While hair thinning and loss are a very normal part of aging, they can, unfortunately, result from a variety of other factors, as well. Whether you have genetic baldness, are suffering from a medical or psychological condition, experienced trauma to the scalp, or are receiving severe medical treatment, losing your hair can be devastating. If you feel insecure about having lost much of your hair, you may have experimented with every topical treatment under the sun. From natural, essential oils to hair growth serums, hairsprays, and vitamin supplements, the chances are that you spent half your salary on commercial products. Here some notions you should know if you are considering a hair transplant.
Hair transplant types
In any type of hair transplant procedure, the doctor starts by removing all hair follicles in a heavy hair area, like the back of your head, for instance. The follicles are then implanted into the minuscule slits that are present in your scalp’s affected area. There are two main types of hair transplants that you can get: follicular unit strip surgery or FUSS and follicular unit extraction or FUE. In a follicular unit strip surgery, the surgeon removes a strip of skin, which is considered the donor in that case, from the decided area and uses stitches to close the incision. He then proceeds to separate the strip of skin into very small follicular units using a microscope. The goal is to make sure that every follicular unit includes one or more hair follicles. He then inserts these units in the affected area. Meanwhile, in a follicular unit extraction procedure, the surgeon uses a tool that punches through the follicles to remove them from the donor or decided area. While the procedure typically results in scarring, it is not as noticeable as the other type of procedure. The patient will not require stitching most of the time either.
General procedures
While both techniques are effective, in some cases, they will achieve different results. According to the Journal of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery that was published in 2019, a follicular unit extraction requires more skill and time than a follicular unit strip surgery does. Though, when the surgeon is quite experienced in this type of procedure, astounding results can be achieved. Typically, the decision or donor area comes from the back or side of the head. The chin, chest, and back are also deemed effective. If the patient doesn’t have thick skin on the back and side of the head, their body hair can be used.
According to research on body hair transplantation, using beard or body hair requires much time and expertise. However, another study on the use of chin, scalp, beard, and chest hair in a hair restoration process explains that beard and body hair can be superb donors for hair transplants. The surgeons at Manchester clinic explain that each type of procedure takes hours to complete; however, the exact time depends on the number of follicles that the surgeon will be implanting. Regardless of the type of procedure, the patient would need to be injected with a local anesthetic. Most of the time, patients can be discharged and free to return home on the day of the procedure.
How effective they are
Regardless of the reason behind hair loss, any hair transplant is an effective procedure when it comes to restoring hair growth. You should keep in mind that there are many factors, including the surgeon’s level of expertise and skill, that contribute to the success rate of a hair transplant procedure. The patient’s donor hair thickness also plays a huge role in determining the level of success of the procedure. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons explains that a hair transplant procedure can result in moderate changes in a person’s scalp fullness. If you want to feel a more significant change, they suggest that you consider a tissue expansion procedure, hair flap surgery, or scalp reduction approach. Usually, patients leave the procedure with hair that appears thicker. However, they may still experience hair loss or thinning in the long run.
Losing your hair can be a rather distressing thing to experience. Our hair contributes a lot to our appearance, which is why losing it can affect our self-confidence and esteem. Thinning hair, even when you are still relatively young, can only be a reminder that you are getting older. If you tried several over-the-counter treatments and none of them seemed to work, you may want to consider resorting to a long-term solution.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
Further reading:
The Myths and Real Causes of Hair Loss in Men
5 Surprising Causes of Hair Fall
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