For a hair transplant to be successful, you must not only select the best clinic or the best doctor. Obviously, their skill is important so that the final design is the most adjusted to a natural design, but other points to look at will be, for example, both the team that assists the doctor and the equipment of the operating room and the clinic. One of the most important things will be the preservation of the follicles and their treatment in surgery.

The follicular unit that is extracted and implanted is a living organ, which as in any transplant of other organs (heart, liver, lungs …) must be preserved and treated with great care in the extracorporeal phase. Therefore, having the best technicians, experienced and capable, as well as the best conditions in the operating room will be key to survival.

How to preserve follicles and their treatment

As we say, to guarantee the good result of a hair transplant, the good treatment of the follicle is key. It is not only the doctor who will manipulate that small follicular unit in the extraction and implantation of it in our donor and recipient areas. Between those steps, the technicians who assist the doctor will collect, count, divide and place the follicles in the implants. Taking care of and not mistreating that hair, will make it grow strong and healthy later.

Meanwhile, it will be several minutes that the follicle is out of our scalp. It will therefore be very important to have a very well-defined protocol of action in the operating room. The temperature and humidity conditions as well as the quality of the materials used in all the process.

Finally, during the extracorporeal phase, the follicle must be preserved while waiting classification and after being so. There are different types of support solutions for it such as saline serum, lactate ringer, saline serum + PRP, autologous plasma, Hypotermosol + ATP, PRP and Custodiol HTK, etc. Which will make the follicle not lose its properties. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How does Dr. Espinosa Custodio take care of the follicles?

Dr.  Espinosa’s care for follicular units is constantly evolving, implementing the best techniques and using the latest equipment.  He also maintains a team of technicians who have been assisting him for several months. This makes the personal gear inside the operating room fluid and efficient.

Why is it important to take care of the follicle?

Taking care of the follicle to be implanted is one of the most important parts of hair grafting. We must bear in mind that we are talking about a living organ that, for a few minutes, we will deprive of everything necessary to continue living. Taking care of him, maintaining him and not performing any trauma on him, will make him survive without much difficulty.

Is there an ideal solution to preserve the follicle in the extracorporeal phase?

The ideal solution for the conservation of follicles, according to Dr. Espinosa Custodio has to meet a series of characteristics such as the reduction of cellular metabolism to minimize injuries, a pH balance to avoid acidosis, the formation of free radicals and oxidative stress; and provide substrates for the regeneration of energy compounds such as ATP.

Dr. Espinosa Custodio works at Instituto Médico del Prado, his hair clinic in Madrid, and performs hair transplants in Mexico, twice a year. If you would like to make an appointment, you can contact us on +34 912 468 664, on WhatsApp +34 627 396 322 or on the contact page of our website. From Mexico you can contact us at +52 55 4590 9909.