The entire procedure has been described as being no more uncomfortable than a visit to the dentist, and patients are able to return to work the very next day.

Determinants of the Restorative Procedure
When a client presents for a consultation, besides the pattern and degree of hair loss, Dr. Wallik will assess the other factors that determine the suitability of a given treatment.

Age, indeed, is a very significant factor that leads to further treatment decisions. Individuals who are already in their late 20s or older often make excellent candidates for surgical hair restoration and provided good health, treatment of seniors is a regular occurrence. Clients who are still in their teens and early 20s require a detailed evaluation and may achieve excellent results with medications, seeing that these products often provide benefit to those who have had relatively recent hair loss.

The frontal hairline and the area immediately behind, is the region that will receive most attention in men. In women who have diffuse unpatterned hair loss, the “part” is the region that often is most intensively treated. Localized areas of hair loss in both sexes is usually easily remedied, to provide a dense, natural coverage.

The abundance of hair in the donor zone is a very important consideration. Typically, the donor region is analyzed carefully in its entire area to gain an understanding of the differential density in this location. With magnification, we assess the proximity of one follicular unit to another and determine the average hair count in the follicular units throughout the region. The caliber (cross sectional diameter) and curl of the hair are reviewed and the color, as it contrasts to the scalp, is evaluated.

Once these various factors are reviewed, an overall understanding of treatment goals, options and anticipated outcomes are explained to the client, who will be empowered by information to take the next logical step.

After a free initial consultation, during which Dr. Wallik helps clients plan the type of results they wish to achieve, the surgery is scheduled. Following harvesting of the donor hair, technicians use microscopes to separate the follicles into hundreds or thousands of tinier groupings. Dr. Wallik then prepares the scalp for grafts, which he and his team meticulously reinsert into the previously bald area. After having their scalps cleaned, and hair styled, clients are given food and beverages and then may depart home. Bandages are not used and clients are usually able to return to work the following day.

The Procedure
We advise individuals to wash their scalp the morning of surgery and to have a good breakfast. You will be given antibiotic tablets at the time of booking the procedure, and these should be taken approximately one (1) hour before arrival at our office.

We recommend you wear a “tank-top” style white T-shirt over which you should wear a buttoned shirt that does not have to be pulled over the head during removal. In addition, you should bring a loose fitting hat that our staff will assist you with when leaving the office at the end of the day.

At the time of office arrival, you will be given medication that will bring on a general sense of relaxation but more importantly, will enable you to remain comfortably seated in our surgical chair for several hours at a time. Many individuals will nap for much of the procedure, while others may carry on a conversation with our staff. Regardless, you will be seated for several hours during which you will be alert enough to eat lunch and visit the washroom as needed.

Within the first hour of arrival, photographs will be taken that are kept at our office and are reviewed by yourself and Dr. Wallik during future follow-up visits. Your buttoned shirt will be removed and replaced by one of our surgical gowns (your T-shirt will be left on, beneath our gown).

We will then escort you to one of our operatories and you will be seated on a power adjustable procedure chair.

Our staff will prep the donor zone, which is the hair growing in the permanent hair baring area of scalp above the ears and above the nape of one’s neck. Hair clips will be used to lift the lengthier hair (that is above the donor zone) up out of the way and then the donor zone hair will be trimmed with an electronic hair razor to a 1 millimeter length. We insist that the hair we transplant is short so that our technicians, who prepare the grafts using microscopes, don’t find the roots (which are the critically important structures that we mustn’t harm) obscured by long hair moving under the microscopic lens.

The dimensions of hair trimmed in the donor zone (donor strip) will be dependent on the number of hairs we are interested in transplanting.The width (or height) of the donor strip is usually 10 to 15 millimeters (the exact width will be based on an additional factor, scalp laxity). The depth of the strip (thickness) will be the vertical depth, from the surface of the skin that the hair root is situated, usually 3-4 millimeters. The length of the donor strip is the dimension that has the most variability, and is determined by the amount of hair we are interested in transplanting. The width (height) may vary by 50% (that is, it may be 10 mm wide or up to 15 mm wide), but the length can vary by a factor far in excess of 50%. For a small procedure that only involves hairline work, several centimeters of length may be required. For a large procedure wherein we transplant 2500 grafts, a strip of length 28 to 32 centimeters, depending on the size of the person, may be utilized.