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Hair transplantation Options in Baltimore, Maryland and Near Washington, DC

ARTICLES

Dr. Vogel is recognized by his peers as a leader in the field of hair restoration surgery. He lectures nationally and internationally and has written numerous articles on hair restoration surgery. Below are a few articles that Dr. Vogel has written that may be of exceptional value to you as you learn more about the options for hair restoration and about Dr. Vogel's philosophy on the topic. This site also contains several examples of Dr. Vogel's transplant procedures on men, women, and those in need of corrective or repair work.

» Article on The Aesthetics of Hair Restoration
» Article on Hair Transplants for Women
» Article on Correcting Problems in Hair Restoration Surgery

Hair transplantation, available in our Baltimore, Maryland office, near Washington, DC, is our specialty. Hair transplantation is the most common technique in hair restoration today. While hair transplants are frequently thought of as a technique for men, almost a third of our hair restoration patients are women. In basic terms, a hair transplant involves transposing hair from the back of the scalp (the donor site) and placing it in the front or mid portion of the scalp where the hair has fallen out. The donor hair is genetically programmed to grow anywhere on the scalp and will not fall out like the hair it is replacing. In other words, the donor hairs are good "seeds" that will grow in areas where the weak "seeds" will not survive.

Here's some information about hair transplantation offered in our Baltimore, Maryland practice, near Washington, DC:

Length: 2-5 hours (depending on the number of grafts used)
Anesthesia: Local plus an oral sedative
In Patient / Out Patient: Out patient (in office)
Potential Side Effects / Risks: Temporary swelling in forehead, tightness in area where grafts were taken.
Principle Benefits: Your own naturally growing hair, undetectable results, heightened self-confidence.

For both men and women, having a full head of hair in today's society is an emblem of youth and vitality. Restoring the hair coverage to a man or woman who has lost his or her hair is a tremendously gratifying experience because the results are so meaningful. Interestingly, research has even shown that hair loss for women is generally more distressing than for men.

Alopecia (the medical term for hair loss) is an inherited condition like eye color and physical stature. Since this trait is inherited, there is nothing you can do to prevent hair loss. Surgical hair transplantation is the only method to permanently restore your own natural hair. When performing hair transplantation in our Baltimore, Maryland practice, near Washington, DC, we use the newest surgical techniques. The principal method for grafting that we employ is called follicular unit hair grafting. This is a technique in which hair grafts are prepared and grafted in their naturally occurring bundles of one, two, or three hairs per follicular unit. By using this technique, we are able to create a hairline that is virtually undetectable. In some situations, slightly larger grafts are used to provide more density and bulk, but this has always been done behind areas of individual grafts to maintain a completely natural appearance.

A hair transplantation procedure is a highly personal operation and the technique used must be tailored to each individual's needs and goals. As with all procedures, a detailed consultation with Dr. Vogel is necessary for you to be fully informed about the procedures, alternatives, and risks.

If you would like to learn more about hair transplantation and live in Baltimore, Maryland or near Washington, DC, please contact Dr. James Vogel today.

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Men's Hair Transplants

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New Donor Site Closure Technique!
TRICHOPHYTIC CLOSURE

By using a newly developed technique for closing the donor site incision we are able to create an imperceptible scar in the majority of cases. The technique essentially slides the lower ledge of the scalp incision under the upper layer of the incision to create a situation in which the hairs from the lower scalp layer grow directly through the scar. Obviously we cannot avoid a scar but this technique helps to camouflage it by having hairs grow in the middle of the scar. The photo below illustrates the traditional donor site closure technique and the new trichophytic closure technique. The same patient is in both photos. The top photo shows the donor site that was used during the first HT session and the bottom is the donor site used during the second session. Dr Vogel did everything identically in both cases except the second case was closed using the NEW trichophytic closure technique. Notice that the hairs which are growing in the scar create a situation in which the scar is virtually undetectable.

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Introduction to Corrective Hair Transplant Procedures

In the 1950's hair transplants were first introduced into use as we know it today. The first transplants were large round grafts containing 8-12 hairs per graft and these were placed into large round holes in the scalp. This is now known as the pluggy transplant appearance. But in those days it was all that was available. The state of the art techniques in hair transplanting are illustrated by the examples above. In this section options for correcting previous transplants in need of repair are presented. This is a sub specialty for Dr. Vogel and he has had extensive experience with these difficult problems. Dr. Vogel is particularly well qualified and experienced for this type of repair surgery because of his training as a plastic surgeon.

Please refer to one of Dr. Vogel's numerous articles on hair transplant corrections cited above for more details on the procedures. Briefly, the problem with the pluggy appearance is the large round plugs and the limited donor hair available. Thus two fundamental approaches are usually taken to improve the appearance of the pluggy look. The first is plug reduction and hair recycling and the second is linear excision of the hairline and hair recycling. Both of these techniques directly address the plug as a culprit for the undesirable appearance and recycle the plug hair respecting the precious and scarce amount of available donor hair.

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Plug Reduction and Recycling

In this technique the large round hair plugs are reduced by approximately 80-90% and the removed hair plug is recycled into follicular units. These (recycled) hairs, now small and natural appearing grafts, are placed at the hairline to soften the appearance. The reduction of the plug also greatly contributes to the softer and more natural appearance.

Recycling of the hair plug is essential because there is a shortage of donor hair and every follicle that is usable must be re-used. Recycling the hair also decreases the amount of hair needed for harvesting from the donor area (i.e. back of the head)

No matter which option is chosen the patient must be realistic about what can be achieved and be aware that several procedures are needed to achieve optimal results. Dr. Vogel will spend time explaining the options and details about which procedure is best for you as well as the goals, likelihood of success, alternatives and risks.

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Plug Reduction and Recycling

Linear Excision of Hairline

In some cases, the best option for improving the hairline is to directly remove (excise) the entire front hairline. The reasons for this include an extremely intense pluggy hairline, low placed hairline that needs to be elevated for better facial balance, and an extreme limitation of natural donor hair and need for hairline as the source of grafts. The first step is to remove the front hairline and re-cycle this hair into usable grafts. Many patients are amazed how much better they look as soon as the ugly plugs are gone, even when the stitches are in place. This technique is illustrated by the photos on the left.

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Women's Hair Transplants

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There are many questions patients ask about hair transplants. Click here for frequently asked questions about hair restoration surgery.

Dr. James E. Vogel is recommended on the Hair Transplant Network.

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Dr. Vogel was voted for membership into the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.

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