19 Aug 5 Things to Know About Hair Transplantation
5 Things to Know About Hair Transplants
If you’re thinking of getting a hair transplant, you’re not alone. Male pattern baldness (loss of hair on the scalp) affects 50 million men in the United States. By the age of 50, half of all men have at least some hair loss. Three things are to blame – age, genetics, and hormones. Women are not spared either, although the pattern of hair loss is different than men. Female pattern baldness affects up to two-thirds of women after menopause.
These alarming rates of hair loss in men and women have made restoration procedures like hair transplantation more popular than ever. According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, in 2019, surgical hair restoration in the United States and Canada was up by nearly 30% compared to 2016 and up by 75% compared to 2008.
But before you jump on the bandwagon with thousands of Americans who have already undergone hair transplants, here are 5 things you should know.
#1 – Candidacy for Hair Transplantation
A hair transplant involves transferring hair from one area of the scalp where hair growth is present – this is called the donor area – to another area of the scalp where the hair is thinning, or you’re completely bald. Therefore, a hair transplant is not possible for someone who has absolutely no hair left on their head.
If you’re eligible for a hair transplant, there’s no age barrier for the procedure. But it’s probably better to wait until your hairline has settled. Losing hair in your early 20s, for example, can be alarming. It can be tempting to get a hair transplant while you’re going bald. But if you wait until you’re older, you’ll know what hair you’ve got left.
One last thing, smokers, can’t have a hair transplant. You need to stop smoking at least 2 weeks before the surgery. Hair loss and complications of hair transplants are more common in smokers, so this might be a great time to get motivated to quit.
#2 – Hair Transplant Procedures
There are two ways of performing hair transplants – follicular unit transplantation and follicular unit extraction.
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT):
Your physician will remove a strip of tissue about 6-10 inches long from the donor site, which is usually at the back of the scalp, near the nape of the neck. The donor site is closed with stitches. The strip of tissue is divided into thousands of individual follicular units (a hair follicle is a tunnel-like structure in the outer skin; hair starts growing from the bottom of a hair follicle). Tiny cuts are made in the area of thinning hair. The individual follicular units are carefully grafted or re-implanted into place. FUT is also called strip surgery and leaves a fair bit of scarring.
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE):
This is a more modern, minimally invasive approach to hair transplants. Many people prefer it because the scarring is less obvious. The doctor shaves the donor area and extracts individual hair follicles directly from the donor site. The hair is transplanted at the recipient site using a special micro-surgical needle. The procedure leaves tiny marks where each hair follicle was removed, but there is no long, obvious scar.
Your doctor will make you as comfortable as possible during the procedure with numbing medicine. Afterward, you’ll feel some soreness at the donor and transplant sites and may need to take pain medications for a few days. You may be prescribed antibiotics to prevent infections and anti-inflammatories to relieve swelling. Also, you might get minoxidil (Rogaine) or finasteride (Propecia) to stimulate hair growth.
We here at Kurtzman Plastic Surgery offer and prefer FUE as it leaves patients with no visible scars.
#3 – Recovery and Return to Work
Recovery time for hair transplants can vary depending on which procedure you have and what you do for work. In general, patients are advised to wait 2 weeks after a FUT (strip) procedure and 1 week after an FUE procedure before going back to work. However, it’s worth noting that for FUE, the donor and recipient areas are shaved to give the doctor a clear field of view. This is necessary to safely harvest and transplant the hair follicles.
It’s also worth noting that whatever hair transplant method you choose, the transplanted hair will typically fall out 2-3 weeks after the surgery. So, you should be prepared to go bald for a while. The transplanted hair follicles follow the natural cycles of hair growth. You’ll notice new hair growth in a few months and the desired results in 9-12 months.
#4 – Realistic Expectations
It’s easy to look at pictures of models on a hair transplant website and start dreaming of a full head of hair. The truth is there are limits to what your doctor can accomplish with surgical hair restoration. It comes down to the principle of supply and demand. Once the doctor removes a hair follicle from the donor area, it doesn’t grow back. In other words, your donor hair is a limited, non-renewable resource.
People who have a good supply of donor hair and minor hair loss, such as a mild receding hairline, can expect excellent results with a hair transplant. However, if a person has lost more hair on the top of their scalp than what is growing in the donor area, the doctor will have to work out how best to create a cosmetic improvement with the limited supply of hair.
Also, as you grow older, you might lose more hair and need more transplant work. That’s why your doctor might avoid being too aggressive – there’s a chance you’ll need donor hair in the future to create more coverage. It’s a good idea not to be overly greedy and to conserve some donor hair for the future.
#5 – Choosing a Hair Transplantation Provider
The good news is that you don’t have to live with hair loss. Men and women can get a fuller, more natural-looking hairline without visible scarring and a quick recovery from a hair transplant. But, it’s important to choose a good hair transplant clinic. Dr. Kurtzman is a board-certified plastic surgeon, and his team has been expertly trained to perform your hair transplant surgery. Do your due diligence – get recommendations, speak to former patients, look up reviews online.
For more information about our hair transplant options, please contact us at 513.891.4440 or fill out the form on this page, and we will have someone from our office call you back as soon as possible.
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