Hair Line Restoration
Lateral Slit Hair Transplantation
Lateral slits (also called coronal or horizontal slits). Lateral slits allow for the advantage of orienting the hair within the follicular unit to match the way it grows in nature. It will allow for the highest degree of control over the direction and angle in which the transplanted hairs will ultimately grow.
Follicular units placed in lateral slits will provide more coverage than those placed in vertical slits, as the hair tends to fan out over the surface of the scalp rather than lying on top of one another. Lateral slits also help to angle the grafts more acutely and to follow the natural angle of the patient’s original hair. This is particularly important at the temples, in the crown, sideburn areas and in eyebrow restoration.
To create the recipient sites, we use a variety of instruments depending upon the clinical situation. In all hair transplants, the goal during the procedure is to create a snug fit between the follicular unit and the skin surrounding the graft. This will maximize oxygenation of the grafts, promote healing and increase graft survival. Tiny recipient sites also helps to ensure that there will be no visible scarring, pitting or other surface irregularities as a result of the hair restoration procedure.
How Does it Work?
We use a series of custom-made, ultra-fine blades to create the hair transplant recipient sites. The chisel-shaped blades differ in size by increments of one-tenth of a millimeter and range from 0.6mm for single-hair follicular unit grafts to 1.2mm-1.5mm for 4-hair follicular units.
Before site creation begins, the different size follicular units are fitted to specific site sizes to determine exactly the best size instrument to use for each graft. By custom fitting the sites to the grafts, healing is facilitated and our patients are able to return to showering and gentle shampooing the day following the hair restoration.
The Benefits of Lateral Slit Hair Transplantation
Another advantage associated with the lateral slit technique is that when the site is created the pressure on the graft changes considerably unlike sagital method. The sagital method creates lateral pressure on either side of the graft; as a result, the more grafts that are placed per square centimeter will increase the chance of compression and popping. With lateral slits, the site is created at an angle (See photo), which changes the pressure on the graft to up and down vs. side-to-side thus allowing for more grafts to be placed per square centimeter. With this change in pressure on the graft, it eliminates compression and popping commonly seen with the sagital method. This ensures a better fit and success for the grafts to grow producing the most natural results and density available.
A final benefit associated with the lateral slit method is that it allows for the transplantation in temples and sideburns, areas that are difficult to transplant using the sagital method.
The lateral slit method is far superior to any other type of technology in hair restoration. This technique is constantly being sought out by patients worldwide. It is a very precise and calculated method which takes much more time and patience; it is for this reason that clinics that perform multiple cases per day will never utilize this technique.
How Can I get Excellent, Natural, and Beautiful Results?
At Washington Medical Hair Clinics our Board Certified Plastics Surgeons and staff will use a combination of years of experience in excellent surgical techniques, great artistic skills, and fastidious attention to detail, to create excellent hair transplantation results. So natural only you will know! Call the office at 888-793-4769 or fill out our online consultation form to receive additional information and to schedule your private, free initial consultation. Let us show you just how life-enhancing having your own growing hair back can be. We offer evening and Saturday appointments for your convenience.