The 6 Hour Rule
It all Starts with Nuttorn Hair Centre's '6 Hour Rule'
A universal rule with hair transplants is the shorter the procedure time the higher the success rate. The ‘6 Hour Rule’ is Nuttorn Hair Centre’s vital strategy to keep all hair transplants surgery time below 6 hours. Read on and we’ll explain why this is so critical.
Unveiling the Time - Success Connection
Dr. Bernard Limmer published a pivotal study that revolutionized the understanding of hair transplant success. Analyzing over 2,500 hair transplant procedures, Limmer discovered a significant decline in graft survival rates when grafts spent more than 6 hours outside the body. This “time out of body” is the period during which hair follicles are extracted from the donor area and prepared for implantation.
Decreased Viability Over Time
Hair follicles are living tissues that require oxygen and nutrients to survive. The longer they remain outside the body, the more their viability diminishes.
Optimal Time Window
The Limmer Study identified the 4-hour mark as the cut-off point for 90%+ success with graft implantation. Longer than this and the success rate falls below target rates.
Dehydration & Trauma
Prolonged "time out of body" exposes grafts to dehydration and trauma, compromising their viability and hindering their ability to thrive in the recipient area.
The Keys to the '6 Hour Rule'
Hair transplants are a critical race against time, as illustrated in the graphic below. Every hour that passes with your hair grafts lacking blood flow significantly increases the risk of a lower graft survival rate.
At DHI Thailand, we recognize the urgency of this process and adhere to a strict protocol, ensuring that grafts are kept outside the body for no longer than four hours.
'6 Hour Rule' by the Numbers
Hair Transplant Graft Survival Rate
At Nuttorn Hair Centre, we strive to limit the duration of our patients’ hair transplants to a maximum of 6 hours. This timeframe includes 1 hour prep and another for post procedure recovery and cleaning the implant sites. By adhering to this schedule, we ensure that all hair grafts remain disconnected from blood flow for no more than 4 hours, resulting in an expected success rate exceeding 90%.
Limmer Study on Graft Survival Rates
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it always possible to keep a hair transplant under 6 hours?
While the goal is to keep procedures within the 6-hour timeframe, it’s not always feasible, especially for extensive hair restoration. In such cases, experienced surgeons employ strategies like graft batching and meticulous handling to maintain graft viability.
What happens if a hair transplant procedure exceeds 6 hours?
This depends greatly on the skill and protocols of the surgical team. When it comes to large procedures that are going to exceed 6 hours Dr Nuttorn will almost always schedule them over 2 days at no additional cost to the patient.
Sometimes using multiple parts of the body such as head and chest or head and facial hair (hair grafts can be grafted from the head, facial hair, chest, back and legs) will mean the hair transplant will exceed 6 hours. However its the time out of body for your hair grafts which is the critical element. In these cases, each part of the body will be harvested and implanted separately meaning time out of body won’t exceed four hours.
You emphasize the significance of a 6-hour procedure time; however, the Limmer study indicates that graft survival rates fall below 90% after 4 hours. Could you clarify this discrepancy?
The Limmer study discusses a concept known as Time out of Body, which refers to the duration that a hair graft is separated from the scalp’s blood supply.
In any hair transplant procedure, there is an initial preparation phase lasting approximately one hour, followed by another hour dedicated to clean-up and patient recovery.
Consequently, adhering to the six-hour guideline ensures that hair grafts remain disconnected from the blood supply for no more than four hours. This establishes the six-hour duration as a standard for all Hairline hair transplant sessions.
It’s crucial to understand that the implantation phase of a DHI hair transplant typically lasts between 1 to 3 hours. This phase usually occurs around the 2 to 3 hour mark during the overall procedure.
Consequently, the majority of your grafts will be placed within the 2 to 4 hour timeframe (not at the static 4 hour mark), which contributes to an impressive average success rate of 93% graft growth rates on average. Even if we do slightly exceed the 4 hour mark only a minimal portion of the grafts would be implanted beyond that mark in time. Therefore your graft success rate should still be above 90% on average.
How can I ensure my hair transplant is efficient?
Choosing a hair transplant surgeon who prioritizes efficiency and utilizes advanced techniques like DHI with the Choi implanter is crucial for achieving optimal results. By adhering to the 6-hour guideline and minimizing out-of-body time, surgeons can maximize graft survival rates, enhance hair growth, and ensure a successful hair restoration journey for their patients.