Is NeoGraft the Future of Hair Restoration for Men?

Unfortunately, many men begin to lose their hair as early as their 20s. As a man, hair loss can be a serious detriment to your confidence, even changing the way you perceive yourself. You may have considered a hair transplant procedure, but are unwilling to risk having a linear scar on the back of your scalp. Or perhaps you’ve used a hair loss prevention product like minoxidil, which didn’t actually increase your hair growth. Either way, we imagine you are eager to hear about medical advances in the field.

In this post, we’ll compare the newer NeoGraft technique with other hair restoration treatments to determine which is the best—but first, what causes hair loss, and how do hair loss treatments work?

• Why do men lose their hair?
• NeoGraft for hair restoration
• NeoGraft vs. other hair transplants
• NeoGraft vs. Rogaine
• NeoGraft vs. finasteride
• NeoGraft vs. PRP

Why do men lose their hair?

Roughly 50 million men in the US experience male pattern balding, the most common form of hair loss in men. Men lose their hair for a variety of reasons, from age and heredity to thyroid issues, but the majority lose their hair because of a sex hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

Ironically, DHT is responsible for “male” characteristics, including body hair, muscle mass, deep tone of voice, and penis growth, however, DHT can also cause hair loss. Here’s how it works: an enzyme called 5-AR converts testosterone into DHT, shortening your hair growth cycle and shrinking your hair follicles. About 10% of your body’s conversion of testosterone to DHT is normal in both men and women, but any more than that can cause hair loss.

How do hair loss treatments work?

It’s also important to know how various hair loss treatments work so you can decide which approach might be right for you.

Preventative measures to mitigate hair loss include:

• Finasteride: designed to prevent your 5-AR enzymes from converting your testosterone into DHT.
• Low-level laser hair therapy: works to stimulate your hair follicles to maintain and/or encourage new hair growth.
• Rogaine: widens the blood vessels in your scalp to increase blood flow to hair follicles.
• Specially-formulated topical combinations of minoxidil, finasteride, Retin A, and cortisone work together to prevent hair loss. This product is only available at Dr. Duplechain’s office.
• Platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP): platelet injections go to work nourishing and fortifying your hair follicles, and stimulating hair regrowth.

Corrective options to reverse hair loss include:

• FUT transplant: transplants sections of hair follicles into other parts of your scalp with traditional surgical grafting.
• FUE transplant: individually transplants hair follicles into other parts of your scalp with the aid of assistive tools or technology.

In the early stages, you may have success delaying hair loss with preventative options, but if your condition has advanced, some form of hair transplant is usually the most effective way to visibly increase your hair growth.

NeoGraft for hair restoration

NeoGraft is an FDA-approved hair restoration procedure that provides a long-term solution to hair loss without a nasty scar or excessive downtime. The NeoGraft technique utilizes a machine-assisted follicular unit extraction (FUE) process to harvest hair without strip harvesting. The harvested hair follicles are then transplanted into the desired areas. NeoGraft has helped men everywhere regain their confidence and pride.

NeoGraft vs. other hair transplants

There are two main types of hair transplants currently available to men suffering from hair loss:

• Follicular unit extraction (FUE). The FUE technique transplants hairs individually from the back of the scalp to balding areas.
• Follicular unit transplantation (FUT). The FUT method cuts a strip of skin from the back of your scalp to remove a large section of hair.

Each of these transplant methods has its benefits and drawbacks, and most people consider FUE to be superior to FUT. The NeoGraft technique is an FUE procedure that utilizes a machine-assisted process to fill in thinning hair—but how does NeoGraft compare to FUT and other FUE transplants?

Pros of Neograft:

• The NeoGraft technique may reduce trauma to hair follicles compared to traditional FUE and FUT surgeries, which can improve the survival rate of transplanted hairs.
• NeoGraft takes just four to six hours, while other FUE transplants (done “by hand” using a micropunch) require multiple long sessions under the knife.
• Unlike an FUT transplant, NeoGraft is minimally-invasive, and therefore may have a lower chance of surgical complications.
• NeoGraft doesn’t require any stitches or staples, unlike FUT.
• The semi-automation of NeoGraft controls the depth of hair follicle injections, mitigating the chance for human error that could cause damage to nerves or blood vessels.

Pros of FUT:

• Depending on how much hair you are transplanting, the FUT method can be less expensive than a NeoGraft transplant.
• FUT transplants are fast because they harvest all of the donor hair follicles at once.

NeoGraft vs. laser hair therapy

Low-level laser therapy for hair loss, also called red light therapy, is delivered via laser combs, like HairMax, and laser hats like REVIAN. These options, which you may have seen promoted in mail-order advertisements, have gained popularity in recent years. Laser hair therapy delivers high-energy light to your scalp to increase blood flow and stimulate hair follicles, supposedly encouraging hair growth. But do these devices really work and how does laser hair therapy compare to NeoGraft?

Pros of laser hair therapy:

• Laser hair therapy is considered less invasive than hair transplant surgeries.
• Laser hair therapy is generally considered to be safe.

Cons of laser hair therapy:

• The effectiveness of laser hair therapy is not proven, however, it is thought to potentially be more effective in patients who are in earlier stages of their hair loss.
• Laser hair therapy initially requires multiple sessions per week over the course of a few months. While these sessions eventually taper off, treatments have to be continued indefinitely for best results.
• Laser hair therapy treatments cost thousands of dollars per year.

NeoGraft vs. ARTAS

ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant is a mechanized FUE hair restoration system. Unlike NeoGraft, ARTAS doesn’t depend heavily on the skill of a surgeon, meaning it may be faster, but also more prone to error. How does NeoGraft compare to ARTAS?

Pros of ARTAS

• ARTAS is about 50% faster than NeoGraft, so your procedure time will be shorter.
• ARTAS robotically harvests and transplants hair, meaning the results are not as dependent on the skill and artistry of your surgeon.

Cons of ARTAS

• Since ARTAS identifies hair follicles via its computer system (which looks for the contrast of scalp and hair), it is not accurate at transplanting hair follicles with light-colored hair.
• ARTAS is about 5% more likely to damage hair follicles than a NeoGraft technician.
• ARTAS is much pricier (like to cost about $4,000 more).

NeoGraft vs. Rogaine

Believe it or not, Rogaine remains one of the most popular hair restoration products for men on the market. It’s key ingredient, minoxidil, expands blood vessels in your scalp, increasing blood flow to hair follicles to encourage growth. How does NeoGraft compare to Rogaine?

Pros of Rogaine

• Rogaine has helped men prevent hair loss for decades.
• Rogaine can easily be applied to all parts of the scalp.
• Rogaine is relatively inexpensive and is available over-the-counter.

Cons of Rogaine

• Rogaine is more effective at preventing hair loss than at encouraging hair growth. It’s best to start using Rogaine early on in your hair loss.
• Rogaine is most effective in men 40 and younger.
• Rogaine actually causes hair to shed during the first few weeks of usage.
• Rogaine’s foam can cause “breakage” of hair, making it risky to apply to dry or color-treated hair.
• Rogaine must be applied multiple times a day, and is noticeable.

NeoGraft vs. finasteride

Hims, Keeps, and Lemonaid are a few new hair restoration products that have popped up recently. They all rely on finasteride, a chemical that—unlike Rogaine—not only prevents hair loss, but also encourages new growth. How does NeoGraft compare to finasteride?

Pros of finasteride:

• No prescription needed for these brands.
• Most finasteride pills only need to be taken once a day.
• Finasteride is relatively inexpensive.

Cons of finasteride

• Effectiveness varies widely: while Finasteride had an 87% overall effectiveness rate in a 2012 study, only 11.1% experienced a substantial increase in hair growth. Most patients fell into groups only experiencing moderately (36.5%) or slightly (39.5%) increased hair growth (and ~13% saw no results).
• These products are subscription-based, meaning they require indefinite ordering.
• Sexual function disorders have been attributed to finasteride.
• Finasteride may induce depression and suicidal thoughts.

NeoGraft vs. PRP

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy isolates your blood’s natural platelets and injects them into your scalp to help stimulate hair growth in your follicles. Additional additives of exosomes, which are stem cell recruiter cells, are available and may be added to PRP therapy treatments.

Pros of PRP

• The appointment takes less than an hour.
• There is no downtime.
• There is only minor discomfort from your surgeon injecting the follicles (it feels like a slight pinch).
• The procedure uses your body’s own cells to encourage hair growth, meaning no chemicals.

Cons of PRP

• Patients must undergo multiple treatments over several months for maximum re-growth, plus maintenance treatments every 4-6 months.
• Multiple sessions and injection sites are required, but discomfort is minimal.
• If your surgeon is not proficient at injecting, this procedure could be uncomfortable.
• PRP therapy is still new and being studied, therefore there is a lack of clinical data on the treatment.

PRP therapy can be performed on its own or as a complement to the NeoGraft procedure.

The winner is NeoGraft

While other hair restoration treatments have their advantages, NeoGraft is the only hair restoration procedure that is clinically proven to provide a long-term solution to hair loss without an embarrassing visible strip or scar, ongoing treatments, or other undesirable side effects. Dr. Duplechain also recommends pairing NeoGraft with PRP therapy treatments for maximum hair re-growth.

NeoGraft also works great for women; in fact, 40% of our NeoGraft patients are women.

Schedule your Lafayette consultation with Dr. Duplechain

Cosmetic surgeon Dr. J. Kevin Duplechain has helped men throughout the greater Lafayette area and Louisiana regain their confidence by regaining their hair. His extensive experience with NeoGraft makes him the go-to surgeon for men seeking hair restoration treatment. Schedule your consultation online or by calling (337)456-3282. We look forward to speaking with you!