posted on Thursday, February 09, 2006 3:52 PM by dr_antonio_alvi_armani

What is Follicular Unit Strip Surgery?

Human hairs grow in tiny groupings called “follicular units”. Each follicular unit of a healthy scalp contains 1-3 hairs. At our clinic, we harvest these follicular units from a narrow strip that’s taken from the back and sides of your scalp.

After extracting the strip, the incision is closed and results in a virtually undetectable scar. Hair transplant surgeons refer to this narrow strip as your “donor area".

The narrow strip is taken by the surgical team and viewed under magnification using high-powered microscopes, and each individual follicular unit is harvested. A major advantage of using microscopes for dissection is that it allows us to keep the follicular units healthy and intact.

Tiny needle sized sites are then artistically made in the balding areas of your scalp, and the harvested follicular units are implanted. These sites will heal in just a few days, leaving no visible marks. The newly implanted hair will live and grow throughout the person's lifetime.

Below is a time line of what you expect after your FUSS procedure with Alvi Armani. Results may vary from patient to patient, so feel free to contact your nearest clinic with any questions you may have. An Alvi Armani surgeon will be happy to assist you.

TIME AFTER SURGERY TRANSPLANTED AREA DONOR/SUTURED AREA
Next day Scabs will be present in the grafted area. A post-op visit with an Alvi Armani surgeon will take place to evaluate the procedure.

There will be some soreness, tightness and numbness around the donor area.

2-6 days Scabbing and redness where the grafts were implanted will be present. Swelling will appear on the forehead and work its way down the face. This will only last a few days. Soreness begins to disappear and numbness may continue.
1 Week 90% of the scabs will be gone. Mild redness will be present. Swelling is usually gone. 2nd post-op visit with an Alvi Armani surgeon will take place. Soreness is gone and some numbness will be present.
2 Weeks 100% of the scabs will be gone. Your scalp will look like a 4-day-old beard, where the grafts were implanted. Staples are removed by an Alvi Armani surgeon.
2-8 Weeks Transplanted hair is shed as the follicles enter a dormant phase.
 There will be redness after the staples were removed.
2-4 Months Your hair may appear thinner, as some original hair may be shed in the transplanted area. This is called "shock" and is normal. Most of this hair will grow back. Any numbness in the donor area is generally gone and the redness starts to fade. Hair will start to fill in any "gaps" in the donor area.
3-6 Months Transplanted hair begins to grow first as very fine hair. Redness in gone. Donor area takes on normal appearance.
5-10 Months Some or all of the original hair lost to "shock" begins to grow.  
8 Months Hair is groomable, but transplant appears thin, as hair continues to increase in density. Slight textural change in hair is occasionally present.
  
8-12 Months Patient is evaluated for a possible second procedure by an Alvi Armani surgeon.  
1 Year 90% of the final growth is present.  
1-2 Years The density will increase during the second year and hair texture returns to normal.  

Comments

Alvi Armani Inc.