Dr. Mark DiStefano has been elected to the Board of Directors for the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery & International Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS/IBHRS).

Hair Restoration Surgery

When you meet with Dr. Stefano, he will discuss the various methods of hair restoration surgery so you can choose the method that best suits your needs. He is very aware of the emotional difficulties people with hair loss suffer and the problems with self-esteem that can accompany hair loss.

Having transplanted hair for more than 5,000 patients, Dr. Stefano, through years of training and practice, is an accomplished hair transplant surgeon. He is the only hair transplant surgeon in the country to use the Frechet Triple Flap method, which he calls the Total Crown Renewal Procedure. He performs the following techniques for transplanting hair:

The Individual Graft Technique (IGT)

The Individual graft technique (IGT) is a procedure in which the doctor moves the patient's own hair one graft at a time. Both the doctor and his technicians must be extremely proficient in this minimally invasive procedure. Dr. Stefano has been doing this procedure for more than five years.

In order to improve the process, Dr. Stefano developed a set of special micro-instruments that enable him to remove the entire hair follicle and enhance the density of the transplanted hairs. The instruments allow the bulb, the dermal papillae, the capsule and the outer root sheath to remain intact and not injure the hair follicle. Dr. Stefano is the only surgeon in the states who is using these specialized instruments.

Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT)

Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) involves transplanting hair as it normally grows, that is, in individual follicular units. A strip of hair follicles is removed from the back of the head. The surgical team, looking through microscopes, divides the hairs into natural groups of one, two, three or four hairs. The hairs are then transplanted to the areas needing more coverage as thickly as practical. The hairs then grow back into naturally occurring healthy hair.

During between five and seven days following the procedure, small scabs are shed from where the hair was transplanted. After this, patients can start to comb and style their hair in the usual manner. At about ten days, the surgeon removes the stitches from the area from which the transplanted hear was taken. A thin scar remains and can be covered by the patient's own hair. This process can cost twice as much as the FUT method.

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)

Unlike the FUT technique, in which a strip of hair follicles is removed for transplant, the FUE approach removes individual follicular units. This is a more tedious exacting approach which takes longer and limits the number of units transplanted daily to between 500 and 600. As a result, this technique is more expensive than FUT, sometimes costing twice as much. The FUE approach leaves only a tiny scar which is virtually invisible.

Total Crown Renewal

This is the Frechet Triple Flat method developed by the French surgeon Dr. Patrick Frechet. Dr. Stefano went to France to learn the technique from Dr. Frechet and is the only surgeon providing this approach in the U.S. The total crown renewal approach provides is superior to follicular unit grafting. While it is a more complex technique, the results produce a crown area of the head that is as dense as the sides.

To speak with Dr. Stefano about the option that is best for you, please contact us today.