Results in Real-Time: Dr. Steven Gabel Patient, 3439 Grafts Frontal Hairline

[Steven Gabel, MD, FACS]

Yea, I was just curious as to whether the "growth" shown prior to the shed weeks after the newly transplanted grafts are due to the cells actually generating hair, or if it is the shaft of the hair being expelled as the graft goes into telogen phase....

 

I guess I am trying to understand whether a non viable graft would just sit there and not grow (or fall out unless agitated).

 

Spidey

 

Great question: I do believe the answer to your question is Yes. If the hairs are "growing" or "starting to advance" because of the impending shift in the cell cycle from anagen to catagen to telogen, the fact that there is movement to me signifies that the follicle has survived the hair transplant and is either/or both continuing to elongate the hair shaft or advancing the hair shaft for expulsion from the follicular unit. Can I say exactly which is occurring: No. However, since the hairs appear longer, that signifies to me that the follicular unit is functioning.

 

I have put together some photos of another patient that came in yesterday for his suture removal. I did not actually take these photographs with the intension of showing early hair growth so these photos are not 100% ideal for this demonstration, but I think it gets the point across of the length that I have them at time of the transplant.

 

 

Photo #1: Preoperative photograph showing the area to be transplanted.

 

 

 

 

 

Photo #2: Immediate postoperative photograph showing the newly transplanted hairs.

 

 

I prefer to have the hair shaft several millimeters long to see the curvature of the hairs so when I place the grafts, hair curvature is all (as best I can) perfectly oriented in the direction that I intended, as seen in the photograph.

 

 

 

 

Photo #3: 10 days after surgery demonstrating early hair growth.

 

 

 

This photo is a close up of the transplanted hairs. Clearly, the hair shafts are longer (or they are transitioning from anagen to catogen). And, at this point, some of the hairs may have been extruded. Along with the early growth of the hair shafts, I am able to ascertain that the hairs are oriented correctly in the desired direction that I intended.

 

[Steven Gabel, MD, FACS]

This patient is now 16 months following 3439 grafts to the frontal zone. These photos were taken 1 week ago as seen in the print out reporting on the snow storm in the east. I have taken these photos in real-time so we could observe how the hair transplant progresses and changed her appearance.

 

She normally has curly hair, but now is straightening her hair because the transplant allows her to style her hair differently. She told me that she is wearing her hair down, and now she has options to wear her hair back which she was never able to do with confidence. She is clearly satisified with the results or she would not have been returning for monthly photographs for the first 12 months and now she is coming back every few months until the 2-year mark. I have a short video to show the progress as well.