Pittsburgh Hair Transplant Expert Combines Follicular Transplant Techniques for the Most Natural Looking Hairline with High Success Rate

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It's All in the Follicular Mix for Pittsburgh Hair Restoration Specialist

PITTSBURGH, PA August 29, 2005 - Dr. Dominic A. Brandy, an internationally recognized hair-transplant specialist, bucks industry convention by using combinations of follicular units and groupings to produce a natural-looking head of hair for his patients. His technique mimics natural follicular placement and minimizes follicular damage. By shortening the time it takes to harvest the hair follicles, Dr. Brandy also increases the number of transplanted follicles surviving the procedure while reducing actual surgery time and patient expense.

For the past ten years it has been widely thought that transplanting as many single hair follicles as possible during a hair transplant surgery produced the best results for a natural looking head of hair. Dr. Brandy saw things a bit differently. Natural follicles on the head are not "equally distributed" in single follicular units, but instead appear in random groupings of single, double or multiple follicle units. Dr. Brandy saw a way to create a natural-looking hair transplant that shortened treatment times which would mean less expense for the patient and higher "survival rates" for the transplanted hair follicles.

"Most transplant sessions involve 3000 to 5000 individual hair follicles. It can take a long time to prepare that many individual follicular units - each must be separated from the other and then individually transplanted," said Dr. Brandy. "But in nature, hair follicles do not appear exclusively all by themselves. Often there are two or three hair follicles very close together, sometimes with another follicle or two close by. Creating transplants based on these natural groupings, we were able to minimize the transplant preparation time, minimize surgery time, and maximize success rates while creating a very natural look."

Dr. Brandy's approach also bolsters the survival rate of the hair follicles - both in the harvest as well as the transplantation. In traditional harvesting and preparation, some hair follicles suffer iatrogenic damage because it is difficult to separate two or more follicles that are extremely close together. By not separating them and keeping them together as a unit, iatrogenic damage is minimized and more follicles are available for transplantation. In addition, studies have shown a correlation between hair follicle "survival rates" and the amount of time between harvest and transplantation. By minimizing the amount of time between harvesting and transplantation, more hair follicles are able to survive, creating an even thicker head of hair.

Dr. Brandy notes that having a professional team that performs a large number of hair transplants every year helps with success rates. Not only because the team is so experienced, but they can perform the procedure quicker than other teams that may not perform transplants as often. "Teams that don't perform many transplants are not as efficient in the operating room," said Dr. Brandy. "It takes them longer to harvest the follicles, and longer to prepare and implant the follicles. We have shown that time is important when it comes to transplantation success. The team must be fast and accurate."

"A shorter surgery time also means less expense for the patient," said Dr. Brandy. "With this technique you have less patient expense, more natural looking transplants and excellent success rates. It is a very good system."

Dr. Dominic Brandy, a board-certified hair restoration and cosmetic surgeon, is the medical director of Dominic A. Brandy, MD & Associates, one of the world's leading medical practices specializing in hairloss evaluation and treatment. Since 1981, Dr. Brandy has personally performed more than 10,000 procedures on men and women from all walks of life, including business leaders, and sports and entertainment celebrities. Considered by his peers to be a preeminent authority in the field of surgical hair restoration, Dr. Brandy has written over 70 medical articles, conducted extensive research and developed and refined some of the most effective techniques for restoring natural growing hair.

Clinical Article online at www.brandymd.com/follicular-units.cfm