A hair transplant is a procedure in which a dermatologist or plastic surgeon moves hair to a bald spot on the head. Surgeons usually move hair from the back or sides of the head to the front or top of the head.
Hair transplants are usually done in a clinic under local anesthesia.
There are two types of porting procedures: slit grafts and micrografts.
Slit grafts consist of 4 to 10 hairs for every graft. Micrografts consist of 1-2 hairs for every graft, relative to the coverage desired.
Pattern Baldness
The majority of baldness is due to pattern hair loss. It depends on genetics.
The remaining cases are due to a variety of factors, including diet, hormonal imbalances, stress, illness and medications. You must remember that a hair transplant is not a good option for
- people who are not having enough donor sites to help them remove hair for transplant.
- women with a broad hair loss pattern throughout their scalp.
- people who create thick keloid scars after surgery or injury.
- people whose hair loss is apt for medication like chemotherapy.
Process of Hair Transplant
After thoroughly cleaning the scalp, the surgeon uses a small needle to numb the area of the head with local anesthesia.
To obtain follicles for transplantation, he mainly uses two techniques.
FUT and FUE.
Procedure for follicular unit transplantation:
The surgeon uses a scalpel to cut a strip of the scalp from behind the head. The carving is usually several inches long. This is closed with stitches.
The surgeon then uses a magnifying lens and a sharp surgical knife to separate the removed portion of the scalp into smaller sections.
After transplantation, these sections contribute to natural hair growth.
Procedure for follicular unit extraction:
Hair follicles are excised directly from the back of the head using hundreds to thousands of small punch incisions.
The surgeon uses a blade or needle to make small holes in the area of the scalp that will receive the hair transplant.
They gently put their hair into these holes. In a single treatment session, surgeons can transplant hundreds or thousands of hairs. The scalp is then covered with a graft, gauze, or bandage for several days.
Complications Associated with Hair Transplants
Side effects of hair transplantation are usually minor and subside within a few weeks.
They include infection, bleeding, bruising around the eyes, swelling of the scalp, itching, scabs that form on areas of the scalp where hair has been removed or transplanted, lack of sensation or numbness on areas of the scalp, infection or inflammation on folliculitis (hair of the follicles), shock loss, and unnatural looking hair.
People who have had a hair transplant usually advance to grow hair on the transplanted area of the scalp.
New hair may be denser or less dense depending on scalp laxity or loosening of scalp skin, hair caliber or quality, the density of follicles in the area (transplanted), and hair curls.
If you are not taking medications such as minoxidil or finasteride, or have low-level laser treatments, you may continue to experience hair loss in untreated areas of your scalp.