If hair transplants are so natural looking now, why doesn’t everyone losing hair get a transplant?
There are many reasons people experiencing hair loss do not undergo hair transplant surgery. For one, the general population is largely unaware of the advancements in the field of hair restoration and do not realize the coverage and natural appearance possible.
Another reason is that many people are not great candidates for the procedure. This may be due to several factors including extensive loss, not enough loss, and even unrealistic expectations
Which hair restoration technique is best?
Today’s technique is much different from transplant procedures of the past.Most physicians now employ a technique where a strip of tissue is removed, cut into follicular unit grafts or 1-4 hair grafts cut to size and transplanted into the area of loss.
What is Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)?
Follicular Unit Extraction is a technique in which hair follicles are extracted from the donor area using a surgical instrument such as a biopsy “punch”. These punches come in a range of sizes. The skin along with the hair follicle is removed with no staples or stitches closing the wound. It is a very tedious procedure.
Where Does the Hair Used in a Hair Transplant Come From?
The hair that is used in most types of hair transplant procedures typically comes from either the sides of the head or the base of the scalp. The “ring of hair” that most men have during the final stages of hair loss is typically where much of the donor hair comes from. A patient should expect to have his head looked at during a consultation in order to determine the density of the hair in the donor area and whether or not he would be an ideal candidate for a hair transplant procedure.
How long does a hair transplant procedure take?
Approximately 4-6 hours.
Am I awake during the procedure?
Yes. A local anesthetic is used to numb the scalp. This way, you can read, listen to music, watch television or sleep.
Is a hair transplant painful?
There is minimal discomfort during the initial numbing.
What do I look like after the surgery? Can I go to work the next day?
After surgery, we bandage the scalp with gauze wrap and compression bandage for the first 24 hours. After the bandage is removed, the scalp will have some redness and scabbing on the areas where the grafts were transplanted. These should heal within 4-5 days. Most patients who have a procedure on Thursday or Friday, return to work by Tuesday the following week.
Is there an immediate result from the transplant?
No. It takes about 6-12 weeks for the new hair to begin to grow and 9-12 months for the final result.
What do the new hairs look like?
They will look like your normal hair as they grow in beginning fine and reaching its full thickness between 9-12 months.
I was told the newly transplanted hairs would fall out. Is this true?
Yes. Within 10 days to 2 weeks following the procedure, the newly transplanted hairs fall out. However, the tissue with the growth information remains and resurfaces the scalp in about 4-5 months.
What are the most common complications from a hair transplant?
The side effect we see most, although not often, is folliculitis (pimples). This occurs after a hair transplant begins to grow and presents itself as ingrown hairs. It is accompanied by redness and bumps that resemble pimples. Occasionally we also get reports of nausea from pain medication and swelling around the forehead region.
