What is a hair transplant, precisely, and why is it necessary?
Hair transplant is a medical procedure in which hair is extracted from a donor location, usually within the patient’s scalp, and transplanted to the area of hair loss. A medical procedure requiring a high level of professional knowledge is required to obtain the desired outcome.
Hair transplant is simply one of the many hair restoration options available, including topical treatments, oral medications, and other options. Its increasing popularity might be attributed to the remarkable results, demonstrating that it is a permanent cure to hair loss and an efficient way to restore your hairline.
The truth is, hair is directly associated with beauty; in women especially. It constitutes an important part of our appearance and impacts our esteem. For men especially, the hairline is key in defining the frame of the face; this is why people are willing to spend whatever it takes to restore their hairline, irrespective of the cost.
If you’re considering a transplant, then this article will be most useful to you. In this article, I’ll walk you through the process and techniques involved and the pros and cons of each, which should help you make an informed decision when opting for this procedure or any of its techniques.
Techniques involved in hair transplant
Hair transplant techniques have evolved as a result of scientific and technological advancements. When hair transplantation first became popular in the late 1950s in the U.S, it was more painful, time-consuming, and less effective than it is today.
At that time, the hairline transplant procedure involved removing and transplanting hairs using the “hair plug technique,” which were groups of several hair follicles in clusters placed in the hairline.
Even though hair plugs were effective in reversing a receding hairline, Unfortunately, the consequences of this method resulted in an unnatural appearance composed of many round hair tufts separated by vast spaces rather than the regularly separated individual hair follicles of the normal hairline, as was the case with the modern. Techniques as we’ll discuss shortly.
However, a lot has changed in the world of hair transplants recently. Today, hair transplantation is based on relocating follicular units, which are regular gatherings of the hair follicles that fill in gaps between 1 and 4 hairs, with the average gathering containing around two hairs.
Follicular units are repositioned to fill in gaps between 1 and 4 hairs, thereby creating a natural-looking and comfortable hairline to the touch.
Currently, two major techniques for hair transplant are widely used: FUT (Follicular Unit Transplant) and FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction).
These two techniques are similar and successfully restore a natural-looking hairline for patients who have undergone the procedure. One option, on the other hand, is more desirable than the other.
Follicular Unit transplant
The FUT technique involves extracting a piece of skin containing hair follicles from any donor site, typically at the rear of your head, where hair is typically more abundant and less likely than the front to go bald. Small tissue groups containing hair follicles are isolated and prepared for transplantation into the recipient area from this skin.
The surgeon then creates a series of small, discrete openings in the recipient site, the balded of thinned area. The pre-arranged grafts are then placed in their respective locations within the beneficiary site.
Pros
It is faster to perform and often cheaper.
Cons
While the technique is considered a breakthrough to successful hair transplant, it has its cons.
- A FUT can take several hours, depending on the number of grafts that are set.
- It takes a longer time to recover, as opposed to the FUE technique.
- It is also virtually impossible to avoid the flat scar that appears across the back of the head afterward. When patients are recovering from this cut, it will be obvious, and they will have to deal with both the straight entry point on the back of the head and the beneficiary locales while recovering from this cut.
- Also, the FUT procedure has a higher risk of causing more swelling and pain than the FUE procedure, but results may vary from person to person.
Follicular Unit Extraction
Many surgeons most widely use this technique.
A micro-punch instrument is used to harvest individual hair follicles from a donor site (typically at the back of the scalp). They are subsequently transplanted into recipient sites in the frontal hairline, identical to the process used for FUT surgeries, and the outcomes are similar to those obtained from FUT procedures.
This technique can be carried out manually or with the assistance of a robot.
Pros
- In its favor, it is more quickly recovered from.
- In contrast to other hair transplant procedures, the scarring left behind by this procedure is small and round, measuring up to millimeters in diameter at its largest point. It also depends on how the hair follicles are extracted as well; scars from the punch tool can number hundreds or even thousands depending on the method used. These puncture scars may emerge as little white dots on the skin following healing.
Cons
A major disadvantage of this technique is that it requires more time to complete than other methods.
However, always remember that the surgeon will always be able to guide you in deciding which technique will be most effective for you.
Recovery
Recovery is faster in FUE. Also, remember that after the procedure, you’re to treat operated area work maximum care. It’s recommended that you don’t comb your hair for at least three weeks. And you’ll also have to stay away from showing the hair for at least three days likewise.
Once the surgery is completed, your surgeon will carefully remove any bandages that were applied. As a result of the swelling, your surgeon may choose to inject triamcinolone into the affected area to keep the swelling under control.
You will most likely experience pain or soreness at the transplanted site and in the area where the graft was removed, which will gradually heal naturally or wry perceived medications from the doctor.
Will my hairline look natural after a hair transplant?
In addition to having a natural-looking hairline, hair should grow naturally between 3 and 4 months after the transplant.
NeoGraft, on the other hand, is far faster and more successful than previous methods, thanks to technological breakthroughs.
Conclusion
Like any other surgical procedure, the success of a hair transplant will be greatly influenced by the expertise and experience of the surgeon performing the procedure. We, therefore, recommend that you take your time to look into the various hair transplant clinics in your area to get the best service possible.