Unveiling the World of Hair Transplants in New York City
In the bustling metropolis of New York City, hair transplants have emerged as a popular solution for those grappling with hair loss. Not only do they offer a chance to regain a full head of hair, but in the realm of facial realignment, newborn hair transplants have managed to secure the second - place position. This article will take an in - depth look at hair transplants in NYC, exploring the procedures, candidates, techniques, and more.
What is a Hair Transplant?
A hair transplant is an affordable surgical procedure that takes hair from one part of the body and moves it to another. Traditionally, it has been a solution for hair loss caused by various factors such as genetics, hormonal changes, medications, and autoimmune conditions. Dr. Gary Linkov, a dual Ivy League - trained, double - board - certified plastic surgeon and hair transplant specialist from NYC, defines it as the most effective procedure to restore natural hair after hair loss. In the past, hair graft results looked unnatural, and recovery was painful. However, with the latest technologies and techniques, beautiful and affordable hair restoration in NYC is now a reality.
The most common type of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, which affects both men and women but presents differently. In men, the frontal and temporal recession is typical, and it is classified by the Hamilton - Norwood scale. Women, on the other hand, usually experience thinning in the central areas of the scalp, which is best classified by the Ludwig scale.
Types of Hair Transplants
Traditional and Modern Approaches
Traditionally, hair is removed from the back and sides of the head and moved to the front. Nowadays, hair transplant specialists like Dr. Linkov can take hairs from other body sites as well, including the neck, chest, abdomen, back, and even arms or legs (although legs and arms are less favorable due to the thinness of the hair). These hairs can be transplanted to areas such as the eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, and pubic region. Scalp hairs generally have a higher graft survival rate (about 95%) compared to non - scalp hairs (about 75 - 80%).
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) vs. Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
There are two primary ways to harvest hair for a transplant: FUT and FUE.
| Technique | Procedure | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|
| FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation) | Involves removing a strip of hair, typically from the back of the head. The strip is processed under a microscope, and the hairs are divided into follicular units and stored until they are ready to be planted. | Generally faster than FUE and may deliver a more significant number of donor hairs from the back of the head. It is also possible to leave the hairs’ shaft longer for specific procedures such as eyebrow hair transplantation. | Leaves a linear scar, which is noticeable if the head is ever shaved. It is not a good harvesting option in other parts of the scalp and body areas. |
| FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) | Involves removing individual follicular units, which exist as families of 1 - 4 hairs. Using various instruments, each follicular unit to be harvested is punched out using a punch size of 0.8 mm - 1 mm on average. | Avoids a linear scar, offers a more comfortable recovery with less pain and no sutures to remove. The technique can be applied to the sides of the head and other body sites such as the neck and chest in some individuals. | Requires more time and labor to remove the grafts carefully. |
FUE Methods
The concept of FUE is to use a tool to remove a follicular unit graft without traumatizing the follicle. Physicians use several tools to harvest hairs using the FUE method:
- Motorized: The most common method, which includes machines like Ellis, Devroye (WAW), NeoGraft, SmartGraft, and Trivellini (Mamba). Dr. Linkov prefers the Trivellini FUE system for its versatility and adaptability, usually using the vibration setting to avoid traumatizing the hair follicle. The Trivellini system is the newest and most advanced on the market and comes with blunt - tipped flared punches that further reduce injury risk to the follicle.
- Robotic: The ARTAS robot has some automated features for extracting hairs, creating recipient sites, and placing the hairs (with the ARTAS iX). However, it has several disadvantages, including high cost (about $300,000, which makes the procedures more expensive for patients), a requirement for darker hair for extractions (patients with white or red hair need to dye their hair), limited harvest locations (it only works where a flat grid can be applied), and it is not necessarily faster than motorized punch systems and still requires a team of technicians.
- Manual: A sharp or blunt - tipped manual punch is a cylindrical instrument rotated in hand and through the skin around the hair shaft.
Candidates for Hair Restoration
Good Candidates
A right hair implant surgical candidate is a man or woman with appreciable hair loss in a specific area on their body, most typically the scalp. The hair implant surgeon or local hair transplant doctor must have an area to target for the hair implant and create the necessary density. The targeted area needs to have a stable hair loss pattern, which is not progressive.
Non - Candidates
You would not be a good candidate for hair restoration, or you should be very careful as the hair implant would likely fail if you have:
- Scarring hair loss condition such as frontal fibrosing alopecia
- Certain underlying medical conditions that may impact healing, such as immunosuppression
- Unrealistic expectations about the potential of a hair implant
Implanting Hair
After the hairs are harvested from the donor site, they are implanted into the chosen recipient area. Board - certified plastic surgeon Dr. Linkov differentiates between two main instruments used to create recipient sites:
- Needles: 18G - 21G one - inch needles, which can be bent to control the exact depth of the hair follicle, can be used to make recipient sites. A 1cc or 3cc syringe can be used as a handle. Needles may facilitate ease of implantation due to their circular shape and may cause less bleeding and injury to surrounding hairs due to there being a partially blunt side to the needle.
- Blades: 0.5 mm - 0.8 mm blades can be used with blade holders to create precise recipient sites. The depth can be controlled based on how the blade is inserted into the blade holder. Blades stay sharper longer than needles and can be used to control the fit of the graft with proper angulation and direction as the graft is more locked in.
Studies by leading hair restoration specialists have shown no difference in the ultimate growth of hair whether needles or blades are used. The decision of which instrument to use depends on the surgeon and technician’s experience and preference.
Estimating Hair Graft Count
During the initial consultation on Manhattan’s upper east side, the best - rated hair transplant procedure experts like Dr. Linkov will estimate a graft count based on your desired look, donor density, and density needed at the recipient site to create the proper appearance. The hair graft count is always an estimate as the final count will depend on the technical ability to harvest the intended number of grafts. But the estimated graft count will guide the amount of time needed for your procedure and the cost.
Procedures can be divided into small, medium, and large cases based on the following graft counts:
- Small: < 800 grafts
- Medium: 800 - 1400 grafts
- Large: > 1400 grafts
Achieving a Natural Appearance
There are several factors that lead to a natural post - hair - transplant appearance:
- Density: Sufficient density needs to be created consisting of the native hairs and the transplanted hairs.
- Angulation: Different areas of the body and scalp have hairs growing at a certain angle to the skin surface, and this needs to be respected when designing the recipient sites for a natural hair implant result.
- Direction: Following the correct direction of hair growth is very important for natural results.
- Fading: At the hairline, for example, single hair grafts are placed at the leading edge, and gradually 2, 3, and 4 hair grafts are added in as you progress further back to create a faded appearance.
- Irregularization: Hair rarely grows in a perfectly straight line, and therefore during a hair transplant, it is critical to make irregular borders.
The Role of the Doctor
With the increasing popularity of platforms like NeoGraft and SmartGraft, there is a trend where hair restoration physicians are less involved in the actual surgical hair transplant procedure. Often, they simply design the hairline and then let hair technicians perform the entire surgery. However, Dr. Linkov at City Facial Plastics in midtown, Manhattan, is a top - rated and reputable hair transplant surgeon who is intricately involved with every step of the hair implant process. He performs portions of the FUE harvesting and placement of grafts and creates all of the recipient sites, which is the critical step.
Cost of Hair Transplants
Hair transplant cost varies across the country and the world. Some practices charge based on price per graft, and others charge a flat rate per hair implant surgery. In NYC, the cost of a hair transplant per graft generally ranges from $5 - $13. In most cases, the total cost of transplantation starts at $16,000. Certain parts of the country may charge as low as $1.5 per graft. Countries like India and Turkey offer packages with travel and hotel accommodations covered for a low price, but medical tourism can come with risks, so patients must do their due diligence.
The final hair restoration price depends on the following factors:
- The difficulty of the transplant procedure
- Experience of the surgeon
- Geographic location
- Surgical technique
Risks and Side Effects
Risks of hair transplant surgery include:
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Poor hair regrowth
- Overharvesting with a visibly reduced donor density
- Poor scarring
- Numbness
- Shock loss
- Inflammation
- Adverse reaction to anesthesia
- Pain
- Wound dehiscence (FUT)
- Unnatural appearance
- Cobblestoning
Preparing for a Hair Transplant
To prepare for a hair transplant:
- Avoid medications and supplements that can thin the blood and cause increased bleeding during surgery, such as aspirin, vitamin E, gingko biloba, and ibuprofen.
- Refrain from smoking for at least one week before your procedure.
- Taking vitamin C and vitamin K before your procedure may help with healing and limit bruising.
- For body hair donor areas, if applicable, you will need to shave the area five days prior to the procedure to allow the hairs to grow out to the desired length for extraction. For scalp hair donor areas, you can leave the hair long to allow the surgical team to trim / shave as per the discussed plan for harvesting.
What to Expect on the Day of Surgery
Before your NYC hair transplant procedure, Dr. Linkov suggests avoiding coffee, alcohol, and caffeine as these may increase bleeding and change how you respond to medications. Arrive at the office wearing comfortable, loose - fitting clothing. Do not apply any product to your hair and make sure your hair is clean. Take your routinely prescribed medications that morning as you normally do.
Bring in the procedure - specific prescribed medications to the office, and the team will instruct you on how and what to take. The usual cocktail includes:
- Antibiotic (i.e., cefadroxil)
- Anti - inflammatory (i.e., prednisone)
- Anxiolytic (i.e., valium)
- Sedative (i.e., ambien)
These procedures are time - consuming and can range from 3 - 12 hours in one day. For more extensive cases, patients will need to come back the following day to finish the procedure. In NYC hair loss centers, the procedure typically starts in the morning, around 7:30 am.
Recovery from Hair Transplant Surgery
For proper recovery after the hair transplant procedure:
- For the first night, sleep with your head elevated on several pillows or in a recliner chair to prevent swelling, and place a towel under your head for possible light bleeding.
- You may gently clean your hair beginning the second day until five days with water in a carefully poured basin over the head. On the sixth day, you may begin to shower normally, letting the water hit your scalp as usual.
- The transplanted hairs often will fall out with the crusts as soon as five to eight days after the procedure. The hair follicles remain in the scalp. Most of the rest of the transplanted hairs will fall out over the next two weeks. The new hair shafts will begin to grow in the 4 - 6 month window and will continue to grow. The final result is typically judged at 12 months, though it can take longer before all of the hairs grow.
Reasons for a Hair Transplant Procedure
There are many reasons why people want to undergo a hair transplant procedure:
- High hairline: It makes your head look very prominent. It can be something you inherit or a result of hair loss. To manage this, doctors carefully extract the hair follicles and transplant the hair onto the scalp’s top to fill in the hairline or crown.
- Low hair density: If you have less than 20 grafts per square centimeter, you might be dealing with low hair density. People with this hair condition can easily see their scalp. Doctors utilize a high - density graft placement technique to secure outstanding, long - lasting results.
- Large forehead: It is possible to shrink an overly large forehead with a hair transplant procedure. Follicular unit extraction (FUE) can be an option if you want your forehead to be in proportion with the rest of your facial features.
Hair Plugs vs. Hair Transplants
| Procedure | Advantages | Disadvantages | Cost | Recovery Time | Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hair Plugs
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