Before a hair transplant, the patient is advised not to take any medication such as aspirin and anti-inflammatory drugs for 10 days before the operation.
Before a strip hair transplant operation, a consultation is essential with Dr. Diacakis aesthetic surgeon in Paris. A consent and an estimate will be given to you. A blood test may be requested.

For the strip technique, the patient must, on the day of the operation, have a hair length of at least 1 to 2 centimetres in order to be able to hide the suture, unlike the FUE technique where the sampling area at the back of the head will be shaved in order to carry out a thorough sampling.

You are seated in an armchair. The operation is not very painful.
A skin strip is taken from the back of the head under local anaesthetic (1 to 1.2 cm high depending on the laxity of the scalp). The maximum length can vary from one temple to another. The scar is closed with absorbable thread.
The strip is cut out under a microscope, an essential condition to respect the integrity of the follicles which are 1, 2, 3 or 4 hairs. In fact, if the cutting is done under a microscope, a maximum of 3 to 5% of grafted hair is lost after reimplantation (instead of 15 to 30% without a microscope).
The reimplantation is done with needles allowing to be very precise and close giving a natural effect and maximum density. For the majority of patients it is preferable to remove the maximum number of grafts in one session in order to not only have the densest possible aesthetic result but also and above all, to avoid the multiplication of interventions often done by different doctors, which increases the risk of visible scars with sensitivity problems. In fact, the fewer the number of operations and the fewer people involved, the more natural and aesthetic the result will be.
A session lasts approximately 3 to 4 hours.

After a hair transplant by strip, there is usually only a sensation of tension in the suture for 48 hours, but it is not very painful.
A painless oedema on the forehead and face is very frequent, it appears after 48 hours and can last 6 days when it exists. It prevents all social and professional activities.
Scabs may be visible on the micro grafts for 8 to 10 days. They will gradually fall off. A first shampoo is authorized from the third day and facilitates their elimination. Then a soft and careful shampoo “by tapping” will be necessary during the following 7 days.
The implanted hair often falls out around the 10th day. In fact, only the germinal cells of the bulb, which will produce a new hair, remain implanted. They will give birth to a new hair.
In the same way, often at the end of the first month, “your hair”, in contact with the re-implanted grafts, will fall out. Therefore, it is to be expected that during the second month, you may have a little less hair than before the operation.
Towards the third month, the reimplanted hair and that which has fallen in contact with the grafts will systematically grow back.

For sports, swimming, exposure to the sun or sea bathing, it is strongly advised to respect a period of three weeks in order not to stress the scar or alter the healing of the grafts.

For the vast majority of cases, the result is estimated at 6 months, but it will really be definitive after one year.
In the conditions described above, the hair transplant gives complete satisfaction with an aesthetic, natural and dense result. Under these conditions, more than 95% of the grafts regrowth is observed.
The strip technique generally allows the implantation of a greater number of grafts than FUE.
No shaving of the collection area
The scar is always thin (1 to 3 mm).

Hair grafting by strip is considered in France as a surgical procedure and must obligatorily be carried out by a qualified surgeon.
All patients must receive : Informed consent, estimate, reflection period, discharge authorisation…
Optimal hygiene and safety.