Dr. Umar Invents New Technique for Hair Transplant – Persons of African Descent Now Eligible for Hair Transplant Surgery: The door is now opening for persons of African descent, regardless of ethnicity, to restore hair loss that results from the more common genetics from previous surgery, or as the result of scarring experienced from acne keloidalis nuchae (AKN). craft and UPunch Curl Punch are currently only available from the inventor, Dr. Sanusi Umar, at Dr.U Hair and Skin Clinic in Redondo Beach, CA 90277
For years, individuals of African descent seeking hair transplants have been turned away by hair transplant surgeons using the traditional method of extracting hair, termed follicular unit extraction (FUE). Because of the fragile nature of African hair (tight curl, texture, and tissue characteristics), many individuals of African descent experience traumatic damage from FUE to their extracted hair, resulting in poor hair transplant outcomes.
In a new study published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery- Global Open, Dr. Sanusi Umar invents a new technique for African American hair transplantation: the latest addition to his patented UGraft® equipment, the UPunch Curl™.
Use of the UPunch Curl™ to perform FUE resulted in successful transplantation of grafts in all 18 individuals of African descent. In these individuals, transections that limit graft/hair viability occurred in less than 5% of grafts. Even in the most extreme cases of diseased and scarred scalps from a condition called acne keloidalis nuchae, the transection rate did not exceed 10%. In this study, the UPunch Curl™ was compared with two other tools used in FUE hair transplantation.
The best transection rates observed with the UPunch Curl™ are attributed to its unique design, which accommodates the curliness of the hair. Previous to this finding, individuals with tightly curled Afro-textured hair were considered poor candidates for FUE. As a result, many were forced to have the hair transplant procedure that takes grafts/hair from a large area of scalp tissue, creating a big linear scar on the back of the head. This restricted the ability to keep a short or buzzed haircut. The punch Curl™ that allows FUE from individual hair follicles rather than from a removed strip of tissue makes this a past problem.
Dr. Sanusi Umar Invents New Technique for African Hair Transplant – a Word from Dr. Umar:
“Patients with the most tightly curled hair are of African descent, but these individuals are not a homogenous group, with variability in degree of curliness between groups from different countries. Variations also exist in the same individual when hair is taken from different scalp regions. All of these variations reflect either ethnic mixing …that has occurred over generations as well as genetic variations. This technique now allows these individuals to undergo hair transplantation while minimizing the poor outcomes associated with the traditional FUE method. While this initial study evaluated only 18 patients from various racial backgrounds, I believe that the findings point the way to a universal approach in FUE for people with tightly curled Afro-textured hair.”
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery—Global Open (PRS Global Open) is open access, peer-reviewed, international journal focusing on global plastic and reconstructive surgery. PRS Global Open publishes on all areas of plastic and reconstructive surgery, including basic science/experimental studies pertinent to the field.
About Dr. Umar
Sanusi Umar, MD, FASDS, is an internationally recognized surgeon with board certification by the American Board of Dermatology, a Fellow of the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. Dr. Umar currently holds the position of the Scalp and Hair Disorders section of Harbor-UCLA residency program and is a fellow of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (FISHRS).
Dr. Umar is a well-published academic pioneer in hair transplant surgery. His publications have appeared in multiple journals, including Journal of the American Medical Association – JAMA Dermatology, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Dermatologic Surgery, and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open.
