DHI no longer offers the 'Strip' procedure. This older form of hair transplant involves cutting through nerves and potentially damaging major blood vessels of the scalp to extract hair follicles from other parts of the scalp that serve as the ‘donor area of hair’.

This invasive major surgery can only be undertaken under the supervision of a certified plastic surgeon and anaesthetist and requires the monitoring of vital functions. It is best conducted in a hospital setting, which can significantly increase costs.

Body hair follicles and hairs cannot be extracted by using the 'strip' method without depriving the patient of a tremendous area of donor hair. A longer recovery period is needed, with scars and numbing is common. Also with this method, patients must wait months before the procedure can be repeated to increase their hair density.