First "Long Hair" Hair Transplant Performed by Dr. Pathuri Madhu in India

[Bill - Seemiller]

Guys,

 

I thought I'd post this hair transplant video on behalf of Dr. Madhu since the concept of "long hair" hair transplantation is quite fascinating. "Long hair" hair transplantation works the same way as regular surgical hair restoration except that the transplanted hair isn't trimmed. While it does make the procedure more difficult for the surgeon and staff who still trims the long haired follicular units under microscopes, the primary advantage is that patients get to see what kind of density their final result will achieve once the results grow in. Note that the transplanted hair will still shed within 4 to 6 weeks and the hair growth and maturation process still takes up to a year plus.

 

Enjoy the video below. You can also view "First Long Haired Hair Transplant in India by Dr. Madhu" in our Hair Restoration Video Library.

 

 

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Sparky]

I dont think this is a good idea, also why are they combing it afterwards? I'd be worried about them pulling grafts out doing this.

[mahhong]

I'm not 100% sure about the process, but I think the there is a useful principle is this. Being able to see what your hair looks like on you is really important I feel, but perhaps there is an overall less tricky way of doing this? I'm not sure!

 

The other thing is this doesn't take into account graft yield I presume? It's going to be even more disappointing and harder for docs if the initial results don't match up to the final results and, let's face it, there is a long way to go for any patient at this stage.

 

Ultimately though I think there is some merit in trying to simulate as best as possible for patients what their results may end up looking like. I personally feel the "cost" to "reward" ratio doing things this way doesn't quite add up.

[Blake Bloxham]

Bill,

 

Thank you for sharing this video. It's good to see that Dr. Madhu is furthering his skills as a hair transplant surgeon by researching and performing new techniques. Additionally, the "final result" looks like it will be quite impressive when fully matured. I'd also be interested to see if Dr. Madhu has any statistics related to the procedure (i.e. growth when compared to traditional follicular unit transplantation, transection rates, patient satisfaction, etc). Again, thanks for sharing!

[waveskier]

I'm not even 100% sure about the video.

[hsrp10]

The smile on the patient's face afterwards is priceless

 

If it is legit and the non-trimming of grafts and even combing of them :eek: does not affect the final result, would be one hell of a way to beat the post-procedure doldrums... :cool:

 

 

"Note that the transplanted hair will still shed within 4 to 6 weeks "

 

Woops, scratch the beating the doldrums part. If they are going to shed anyway not sure what the advantage is... ???

Edited November 13, 2010 by hsrp10
re-read original post

[Bill - Seemiller]

Waveskier,

 

What exactly are you unsure about?

 

Hsrp10,

 

I wouldn't take the time to present this video if it wasn't legit. As I said above, the primary advantage is that the patient can get an idea of the final result and its density. However I imagine it would be even more depressing watching the transplanted hair shed.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[RCWest]

The depressing thing is that he will go from a full head of hair again to bald again in about 4 weeks! It sure does look nice and thick though, and he has lots to look forwards to.

[aaron1234]

It sure covers up the post-op redness. But I certainly wouldn't get one myself. Properly angling the grafts would have to be much, much more difficult. The hair sure looks good just after the transplant... can't help but be a little suspicious.

[Wild]

What would cause the final results at maturity to not match what is being shown in the video? I am reading a lot about folks with no growth after 12-13 months. I was really planning to get an HT from a recommended doctor in india. I am a little worried after reading all the nogrowers posts.

[hairthere]

Actually Spex if you look at the patient's forehead right below the hairline there is definitely some swelling. I agree that the comb through seems very odd/risky, though....

[Blake Bloxham]

Spex,

 

I think the purpose of a 'long hair' transplant is simply to give the patient an idea of what the matured result will look like. As far as the risks of running a comb through the hair post-operatively (probably something Dr. Madhu does not do with each long hair case), yield, swelling, etc, I'm unsure. My guess is that the results are fairly comparable to traditional follicular unit transplantation (FUT) with a shaved donor area.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Spex,

 

I'm a little surprised that you would be so skeptical and critical of another physician recommended by this community. The "long haired" hair transplant has been discussed at several annual ISHRS scientific meetings including the 2008 meeting in Montreal and briefly during the 2010 ISHRS meeting in Boston.

 

The pros and cons of the "long haired" hair transplant have already been defined in the initial topic. Personally, I agree that it adds an extra level of potentially unnecessary complication. But as Blake said, it does give patients an idea of what their final density should look like after the procedure.

 

As to combing through recently transplanted hair, I happen to share your concerns given the potential risks of dislodging the grafts. But I have no reason to doubt that this video doesn't show the patient immediately after surgery like you seem to as indicated by your post.

 

I've asked Blake to contact Dr. Madhu to offer his direct input on this topic for further clarification.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Dr. Pathuri Madhu]

Dear All,

 

In the hair transplant literature this is named as “preview long hair transplant” and it is not new to the hair transplant fraternity, but new to India. It is being practiced by some good and very reputed surgeons in Brazil and even in USA from the past five years. Actually, there is sufficient scientific literature on this and even it was published and discussed on the cover stories and on the first pages of International Journal on hair transplantation called “Forum” of ISHRS, and in the last few years of ISHRS meetings some cases were presented in the meeting also.

 

This year, even in Brazilian ISHRS meeting, a live workshop was conducted and a complete day was allotted for long hair transplantation wherein so many hair transplant surgeons witnessed the procedure with good amount of discussion on this topic.

 

If the doctor has sufficient skills to manage this properly one need not worry, furthermore this procedure need not be advised to all the patients also. There are some special and specific indications for this like (if one is planning for important functions, ceremonies like marriage within 12-25 days after the procedure). In these sort of circumstances one can think or can undergo without much hesitation.

 

 

Regards,

Dr.Madhu

[amanindia]

We are waiting to see the final results then only we can determine whats in store.