Shedding Some Light on Laser Hair Graft by Maggie Kay

Shedding Some Light on Laser Hair Graft by Maggie Kay

Weve all heard about laser hair removal but did you know that lasers are used in hair transplant procedures as well?

The Food and Drug Administration approved laser hair grafting in the 1990s and it soon became a popular method of hair transplantation.

Lasers are used to create tiny holes into which hair follicles are transplanted. Healing is faster and there is no scarring at the site of transplant.

Nevertheless, there are some negative aspects to this procedure. For example, lasers reduce blood circulation to new grafts because they seal blood vessels. This causes the hair graft to grow at a slower pace than usual, occasionally resulting in uneven hair growth patterns.

What does the Laser Hair Grafting procedure entail?
Laser hair grafting is completed in the following steps:

1. Hair grafts are taken from the back of the head (the donor area).

2. The individual roots of the hair grafts are separated into plugs containing single or double hairs.

3. The plugs are transplanted into evenly spaced holes in the bald area that have been prepared by the laser.

These steps are repeated until the desired area has been covered successfully. The procedure takes about 3-4 hours to complete and is performed under local anesthesia. Depending on the size of the balding area, about 1000-2000 grafts are placed in the scalp during the surgery.

Surgeons inform their patients that the scabs will fall off within 12 weeks, after which time they will begin to see results, followed by a growth period of 3-6 months.

It is important to note that laser hair grafting has become somewhat obsolete, as new and improved technological advances have been made in the field of hair restoration.
About the Author
About the Author - Maggie Kay is a freelance writer from Montreal and is the head researcher and content manager of Hair Transplant Costs - a resourceful site about hair transplant doctors. http://www.hairtransplantcosts.com/

What is a Geode? by R. Kelly

What is a Geode? by R. Kelly

The term geode is derived from the Greek word Geoides which means "earthlike." A geode is a sphere or oval shaped rock which contains a hollow cavity lined with crystals. Most geodes have a hollow are partially hollow center with quartz crystals and various mineral formations inside. Some geodes are completely filled with small compact crystal formations such as quartz, agate, jasper or chalcedony and are called nodules. The only difference between a geode and a nodule is that a geode has a hollow cavity, and a nodule is solid.
Geodes begin as bubbles in volcanic rock, animal burrows, balls of mud or tree roots in sedimentary rock. Over time, the outer shell hardens and water containing silica precipitation forms on the inside walls of the hollow cavity within the geode. The silica precipitation can contain many varieties of dissolved minerals, the most common being quartz, but calcite, amethyst and many others are also found.

Over a period of millions of years, layers of silica cool, forming crystals of different minerals within the cavity. Different types of silica cool at varying temperatures, thus creating layers of different types of mineral crystals.


About the Author
Co-owner and webmaster for AlicatsRocks.
http://alicatsrocks.com