WHAT IS A HYBRID HAIR TRANSPLANT?

If you can’t find a hair loss treatment that offers everything you want, you might be a candidate for a hybrid hair procedure. These procedures combine different treatment methods to give patients a personalized solution that blends various benefits. In this helpful guide, we discuss some common hybrid hair procedures and explain how they work.

Combining FUE With FUT

You might’ve heard of follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit transplantation (FUT). They’re two of the most popular methods of hair restoration. You can combine these methods to maximize your results in one sitting. Both these methods can be time-consuming, but a hybrid treatment allows your surgeon to meet your intended result with minimal return visits. Here’s how it works.

Follicular unit transplantation, also known as the strip method, is a hair restoration surgery that’s been popular for years. They call it the strip method because the doctor takes a strip of hair from the back of your head, extracts hair grafts from it, and places those grafts in your balding areas. Basically, we take your hair and spread the wealth. This method used to be known as “plugs”, but with advanced technology, FUT procedures give patients a much thicker, more natural look than traditional “plugs”.

Follicular unit extraction (FUE) is similar to FUT, except the surgeon removes each follicular unit individually, creating several single- to multi-hair grafts and then implants it in the affected area of your scalp. Let’s say you’re redoing your lawn for spring. If you pulled up a sheet of sod from your backyard and moved it to your front yard to line the walkway, that’s like FUT. If you plucked blades of glass individually and arranged them carefully to fill in gaps in the front yard, that’s more like FUE. Here are some benefits of blending these two methods into one hybrid hair procedure:

• FUT leaves a linear scar on the back of your head, but FUE doesn’t. Combining them can limit scarring.
• You can maximize the number of grafts transplanted in one appointment. If you have a lot of area to cover, combining these treatments can give you a fuller, thicker head of hair without too many visits.
• With FUE, your doctor has more control over where they place each graft. FUT and FUE together can give you a more precise result than FUT can alone.

Combining FUE With Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT)

Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT) is a type of non-surgical hair loss therapy where a doctor induces collagen production using microneedles and serums on the scalp. This can stimulate hair growth by triggering your body’s natural healing mechanisms to break down calcification and fibrosis. This improves tissue oxygenation and nutrient flow, allowing your hair follicles to grow naturally. 

You might be wondering how effective CIT is. While it might seem like magic, it’s actually based on scientific evidence. It also dramatically improves blood flow to the hair follicles, slowing down hair loss. CIT can be especially helpful if you have a condition like androgenetic alopecia that causes hair loss. You’d typically receive treatment every four to six weeks until you have gone through treatment three to four times. Then, you can come back a few times a year for maintenance.

You can use FUE in combination with CIT to supplement the hair growth with transferred hair grafts. We’re happy to help you restore your hair’s growth with FUE or FUT, but we know there’s nothing like the real thing. If you want to help your hair follicles re-grow naturally before committing to a full restoration treatment, you may be a candidate for a hybrid treatment using hair growth factors and CIT.

Combining FUE With SMP

Scalp micro-pigmentation (SMP) is a treatment where micro deposits of 3D ink are deposited into your scalp in thinning areas, making your scalp look fuller and darker. Expert technicians apply pigment in the strength, shade, and shape needed to create the appearance of thicker hair. This technique can be ideal for supplementing FUE, especially if your hair is thinning but not fully balding.

Using SMP in conjunction with FUE is a great solution for patients who want the best possible results without undergoing several procedures. FUE helps cover the balding with new hair placement, but if you don’t have enough hair in the donor area to thicken up your hair as much as you’d like, SMP can help create the illusion. If you plan to pursue a hybrid procedure using both FUE and SMP, you’ll probably want to get FUE procedure done first. That way, our staff can take a look at your results once they’re fully healed and make a plan to fill in the spots that need it. 

SMP is also a great way to hide scarring on the scalp. While the scars from FUE are nearly invisible, some people may be over harvested by less experienced clinicians, creating a moth-eaten appearance. Linear scars are left behind by FUT as well and depending on your hairstyle, may or may not be visible. Others may naturally have spacious donor areas. In any case, SMP is a great solution to blend these unsightly issues. 

Combining Microneedling & Other Non-Surgical Options

If your hair follicles aren’t growing, they might just need a little encouragement. You might consider pairing microneedling with various growth factors and alternative procedures that target different issues within the dermal papilla and scalp. Microneedling is a non-surgical treatment where your doctor stamps a motorized device over your scalp, inserting a series of tiny needles into different layers of the tissue. While it might sound counteractive, creating these micro wound channels actually aids in healing hair follicles and encouraging hair growth. It also improves topical absorbency, making various growth factors and medications significantly more effective. 

If needles make you a little nervous, don’t worry. Microneedling for the scalp includes local anesthesia, so you won’t feel the treatment. Plus, the needles can be as small as one millimeter wide, and the treatment usually is done in less than an hour.

You may also combine FUE with microneedling so you don’t need to transplant as many hair grafts, allowing you to save more donor hair for the future. 

Microneedling can cause complications in some patients, so be sure to tell your doctor about any other conditions you might have before deciding on the treatment. Your hair is one-of-a-kind, so maybe your hair loss treatment should be too. Hybrid hair procedures are adaptable and functional, so you can meet your goals while sticking to your budget and timeline. You shouldn’t have to deal with hair loss alone, either. Our expert team at MAXIM Hair Restoration can work with you to create a customized hair plan that meets your needs. To get started, schedule a free consultation today with one of our specialists today.