Hair loss is something most all of us will deal with in our lifetime and for some hair loss occurs much earlier than we’d like. While science has come a long way in hair restoration, there’s no magic remedy. However, there is device that can restore a good portion of our hair and hair line without scars or surgery. Dr. Grant Stevens of Marina del Rey, California has seen countless men and women looking to get their “mojo” back, and now with this new procedure called NeoGraft, he can do just that!
by Grant Stevens, MD
and The Plastic Surgery Channel
Why do some of us lose our hair?
Everyone can see when the front of the scalp begins to lose hair, or maybe the top of the head, but never the back and rarely the sides. Why is that? What causes hair in those areas to go away forever but other areas to live on?
“The biology of hair loss is that where you’re bald, the hair follicles have died,” explains Dr. Stevens. “It was programmed to die. If you take a hair follicle from the back of the head where it’s programmed to live for your whole life, and you take that follicle and put it in your scalp, after a dormant period of two to three months, it will start to grow hair. It will grow and grow and at about 6-9 months you’re pretty happy about it because it’s now an inch or two long.”
The solution appears simple: Transplant some spare hairs from the back of the head to the balding areas. The differences in how surgeons accomplish this are huge, and why the NeoGraft device is making itself known as a game-changer.
Old Hair Transplantation vs. NeoGraft
Hair transplantation surgery has been around for some time offering great results, but it does require surgery and a life-long scar placed on the back of the scalp. Surgeons remove a strip of skin with hair follicles and place them where there are bald spots. In terms of hair, the results are great. In terms of a painful recovery and a life-long scar on the back of the head, some would-be patients might just opt to remain bald.
This is where NeoGraft is exciting. “Hair loss and hair thinning is a common problem among men and women. Up until now, we’ve had to create a scar and actually cut people in the back of the head in order to harvest hair to transfer it,” describes Stevens. “Now with NeoGraft, we’ve eliminated the scar and we’ve eliminated the surgery. NeoGraft is a exciting new technology where we can individually remove the hair follicles and transplant them to the top of the head for guys who are bald or to the widow’s peak or the thin areas on women.”
Instead of removing a strip of skin and hair from the back of the head and stitching the gap closed, NeoGraft removes the hair follicles individually from the scalp. This removal process does not require the removal of a large strip of hair, therefore eliminating the scar and painful recovery. As the hair follicles are removed, they are then transplanted by the plastic surgeon wherever hair needs to be.
Restoring hair, but mainly confidence
For many people, surgery and downtime just isn’t an option. NeoGraft eliminates prolonged downtime and gives people an option to restore their hair and shake off that feeling of aging.
“Hair loss can be devastating for some people,” says Stevens. “In terms of a confidence crusher, some guys really lose their mojo, they lose their A-game. Looking at it the other way around, when we restore that hair line and restore their thick hair, they get their mojo back. They’re confident again and feel good about themselves.”