Is Hair Transplant Surgery the Right Solution For You?
Hair Transplant surgery is a medical, surgical procedure that removes hair grafts from a part of your body, typically the donor site, to a specific bald or balding area of your body called the recipient site. This procedure has been in use for more than a century, but it is still a relatively new treatment. Hair Transplant surgery can be divided into two types: Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Hair Transplantation with Autologous Stem Implants (HAT). Both procedures employ techniques to remove hairs from the donor site by the use of micro-surgery techniques. However, the FUE technique involves the use of live cells whereas HAT uses autologous stem cells.
Both procedures are outpatient procedures and most patients can go home to their own beds after treatments. Recovery period takes about a week. Patients may experience minor swelling and bruising at the incision site and will be prescribed pain medication. It is important to note that hair transplants may not be suitable for everyone. Age, hormonal changes, and certain genetic conditions cannot be treated with hair transplants. In some cases, hair transplants are unsuitable due to severe scarring, excessive scarring, poor blood supply, and poor placement on the scalp.
Hair Transplant surgery is very complex and requires many steps including incision design, dressing procedure, laser session, microsurgery, suturing, and the actual surgery itself. There are several incision sites which can be used when carrying out the Hair Transplant procedure. However, the most common is the bald spot. The incision process starts by making an incision from the back of the head over the ears down to the base of the neck. Next, the scalp is cleaned and anesthetics are applied.
During the actual surgery, the scalp is shaved and the skin is closed up with sutures. Sutures also ensure that the scalp heals properly and does not get irritated or broken during the follow-up days after surgery. The scalp is then anesthetized and the surgery begins.
After surgery, there will be some discomfort as well as swelling and bruising. A local anesthetic may be given to make the recovery and healing process faster. After this, a compression garment will need to be worn to protect the wound. This garment will help in limiting blood loss after surgery and will reduce swelling. Full healing will take about three weeks. During this time, hair transplant surgery will be limited to only small areas of the scalp and the surgeon will have to carefully plan where to cut during the procedure.
There can be some side effects after hair transplantation. A patient can experience some flaking or rash on the scalp. This is temporary and will fade away within a few days. It can also be possible for the skin to turn slightly greasy, but this too will fade away within a few days.
Other possible side effects include infection, scarring, swelling, numbness, discoloration, allergic reactions and loss of self confidence. If you notice any of these symptoms, you should contact your doctor immediately. While most of these side effects will subside fairly quickly, it is important to notify your surgeon of any serious side effects so he can monitor you during your follow-up visit.
A hair transplant is the best option when it comes to replacing hair on the bald spots. It is a permanent procedure that does not require any downtime and there are no lasting medications or surgical drains that are required. Many men with pattern baldness have tried everything from hair transplants to prescription treatments without success. For these men, hair transplant surgery is the best choice. Your next step?
Last updated