Archive for the 'Getting Started' Category

My “Expectation Exercise”


We deal a lot with “expectations” in the course of hair restoration. Given the individual’s donor specifics, what can he or she realistically expect in terms of immediate results and long-term appearance?

Just prior to my recent International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) workshop in Orlando, I found myself conducting an “expectation exercise” of my own. I had agreed to a work session in which my follicular unit extraction (FUE) procedure using our powered SAFE™ Scribe technology would be compared, side by side, with another surgeon’s proprietary system.

Same surgical suite.

Same patient.

Same results?

I’m pleased to say the outcome was right in line with what I’d envisioned.

Microscopic examination of harvested follicles showed we achieved an average of 2.9 hairs per graft. Moreover, our transection rate was just 1.9 percent. Considering it’s not uncommon for transection rates to be 10 times that or more in some processes, it confirmed what we’ve been saying about the SAFE Scribe’s exceptional precision and efficacy.

I think it’s important to point out that not all surgeons share my view on keeping transection rates at an absolute minimum. I made it part of my clinical criteria when developing this new collection technology for two reasons. First, I believed it was attainable. Second, I considered it key to the value proposition I offer my patients. For the more viable grafts we can obtain in each session, the faster these individuals will reach their appearance objectives.

Evidently, a number of my colleagues agreed. Several have asked to come to Denver for additional SAFE Scribe training. We’re hoping to host that late summer or early fall—but prior to the ISHRS national conference in Boston this October. I’ve also been asked by my international peers to provide on-site training in their countries.

I fully expect to say yes.


Fine art and FUE


If you’ve visited the newly expanded Denver Art Museum, you may have seen the Impressionist works that are part of its permanent collection.  I’m a Monet fan, myself—as intrigued now as I was as a kid by how those thousands of tiny touches of color can create a single work of art. So I wasn’t surprised to read recently that a Monet painting had sold for $16.2 million.

Truth is, there’s a parallel between the way an Impressionist paints and the way we hair transplantation specialists approach our work. Creating a natural hairline is art as well as science. And it’s a process made infinitely safer and surer with the advances of Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).

As you may have read, FUE is the individual removal of hair follicles in groups of one to four hairs—the way they naturally grow—using a special instrument. My choice is the SAFE System “Scribe,” which I personally developed, given the precision and control it offers in creating an extremely small incision.  It also results in less damage (transection) to the hair follicle, which means fewer grafts are necessary for the desired outcome.

FUE is right for some of the clients I see. Others will benefit from the more traditional “strip” approach. What’s important is that the overall process of FUHT (follicular unit hair transplantation) is an excellent option for patients with male pattern baldness, female pattern baldness, scars from cosmetic surgery and more.

Follicle by follicle, the view changes.

Permanently.

And it’s that “big picture” that matters.


Tix to the laser show


My office in Colorado is just a few miles from Red Rocks. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, this natural rock amphitheater has hosted a regular concert season every year since 1947.  The Beatles were here in 1964.  U2’s performance here in 1983 ranks among Rolling Stone’s “50 Moments that Changed Rock and Roll.”  And this past season, Flaming Lips lit up the venue with a pretty amazing laser show.

The theory behind the laser (an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) was actually introduced by Albert Einstein in 1917.  Some 90 years later, we see it at work in bar code scanners at the supermarket, CD players, laser printers, welding, national defense and a wide range of medical procedures. In the field of hair restoration, we’re using FDA-approved, lower-level laser therapy both to facilitate hair growth for those choosing transplantation and as an independent treatment option for those who are not good candidates for surgery.

How well does it work? A double-blind research study of one of the non-clinical laser “combs” indicated a positive effect for men with hair loss due to androgenetic alopecia (the most common form of genetic hair loss). In my practice, I regularly employ clinical-grade low-level laser units in therapeutic regimens for both male and female clients. In many cases—particularly for post-menopausal women—the results can be significant.

As you explore treatment options, it’s definitely worth discussing with your doctor.