HAIR GRAFT PLACEMENT: THE FINAL STEP IN HAIR TRANSPLANTATION

The most common errors in graft placement include:
• Improper handling of the grafts with forceps causes lacerations and crush injuries that reduce the survival rate of the grafts.
• The size of the recipient incisions is not optimally matched to the size of the grafts, leading to repeated attempts at placement and causing crush injuries and lacerations of the grafts. In practical terms this means that the recipient incision is too small in relation to the size of the graft or the depth of the recipient incision is less than the length of the graft.

• The grafts are placed at the wrong angle. The recipient incisions created by the physician prior to graft placement have different angles. These angles usually follow the direction of the growth of existing adjacent hair. These angles can deviate from the natural direction of growth when agreed upon by the physician and patient.

Aside from these errors, there is the risk of contaminating the donor area during the insertion procedure. In addition to lack of hair growth with severe scarring, necrosis of the subcutis can often occur. Without initial antibiotic therapy and early surgical revision, severe complications can result.