Dr. Camps, as an expert in follicular transplants in Spain, what induced you to perform the follicular unit technique?
I was induced by the fact that the old technique, which was a round technique called the “punch” technique, left the head with doll’s hair. When Merrit, among others, came up with the idea of separating these hairs into loose hairs and planting them individually, it opened an excellent field to be able to do a cosmetic transplant without these round hairs being visible. Since then what we have done are variations on this technique and improvements to what Merrit and others promoted.
Who is the ideal candidate to undergo this hair transplant?
A hair transplant is needed when part of the hair loss or alopecia is important enough to the person to have a desire to repopulate this area. This happens in both men and women, what happens is that the need is greater in women because a woman with little hair is in a worse condition than a man where baldness is relatively acceptable.
Is the treatment more frequent in men or in women?
Twenty years ago we transplanted practically only men. Today approximately 20% of the patients we treat are women.
What are the ideal conditions for performing the surgery?
We must have healthy hair to transport it to the area where hair is missing. If this requirement is met, we will be able to perform a really successful hair transplant.
What results can we expect after surgery?
The result must be excellent, meaning that the affected area must be covered. For this we depend on the quality of the hair in the donor area, that is, that there is sufficient and abundant hair, whether fine or thick to cover the affected area.
What hair transplant techniques are currently available?
Today we use only one technique for hair transplantation, the most cosmetic, is the follicular units. Where there are two techniques is in the way of obtaining these follicular units from the donor area. There is an area of the strip, which provides abundant hair, where a long line of a centimeter of scalp is extracted and then sutured and an imperceptible scar is left. Or we can obtain the hair with a small drill of 0.7 to one millimeter in diameter by removing the hairs individually. The advantage of the first, or headband technique, is that more than twice as much hair is placed as with the follicular unit technique and the person who is transplanted wants and needs an abundance of hair.
What type of anesthesia will be used to perform the surgery?
The surgery will be performed under local anesthesia. This does not preclude that some anxious patients may be given a little sedation while maintaining consciousness. The duration of the surgery will be about 4 or 5 hours because we are not in a hurry and what we want is a job well done, with comfort for the patient and with the necessary time to be able to do a perfect job.
When can we evaluate the results of the transplant?
Once the surgery is finished, the patient immediately goes home, appreciating a seeding of very short hairs that in a few days, approximately one month, will fall. They will fall because they lack the blood supply and when it arrives they will reproduce again. The totality of the hair after the transplant will be seen after approximately eight months, and the absolute maturity of the transplant will be seen one year after the transplant.
Dr. Camps, what is the degree of patient satisfaction after hair transplantation?
The degree of satisfaction is very good because with the patients we carry a project of expectation that fits our offer and what the patient expects, with this conjunction what we get is that the patient has a great degree of happiness to have satisfactorily covered the alopecic area. The mini-micro-transplants or transplantation of follicular units that are now done everywhere give an immense cosmeticity. The hair transplant should not be noticed by anyone other than the wearer.