Why Do Some Require Buzzing The Recipient Areas, While Others Do Not ?

[Torn]

Reading through the forums I notice there are doctors who do not shave or buzz down the recipient areas. I'm wondering if this is inherently a problem ? If not then what is the reason why other docs require it ?

 

I would think that with the area buzzed it would be better to visualize for placement though if there are docs successfully performing procedures without buzzing then is it really necessary ?

 

It's an attractive alternative, but I'm concerned it could lead to poor results ?

 

Given the choice would you buzz your recipient area or leave it ?

[Dr. David Josephitis]

Torn,

 

To shave or not to shave? This is often a topic of debate amongst hair transplant docs. Some groups will never shave patients' heads believing that the inconvenience to the patient is much too great and also not seeing any real benefit in doing so. Others, always shave and won't proceed without. Here at Shapiro Medical Group, I like to think we do a little of both, customizing it for the individual patient.

 

You are correct in saying that it makes it easier for the physician and the operating staff to work without any hair in the way. Shaving or not really depends on the individual patient and their needs. The easiest way to try to explain this is to give a few examples of how we approach different patients. If there is a patient that has a fair amount of hair on the scalp and is only looking to add density, we may see if it will be easy to work in between the existing hair. If it appears relatively easy, then it makes most sense to keep the patient's hair intact and to work around it. Now, if this same patient wanted to maximize density and we were going to work with a large number of grafts (i.e.> 2500 - 3500 grafts) then we might encourage him to get it shaved. We feel that first of all, we may not be able to maximize the density with the native hair in the way, and also the surgery will also be longer in duration. Out of body time does become an important factor in larger cases. The difference in the number of grafts placed between a shaved and unshaved patient may only be 200 - 500.

 

Another example is the patient who has only very little hair on the scalp that is really not helping for any cosmetic coverage. This we will typically trim down as well, as it again makes it more challenging to transplant. This fine miniaturized hair can become matted down and sometimes interferes with graft insertion. These patients typically will not mind us shaving as there was not much hair there in the first place.

 

Finally, another patient desiring max. density with adequate (albeit thin) hair on top may not be able to cut their hair short because of school, work, or social obligations. We do not have to cut the hair. This patient will be made aware though, that we might have to do slightly fewer grafts. The patient will most likely still get excellent coverage and a nice result. The patient has to weigh the pros and cons.

 

So put it simply, we prefer to shave for those desiring a large session to maximize the density and to decrease the graft out of body time. Having said that, working around hair in most cases is also possible. Each patient is different and we will discuss what works best for him or her.