Correction of the Cornrow Hair Transplant and Other Common Problems in Surgical Hair Restoration

The document from 23 years ago, written by James E. Vogel, M.D., discussed the correction of common problems in surgical hair restoration, particularly the "cornrow hair transplant". This term refers to an outdated plug hair transplantation technique that often resulted in an unnatural, row-like appearance of hair. Vogel described a technique to reduce the plugs and recycle them into smaller grafts, which could then be combined with scalp lifting, scalp reductions, and occipital harvesting of grafts to improve results. The paper also discussed the use of anesthesia, scalp preparation, and instrumentation in the procedure. Several case studies were presented, including a 42-year-old man who underwent three sessions of plug reductions and grafting, with 35 plugs reduced at the hairline and 1200 grafts placed at the anterior hairline and temporal alleys. The document concluded that significant improvement in appearance could be achieved after one corrective procedure, but multiple staged operations were often needed to maximally improve the results of previous hair restoration procedures.