National Hair Institute, Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation & Restoration, Melbourne, Sydney, Australia, Hair Loss Solutions

Achieving the Natural Look

For those who want a real and lasting solution, hair transplantation is the preferred method. The hair transplant techniques practiced at the National Hair Institute can provide you with your own real growing hair that will last a lifetime.

Hair transplantation has evolved over the past thirty years to become one of the most commonly performed cosmetic procedures on men in Australia. During those thirty years significant advances have been made in procedural methods. Previously hair was redistributed in groups of hair bearing tissue known as punch grafts, mini grafts and micro grafts. Each graft was an improvement on its predecessor but none could actually mimic a natural hairline and all three are still used by some doctors today.

Below we have outlined a clear description of the continually evolving graft types that have been used in transplantation throughout the years.

 Punch Grafts (1970's - 1985)

Punch grafts are those large plugs of hair that produced the objectionable results referred to by many as “dolls hair”. They are up to 4 mm in diameter and contain 15 to 20 hairs. Because of the need to core-out a recipient hole, blood flow considerations dictated that a maximum of 100 grafts may be performed in one procedure and all grafts must be placed at least 4mm from adjacent grafts. The size and spacing required of these grafts resulted in an unnatural appearance.

 Mini Grafts (1985 - 1990)

Mini grafts were the next progression and a minor improvement; they were approximately 1.5 to 2.5 mm in diameter and contained 5 to 10 hairs.

 Micro Grafts (1990 - 1995)

Micro grafts were a significant advancement and contained from 1 to 4 hairs and ranged in size from 1 to 1.5 mm in diameter. Whilst they had a size that allowed for a very natural appearance they suffered from a very low growth rate. The inherent flaw in micro grafts is that the natural grouping of follicles is ignored and split up, damaging vital anatomic structures. This ultimately resulted in a growth rate of around 50% or less of the hair that was originally taken from the donor area.

Our doctor only performs procedures using the recently developed follicular unit graft. Hairs do not grow individually but in naturally occurring groups of up to 4 hairs (see photo page 13). Using stereoscopic microscopes it is possible to identify and extract these microscopic units and transfer them to the areas of balding scalp. This method literally transfers the hairs in the same way that nature grows them. Follicular unit grafting is the logical end point of over thirty years evolution of the hair transplant procedure. It allows us to provide for the patient a totally natural look that grows and, aside from washing, cutting and combing, has no ongoing maintenance.

 Follicular Unit Grafts (1995 - present day)

The National Hair Institute only performs procedures using the recently developed follicular unit graft.

A follicular unit is a microscopic group of hairs that naturally grow together.

	1, 2, 3 and 4 hair follicular units awaiting insertion into the scalp

If you could view hair under a microscope you would see that hairs do not grow singly (as is the common belief), but in naturally occurring groups of up to four hairs. These groupings are known as follicular units. This is how the hair used to grow in those areas where it has receded, and using these natural groupings is how we will replace it.

They are not to be confused with micro grafts. Micro grafts are dissected without the aid of magnification and whilst they can be cut into grafts containing one to four hairs they are not necessarily from the same follicular unit. The resulting growth rate and subsequent appearance are neither dense nor natural when compared to the results achievable with follicular unit grafting.

The binocular stereoscopic dissecting microscope allows us to identify and dissect these follicular units whilst sculpting around the sebaceous glands and other appendages crucial for the grafts survival. The resulting grafts are the smallest possible grafts you can achieve that will experience a very high growth rate in excess of 95% in the hands of the right surgical team.

Most importantly with grafts of this size we are replacing the hair in those areas where it has been lost in the same way that it used to grow, in naturally occurring groups of one to four hairs. The follicular unit is the foundation for restoring a natural looking head of hair.