Dermatol Surg. 2002 Nov;28(11):1035-42; discussion 1042.

A philosophy and strategy for surgical hair restoration: a 10-year experience.

Lam SM, Hempstead BR, Williams EF.
Lam Facial Plastic Surgery Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.

BACKGROUND: Three principal strategies have evolved for surgical hair restoration: follicular grafting, scalp reduction, and flap rotation. OBJECTIVE: Although grafting techniques have assumed a preeminent rank as the cornerstone of modern hair-replacement therapy, scalp reduction and rotation methods should not be entirely dismissed. METHODS: Over the past 10 years of clinical experience, the authors have relied on all three methods of hair restoration, carefully tailoring the optimal surgical approach to the patient's expressed concerns and particular regional hair deficit. RESULTS: We have found that scalp reduction and rotation provides a considerable density of hair unmatched by any grafting technique for the vertex and frontotemporal regions, respectively. CONCLUSION: Also we have concluded that the former yields the most natural result for a patient with significant crown baldness who desires hair restoration in that area. However, micro- and minigrafting still represent the overwhelming majority of our operative cases. This article attempts to review the surgical methodology and philosophy that have guided our approach to hair restoration.
PMID: 12460300 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]