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Strip Harvesting

Learn How Hair Transplants Use Follicular Units For A Baldness Solution.

Hair transplant surgery offers men and women a permanent and natural-looking solution to pattern baldness. In the early days of hair transplants, the results did not always appear natural and left many transplant patients feeling dissatisfied with the outcome. This changed in the 1990s when surgeons began to understand the importance of the follicular unit to hair transplant surgery. Today, modern hair transplant surgery involves the extraction and transplantation of distinct follicular units. While the transplantation technique is the same, there are two main methods used to extract the follicular units, known as strip harvesting and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).

Strip harvesting

To obtain the follicular units, the surgeon first removes a horizontal strip of hair from the back or sides of the patient’s scalp. The incision is meticulously sutured to minimize scarring. Then the surgeon and his or her team carefully dissect the follicular units and prepare them for transplantation.

With strip harvesting, the surgeon removes a strip of skin and hair from the scalp, then separates out the individual follicular units, which will be transplanted in the targeted area. Both approaches allow for the creation of follicular units. Cross Medical Group’s team will determine which extraction method will best suit you. There are also non-surgical solutions available to treat hair loss, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which involves injections of a product obtained from the patient’s own blood to stimulate hair growth.

Benefits of strip harvesting

Strip harvesting is the original and oldest technique used in follicular unit hair transplants. As such, many surgeons are highly skilled at using this approach and are able to produce excellent results time and time again. Benefits of strip harvesting include:

• A natural result
• A quick healing time following surgery
• Minimal scarring in the recipient and donor areas
• In comparison to FUE, surgeons are able to harvest follicular units more quickly, typically allowing for a shorter procedure.
• In comparison to FUE, the donor area does not need to be shaved short for harvesting of follicular units. Only a small strip of hair is cut short, which is then covered by surrounding hair after suturing.

Risks of strip harvesting

Strip harvesting is a reliable procedure that has been used safely for decades and is associated with very few risks; however, when compared to FUE, there is one main disadvantage to this approach:

Strip harvesting results in a horizontal scar at the donor site. Most skilled surgeons are able to suture the skin in a way that the scar is barely visible, concealed by longer hair. The scar is more likely to be seen in patients who like to wear their hair shaven or closely cropped, so it is recommended and understood that one must wear their hair at least ½ inch long to conceal the scar.

Ideal candidates for strip harvesting

Ideal candidates for hair transplants are those that display male or female pattern baldness, are in good overall health, and have realistic expectations for their surgery. Patients with longer hair are better candidates for strip harvesting than those with short hair or shaven heads. Patients who have very loose or very tight scalp skin may be better suited to undergo FUE to obtain the hair follicles. Women may prefer strip harvesting because there is no need to shave the entire donor area short for harvesting as in FUE.

Recovery

The recovery period following strip harvesting is relatively short. Patients are able to resume normal activities within 24 hours, but should refrain from strenuous activities and exercise for seven days. Some scabbing at the recipient site is expected, so many patients prefer to remain home from work for three or four days until the scabbing has disappeared. Some patients report tenderness in the extraction areas as the skin heals and the sutures disappear. While the pain is not severe, many patients find the recovery after strip harvesting to be slightly less comfortable than FUE.

Results

Regardless of the extraction method used, when performed correctly the results of all modern hair transplant surgery are permanent and natural looking. After the procedure, the transplanted hairs will fall out, but they will re-grow within three to four months. The full effects of the hair transplant are typically seen within 12 to 18 months.