History of Hair Transplants

Hair has always been associated with the symbol of one's vitality and youthfulness as far as history is concerned. People since ancient times had always paid attention to the beauty of their hair. Pre-historical Eygptians used animal fat and chopped lettuce for hair loss. The Chinese Emperor Guangxu used leaves and floral herbs to treat his severe hair problems. Even the great Roman dictator, Julius Caeser wore a crown to disguise his baldness.

We are so much luckier now in the 21st century than Julius Caeser as we won't need to use leaves to cover our head. With the advancements in science and technology, proven methods like hair transplantation are a new way of reviving your hair.

---

Everything has its humble beginnings, hair transplants were once considered unnatural and unpractical. Throughout the decades, it have slowly evolved from doll like plugs grafts to almost undetectable follicular unit transplantation. Let's begin with a little history..

1930s - 1950s

Back in the early 1930's when the world was just starting to blow itself to bits, a Japanese dermatologist, Dr. Okuda successfully harvested hair grafts and transplanted them to other parts of the body.

Almost 13 years later, Dr. Tamura from Imperial Japan as well, was the first to practice using small grafts or micro grafts involving 1-5 hairs to restore hair in the female's pubic region. However, due to the war, most of the research documentations and methods of their research were sadly lost.

1950s - 1960s

During the roaring 50s when the war was over and the economy reviving, much more attention was paid to technology and medical science. Hair transplant was then rediscovered by Dr. Norman Orentreich from New York. He was the one that created and coined the so called term 'Donor Dominance'.

He observed that transplanted hair from the side and the back region of the head to the front part were not affected by Pattern Baldness. That soon led to the discovery of DHT as the main cause of genetic hair loss.

1960s - 1970s

In the 60s through 70s, this procedure started to boom as a recognizable medical industry. Hair surgeons started to perform transplant using 4mm grafts, comparable to pencil erasers. This large grafting method made the patient's head looked like artificial plugs which was also famously known back then as 'doll plugs'.

However during that time, where there were no Propecia and Minoxidil, there weren't many alternatives and people were more than content to accept this mediocre replacement for hair loss.

1980s - 1990s

The booming 80s, hair surgeons were more versed with transplant techniques began using newer and more efficient grafting methods. The newly invented mini-grafting that used smaller grafts by cutting strips from the donor tissues was introduced. As available research and technology advanced further, surgeons began using micro-grafts which remove 1-2 hair follicles at a time to make the transplant more natural.

This was the start of mini-micro grafting, where larger grafts we used for a broader balding area and micro grafts were inserted in between to make the hair more natural and dense. This technique slowly became the industry's standard as the most optimum and productive method for the next 20 years.

2000 - Present

Follicular Unit Transplantation or FUT in short, has slowly started to enter into the hair restoration scene. With the invention of stereo microscopes, hair surgeons can now locate individual follicular groups and remove them without damaging the hair tissues and follicles itself. This process dramatically improves the overall and natural look of the patient.

By the year 2000, FUT became the most popular hair transplant method and is considered the most natural hair restoration technique to date. With the right skills and dexterity, the hair transplant surgeon can perform an almost undetectable transplant and you can go straight back to work the same day!

---

Other Ineffective Methods

There are still older hair transplant methods that are still practiced today. Those are

• Laser Hair Restoration
  A Laser Hair Restoration uses laser to make holes in the scalp to replace the donor grafts. This procedure has been found ineffective as it can lead to scarring and reduced hair growth.
• Scalp Reduction
  This technique involves cutting off part of the bald area of the scalp and rely on the scalp's elastic properties to cover back the bald areas. Usually a Y shaped incision at the back portion of the head is made. The bald area of the skin is later removed and the sides are lifted to cover and close the area. This procedure can create tension to the skin and can lead to excessive bleeding and scarring.
• Scalp Expansion
  Scalp expansion involves expanding the DHT resistant part of scalp with a balloon type device implanted under the scalp. Once the scalp has expanded, the balloon will be removed. The expanded scalp will later be used to cover the balding area. This method is old and are rarely practiced today.
• Scalp Flap Surgery
  This procedure requires the relocation of the entire strip of donor dominance area of the scalp from the side of the head to the frontal hairline area. The area is inserted with an expansion balloon and then injected with saline solution to stretch the tissue. After curing, the tissue is relocated to the balding area.

  Scalp flap surgery usually create an unnatural appearance of the hair line other problems like scarring. Never ever try this procedure.

---

The Only Way to Go, Follicular Unit Transplantation

There is only one really good method for you to choose and that is Follicular Unit Transplantation. This procedure is straightforward and is best practiced procedure today. What is more important is that this procedure has less downsides compare to the rest.

If you ever want to consider going for it, make sure your surgeon can perform Follicular Unit Transplantation. See how Follicular Hair Transplantation works in the next part.

PART 2 FOLLICULAR UNIT TRANSPLANTATION

Return to Top of History of Hair Transplants
Back to Hair Transplant
Return to Surviving-Hairloss.com

---