Method and apparatus for transplanting a hair graft

Abstract

A hair transplant apparatus and method capture a hair graft into a hair graft chamber readily aligned for implantation into the human scalp. The hair graft can be placed into the hair graft chamber manually or mechanically (e.g., by vacuum). A hair transplant apparatus includes a gas-permeable stopper for utilizing gas flow to load and/or implant a hair graft. Another hair transplant apparatus includes a gas-permeable rod inside a housing. Vacuum may be utilized to load a hair graft into the hair graft chamber. The rod may be advanced toward an open distal end of the chamber so the end of the rod becomes substantially flush with the distal end, thereby pushing the hair graft out of the chamber and into the pre-made wound. Advantageously, the chamber is aligned with the direction of the pre-made wound allowing the hair graft to slide easily into the pre-made wound without damage. Extraneous forces are eliminated by the alignment of the chamber to the wound, thus creating a linear path for the hair graft to move without obstruction to finally settle in the scalp wound.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.