Håravfall

Autoclave

Kvinnlig DHI hårtransplantation

Frida Halvardsson

December 14, 2021

an autoclave

In any procedure where one goes under the skin surface, there is a risk of infection. A hair transplant is no exception. In the case of a transplant, it is therefore important that the instruments are sterile - that is, completely free of bacteria.

To clean the instruments, we work with autoclaves — just like hospitals and dentists around the world. An autoclave is a form of pressure cooker that sterilizes hospital instruments. Compresses, tubes, tweezers, scissors — we drive everything in the autoclave. In our sterilization machines, the instruments are heated up to 134 degrees for ten minutes. After that process, the instruments are completely sterile. Some autoclaves only heat up to 120 degrees but then there is a risk that bacteria will survive.

The risk of infection is extremely low in Sweden in general and in our clinic in particular. In warmer countries, the requirements for sterility may be as high as in Sweden, but the risk of infection is still greater. That's because there are more bacteria in the air.

Our average is one infection per 300 hair transplants. It can be about a customer who comes home and lays down on the head pillow where the cat has just been lying and gets bacteria into the wound. Or a customer who puts mascara (mascara often contains bacteria) on their new eyebrows.

An infection is not something very dangerous, we can easily get rid of it in a few days. But still - who wants their customers to get an infection? Well, not us anyway. Therefore, we attach great importance to having good hygiene and high standards of sterilization, and we have a handful of autoclaves in the clinic. In PRP treatments, the autoclave does not play as much role. In a PRP treatment, we use sterile disposable needles and disposable syringes that are discarded after each procedure.