Step 5 - The Procedure Itself (...continued)

• When the donor tissue has been removed, it is given to surgical techs to be dissected into the amount of grafts that has been decided upon. There is a waiting period while the techs dissect grafts, and during this time you may snack, view a movie, nap, stretch your legs, etc.
• When a majority of the grafts have been prepared, we will begin to anesthetize the area where the grafts to be placed. The same anesthetic that was used for the donor area is used for the grafted area. Although a burning sensation is felt in the grafted area, it is usually less irritating than in the donor area, because the anesthetic in the donor area causes the receptor area to be slightly numb.
• When the top of the head is completely numb, the doctor will begin to make the receptor sites for the grafts. Because the receptor sites are very tiny, and can be very hard to see, the doctor will usually make anywhere from 50-100 extra sites to ensure that we will be able to place all of the grafts (grafts are never wasted).
More about the Procedure on next page

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