April 30, 2023

Know Your Hair Loss Treatment Options - Hair Transplant Procedures Explained

One very distressing and all too common problem that many people face at some point in their lifetime is hair loss affecting around 50% of women and 70-85% of men. It’s damaging to your self-esteem and for some, it can feel like their life is over when they start seeing excessive amounts of hair on their pillow in the morning. Androgenic alopecia is the most common cause of hair loss for men and women. It’s commonly known as male-pattern baldness or female-pattern baldness. The good news is that you don’t have to just learn to live with this kind of hair loss. Hair transplant surgery can help you have a fuller head of hair again.
How They Work
With androgenic alopecia, there are generally areas of the scalp that are not affected. The hair follicles on the top and front of your head are susceptible to the effects of a substance called DHT or dihydrotestosterone. DHT levels rise as we age and it damages susceptible hair follicles and causes them to stop growing hair. But the hair follicles on the sides and back of your head are resistant to DHT, so a surgeon can harvest these resistant hair follicles and transplant them to the thinning or bald areas to fill them in and create a natural-looking full head of hair. You’ll still have the same number of healthy growing hairs, but they will be evenly distributed over your scalp to eliminate bald spots. And because the transplanted follicles are resistant to DHT you don’t have to worry about them falling out once they are established. 
Things To Consider
If you’re interested in hair transplant surgery there are some things that you need to consider and do beforehand. The most important consideration is choosing a hair transplant clinic. It’s crucial to ensure that you have the very best and most fully qualified hair transplant surgeon, and you can rest assured that you will find only the best here at the Hair Restoration Institute. Then you will need to have a one-on-one consultation with the hair loss clinic experts to allow them to evaluate your scalp and hair loss and develop a plan of care. You should also discuss the potential risks, complications, and side effects of the surgery so that you are informed and aware. 
The Process Explained
You have a couple of different hair transplant options to consider. Both of them off incredibly natural-looking results, but they are performed a little differently. Both procedures will begin with your surgeon shaving down your head so that they can clearly see and access all of your hair follicles and scalp. Then your scalp will be cleaned and numbed to prepare for the surgery to begin. This is where the differences in the procedures come in. 
FUE or Follicular Unit Extraction Transplant- This hair transplant option uses a highly specialized medical suction device to extract individual hair follicles from the various parts of the donor area of your scalp. The harvested follicles are then sorted and treated in preparation for implantation in the balding areas. An advanced implantation device is then used to precisely insert the follicles into your scalp in a pattern that mimics natural hair growth and creates a very natural-looking hairline, and because of the way the follicles are extracted and inserted, there are no discernable scars. 
FUT or Follicular Unit Transplantation- With this hair transplant option the surgeon will harvest a thin strip of hair follicles from the back of your scalp. The follicles are then separated, sorted, and treated to prepare them to be implanted. The follicles are then grafted into your scalp through tiny incisions in a natural-looking pattern. The FUT procedure takes less time and the cost is lower than an FUE transplant, but the one downside is that you will have a thin linear scar across the back of your head. But if you don’t wear your hair very short this scar typically remains covered and undetectable.
The Recovery
Hair transplant surgery recovery is typically short and not difficult at all. Recovery from the FUE transplant is typically faster, but you can expect your scalp to be healed and free of scabs within about 10 days post-surgery. You can expect to experience what is called shock loss within a few days to a few weeks. This is where the hair from the transplanted follicles falls out due to the shock of the transplant.  This is perfectly normal and expected and does not mean that the transplant was unsuccessful. Those follicles will begin to regrow hair to give you a full natural looking head of hair within the next 6 months to 1 year.
Keep Expectations Realistic
You need to approach hair transplant surgery with realistic expectations. Hair transplants do give you a fuller-looking head of hair, but as we mentioned before you will still have the same number of growing hair follicles, just more evenly distributed over your entire scalp. So it’s important to realize that you won’t have the exact density that you had in your youth. Results vary from person to person based on how severe their hair loss is and how many active follicles they have to work with. Your hair type and texture play a role in your final result as well. Your surgeon will be able to give you a clear picture of what you can expect from your transplant surgery. 
If you would like to explore the options of hair transplant surgery to treat your hair loss schedule a private consultation with the caring hair loss professionals at the Hair Restoration Institute. We will evaluate the pattern and degree of your hair loss and then discuss the best hair transplant option to restore your hair. Call us at 612-588-HAIR (4247) for your discreet and private complimentary consultation. You can find us at 8030 Old Cedar Ave S Ste 202 in Bloomington, MN.