Mechelen hotel roomsOver the centuries, men desiring to retain their hair have tried every imaginable treatment. Theyve shampooed with tars, oils, and plant extracts, and groomed their hair with electrical combs.

The magic formulas that have appeared through the ages, such as elixirs or tonics, do not stimulate any permanent hair growth from those follicles that have ceased to produce hair. If any of these concoctions really worked, they would have been sold in every pharmacy throughout the world. The wig or hairpiece, frequently called the hair replacement system had traditionally been the only alternative to Male or Female Pattern Hair Loss.

The Age of Discovery

Then in the late 1950s, Norman Orentreich, M.D, introduced a surgical hair transplantation technique into the Unite States. The procedure involves the movement of skin and hair as small plugs or grafts. Each of these grafts is relocated from the sides and back of the head to the bald or thinning areas of the front and top. Grafts from the sides and back of the head are genetically predetermined or programmed to grow for the life of the individual. The initial techniques involved the taking of grafts as individualized round plug usually containing 8-10 hairs. These traditional large grafts (macrografts) produced a harsh toothbrush or dolls head appearance which as easily detectable.