Traditional Follicular Unit Extraction – FUE punches are built for sufficiently extracting straight head hair follicles. However, their basic design is severely limited when it comes to harvesting other types of hair. This is especially apparent with hair that emerges from the skin at sharp angles. These generic punches would typically cause damage to angulated hair follicles due to their inability to navigate these bends and angles. Dr.UGraft’s advanced and uniquely designed patented features of its suite of rotary punches (Dr.UPunch™ ) greatly expands the capabilities of linear scar free hair transplant practitioners by solving hair transplant problems from graft angulation issues.
Published On November 6, 2018. Last Updated on October 3, 2019.
How to Extract Hair Transplant Grafts Growing at Different Angles
Dr.UGraft hair transplant technology enables safe grafts extraction in head and body locations. These areas are where hair angulation is a notable characteristic. Significant hair follicle angulation underneath the skin becomes an important consideration in certain demographics. Patients of African descent are one such demographic. Additionally, harvesting hair follicles in all body areas below the neck tend to grow at angles as well. With the help of Dr.UGraft™ technology, minimally invasive hair restoration surgery providers are able to harvest a larger quantity of grafts while being able to select specific types of hair characteristics to create more natural and realistic looking results for their patients.
The key features of Dr.UGraft that account for this angle navigating smartness to resolve hair transplant problems from graft angulation issues includes:
- Several graft gripping and pulling patented and patent pending features
- Flaring and a hybrid tip concept
- Expanded roomed interior of the punch lumen
- Fluid lubrication
The Dr.UGraft system has been engineered to safely extract all hair transplant graft types, including those found on the body which grow at extremely sharp angles
Hair Angles and Different Hair Transplant Graft Types
Head hair emerges from the skin at angles of approximately ninety degrees. However, when extracting hair from other donor regions beyond the scalp, sharper angles becomes a more perplexing issue to consider.
Side by side comparison of different types of hair exit angles in the skin. Left image depicts typical head hair which grows close to 90 degrees. The right image shows the sharp angle bend of non-head hair, typically found on various regions of the body.
Here is a progression of areas in descending order down to the acutest angles.
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- Head
- Nape
- Beard
- Torso/ back
- Extremities (arms and legs)
With conventional punches, hair transplant problems from graft angulation issues become a more serious threat to graft safety as hair grows from the skin more sharply.
Describing the Different Types of Hair Exit Angles in the Skin
These are three different types of hair angulation categories:
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- Acute
- Tortuous
- Unknown or miscellaneous
Aligning regular Follicular Unit Extraction punches appropriately in order to safely harvest the grafts becomes more challenging.
How Sharper Hair Angles Lead to Hair Transplant Graft Injury
On a shaved surface, minimally invasive hair restoration providers rely on angulation cues. The visible hair provides these cues, which providers use to align their punch. However, these indicators are often not sufficient for accurately locating the hair follicle especially when it comes to sharper hair angles.
Conventional linear scar free punches can only be aligned with the angle displayed by the visible hair in the donor region. However, this angle can shift below the skin’s surface. The practitioner can only advance the punch in a straight trajectory. But this path will not necessarily lead to the accurate encompassment of the graft. In the case of hair transplant problems from graft angulation issues that occur when trying to harvest non-head hair, descending the punch linearly along the originally intended direction will cause the device to actually cut through the follicular unit in many cases.
Image sequence illustrating how sharper angles lead to hair transplant graft injury with conventional punches. Following the hair exit angle will sever the graft
Watch this video to see the Dr.UGraft rotary punch in action to safely extract sharply angled non-head hair, as it compares to basic hair transplant punches.
How Dr.UGraft Overcomes Hair Transplant Problems From Graft Angulation Issues
The Dr.UPunch i ™ device of the Dr.UGraft technology set is designed with three unique features. These features allow the instrument to resolve any type of hair angulation challenge.
Video: Harvesting Hair Grafts Growing at Challenging Angles with Dr.UGraft™
Watch the video below to see how the Dr.UGraft™ System innovates on issues of angled growth in hair graft harvesting procedures.
Dr.UGraft solves hair transplant problems from graft angulation issues with a patented textured feature, instead of a smoother inner lining allowing it to automatically navigate the course of any hair angle
PATENTED and Patent Pending Graft Pulling Mechanism
The Dr.UPunch i ™ is uniquely characterized by several patented and patent-pending design features that allow the instrument to exert a relatively firm grip on the tissue surrounding the hair follicle unit and pulls the follicle into the punch lumen as it cuts around it. Once this hold is in place, the angle and the curvature of the hair becomes a non-issue. Practitioners, therefore, do not need to rely on the visible hair to align their punch correctly.
These patented graft gripping and pulling features gives the Dr.UPunch i ™ rotary punch an inherent intelligence to be automatically self-directed to the targeted region around the hair follicle in order to score the graft to overcome many types of hair transplant problems from graft angulation issues.
Rather than emphasizing one over the other, the Intelligent Punch (Dr.UPunch i™) balances pulling and cutting. This enables the effectiveness of this capability toward hair transplant graft quality.
Even when purposely misaligned, the Intelligent Punch (Dr.UPunch i) overcomes hair transplant problems from graft angulation issues.
Flared Hybrid Punch Design
The Dr.UPunch™ rotary devices are uniquely designed with the punch end having a unique curved flaring. This patented feature integrates the concepts of the sharp and dull punch into a single hybrid punch unit. The flaring causes the sharp cutting edge to point away from the follicular unit, instead of straight down or towards it. Likewise, the actual surface that comes in contact with the graft is a dull, non-threatening wall. This helps guide the graft into the punch interior as patented mechanism pull it into the punch lumen. This arraignment minimizes the chance of the hair being damaged and together with other features contributes to the ability of The Intelligent Punch (Dr.UPunch i) to overcome problem of hair angulation in FUE.
Expanded Volume
The expanded volume within the Dr.UPunch i ™ affords more room for the follicular unit and its surrounding tissue. This means there is less resistance to the graft as it ascends upwards into the punch. This makes the graft pulling actions of the punch more efficient.
The larger inner chamber of the punch is yet another feature which enhances the ability of the Dr.UPunch i ™ device to direct the graft upwards. This capability overcomes the limiting factor of hair angles, therefore allowing the safe extraction of unconventional hair transplant grafts like nape and body hair.
With Dr.UGraft’s rotary devices, it is completely unnecessary to trace the punch in order to follow sharp hair angles when reaching the follicle. The upward pulling feature makes this possible, allowing the technology to safely remove all different types of hair exit angles in the skin
Fluid Lubrication
Dr.UGraft™ devices are able to be attached to an external water conduit apparatus known as the Dr.UGraft Revolution. This console unit conveniently activates with a foot pedal to instigate an irrigated, controlled trickle flow of water towards the punch tip. The application of fluid serves to lubricate the inner metal surface of the punch, which further aids the smooth upwards ascent of the grafts upwards and into the punch lumen.
Coupled with the multiple patented and patent pending graft gripping and pulling features of the Dr.UPunch i ™, enabling the upward pull is what allows hair angles to become irrelevant as the device successfully navigates towards the graft, scoring around it as the pulling motion helps separate the follicular unit from its original tissue surroundings.
The patented upward pulling feature helps to overcome hair transplant problems from graft angulation issues. The fluid irrigation facilitates the graft’s ascent into the punch by lubricating the inner metal surface.
Creation of a Water Seal
The Dr.UPunch i ™ has the ability to be integrated with a water irrigation system known as the Dr.UGraft Revolution ™. Using a foot pedal control system, practitioners are able to eject fluid onto the grafts during the time of extraction. Not only does this keep the follicles hydrated and safe from air drying, but this capability also creates a tight water seal which strengthens the engagement between the punch and the skin.
Combined with the patented graft pulling features of Dr.UPunch i ™ that causes it to first adhere firmly to the targeted region where the follicular unit is situated. Regardless of the hair angulation, these two capabilities allow the device to trace the correct course to accurately score around the graft which then solves hair transplant problems from graft angulation issues arising from different types of non-head hair.
In some instances, different hair transplant graft types may be found on body surfaces. that may not always stay still. Dr.UGraft’s fluid-irrigation system creates a water-tight vortex. This strengthens the contact between the punch and the skin which makes it easier to perform successful extractions on mobile donor areas.
The Dumb FUE Punches Versus The Intelligent Punch
Conventional FUE punches rely on the guidance of the practitioner to navigate the course of the hair follicle unit. Dr.UPunch i has the ability to self-navigate. Conventional FUE punches can be considered dumb punches compared to Dr.UGraft’s Intelligent Punch which is less susceptible to guessing and human error.
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Frequently Asked Questions – Hair Transplant Problems From Graft Angulation Issues
With the right technology to overcome hair transplant issues due to differing graft angulations, What types of patient needs would be best met using non-head hair grafts with sharp hair angles?
There are many patient cases which require a large number of donor grafts in order to make their desired coverage possible. This includes individuals who are severely bald as well as those who require significant repair from past procedures which had already exhausted much of their head donor supply. In situations like these, relying on alternative sources of donor hair, such as follicles from the body allows patients to acquire the resources they need to create the outcome they want.
The ability to harvest non-head hair also gives practitioners the ability to select different types of hair in order to reproduce the appropriate level of detail. For example, finer nape hair allows patients to achieve a soft outer hairline edge. Nape and leg hair can also help doctors create more natural looking eyelashes and eyebrows as a better alternative to head hair which is much thicker and more unnatural looking in appearance.