DR. CHAIL SHAH

Arrival and Consent: When Dr. Shah arrives at Anderson Center for Hair he’s greeted by the surgical team who ensures all the formalities, like choosing lunch and reviewing consent forms.

Pre-Procedure Review: Next, Dr. Shah meets his surgeon, Dr. Wetzel, who runs through his allergies, medication, and any last-minute questions. It’s not just about signing forms; it’s about feeling assured and informed.

Vitals & Blood Draw: The team takes Dr. Shah’s vitals and draws blood for platelet-rich plasma injections.

Photographs: Dr. Wetzel takes a set of photographs from multiple angles to have on file as a baseline. This serves as the ‘before’ comparison for the ‘after’ photographs, which are taken once the hair grows in 8-12 months later.

Hairline Design: Dr. Wetzel closely examines Dr. Shah’s scalp, discussing his preferences, and sketching out the perfect hairline. It’s a collaborative effort, ensuring Dr. Shah’s new hairline feels natural and suits his features and preferences.

Sedation: Dr. Shah is given a sedative both for comfort and to help the day go by faster, making the whole experience more pleasant. (Please note: This sedation takes time to wear off, so all patients need a ride home at the end of their surgery day.)

Hair Trimming: The donor area is trimmed, marking the start of the transformation. We generally recommend that patients grow their hair out as long as they can stand it, to cover the sutures in the back. We only trim the small area being removed, so if the remaining hair is at least ½”, the sutures should be hidden during recovery.

Hair Wash: Next, Dr. Shah has his hair washed using a special surgical shampoo, which helps reduce the risk of infection and washes away any loose hairs from the haircut.

Anesthesia: Dr. Wetzel numbs the back and sides of Dr. Shah’s scalp so that he doesn’t feel any pain or discomfort while the strip is being extracted.

Strip Extraction and Wound Closure: A linear strip of scalp is removed, then Dr. Wetzel uses a trichophytic closure to close the wound.

Follicle Preparation: Once the strip has been removed, our team of highly-trained technicians slivers the hair follicles from the donor strip and then trims excess tissue off each follicle.

PRP Injections: Meanwhile, the blood drawn earlier has been processed in a centrifuge. The red blood cells are removed and discarded. The leftover plasma is spun down again, isolating the platelets with a small amount of plasma. The growth factors contained in the PRP will help stimulate the new hair follicles when they’re injected into the recipient area.

Site Making: Next, Dr. Wetzel creates the sites where the hairs will be implanted. He makes one tiny incision for each follicle. That incision determines the location, the direction and the angle at which the hair will grow. (This is the part of the process where the artistic skill of your surgeon really makes a difference in your final result.)

Follicle Placement: When all the follicles are trimmed and ready, our team of technicians implants them one by one into the sites that Dr. Wetzel created. Two to three technicians at a time place the follicles to minimize the time that grafts spend disconnected from their blood supply.

Post-op Care: Dr. Shah is cleaned up, and the follicles are covered with a temporary paper cap. He’s given a recovery kit and detailed aftercare instructions.