endured a fair amount of discomfort from the harvesting technique and, though the intended purpose was achieved, the results were far from natural-looking. Yet, it wasn’t until the mid-1980s when we had a better option.

1984 brought the innovation of mini-grafts to hair restoration. This technique, as we still do today, harvests hair from a donor site to use in an area of thinning. However, mini-grafts involved much smaller areas of tissue. Some hair replacement specialists grafted as few as 1 to 2 strands of hair at a time. Better looking, yes, and also extremely time-consuming.

Further improvement occurred in the mid-1990s when two Los Angeles based specialists developed the Follicular Unit Transplantation, or FUT technique. An adequate way to describe FUT is “strip surgery.” This hair transplant method involves the harvesting of a strip of hair follicles and placing that full strip where needed. The results of FUT were so much better than any previous method that this technique has remained the norm since its inception. Fortunately, though, refinement has continued through the years.

The same doctors who developed Follicular Unit Transplantation also developed Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), a newer technique in which a hand-held punch device was used to extract individual hair follicles. As successful as FUE has been, the stress on the surgeon and the demand for complete accuracy has been a challenge. Today, hair restoration physicians like Dr. Gangaram Ragi are harnessing the power of robotics to maximize patient outcomes.

We are proud to offer hair transplant treatment using the ARTAS® robotic hair transplant system. The inclusion of robotics in the hair restoration process significantly reduces human error and increases accuracy and, therefore, results. Using our robotic device, Dr. Ragi is aided by artificial intelligence algorithms that select the precise hair follicles to harvest. This precision continues through the transplant process, minimizing tissue trauma and promoting faster healing.

Learn more about the numerous benefits of robotic hair transplant treatment. Call our New Jersey hair transplant center at (201) 350-5300.