Most people think a hair transplant is what is going to fix you for life. The short answer to this question is; it may not do what you think it will do by covering your head with hair in one go.
Many factors determine if you are a candidate for the procedure or not.
Transplants will put hair on your head but, will it be enough to give you the result you are expecting long term? For most people with large areas of balding hair transplants may not work for them. Having hair for life is what most of us want
Here is a short explanation of what to expect with advanced techniques that are available to you at our internationally recognised hair clinics.
There are two types of Hair Transplants surgeries
FUT & FUE
Candidates for this type of procedure are men and women that are at least 25 years and older. The most critical factor for this procedure is the hair at the back of the head (Donar Hair). If this hair is not healthy and strong and you don’t have lots of it, then the procedure is not for you.
Remember we have to take hair from the back of the head to place in the area you need it. If that area is too large on top of your head you may run out of your donor’s hair.
Secondly, you may ask why hair that is taken from the back or donor area does not fall out again if placed where there is no hair.
The answer is no. Because of genetics most bald people you see have nothing on top but lots of hair on the back and sides. This hair at the back and sides will grow forever because it is not affected by DHT, the hormone that causes hair loss in men and women. If you have a very small area on top of your head that needs to be filled up, and you have a donor area that is large and healthy, you may be a candidate for transplants.
It is my experience that Hair Transplants are very useful and can work very well in individuals that are ideal candidates. The hair grows beautifully and if performed correctly can be aesthetically pleasing
You need only look at Hollywood to see the many actors that have pursued this option.
FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation)
FUT is a proven technique that has stood the test of time. It takes a thin strip of hair-bearing skin from the donor area at the back or side of the head. When closed up leaves a thin scar line. The procedure is performed under local anaesthetic and can take between four to six hours to complete.
The clinical team then dissect and prepare follicles into grafts containing one to four hairs, to ensure it is in the best condition to survive the transplantation process. The Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon plants the grafts into very small incisions made by hand.
There is a ten-day recovery period. This hair takes about sixteen weeks to grow in the new area that was previously bald. Depending on your hair loss situation, I would recommend more than one procedure to create density.
FUT has a very high success rate with little to no complications and has proved itself over the years when performed by highly skilled individuals. I highly recommend FUT for creating density for people with thinning hair.
Tip Consider doing FUT first and finishing off with FUE as this gives you more options for harvesting hair from the donor area later on if lots of density was required.
FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction)
FUE was developed in the 1990s as surgeons searched for a solution that reduced some of the issues associated with FUT – primarily scarring.
FUE takes full advantage of advances in technique and equipment to graft individual follicular units, using an extraction machine/handle. Each extraction contains an average of one point eight hairs, taken from around the back of the head. Local Anesthetic is also used for this procedure.
The procedure is only minimally invasive, which means an absence of scar, lines but will still leave lots of small scar dots. Short healing times and a swift return to work. For some clients FUE will be the only alternative available to them, a consultation will establish their candidacy.
It’s my experience that the service provider will try and push you in the direction they prefer and not what will work best for you at the time. They may even badmouth a procedure to convince you to opt for what they prefer.
So be wary and take your time before making a decision and ask those difficult questions. If your service provider wants your custom they should have all the answers to your questions.
Tip When choosing your service provider for surgical procedures choose one that can offer you both options. You may harvest up to 14000 hairs on one person and this can equate to three or six surgical procedures in a lifetime. Most people do more than one procedure in a lifetime.
Conclusion:
If you have male pattern balding meaning that you are still going to lose hair on your head, it’s important to plan how many procedures you might need. One surgery may not be enough for you.
HairOptions has many other advanced procedures available to you
Book an assessment before making any decision especially if you considering surgery.
