A truly exception hair transplant begins with the end in mind. A hair transplant surgeon must be chosen for their ability to not only diagnose the root cause of your hair loss, but also on his or her ability to provide a treatment method that will produce natural-looking results. With this in mind, it is important to understand the different closure techniques used in today’s latest hair transplant procedures. Moreover, it is critical that a surgeon be chosen for his or her ability to perform a closure technique that leaves little-to-no visible scarring of any kind. With the right touch, a surgeon may mask the appearance of the donor area scar so the patient may wear their hair at nearly any length—even short—while maintaining the naturally beautiful appearance of a full head of hair.
1. What is a closure technique?
A closure technique is the method that is used to restore the donor area back to its original state—that is, the technique joins together the scalp at the sites from which hair follicles were extracted. Closure techniques most commonly follow micrograft hair transplants.
2. What is the “ledge” trichophytic closure?
The “ledge” trichophytic closure is a special technique that has been developed by Dr. Rose at the Hair Transplant Institute of Miami. Following a micrograft procedure, this particular type of trichophytic closure is among the most effective means of “masking” the visibility of the donor area scar. This is achieved by strategically directing individual hairs to grow through the scar, effectively hiding it from view as the scalp heals.
3. Which procedures involve this closure?
The “ledge” closure is used during most micrograft hair transplants. Specifically, this type of closure technique is implemented following any strip donor procedure that is performed at the Hair Transplant Institute
4. Are there any hair transplant procedures that do not involve a closure technique?
As we’ve explored, a closure technique is used to restore the donor area after a micrograft transplant procedure. There are 3 additional hair transplant procedures that do not require the use of a closure technique, specifically because they do not involve extracting follicular units in a “strip” fashion:
- Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE): FUE procedures use an advanced “punch” instrument that measures no wider than 1mm to remove individual hair follicles. This creates very small scars at the site from which each unit is extracted, however a linear scar is never made and a closure technique is therefore never required.
- Follicular Isolation Technique (FIT): The FIT procedure has been co-created by Dr. Rose, and it is similar to the FUE technique described above. FIT is also conducted with a special “punch” instrument that measures about 0.8-1mm in diameter.
- ARTAS® System: The ARTAS® physician-guided robotic system is the most technologically advanced method worldwide to perform non-invasive FUE/FIT procedures for our patients. With the ARTAS procedure, advanced digital technology and laser guided, precision robotics harvest permanent hair from the back of the head to be transplanted into balding or thinning areas where they will grow permanently and with a completely natural appearance, as before. The ARTAS System is set to arrive at the Hair Transplant Institute this October, and we invite readers to learn more about ARTAS here.
5. How do I know which procedure to choose?
There’s no substitute to a professional hair loss evaluation and diagnosis. Only by identifying the root cause of hair loss can an effective treatment option be selected. To learn more, visit our Web page on Hair Loss Evaluations at our Institute.
6. Where may I look at before / after photos of these procedures?
Readers are invited to review the following image galleries of patients before and after hair transplant procedures like micrograft / strip donor, FUE, and FIT procedures.
South Florida’s Top Hair Surgeons
Our team is comprised of South Florida’s finest hair transplant surgeons, nurses, microscopists, and technicians, each of whom understand the challenges hair loss presents to personal, social, and professional life. To learn more about hair loss and restoration, schedule an appointment with the Hair Transplant Institute of Miami online or call our front desk directly at 305-925-0222.