No growth... What are the causes? Hairtech

Hair Transplant
1

What are all of the variables that may cause grafts not to grow? I will list a few and I hope anyone and everyone chips in.

The reason why I want to look into this is because recently there has been some debate over which types of grafts are more susceptible to no growth… FUE or Strip grafts?

  1. transection of bulb
  2. Lengthy time out of body
  3. Dried grafts
  4. crushed bulbs by forceps
  5. crushed bulbs while implanting
  6. smashed grafts
  7. poorly placed grafts that are too high that causes them to dry out
  8. poorly trimmed grafts that damage the dermal papilla
  9. poorly created sites that severely traumatize the circulation
  10. Grafts that improperly implanted where upon the bulb is not down but pointing the opposite direction within the site
  11. Too small of site used
  12. Increased Telogens usage without the dermal papilla
  13. Unprotected (by adipose as would be in strip grafts)FUE grafts which are easily crushed or smashed by technicians
  14. no magnification used and sites are over loaded with excess grafts from technician error
  15. No oversee from physician
  16. Patient error by mechanical damage
  17. Sunburn Post Op
  18. adding more sites to healing grafts during a multiple day FUE session.

Can anyone think of anything else?

2

Well the reason why I brought this topic up is to provide to the ghost readers the utmost importance in finding the right clinic. Do you see how crucial each and every variable in no growth possibilities are? You can take just one variable and you will decrease your growth potential… Combine two or more variables and your hard earned money, and limited donor resources are finished.

That is why I want you all to read, read, read… and find a solid state clinic. Anyone can push pictures… Anyone can snow the internet with testimonials… anyone can make a commercial… but when it all boils down… what do you have are a few clinics that have solid results. This is why I try to provide transparency of my clinic. This is why I hammer home such statements as:

  1. Look for clinics that have been around for a while.
  2. Look for low turn over rates in staff.
  3. Look for results.
  4. Look for any shady associations with clinics. i.e. clinics that pushed on the internet a procedure that later failed… that shows that you need to be wary and let the clinic prove themselves.
  5. Realize that pictures are great but what is really going on here?

There are many fish in the sea. Catching the right fish takes skill. You the ghost reader has to arm yourself with the right fishing tackle (learning), find the right fishing hole or you might catch a sting ray.

3

This is a good topic but most of the things you listed are not verifiable, how can I tell whether the clinic has these problems during the consultation?

4

» This is a good topic but most of the things you listed are not verifiable,
» how can I tell whether the clinic has these problems during the
» consultation?

You can’t… but you can ask any question you want here… then take a tally and then you will know. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Believe me… there are a few people that are consistently politically correct, there are are a few posters that are opportunistic, and there are a few people here including myself that will tell it like it is.:slight_smile:

5

Maybe this falls under your “patient error” category, I found myself scratching the sites a lot a few days after surgery , I am sure I must have removed a few grafts here and there.

6

Thank you for being honest therapy but it does play a role in no growth. I am sure though that it is a small role. Most patients(I’m sure u too) are very aware of their grafts :wink:

7

People often claim that BHT is an experimental technique & cannot guarantee a good result.What about strip surgery? Despite the fact that it has been around for a very long time there are STILL more people that are dissatisfied with their results then there are happy customers.There are STILL cases of people being butchered day after day.Another reason for poor growth is that surgery as a form of hair restoration is heavily flawed to begin with.Surgery is not an exact science for restoring hair.For the majority of clinics,surgery is no more effective then propecia or rogaine.

The margin for error is so great; there is so little regulation that growth rates are determined by luck.

8

» People often claim that BHT is an experimental technique & cannot guarantee
» a good result.What about strip surgery? Despite the fact that it has been
» around for a very long time there are STILL more people that are
» dissatisfied with their results then there are happy customers.There are
» STILL cases of people being butchered day after day.Another reason for
» poor growth is that surgery as a form of hair restoration is heavily
» flawed to begin with.Surgery is not an exact science for restoring
» hair.For the majority of clinics,surgery is no more effective then
» propecia or rogaine.
»
» The margin for error is so great; there is so little regulation that
» growth rates are determined by luck.

I agree!

9

A comment on a different site concerning this topic came up about BHT. They said, “BHT has unknown reasons for no growth.”

I got fired up and responded…

BHT… unknown causes of why growth doesn’t occur… but there are a few you can nail down. Let’s explore them now.

BHT grafts… the reality of them:

First of all BHT follicles have very different life cycles than the scalp. Some say the follicular cycle of body hair is that it remains in telogen longer. Some say the follicles have shorter cycles. As a technician however I have noticed for years that there are definitive cycles of anagen and telogen that you can almost quantify. What I mean is… you can sample 100 BHT (if you work for a doctor that cares to know) and you can say with confidence…

"Ok, we caught this guy at an anagen/telogen ratio of 60/40. For every 100 BHT grafts pulled, only 60 were anagen and 40 are telogen. Is this something to be of concern? This anagen telogen stuff? Yes it is.

When BHT became increasingly popular, questions began to pop up concerning anagen and telogen grafts… If you transplanted a telogen graft, would it grow?

No one to date has really solidly figured that out. It was hypothesized that if one was able to take the dermal papilla along with the telogen graft, then you were surely guaranteed to have a BHT to grow when the cycle returned to anagen.

How can you guarantee the extraction of the dermal papilla? Especially when you factor in the extractor and the technician extracting. It is an absolute impossible variable to know. In fact, know one can quantify this.

SO consider this… A patient comes in and he has an anagen/telogen ration of 20/80% do you go ahead with the surgery? I know physicians, (Not my current one) that would go ahead and gamble that all of the planets are lined up and every telogen (80% of the grafts mind you) are going to grow.

Bullshit.

Below is a telogen that looks like it was caught without the dermal papilla. Many physicians would transplant this.

Here are more telogens:

The graft on the left HAS the dermal papilla.

10

Now let’s consider the second problem with telogen grafts that not one single doctor or poster has ever stated that is sometimes an issue with telogens. The planting/placing of telogens. Telegens for the most part are sort of cone shaped. They are not long and slender like anagen grafts.

Let me create a picture and i will continue with this discussion.

11

This is typically what you see in BHT… The anagen… and the telogen. Sometimes a catogen but mainly these two prevail. Another picture coming…

12

This picture depicts what we technicians encounter in the placing/planting of BHT grafts. The BHT’s are for the most part cone shaped. They are typically less than half of the anagen counter-part. So the two variables that plague the placing of the grafts are:

  1. Cone shape: The cone shape with the smaller end at the bottom provides an issue with the scalp not able to “hold” the BHT in. This is partially due to the second variable…

  2. The length of the telogen BHT being less than half of an anagen BHT, creates a problem of the BHT being deep enough for the transplanted graft to hold AND get circulation re-established.

So you have a few options…

  1. You can place the telogen grafts perfectly and hope they stay. If they don’t stay they rise up, dry out and die.
  2. You can bury the grafts and risk pitting.
  3. Consider not using telogen grafts altogether.

13

Most if not all reputable BHT surgeons have the donor shaved a week before surgery so that they can find and transplant only the anagen hair. Even then there is unpredictable BHT growth.

14

What about having sex? Will that interfere with graft growth? Serious question though :slight_smile:

15

» Most if not all reputable BHT surgeons have the donor shaved a week before
» surgery so that they can find and transplant only the anagen hair. Even
» then there is unpredictable BHT growth.

Let me add a sssshady fact to your fact Marco. The shaving aspect of how transplant surgeons approach BHT came years later. It came after a Patient just happened to say, "Hey doctor shade… if anagen hairs are growing all the time, then why not shave the body and the growing hairs will stick out first… Like doesn’t that sound cool dude?"
Dr. Shade says, "Well… that may work sir, have a good day. I hope your transplant grows"
The patient exits. Then Dr. Shade turns around and whispers to his patient coordinator… “Ahem, tell every BHT patient from now on to shave 5 days prior to surgery… you got that. I SAID DID YOU GOT THAT? YOUR JOB DEPENDS ON THAT!”

Patient Coordinator replies, “Yes sir, Yes sir… I will tell every BHT patient to shave 5 days prior.”

So this is how that came about Marco. I had totally forgot about it until you reminded me.

16

I bet you are saying to yourself… That Hairtech sure is crazy. I am sometimes crazy… but when it comes to hair transplants… I am not crazy.

It is a fact. The people who were there knows it was a fact. And sometimes that is how we arrive at realizations that are simple. Statements that just happened to be… Sometimes… doctors (in this field of medicine only) don’t know what works and doesn’t work. It takes hunches, or gut feelings to go forward. I believe that it is ok to go on hunches or gut feelings of the doctor or the technician… What is not cool is when the tech. or the patient is taken advantage of by the attending physician. And in this field of medicine… it happens every day. This field of medicine is so unpredictable. Even in strip… it is so unpredictable. Most of the decisions of how we got here today were based on “hopes” and not pure science.

17

» What about having sex? Will that interfere with graft growth? Serious
» question though :slight_smile:

I can’t see it. Maybe there is a blood pressure thing but even then…

To be on the safe side I would obstain for at least 1 year just to be sure.:slight_smile:

18

» » Most if not all reputable BHT surgeons have the donor shaved a week
» before
» » surgery so that they can find and transplant only the anagen hair. Even
» » then there is unpredictable BHT growth.
»
» Let me add a sssshady fact to your fact Marco. The shaving aspect of how
» transplant surgeons approach BHT came years later. It came after a
» Patient just happened to say, “Hey doctor shade… if anagen hairs are
» growing all the time, then why not shave the body and the growing hairs
» will stick out first… Like doesn’t that sound cool dude?”
» Dr. Shade says, “Well… that may work sir, have a good day. I hope your
» transplant grows”
» The patient exits. Then Dr. Shade turns around and whispers to his patient
» coordinator… “Ahem, tell every BHT patient from now on to shave 5 days
» prior to surgery… you got that. I SAID DID YOU GOT THAT? YOUR JOB
» DEPENDS ON THAT!”
»
» Patient Coordinator replies, “Yes sir, Yes sir… I will tell every BHT
» patient to shave 5 days prior.”

I can feel another law suit comming on:-)
»
» So this is how that came about Marco. I had totally forgot about it until
» you reminded me.

19

LOL LOL… :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :hungry: :clap: :sleeping: :rotfl:

Man thatmade me fall off of my couch (mind you I’m watching an IRL racing show) and on to the floor, and could not get up for at least 2 minutes after reading the resonse about the sex question.

Yes son you must stay clear of sexual activities for at least one year… ahem… ahem.

20

» » Most if not all reputable BHT surgeons have the donor shaved a week
» before
» » surgery so that they can find and transplant only the anagen hair. Even
» » then there is unpredictable BHT growth.
»
» Let me add a sssshady fact to your fact Marco. The shaving aspect of how
» transplant surgeons approach BHT came years later. It came after a
» Patient just happened to say, “Hey doctor shade… if anagen hairs are
» growing all the time, then why not shave the body and the growing hairs
» will stick out first… Like doesn’t that sound cool dude?”
» Dr. Shade says, “Well… that may work sir, have a good day. I hope your
» transplant grows”
» The patient exits. Then Dr. Shade turns around and whispers to his patient
» coordinator… “Ahem, tell every BHT patient from now on to shave 5 days
» prior to surgery… you got that. I SAID DID YOU GOT THAT? YOUR JOB
» DEPENDS ON THAT!”
»
» Patient Coordinator replies, “Yes sir, Yes sir… I will tell every BHT
» patient to shave 5 days prior.”
»
» So this is how that came about Marco. I had totally forgot about it until
» you reminded me.

No one becomes popular by telling people the truth.History records what happened to the true prophets of the past.