Understanding the Hair Curl in Hair Transplantation
I believe one of the major contributions that my clinic has given to the scientific literature is a focus on the importance of hair curl, which is covered in the second volume of my book, Hair Transplant 360. The hair curl describes how every hair shaft, no matter how straight or curly, has a slight bend when it exits the skin surface. When one transplants hairs into the scalp, the hair curl orientation should be respected but unfortunately this is not done in most hair-transplant clinics due largely to ignorance.
The hair curl should bend forward anteriorly in the hairline and in the central scalp. It should curl downwards and outwards in the temple region, and it should follow the sweep and arc of the whorl in the crown region. When the hair curl is violated, the hairs seem to grow out in different angles even when the recipient site has been carefully controlled by the surgeon. This is a level of fine tuning that our team conducts to make every hair grow in the proper direction to improve hair density and to promote a more natural and combable result. Placement of the proper direction of the hair curl is based on the surgical assistant team’s ability to understand and implement this level of quality control.
Samuel M. Lam, MD, FACS, a board certified hair transplant surgeon in Dallas, Texas. To learn more about Dr Lam’s hair transplant procedures, or to schedule a consultation please call 972-312-8105, or visit hairtx.com for more info.