How To Avoid Cobblestoning and Pitting in Hair Transplantation?

I have a question regarding follicular unit graft placement in hair transplantation. In order to plant the hair graft at the right depth, is this the responsibility of the hair transplant doctor to make the incision the right depth or the hair transplant technicians to place it properly?   I am particularly concerned with avoiding  cobblestoning and/or pitting. What if the follicular unit graft is too long for the incision?   Or, are all incisions cut deep enough so this is never an issue?

This insightful response was written by “the B Spot”, a well respected member of our Hair Restoration Discussion Forum  and consultant of Shapiro Medical  in Bloomington, MN  

Pitting and cobblestoning are terrible issues.   It is important to see hair restoration patients of a particular hair transplant doctor in order to make sure this is not happening.

Proper depth to avoid these issues depends  on each hair transplant patient.   I would say that most hair transplant patients fall between 3.5-4.5mm deep, with hair restoration doctor using needles making the deepest incisions.

It is the hair transplant doctor’s responsibility to make sure each incision is properly made, which includes proper depth. This information is based on the information from the cutters as they prepare the grafts – a size for 1,2,3,4 hair grafts are measured and then customer blades are cut to size (for doctors that use custom blades).   I would imagine doctors using needles find the closest match.

However, it is then the placing technicians responsibility to inform the hair transplant doctor as to how the width and depth of the grafts are “fitting”.   Once again, this is  another reason to KNOW your doctor and staff and their experience.

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Bill
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

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