J. 5 months after first procedure. Hair growth is full   and natural.

Naturalness and Good Density

For many years hair restoration surgeons have been attempting to achieve naturalness with good hair density, with the ultimate goal being patient satisfaction. The round graft allowed good density, but lacked naturalness prior to the final procedure, and even after a series of procedures, hairlines were often too abrupt. In an effort to soften the "pluggy" look, surgeons tried split grafts, quadrissected grafts, and even small square grafts. These grafts were placed into recipient site holes made with round punches, and the "pluggy" look was diminished but not eliminated. To further improve naturalness, grafts became even smaller becoming minigrafts and micrografts, the quantities of grafts placed per session increased dramatically, and the recipient sites preparation method also changed.

Slits

Slit graft Compression

Hundreds of minigrafts and micrografts were placed into slits and holes made with surgical blades or needles, rather than holes made with a punch. Naturalness was improved, however hair density suffered.

Also, because no scalp tissue was removed, these grafts were "squeezed" by the adjacent scalp tissue causing a condition called graft compression. Graft compression caused the new hairs to appear to grow from a single hole in a tuft. To avoid graft compression, single-hair grafts were placed in sessions of 1,000 and more. Graft compression was eliminated, however graft failure increased, and hair density was further reduced. (See Fig. H above)

Laser Slots

In an effort to reduce graft compression without sacrificing hair density, lasers have been used to vaporize holes and small slots for receiving minigrafts. This removes some scalp tissue reducing the tendency for graft compression, while allowing larger minigrafts for good density. Lasers are expensive, and require considerable skill to operate expertly. While having the potential to substantially reduce graft compression, laser slots also reduced blood circulation to the new grafts because the laser seals blood vessels. As a result, laser grafts had slower initial growth and occasionally suffered uneven long-term growth.

Linear Slots Grafts

Linear slot graft fits without compression or distortion

Linear slot incisions are vital when transplanting CFU's. By removing tiny, narrow corresponding bald tissue (0.5 mm wide) the slot incision achieves a "perfect fit" for the graft . This "perfect fit" (see fig G above) allows grafts with more hairs to be transplanted without graft distortion and compression. The random spacing between hairs in the graft is the same as your original hair from the donor. The hairs grow without pitting or a clumpy appearance. Since the grafts are narrow, healing is quick and virtually undetectable.

The Patented Linear Punch

Dr. Hitzig developed and patented the Hitzig Linear Punch, a collection of extremely sharp disposable surgical punches that make narrow elliptical slots.

Unlike punches for round holes, Linear Punches do not require rotation or rocking to make a cut, and are disposed of after each use assuring safety and quality for each patient. Presently the Hitzig Linear Punches are available in 3 sizes, and as hair restoration physicians from around the world add these tools to their array of instruments, additional sizes will be introduced.