Graft Placement

By the time, the donor area has been closed, there are enough grafts already prepared to begin placing the grafts according to Dr. Seager’s detailed plan. While those grafts are being placed, more grafts are being prepared. Thus grafts will be prepared and placed simultaneously.

For the vast majority of our patients the “stick-and-place method” is used. A fine needle is used to create a tiny hole (which is actually a miniature tunnel) in Dr. Seager’s specified angle and direction. A follicular unit graft is then held gently by the protective tissue surrounding the follicular structures and immediately tucked into the newly created opening.

The stick-and-place offers many advantages compared to the method employed at most facilities. Many facilities make all the recipient sites first then place the grafts. Since skin is elastic, the holes start shrinking almost immediately after they are made. Smaller holes are required for the stick-and-place method since they can be filled before they shrink. Smaller holes in turn cause less damage to the skin or the blood supply and the holes can be made closer together than larger holes. Using the stick-and-place method also eliminates the risk of leaving holes unfilled or accidentally “piggy-backing” two grafts into the same opening. Finally, using the stick-and-place method gives Dr. Seager flexibility to modify the plan as needed as the procedure continues whereas if the holes are all made in advance, the plan cannot be adapted according to scalp or hair characteristics afterward.

With the older, more conventional mini-graft technique, space must be left between the grafts to ensure proper blood flow, providing the essential supply of blood for grafts to grow. The larger the grafts, the greater the spaces that have to be left in between them. The number of grafts one can transplant at each session is therefore limited. The larger the grafts, the fewer that can be transplanted at any one session. Also, with mini-grafts, a second and often a third and fourth session are usually necessary to fill these spaces left for the blood flow in between these grafts. These extra sessions are also necessary to minimize the tufted "toothbrush" or "cornrow" appearance- and also, to add density.

However, with Dr. Seager's "All Follicular Unit Megasession", the grafts are so small and they are placed into such minute pinprick sized holes, that they disturb the blood circulation much less. These smaller grafts can be "dense-packed", extremely close together. Because these grafts are packed so densely, the density of the hair that grows back is usually enough to satisfy most patients after just one session.