Micrograft and minigraft megasession hair transplantation results after a single session

The purpose of this article is to share observations made after performing 90 consecutive micrograft and minigraft megasessions for the treatment of male pattern baldness. Micrograft means grafts with 1 or 2 hairs, minigrafts are those with 3 or 4 hairs, and a megasession is a procedure in which more than 1000 micrografts and minigrafts are inserted in a single session. Between March of 1994 and June of 1996, the author performed 90 consecutive micrograft and minigraft megasessions on 86 men and 4 women ranging from 21 to 67 years of age (average age, 42 years). The surgical team consisted of three surgical assistants and a plastic surgeon. Today, usually between 1500 and 2000 grafts per session are performed in about 4 to 6 hours, with up to 2495 grafts done in a single session. All procedures were done under intravenous sedation and local anesthesia. A donor horizontal ellipse of scalp is harvested from the occipital area; the grafts are made out of it and then inserted through small slits. The procedure has been found to be safe and predictable with natural and aesthetically pleasing results, and there were no serious complications. The only complication found in this group was self-resolving inclusion cysts (ingrown hairs) occurring in 9 of 90 patients (10 percent). Even though the hair density achieved in a single megasession is limited, there is a high level of patient satisfaction: 83 of 85 patients were satisfied (97.65 percent).