Hair Transplant Edmonton

At Nakatsui DermaSurgery (formerly Groot DermaSurgery Centre), our dermatologist Dr. Nakatsui uses the current gold standard technique of hair transplantation, which is known as FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation). This can be accomplished via the strip technique, which involves the use of microscopes to dissect out very large numbers of small grafts each containing no more than one to three hairs (follicular units). These follicular units are removed from the back and sides of the scalp in a strip (where they genetically have a longer life than those that were lost in the thinning or bald areas).

It can also be done using the FUE technique (Follicular Unit Extraction), which involves the use of a tiny sharp or dull punch to extract the follicular units one at a time from the scalp. Our dermatologist, Dr. Nakatsui, has found that FUE procedures now account for about 50% of his cases.

There are actually several methods besides FUT and FUE to extract the donor hair. The infographic shows several of the different methods available to extract hair and the type of grafts they generate.

In addition to different methods of extraction, there are different methods used to create insertion sites. Some surgeons will use needles whereas others will use tiny blades to make tiny slits. Slits vary in width from 0.6 mm to 1.2 mm and can be made in a sagittal or coronal (lateral) orientation. Some physicians will use larger round punches or slot punches to remove scalp tissue to make room for larger grafts. Dr. Nakatsui prefers to use lateral slits in the vast majority of cases but he will occasionally use sagittal slits for certain areas of the scalp. He does not use punches or slots because these methods leave some scarring in the recipient area.