Is any test required to determine if Your head or body hair hair can be extracted by UGraft?
In patients of African descent, who possess tightly curly hair, Dr U is able to perform successful FUE in all comers regardless of the tightness of their hair curl or the skin type. This is because of a new tool called the UPunch Curl which is the latest addition to the UGraft System for advanced FUE.
How big is a session?
Is it painful?
The entire UGraft procedure is done under local anesthesia with the patient awake and often watching a movie. Pain is minimal both during and after this minimally invasive procedure. Typically, a mild oral sedative is given before the procedure. Most patients do not require a pain killer after the procedure.
Where is the procedure performed?
It is performed in the procedure room of the Redondo Beach office of Dr Umar in a most relaxing atmosphere.
What is the most important aspect of the whole transplantation process?
Finding the right hair surgeon to perform your hair transplantation is the most important decision for the whole process. Having your hair transplant done by an unethical or inexperienced hair surgeon can lead to more turmoil in the future then helping you improve your life. Dr. Umar believes against the sales behavior that reflects many strip surgery clinics. He believes in the integrity of the FUE procedure, and that is why Dr. Umar chooses to specialize in FUE due to its minimally invasive and scalpel free requirements. This provides the patient with less pain, more natural results, and most especially, a linear scar free donor area. Dr. Umar is a pioneer in the practice of FUE and has even taken the step to advance the procedure into one of his own, which he calls the UGraft method. UGraft allows for the usage of body hair (BHT) for hair transplant, which gives hope to many patients who have a limited number or no donor hair at all to have the hair transplant that they finally desired for.
Are female patients good candidates for UGraft using head or body hair (BHT)?
Female patients often would require investigation for other treatable causes of hair loss. This requires the input of a skin and hair specialist (a dermatologist). Dr. Umar is board certified by the American Board of Dermatology, and is qualified to manage female patients with complaints of hair loss. Dr. Umar often receives referral of female patients from other physicians including other hair transplant doctors who are not certified dermatologists. Dr. Umar may require performing some tests to determine the cause of your hair loss and the best treatment options available.
Is it a good idea to have a hair transplant at an early age?
Hair loss is a gradual process that takes most people a while to accept. There is always a period of denial stage, where the victim hopes for the reversal of hair loss and for the miraculous regrowth of their hair. If hair loss is a prevalent issue within your family, then losing hair will be inevitable for you as well. Therefore, as with any condition, the sooner hair restoration treatment is initiated, then the better the outcome in the future. However, it is important to discuss your hair loss situation with a specialized hair surgeon first before undergoing a transplant, especially if you are younger patient. Patients who have hair loss early in life should be prepared for further hair loss in the future, and thus having a hair transplant at the current moment might not be beneficial since the hair loss process has not ended yet. Because of this factor, young patients must understand that another transplant will be necessary in the future or else an odd look may result in the future as the hair loss progresses. Because UGraft on head or body ( BHT ) do not leave a linear scar that runs from ear to ear as is the case with most other types of hair transplantation, many have the assumption that patients of all ages can now go for hair transplantation at will without heeding certain precautions. However the matter is not simple, there are caveats.
Do you have any pictures of previous African American patients, including their outcomes, that I might be able to see?
UGraft Using Head Hair Only for African American Patient
Would it be best to schedule an in person consultation so I could have an idea of what to expect in terms of results?
This is not usually necessary. A good portion of my patients come from other states and countries. We have two forms of consultation:
- i. Free on line consultation: Most patients use this. This is done by completing the free on line consultation form on this link of our website. The form enables you to add up to 3 pictures. Pressing the submit button would send your information directly to Dr Umar, who would respond within 24-48 hours. A dialogue ensues until your on line consultation is complete.
- ii. In office consultation: This is done by calling the office to secure an appointment date to see Dr Umar at our office in Redondo beach for a face to face consultation. This attracts a fee. Some patients prefer this method
In your opinion would body hair be an appropriate source of donor hair to augment the transplant?
Body hair is not used as a first resort. It is resorted to in patients with qualified body/beard hair when there is a relative or absolute lack of head donor.
How many days would it take to heal to the point that scarring is not visible (I can be seen without a hat). One week? Fourteen days?
Scabs in recipient typically resolve in 7-14 days. Donor area on back and side of head would typically resolve within 7-10 days
If wanted to split the surgery into 2 parts, eg. do 2000 grafts in May and 2000 in December would this allow for quicker healing and shorter recovery due to less trauma to the scalp, or is it all the same?
You can certainly do so. Probably better for the patients peace of mind. I sometimes recommend this for patients who have had poor experiences from previous surgeries and patients who are tentative about the procedure all together. But in terms of healing and outcome, I have not found an advantage to this approach. Read this detailed article on the subject of dong your hair transplantation in smaller phases or stages.
I’m from UK. Do you have any branch in UK, London?
I do not have an office in the UK. However, I routinely treat patients from the UK and other parts of the world. My clinic is located within 20 minutes drive of Los Angeles international airport and there are several hotels within 1 block of my clinic for the convenience of my patients. Most of my international patients have been quite impressed by the ease of the whole process.
Out of town patients have found this page on my website to be useful: Accommodations & Travel
“The information on this site is solely for purposes of general patient education, and may not be relied upon as a substitute for professional medical care. Consult your own physician for evaluation and treatment of your specific condition.”
Have more questions? Ask Dr Umar