Question:
I recently read an article on hair transplantation and it said that coronal incisions are more likely to cause shock loss. Is this true? I thought this was supposed to be the best type of incision.

Answer:
There are two main types of directions that recipient sites during hair transplantation can be made. They are sagittal and coronal. Sagittal incisions are more front to back and coronal incisions are more in the right to left direction. Depending upon the situation in the patient having the procedure should really determine whether or not either coronal or sagittal incisions are used.

In many cases, I use a combination of both types of incisions and often I only use coronal incisions in a hairline and/or areas where there is very little existing hair.

It is true that in areas where there is a significant amount of original hair or existing hair, sagittal incisions are easier to get in between the hairs and may cause less damage to those existing hairs. In certain circumstances, however, it is still acceptable to use coronal incisions when placing recipient sites between existing hairs.

Shock loss can happen with either type of recipient incision, both sagittal and coronal.

Posted by: Dr. Charles