A hair transplant is a procedure performed to treat the loss of hair. It involves taking hair-bearing skin from one area of the scalp and grafting these pieces of skin onto the bald or hair-thinning regions of the scalp or trauma areas.
An important aspect of a successful hair transplant procedure is creating the best recipient sites, which are the sites where holes are created by the surgeon to place the dissected hair grafts, for graft placement. The angle, direction, pattern, tilt, and density of the transplant graft will all be taken into consideration.
Interlocking graft transplantation is a technique that involves the placement of the hair grafts in an interlocked or staggered manner such that one row after another is placed in between the previous row, making it difficult to see through or between the hair grafts. Therefore, ten hair grafts placed with an interlocked pattern will appear twice as dense as ten hair grafts placed in a non-interlocked pattern.
Types of Hair Transplants
There are two main types of hair transplants, depending on the technique used for performing the procedure. The two different types of hair transplants include:
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT)
This procedure involves the removal of a long strip of the hair scalp by the transplant surgeon, separation of the hair follicles, and then transplantation of these hair follicles at the recipient site.
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
This procedure involves the individual extraction of the hair follicles by the transplant surgeon and their transplantation on the recipient area of the scalp.
The interlocking graft transplantation technique, also known as the interlocking FUE technique, is an evolved version of the FUE technique that allows a tighter arrangement of grafts in a way that the next row of hair grafts is arranged to somewhat in between the previous row of hair grafts, which is not possible in case of a parallel arrangement of hair grafts.
Interlocking also allows the hair grafts to fit better because they do not compete for the same space as in the case of a parallel arrangement. Additionally, the placement of interlocked grafts is far easier compared to a non-interlocked pattern by the hair transplant team. This is because the hair grafts in a non-interlocked pattern tend to pop or come out as the grafts fight for space in a parallel arrangement.
Interlocking Graft Transplantation Procedure
A cosmetic surgeon performs the procedure of interlocking graft transplantation in different steps. These steps include the following:
- Initial consultation: A patient having hair loss or balding problems will first have a consultation appointment with a hair transplant specialist to assess their exact condition and determine their treatment options.
- Pre-operative diagnostic tests: The doctor will recommend undergoing a few diagnostic tests and blood tests to determine the patient’s eligibility for undergoing a hair transplant procedure and to check for any underlying medical conditions.
- Hairline designing: The surgeon will then create a treatment plan and a tentative hairline design for the donor and recipient site based on the patient’s hair condition and general health.
- Photography: The surgeon will take photographs of the patient from different angles to check the present hair condition, as well as be able to compare the pre-operative and post-operative photographs and check the treatment results.
- Hair trimming: The hair on the donor area will be trimmed by the surgeon to make it easier to handle.
- Local anesthesia: The surgeon will then administer local anesthesia to numb the donor area.
- Creation of slit: The surgeon will use various instruments to harvest the skin in the donor area using a special slit blade or sapphire blade.
- Grafts harvesting: The hair follicles and grafts are removed from the donor site by the surgeon.
- Implantation: The harvested grafts are then implanted by the surgeon in the recipient site using an interlocked pattern.
- Bandage and gauze: The scalp is then cleansed and covered using gauze. Some patients may have to wear a pressure bandage for a day or two after the procedure, while some patients are allowed to recover without any bandages.
Benefits of Interlocking Graft Transplantation
Interlocking graft transplantation has several advantages over the placement of hair grafts in a parallel pattern. These benefits include the following:
- Natural-looking results: The hair growth following an interlocking graft transplant technique occurs in a zigzag manner that closely resembles the natural hair growth pattern compared to the conventional methods that lead to hair growth in straight rows. Therefore, the strategic placement of hair grafts in an interlocked fashion helps in creating a more natural-looking appearance for the patient.
- Higher hair density: Traditional FUE technique involves the use of larger slits by the surgeon which leads to limited hair density. Interlocking graft transplantation, however, is done using a special slit blade or sapphire blade that allows for smaller and denser slits. This helps in achieving higher hair density and fuller hair transplant results for the patients.
- Quicker healing: The traditional FUE technique for hair transplantation will take approximately ten to twelve days for the wound to heal. However, the use of smaller slits in the interlocking graft transplantation technique helps the wound to heal in four to five days. The reduced healing time helps the patients resume their routine activities faster.
- Improved graft survival rates: The interlocking graft transplantation technique generally involves the use of a specialized graft chilling device to preserve the grafts, rather than ice packs which are generally used for graft preservation using FUE or FUT techniques. The graft chilling device helps in the maintenance of a constant temperature and safeguards the hair grafts from temperature-related trauma improving the survival rates of the grafts significantly.
Why Choose ALCS Hair Transplant and Cosmetic Clinic?
If you are suffering from hair loss and are looking to undergo hair transplantation using the interlocking graft transplantation technique, ALCS Hair Transplant and Cosmetic Clinic is the right choice for undergoing the procedure.
You should choose the ALCS clinic in Jaipur for your treatment for the following reasons:
- Expertise of transplant team: Interlocking graft transplantation involves the use of dense slits and advanced needle implanters to place the hair transplants at the recipient site. This procedure requires precision and expertise. We have a skilled and experienced hair transplant team led by Dr. Sunil Arora, who is considered to be the best cosmetic surgeon in Jaipur, to deliver successful treatment results with long-term graft survival rates.
- Advanced techniques and innovative treatment approach: We provide advanced hair transplant techniques, like the use of interlocking techniques. This technique is generally recommended in cases of people who want a progressive and superior hair transplant experience. We believe in treating every hair follicle like a vital organ and ensuring its long-term survival.
ALCS clinic in Jaipur offers individualized attention to all our patients. We are committed to providing the highest quality hair transplant treatments to all our patients.
Bottom Line
Interlocking graft transplantation is an example of how quality is more important than quantity. Although the number of hair grafts that are transplanted to the recipient site is important in determining the treatment results. However, if the hair grafts are not distributed properly or not handled well, the treatment results would not be as desirable.
The interlocking technique in hair transplantation is a precise procedure that needs to be carefully carried out by the cosmetic surgeon to achieve desirable results. The technique has several benefits over traditional FUT and FUE hair transplantation techniques when performed accurately.
