Does Hair Transplants Work For Hair Loss?

It is a common problem, and there are many different approaches that you could take to solve it.

You might have heard of a hair transplant procedure as a potential solution to your problem. But in all seriousness, does this method work?

In this article, we'll take a more in-depth look at hair transplants and determine whether or not they are the best solution for someone in your position. Continue reading if you want to find out more!

Everything You Need To Know About Hair Transplants

Adding more hair to an area of your head that may be balding or thinning can be accomplished with the help of a hair transplant.

Around the world, approximately 60% of men and 50% of women experience hair loss at some point in their lives.

Surgeons have, over time, begun employing mini- and micro-grafts to reduce the visibility of transplanted hair on the scalp.

You also can request sedation so that you can remain asleep throughout the procedure. After that, your surgeon will use the FUT or FUE method to perform the transplant.

You can accomplish it in two ways: either by extracting a thin strip of the hair-bearing scalp grafts and then closing the area with a row of stitches or sutures or by harvesting individual hair follicles one at a time using a tiny, motorised punch. Both methods result in the same result.

Although hair transplants can significantly improve individuals experiencing significant hair loss, not everyone is a candidate for the procedure.

You will need a sufficient amount of donor's hair to supply the balding or thinning areas. And these healthy hair follicles should also be present in the donor's hair.

Every hair on your body has (and is aware of) its unique identity, regardless of whether it is hair on your head, eyebrows, legs or arms, or any other part of your body.

No matter where the transplanted hairs are placed on the body, they will continue to grow in the same manner as before the procedure.

When you transplant a hair and hair follicle from one area of the scalp to another, the new hair will take on the characteristics of the original scalp region from which you took it. It holds for both sexes.

It is because male hormones do not have the same effect on the follicles in these areas of your scalp as they do on the hairs in other areas of your scalp. Because of this, if you take strands from this area and move them to another, they will continue to develop like before.

In reality, there are two distinct methods for performing a hair transplant. Both procedures begin with the surgeon cleaning your scalp, injecting some anaesthesia, and selecting one of two procedures: follicular unit extraction (FUE), also known as follicular unit strip surgery, or follicular unit transplantation (FUT), which is also known as follicular unit transplantation strip surgery (FUSS).

To perform follicular unit transplantation, the surgeon will first cut a strip of scalp from the back of your head (the length of which will typically range from 6 to 10 inches). Next, using a microscope, the surgeon will divide the strip of the scalp into anywhere from 500 to 2,000 tiny grafts. In the procedure known as follicular unit extraction, the hair follicles are removed one at a time directly from the scalp by the surgeon, who will make hundreds or even thousands of tiny incisions.

The size of the grafts can also vary, ranging from micrografts, which contain one or two hairs each, to slit grafts, which have four to ten inches, to punch grafts, which include ten to fifteen strands and are rarely used these days. In either case, the final step of the procedure involves the surgeon using a scalpel to create tiny holes in the region of the body that will receive the transplant. The healthy hair follicles are then inserted into those holes.

You may require multiple transplant sessions, each of which should be spaced out by several months to allow your scalp adequate time to heal to achieve the full head of hair you desire.

Types Of Hair Transplant Methods

You can use two distinct procedures for hair transplants on patients who are candidates for the procedure. These are known as follicular unit extraction and follicular unit transplantation.

FUE Hair transplant

FUE punches are used to remove donor hairs from the recipient areas, and then each removed hair is surgically transplanted into its corresponding area. It is how the FUE method of hair transplantation works. Given that no incisions are required, FUE can be an excellent choice if you only need to treat a small region of thinning.

FUT Hair transplant

What is the procedure for FUT hair transplantation? A strip of donor hair, usually from the donor's upper back, is surgically removed using this method. Individual follicular units are then removed and the remainder is implanted into the recipient locations (thinning and balding areas). It is the gold standard in hair transplantation due to its excellent yield of up to 90% and low graft rejection rate of around 5%.

To What Extent Do Hair Transplants Last?

When it comes to hair transplants, how long do they typically last? In a more critical question, how successful are hair transplants?

If performed by a competent professional, a hair transplant can provide permanent results for the lucky recipient. This is due to the fact that the genetic predisposition for hair loss lies in the hair follicle, rather than the scalp.

Success rates for hair transplants are much higher than those for over-the-counter therapies for hair loss.

New hair will begin to grow at a normal and healthy rate after the first month, even though a sizable amount of the transplanted hair will fall out during that time. About six months after your session, the transplanted follicles will begin to mature and take on a natural appearance.

Do I Need A Hair Transplant?

Everyone must make up their own mind about whether or not they want to receive a hair transplant. When making this decision, it's important to take into account the advice of a hair transplant professional.

What Causes Hair Loss?

The most common reason for hair loss in men and women is androgenic alopecia. It is estimated that approximately forty per cent of men will notice that they are balding by the age of forty. Age is a factor that contributes to this percentage's rise. It's common for men and women to experience hair thinning in distinctively different ways. Typically, men will first become aware of their thinning hair along the frontal hairline, which then moves backwards with increasing age and thickens along the temporal region. After some time, the hairline will become more angular and more elevated. You can restrict hair loss to the frontal part of the head, or it can also spread to involve the crown or the top of the head. Women can experience diffuse hair loss, leading to generalised alopecia or more localised hair loss in the frontal region, similar to what men experience.

The occipital region, which is the area that runs along the back of the head between the ears, is not affected by hair loss in patients with androgenic alopecia. The hair follicles in this area continue to be the main source of grafts for use in hair transplant surgery because they are resistant to hair loss.

Although androgenic alopecia is responsible for most cases of hair loss, it is essential to be aware that many other conditions can lead to hair loss. There are many different medications, many of which have side effects, including hair loss. Medications for treating hypertension, gout, hormonal imbalance, and depression are some examples of these treatments.

Chemotherapy can result in hair loss that is either temporary or permanent in some patients. The underlying stress associated with a fever, surgical trauma, or chronic illness  can also lead to hair loss. Still, this type of hair loss is typically only temporary.

A dermatologist is the most qualified medical professional to treat these conditions, which may lead to the restoration of hair growth.

What Methods Do Plastic Surgeons Use To Treat Thinning Hair?

Patients who are considering undergoing hair transplant surgery typically have good general health and, apart from androgenic alopecia, no other major medical issues. Thinness must be limited to the crown and frontal regions of the head.

Additionally, there should be little to no scarring in the donor location. A woman may be a good candidate for surgical treatment if her hair loss follows a pattern similar to that of men and is localised rather than diffuse.

Like any elective cosmetic operation, patients considering hair restoration surgery should have realistic expectations. About 50% hair loss is required for baldness to become noticeable.

The fullness and contour of a patient's hairline as a teenager cannot be recreated by hair transplant surgery, but a hairline can be created or restored and density in the crown area can be increased.

Hair transplantation is more challenging around the back of the head since there are fewer donor follicles available. However, modern techniques have made hair transplantation a success for the vast majority of healthy candidates.

Hair restoration technology has come a long way since its inception in the 1960s. Traditional hair transplantation involved cutting out a substantial chunk of scalp and hair follicles from the back of the head and removing them surgically with electrocautery.

Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) involves the surgical removal of a strip of scalp, its subsequent division into smaller transplant units, and their subsequent implantation in the balding areas of the scalp's crown and front.

The incision on the patient's scalp was closed using staples or sutures, which were often administered under stress. As a result, the affected area became permanently numb and hair fell out. Many patients experienced severe discomfort and swelling during the protracted recovery phase.

FUE stands for "Follicular Unit Extraction," which describes the current method (follicular unit extraction). When performing this procedure, semi-automatic machines are used to remove hair follicles with punch sizes of less than 1 millimetre. There is no need for sutures, and the treatment is far less invasive than the traditional FUT method. There is no evidence of a linear scar on the back of the head, and the scalp has healed. Hair loss is minimal because the scalp is not under any strain. Due to the minimally invasive nature of the operation, individuals do not experience serious pain, protracted swelling, or permanent numbness to the scalp. We find that the least amount of intervention with hair follicles yields the best results in terms of graft survival. It appears that the team's experience is more important than the technology itself in producing the intended outcomes.

Hair transplants are often performed in a doctor's office under local anaesthesia. Photos of the patient's face from their youth are helpful for determining the ideal location and contour of the hairline, ensuring a completely natural and unnoticeable end product. After numbing the scalp with a local anaesthetic, the rear of the head is shaved. The FUE system is used to remove hair follicles, which are then frozen until they may be transplanted at a later time.

Light dressings are applied to the scalp and grafts during hair restoration treatments, and are removed the following day. You can usually go without the sauce. To alleviate the little pain and swelling of the scalp after FUE hair restoration, most patients will take oral pain medication for a few days. The typical length of time taken off for medical reasons is seven days. Trim crusts occur at the base of the hair transplants, but they normally peel off after about a week..

Who Needs Hair Transplants?

Hair restoration patients who are cosmetically suitable report being delighted with the results. The hair follicles that are transplanted after a successful hair transplant treatment will continue to develop for the remainder of the patient's life, making the procedure more permanent than some other cosmetic alternatives. The effects should be invisible to the naked eye and very natural looking.

What Is the Average Cost of Hair Restoration?

The expertise and experience of the clinic determine the final price of hair restoration services. Clinics that specialise in hair restoration tend to see the most patients and have the greatest experience with hair transplants.

The number of grafts required for a given patient determines the final price of hair restoration. Costs range from $6,000 for a minor case to $12,000-$15,000 for a major one. Generally speaking, small cases involve fewer than 1,000 grafts, medium cases involve 1,500 to 2,000 grafts, and significant matters involve more than 2,000 grafts.

Who Performs Hair Restoration?

Hair restoration is a procedure best left to plastic surgeons. The hair and scalp may be surgically repositioned or removed as part of more extensive reconstructive or cosmetic procedures, but only after a minimum of six years of post-medical school surgical training. Microsurgical skills learned by plastic surgeons are an asset in the field of hair restoration. Regarding hair restoration and other forms of cosmetic plastic surgery, plastic surgeons have historically been cutting the edge of innovation and technological advancement. Board-certified plastic surgeons all over the country use semi-automatic FUE.

Which Types Of Hair Loss Are Eligible?

Although hair transplants can be an effective treatment for some forms of baldness, they are not a panacea. When it comes to treatment, your Trichologist or transplant surgeon is your best resource for knowing if and when you qualify.

Depending on the underlying cause, eyebrows that have been lost can also be recreated or made thicker through hair transplantation. In contrast to typical eyebrow hairs with a much shorter growth phase, scalp transplants would retain the characteristic of growing long and require regular trimming.

Aftercare For Hair Transplants

After your transplant procedure, your surgeon will give you specific instructions for taking care of your new scalp. It takes about half an hour for patients to recover enough to go home after surgery, and they may be prescribed antibiotics and antiseptic creams before being sent home. Most surgeons advise taking a few days off work and other physically demanding activities after surgery.

Tiny scabs may form at the graft implantation sites. After seven to ten days, they will fall off, and the hairs may follow. It is perfectly normal, as only the hair follicles were transplanted, not the strands themselves. Hair will grow back eventually.

In the beginning, special care must be taken when shampooing. Grafts can be damaged by vigorous scalp rubbing. In the next three months, you'll notice new hair growth; a year after surgery, you should see the final results.

Conclusion

People with extreme hair loss can benefit greatly from a hair transplant. Hair loss affects approximately 60% of men and 50% of women at some point in their life. Unfortunately, hair transplant surgery isn't right for everyone. Any changes to the original scalp area will be reflected in the new hair. Follicular unit extraction is the surgical removal of individual hair follicles from the scalp.

Hair transplants can be done using either the FUE or FUSS technique. Each hair is carefully extracted using FUE punches and then transplanted using traditional surgical methods. When carried out by an experienced surgeon, a hair transplant can produce long-lasting results. The hair follicle, not the scalp, carries the hereditary vulnerability for baldness. The transplanted follicles will begin to grow and take on a natural appearance about six months after your session.

Both men and women experience hair loss, although in different ways. Androgenic alopecia is the most frequent form of hair loss. Hair thinning can also be a symptom of other health problems, such as hypertension or gout. Hair restoration surgeons have access to a wide variety of options for treating balding and thinning hair. Baldness becomes visible at a hair loss of about 50%.

If a woman's hair loss follows a pattern similar to that of men, she may be an excellent candidate for surgical therapy. When it comes to hair transplantation, the back of the head presents unique challenges due to the scarcity of donor follicles. In most cases, a hair transplant can be done in the comfort of your doctor's office with only a few injections of local anaesthetic. Hair follicles are extracted with the FUE method and stored in liquid nitrogen for subsequent transplantation. The appropriate position and shape of the hairline can be determined by analysing the patient's youthful photo documentation.

Plastic surgeons are the most qualified medical professionals to do hair restoration procedures. As part of more complex reconstructive or aesthetic surgeries, the hair and scalp may be surgically relocated or removed. Hair transplants are not a cure-all, but they can be effective in treating certain types of baldness.

Content Summary

1. Transplanting hair from one part of your scalp to another can help cover up balding or thinning spots.
2. After that, your transplant will be performed using either the FUT or FUE technique.
3. While hair transplants might be life-changing for those dealing with extreme balding, they aren't a good option for everyone.
4. To cover the bald or thinning spots, you'll need a generous quantity of donor hair.
5. Further, the donor's hair need to feature similar healthy hair follicles.
6. Transplanting a hair and its follicle from one part of the scalp to another causes the new hair to take on the features of the donor location.
7. This is because the follicles in these sections of your scalp are less sensitive to the effects of male hormones than those in other areas of your scalp.
8. As it turns out, hair transplants can be done in two unique ways.
9. Before performing either follicular unit extraction (FUE) or follicular unit transplantation (FUT), also known as follicular unit strip surgery, the surgeon will clean your scalp, provide mild anaesthesia, and make a technique choice (FUSS).
10. Your surgeon will remove a thin layer of scalp from the back of your head in order to access the follicular units (the length of which will typically range from 6 to 10 inches).
11. Follicular unit extraction is a method whereby the surgeon makes hundreds or thousands of microscopic incisions in the scalp to remove hair follicles one by one.
12. Techniques for Hair Replacement and Transplantation
13. Patients who are good candidates for hair transplants can go through one of two methods.
14. Follicular unit extraction and transplanting are terms used to describe these procedures.
15. This method, which has a graft rejection rate of only about 5 percent and a yield of up to 90 percent, is considered the gold standard in hair transplantation.
16. If the lucky recipient receives a hair transplant and it is done by a skilled surgeon, the results will be permanent.
17. This is because the hair follicle, and not the scalp, contains the genetic tendency for hair loss.
18. The success rate of hair transplants is significantly higher than that of non-prescription treatments for baldness.
19. Getting a hair transplant is a personal decision that nobody else can make for you.
20. Consider with a hair transplant specialist before making this choice.
21. You will receive an in-depth diagnosis of your hair loss situation, an expert assessment of your appropriateness, and personalised recommendations.
22. Androgenic alopecia is the most typical cause of baldness in both sexes.
23. Hair thinning typically manifests in different ways for men and women.
24. Patients with androgenic alopecia do not have hair loss in the occipital region, which is located at the back of the head between the ears.
25. Most cases of hair loss can be attributed to androgenic alopecia, but it's important to remember that there are numerous other causes of hair loss as well.
26. Many drugs, unfortunately, come with undesirable side effects including thinning hair.
27. These disorders, which may be treated by a dermatologist and result in hair growth being restored, require the expertise of a highly trained medical specialist.
28. To what extent do plastic surgeons offer solutions for thinning hair?
29. Patients who are thinking about getting a hair transplant are normally in good health and have no serious medical conditions besides androgenic alopecia.
30. Moreover, the donor site should show minimal to no scarring.
31. If a woman's pattern of hair loss is comparable to that of men and her hair loss is concentrated in one area rather than being spread out, she may be a good candidate for surgical therapy.
32. If you're considering hair restoration surgery, you should treat it like any other elective cosmetic procedure and have reasonable expectations.
33. Baldness becomes visible at a hair loss of about 50%.
34. Hair transplant surgery cannot replicate the fullness and contour of a patient's hairline when they were a teenager, but it can construct or restore a hairline and boost density in the crown area.
35. When it comes to hair transplantation, the back of the head presents unique challenges due to the scarcity of donor follicles.
36. However, contemporary methods have rendered hair transplantation a success for the overwhelming majority of otherwise healthy candidates.
37. Hair transplants used to necessitate surgically removing large sections of scalp and hair follicles from the back of the head using electrocautery.
38. As part of follicular unit transplantation (FUT), a strip of scalp is surgically removed, dissected into smaller transplant units, and then implanted in the crown and frontal balding areas of the scalp.
39. Since sutures are unnecessary, this technique is also far less invasive than the standard FUT procedure.
40. The minimally invasive nature of the procedure means that there is little to no risk of long-lasting pain, edoema, or numbness in the treated area of the scalp.
41. In most cases, a hair transplant can be done in the comfort of your doctor's office with only a few injections of local anaesthetic.
42. With the scalp numbed with a local anaesthetic, the back of the head is shaved.
43. Hair follicles are extracted with the FUE method and stored in liquid nitrogen for subsequent transplantation.
44. During hair restoration procedures, thin dressings are put to the scalp and grafts and removed the next day.
45. Most individuals undergoing FUE hair restoration will require oral pain medication for a few days to deal with the little pain and swelling of the scalp.
46. If a hair transplant is successful, the transplanted hair follicles will keep growing for the rest of the patient's life, making the process more permanent than some other cosmetic options.
47. The cost of hair restoration therapies depends on the level of expertise and experience of the clinic providing them.
48. Clinics that focus on hair restoration typically have the most patients and the most experience performing hair transplants.
49. Each patient's final cost for hair restoration is based on the amount of grafts they need.
50. For a small case, you should expect to pay around $6,000. For a more serious one, you can expect to pay between $12,000.
51. Plastic surgeons are the most qualified medical professionals to do hair restoration procedures.
52. In more intensive reconstructive or aesthetic surgeries, the hair and scalp may be rearranged or removed surgically, but only after at least six years of post-medical school surgical training.
53. A plastic surgeon's training in microsurgery is useful in the field of hair restoration.
54. As a field, plastic surgeons have a long history of being at the forefront of innovation and technical improvement in areas such as hair restoration and other aesthetic plastic surgery procedures.
55. All around the country, semi-automatic FUE is being used by board-certified plastic surgeons.
56. Hair transplants, while helpful in treating some types of baldness, are not a cure-all.
57. Your Trichologist or transplant surgeon is your greatest resource for learning whether or not you are a candidate for therapy.
58. Hair transplantation can be used to reconstruct or thicken eyebrows that have been lost, depending on the underlying cause.
59. Transplants from the scalp would continue to grow long and need frequent clipping, in contrast to naturally occuring eyebrow hairs, which have a considerably shorter growth phase.
60. Your surgeon will provide you detailed aftercare instructions for your new scalp after your hair transplant surgery.
61. After surgery, the majority of doctors will recommend that you rest for a few days before returning to work or other strenuous activity.
62. A person's hair can and will regrow.
63. When first starting off, you need to take extra precautions when shampooing.
64. It will take three months for new hair to grow in, and a full year for the results to settle in.

FAQs

Can We Assume That Hair Transplantation Will Be Effective?

Hair transplants have a graft survival rate of 90–95%. It means that hair in the recipient area should maintain health after being transplanted from the donor area.

Will A Hair Transplant Never Need To Be Redone?

Transplanting hair can give you what looks like permanent results. The process of healing and recovery takes time, which adds to the inconvenience of the procedure.

How Successful Are Hair Transplants, Generally Speaking?

Eighty-five to ninety-five per cent of all grafts implanted quickly grow in the transplanted area, according to clinical studies. This impressive rate of success is indicative of the high quality of hair transplants as a whole. Graft-versus-host disease is a form of rejection that some patients worry will occur after their transplant.

Is It Painful To Get A Transplant?

No, a hair transplant does not hurt because modern techniques and painkillers have eliminated any discomfort associated with the procedure. While mild discomfort is expected after any surgical procedure, most people who undergo a hair transplant report a positive and easy experience.

Should You Get A Hair Transplant?

A hair transplant operation could be an excellent choice for those experiencing hair thinning or loss. Although it is not guaranteed to stop hair loss, it can help many people feel more confident by making their hair appear thicker.