A hair transplant surgery is implantation of hair to areas that are bald or have thin hair. It uses hair you already have, mostly the hair on your neck. In male type hair loss, hair between the two ears does not fall out. Therefore, the implanted hair taken from that area, once settled, won’t fall out as well. Results of this surgery are mostly permanent.

Types of Hair Transplant

There are two main methods that’s used when it comes to hair restoration.

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) Method

In FUE method, hair follicles are extracted with a micro-tipped tool from the back of the scalp individually. It’s important to select which hair to extract carefully, so it leaves a natural look afterwards. Once the desired number of grafts is achieved, next step is to open canals in the recipient area. These micro canals are made carefully by your surgeon with a small blade, commonly a sapphire blade. In the final step, the collected hair follicles are one by one inserted into the micro canals where they’ll settle and start to grow eventually.

Direct Hair Transplant (DHI) Method

DHI works very similar to the FUE method: hair follicles are extracted from the donor site the same way and then implanted on the recipient area. During the implantation process, a special tool called the “choi pen” is used to implant the follicles directly, without the need of micro canals.

Because there are no canals that indicate where the transplanted hair will go in, it’s easier for your surgeon to implant the hair follicles closer to each other, resulting in a denser look.

In both methods, the surgery is performed under local anesthesia and can take 6 to 10 hours depending on the number of grafts.

Who is a good candidate for hair transplant?

A good hair transplant candidate will have:

• Healthy hair on the back and sides of the head (donor area).
• Enough amount of hair on the donor area.

Other factors like thickness of hair, waviness or curliness may affect the results of the operation.

It’s important to realize that there are limits to what can be achieved with hair transplantation. If you have severe baldness and not enough hair on the back to cover the empty areas, or if the hair on the donor area has low quality, you might not be suitable for the operation or additional treatments may be advised by your doctor.

During the consultation for hair transplant, your doctor will take your detailed medical history. You will be asked to share:

·       Usage of medication

·       Previous surgeries.

·       Allergies.

·       Any diagnosed disease you might have (such as a heart disease or diabetes).

In some cases, your doctor may ask for tests to make sure that you are suitable for the operation.

If you are a good candidate for hair transplant, your doctor will discuss the options and likely outcomes of the operation with you. Then start to prepare a customized treatment plan to match your desires.

Recovery and Results

The results of hair transplant are not immediate. It may take 6 to 12 months before the transplanted hair to settle, go through the phases of hair growth and get to its final form.

You’ll be able to go back to your normal routine after the operation. However, you need to follow the instructions given by your doctor carefully to achieve successful results. These instructions will involve:

·       How to care for your new hair and wash your hair within the first 12 days after the operation when it’s most vulnerable.

·       How and when to use your medication to avoid infection, swelling and pain.

·       How to support the results of the operation with a proper lifestyle and habits and how to avoid hair products that’s harmful for your hair.

You will be advised to avoid exercising, swimming, going out in the sun and wearing hats for a while to increase the survival rate of the implanted grafts.