Dear Doctors,
Greetings! This is Dr. Kun Oc, an expert on hair restoration surgery for hair loss and hairline correction for esthetic purpose since 2005, and the inventor of OKT hair implanter based on the long time experiences.
The point that I want to talk to you is that using OKT implanter is not an option to choose but it must be used to achieve better results, and the question is how to use it well considering the patients and reviewing the results on my recent 3 years hair restoration surgery.
OKT implanter was developed 3 years ago and it has been proved by the results throughout more than 500 operation cases over 2 years. Comparing other existing implanters, OKT dramatically reduces the bleeding and popping which causes of reducing survival rate and it makes a natural looking hairline.
Occasionally I saw some doctors who said they do not find anything differences on OKT comparing other implanters even though they had tried using OKT. I understand them they are using OKT without understanding the key features because they are accustomed to using their conventional techniques.
Now, I would like to explain how to use OKT well.
Greetings! This is Dr. Kun Oc, an expert on hair restoration surgery for hair loss and hairline correction for esthetic purpose since 2005, and the inventor of OKT hair implanter based on the long time experiences.
The point that I want to talk to you is that using OKT implanter is not an option to choose but it must be used to achieve better results, and the question is how to use it well considering the patients and reviewing the results on my recent 3 years hair restoration surgery.
OKT implanter was developed 3 years ago and it has been proved by the results throughout more than 500 operation cases over 2 years. Comparing other existing implanters, OKT dramatically reduces the bleeding and popping which causes of reducing survival rate and it makes a natural looking hairline.
Occasionally I saw some doctors who said they do not find anything differences on OKT comparing other implanters even though they had tried using OKT. I understand them they are using OKT without understanding the key features because they are accustomed to using their conventional techniques.
Now, I would like to explain how to use OKT well.
The length of the needle of implanter must be adjusted and fixed in accordance with hair follicle of each patient prior to transplanting.
Conclusion throughout my past operations after enormous trial and error by changing the length of needles during the operations is that the needle length including the bevel should fix to little bit (0.5 - 1 mm) longer than the average length of the intra-individual hair follicles or fix to the longest hair follicle. I think the key factor of increasing survival rate is to place hair follicles in a certain level of the scalp rather than to consider the length difference of follicles, because I found many times that just a 0.5 mm longer needle makes the more bleeding and popping occurred. Because, there are blood beds just below the transplanted hair follicles, which are most important for the surviving of transplanted hairs.
Before transplanting, the needle core of OKT must be adjusted and fixed after the length of the needle is adjusted and firmly fixed.
I believe that the way to achieve the best result is to fix the depth of the core to the same level of the device tip. Discussing other doctors, most of them have overlooked the importance on core depth control. In case the core is protruded than the device tip, the transplanted follicles would be crushed.
In case the core is lowered than the device tip, the transplanted follicles would be exposed in the air.
If the other existing implanters with the protruded core were used, then the transplanted follicles would remain crushed unlikely to discover. If the follicles exposing in the air were found, you could easily recognized that the core is lowered than the device tip.
Assistants should be trained to load follicles as the edge of the follicle to be shown on the bevel of OKT.
In case the core is lowered than the device tip, the transplanted follicles would be exposed in the air.
If the other existing implanters with the protruded core were used, then the transplanted follicles would remain crushed unlikely to discover. If the follicles exposing in the air were found, you could easily recognized that the core is lowered than the device tip.
Assistants should be trained to load follicles as the edge of the follicle to be shown on the bevel of OKT.
This is the one of the main reasons of struggling using OKT. Long experienced assistants have tendencies to load follicles too deep inside the bevel. In this case, we don’t expect a good result even though the needle and the core were well adjusted and fixed. It somehow looks a mere factor, but we needed about a year correcting the wrong habit. The new comers rather quickly adopt than older ones.
I know well about the preferred implanters are different by surgeons. Some consider needles for importance or some treat feelings on grip. Most of surgeons consider the sharpness of needles, but some prefer shorter needle due to the depth when inserting. And some doctors prefer thicker gripped handle, or some prefer slim gripped handle. In fact, those factors are not directly affect on the results and can be overcome by the operation skills, thus, anyone else is free to choose implanters by their preferences.
But, OKT, with which you can perfectly control the depth of follicles, is not an option to choose. This, the device itself, enables you to achieve the goal if it is used in the designed way. Therefore, I would rather ask you to use OKT for better results since it is not the device to be chosen by the preferences. During the medical school and till now, we have learned and taught that we have to choose a certain treatment method if it comes with just 0.1 percent higher result than others, haven't we?
I acknowledge that experienced surgeons have their own skills and knowhow and are proud of them. Saying that a bad workman quarrels with his tools, there will be surgeons who can easily cover the insufficient devices by their skills. Some of them used to say fine that they can readjust the depth of the follicle if it went wrong during the operation. Though, it will be fine for once but not really good to touch for twice considering the fragility of follicles. So I would rather say this is a wrong operation method.
If the follicle was implanted too deep, bleeding will be occurred because the blood bed has got damaged by the needle. In this case, the survival rate will be reduced even though the depth is readjusted.
If the follicle was implanted too shallow as a part of the follicle can be shown, you should reinsert it by using implanter. Therefore, I regret to say like this way, it’s a question of time to recognize as their operation method was not suitable. Moreover, the bigger problem is that there are many cases in which we are unable to find out the failure on depth control whilst the operations.
Fine tuning depth control cannot be accomplished only by operation skills without OKT.
I’m sure that you are already well aware of the fact that just one hair is precious for a patient and those every single hairs are aggregated to the operation result.
Please feel free to contact me at okhairline@naver.com, should you have any question or advice.
Thank you very much.
But, OKT, with which you can perfectly control the depth of follicles, is not an option to choose. This, the device itself, enables you to achieve the goal if it is used in the designed way. Therefore, I would rather ask you to use OKT for better results since it is not the device to be chosen by the preferences. During the medical school and till now, we have learned and taught that we have to choose a certain treatment method if it comes with just 0.1 percent higher result than others, haven't we?
I acknowledge that experienced surgeons have their own skills and knowhow and are proud of them. Saying that a bad workman quarrels with his tools, there will be surgeons who can easily cover the insufficient devices by their skills. Some of them used to say fine that they can readjust the depth of the follicle if it went wrong during the operation. Though, it will be fine for once but not really good to touch for twice considering the fragility of follicles. So I would rather say this is a wrong operation method.
If the follicle was implanted too deep, bleeding will be occurred because the blood bed has got damaged by the needle. In this case, the survival rate will be reduced even though the depth is readjusted.
If the follicle was implanted too shallow as a part of the follicle can be shown, you should reinsert it by using implanter. Therefore, I regret to say like this way, it’s a question of time to recognize as their operation method was not suitable. Moreover, the bigger problem is that there are many cases in which we are unable to find out the failure on depth control whilst the operations.
Fine tuning depth control cannot be accomplished only by operation skills without OKT.
I’m sure that you are already well aware of the fact that just one hair is precious for a patient and those every single hairs are aggregated to the operation result.
Please feel free to contact me at okhairline@naver.com, should you have any question or advice.
Thank you very much.
Asian people in the author’s country have conducted surgery using a Choi-hair transplanter from the early days of hair transplant. However, early hair transplanters have been used today for 27 years without any major functional change. This suggests the excellence of the early invention but, on the other hand, indicates that there have been few research efforts by practitioners using a hair transplanter.
One of major shortcomings of transplantation using a Choi-hair transplanter compared to the slit method is that it cannot adjust the depth of transplanted hair. All of the existing hair transplanters can adjust the length of the hair planting needle and the depth of the hair transplanter core, but because the depth and the length are not fixed they are often changed during the operation and as a result the root of transplanted hair is placed at an inadequate depth. The author has continued research on the operation method that can overcome such a shortcoming of hair transplanters and now introduces a newly developed OKT that can enhance the survival rate based on the theory on the optimized depth of transplanted hair.
Existing hair transplanters is generally divided into three parts a, b and c as in Photograph P1, but OKT consists largely of 7 parts a, b, c, d, e, f and g as in P2.
The parts in P2 are assembled as follows: insert part c in b; screw d and e on the right end of b; insert a into c; and screw f and g on the right end of c.
The principle that the length of the hair planting needle is maintained uniform during operation can be explained with a bolt and two nuts as follows.
The principle that the length of the hair planting needle is maintained uniform during operation can be explained with a bolt and two nuts as follows.
P3 is the right end of part b. It has spiral grooves as in a bolt.
Part d and e have such spiral grooves in their inside as in a nut.
As in P4, screw d and e onto b and fasten them completely until the nuts do not turn any longer. Then, they are fixed at a position on the bolt. In this photograph, they have not been fastened
There is a stair-like level on the middle of part c as in P5. This part is lodged on the end of part e and makes uniform the length of the hair planting needle.
It is the basic principle to screw the two nuts on the bolt completely and to lodge the transplanter needle on the fixed nut so that length of the hair planting needle does not change during operation.
It is the basic principle to screw the two nuts on the bolt completely and to lodge the transplanter needle on the fixed nut so that length of the hair planting needle does not change during operation.
The method to maintain uniform the depth of the hair transplanter core is similar to that for the length of the hair planting needle.
As in P6, the end of part c has spiral grooves. Parts f and g have spiral grooves inside themselves.
Because one end of part g is blocked, the end of part a, which is the core of hair transplanter, is lodged on part g so that the depth of the transplanter core is fixed, see P7.
Part c penetrates through the entire length of the hair transplanter. With this form, the transplanter needle does not shake during operation different from existing hair transplanters.
In P9, a is one of conventional hair transplanters and b is OKT. The two transplanter needles have the same inner diameter.
The best hair transplanter
The slit should be narrow so that only a hair can pass through.
In P9, the slit width of OKT is only almost half of the existing hair transplanter.
If the slit is wide, when the transplanter needle penetrates into the scalp the hair follicle inside the hair transplanter may not be planted properly because of its friction with surrounding scalp tissue and this results in the exposure of the root out of the scalp.
If the slit is wide, when the transplanter needle penetrates into the scalp the hair follicle inside the hair transplanter may not be planted properly because of its friction with surrounding scalp tissue and this results in the exposure of the root out of the scalp.
The vevel should be short.
In P9, OKT has a short vevel than the conventional hair transplanter. If the vevel is short it may feel somewhat blunt when it is inserted into the surface of the scalp, but if it is long, the scalp tissue below the follicles will be damaged more.
The material metal should be thin.
If the metal is thin, the transplanter can cut the scalp easily with a less serious damage.
OKT used thin metal in order to supplement the shortcoming of the somewhat blunt blade due to its short vevel.
OKT used thin metal in order to supplement the shortcoming of the somewhat blunt blade due to its short vevel.
he length of the hair planting needle should be adjustable and fixed.
ecause each individual has a different length of hair root, the needle should be adjusted to each patient’s length of hair root and then fixed.
The depth of the hair transplanter core should be adjustable and fixed.
It is because the depth into the scalp at which the tip of transplanted hair follicle is placed is different according to the depth of the hair transplanter core.
OKT (Optimally Kept Transplanter) was named so because the length of the transplanter needle and core is maintained optimally. Because of its shorter duration of surgery compared to the slit method, hair transplant using transplanters may be considered to be an easy job to the doctor but it requires intensive concentration in a short duration of surgery because there are many things to be careful about. If the shortcomings of conventional hair transplanters are supplemented with OKT introduced here and the procedure is conducted by experienced medical staff, hair transplant using transplanters can be rather more advantageous than the slit method. What is more important than the operation method is the outcome of operation and the survival rate after operation. There is a theory showing that OKT can raise the survival rate, but it may not be easy to produce accurate statistics on the survival rate. For your reference, at the author’s hospital where hair transplant is conducted using OKT, only 5% of patients who received the 1st surgery using OKT requested another session for increasing hair density.
