What size blade to top docs use to make incisions?

[Bleachcola12]

I am sure this thread has been done to death, but what size blade do docs use?

[Fingers Crossed]

It might vary from doctor to doctor but I know Dr. Hasson used a .70 mm blade for single hair grafts (hairline region), and a .90 mm blade for the multi hair grafts for me. That said, these measurements more than likely will vary from patient to patient because everybody's hair shaft diameter differs.

[Jotronic]

Yes, the sizes do vary from patient to patient.

The size of the blade for a single hair graft can vary simply due to the size of the hair follicle itself in that a finer hair can slide into a smaller incision whereas a more coarse hair needs an incision slightly larger. Single hair incisions can range between .6 and .7 mm.

 

Doubles or larger will be determined by not only the type of hair but also how much space is between each hair in a bundle. The more space between the hairs in a bundle the larger the incision but of course too much space means that there is two follicular bundles instead of one.

 

A factor that never gets discussed is that of follicular bundle spread (as I refer to it) in that sometimes you can have a multi-hair graft that may appear to have hairs that are very tight together but at the bottom the graft the direction of growth spreads out in different directions. Think of a coffee table with three legs. This means that sometimes the incision for a graft needs to be a bit larger than normal to accommodate how the grafts spread out.

 

So, to answer your question, the size of the blade can vary from .6mm up to .9 or even 1.0mm depending on varying factors. This is when considering a clinic that uses blades to begin with. Those that use needles will use 19,21 and sometimes 23 gauge needles. God forbid they use an 18 gauge needle. The higher the number the smaller the size. Needles are pre-fabbed and cannot be customized for the patient.

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Jotronic gives an excellent response as usual. Custom blades sized to the patient's specific graft size makes for a natural hairline of singles held securely during the early healing phase by the proper slit; and allows for doubles and triples to be placed into snug, not tight nor loose, slits a bit further back.

 

We wait until about 100 grafts are cut before making blades.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA