Hair transplant on palm

[saska1209]

Last week I visited HT surgeoun and among many other questions I asked the doctor:

 

How do they know there was a hair earlier (at recepient area) where they transplant new graft?

 

The doctor replied, it does't matter if the incison at recepient area had a hair graft earlier before hair loss started because its the donor information that is crucial for the transplanted hair to grow. As an exmaple he said,..if he takes a hair from the safe zone of the back of the head and transplant it on palm of hand or nose,...it would also grow, even though those areas never had hair.

 

How true is this?

Edited August 21, 2011 by saska1209

[aaron1234]

Yes, that is true. There have even been reports of men undergoing scalp to pubic area transplants. Why for the life of me I do not know!

[RCWest]

You can insert a graft anywhere on the body and it will grow just the same as if it were on the scalp. All the graft is looking for is a blood supply.

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Yes, that is true. There have even been reports of men undergoing scalp to pubic area transplants. Why for the life of me I do not know!

 

What a waste of good donor hair...ha!

[mattj]

I'm guessing you must have assumed that transplanted grafts had to be inserted into the 'empty' follicles where hair once grew. The doctor is actually transplanting the entire follicle which includes everything the hair needs to continue growing.

[saska1209]

I'm guessing you must have assumed that transplanted grafts had to be inserted into the 'empty' follicles where hair once grew. The doctor is actually transplanting the entire follicle which includes everything the hair needs to continue growing.

 

 

Do you mean it won't grow if the transplanted follicle is inserted into recipient area where there wasn't any hair before?

[mattj]

Do you mean it won't grow if the transplanted follicle is inserted into recipient area where there wasn't any hair before?

 

No, it doesn't matter what was there before. The doctor transplants every necessary part of the hair follicle.

[saska1209]

Thanks mattj for clarification.

 

Now that FU taken from donor area has all the genetic information to grow when transplanted anywhere on the body,...then it makes me wonder:

 

Why in most (or perhaps all) of the cases the yield of transplanted hair is not 100%? Especially in FUE case the yield is even lower.

 

I would appreciate if some of the HT physicians on this forum contribute to this topic.

 

Thanks.

[mattj]

Until a physician replies or in case they don't, I'll say something.

 

A lot of hair transplant surgeons produce poor results. They probably aren't all totally incompetent as doctors. It's probably more to do with just how delicate grafts are and just how careful the doctor and his technicians have to be with them.

 

Consider how closely each graft has to be trimmed before they are implanted into the tiny recipient incisions. The techs have to cut as close as possible without damaging them. The grafts also can't spend too long exposed to the air. The grafts are very vulnerable throughout the process so it's not surprising that even with the best surgeon and techs, there's a chance that a small number won't survive.