Hair Transplant

How Do Hair Transplants Work?

A hair transplant is a procedure that treats balding areas on the scalp by moving hair follicles of better quality from a donor area in order to restore hair in the balding areas. While hair loss does not start at a certain age, there are people who want to know if it can happen to both men and women, how it works and the best age to have a hair transplant.

Hair transplantation involves the harvesting of hair follicles from donor areas where hair is not prone to baldness. In typical male patterned baldness, the donor area is normally located on the back or sides of the head. However, with advanced techniques of hair restoration, hair can be taken from any hair bearing part of the skin such as the beard, torso and extremities. The hair grafts, AKA follicular units, should be harvested and transplanted in naturally occurring groupings (follicular units) in order to restore the balding area with the most natural looking results.

Follicular Units of hair on scalp

Follicular Unit Concept

Hair follicles generally don’t grow individually. They bundle in groups of 1-4 hair follicles. These groupings are usually held together with a collagen band and they have their own oil gland, nerve and small vessel. Follicular units are the way hair grows in nature and that is why transplanting hair in their native follicular units can create the most natural look.

Hair transplants were initially done by removing pieces of hair bearing skin and then implanting them into the balding areas. This procedure was known as “plug surgery”. Old hair transplantations resulted in a dull look to the head which could be easily detectable from a normal head of hair. The good news is that most of the results from the plug surgeries are repairable with new methods of hair restoration such as FUE methods. Hair transplants have improved in the last few decades as doctors have moved toward transplanting smaller groups of hair known as minigrafts or micrografts.

Harvesting Hair

Human Hair follicular unit graft

The hair that will be transplanted into the scalp is usually harvested through two main methods. Choosing between the two types of harvesting is determined by the preference of the patient as well as how they plan to wear their hair in the donor area. The type of procedure also helps to determine the number of grafts that can be harvested in a single session and the cost of the hair transplant:

  1. Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)– This technique is performed when a doctor individually harvests follicular units or individual hair grafts from the donor area through microscopic techniques. In this method, hair is removed without the need to make a linear incision on the scalp so it does not leave a linear scar. Overall, FUE is known as a less invasive procedure than the strip method since the follicular grafts are removed one at a time without the need to cut, suture or staple the scalp. FUE allows patients to keep a short hairstyle in the back since there won’t be a linear scar on the donor area. The disadvantage of FUE is that a smaller number of grafts can be harvested in each session and it costs more than the traditional strip method.
  2. Strip (FUT)– This technique involves the transplanting of hair units in their natural grouping via a strip method. Follicular units have one to four hair follicles that are wrapped by protein sheaths made up of collagen with an adjoining oil gland. During strip FUT, the doctor removes a strip of skin from the donor area and uses stereoscopic magnification to harvest hair grafts for transplantation in their natural direction. On average, strip FUT takes 6-9 hours to perform.

Once the hair is removed from the donor area, it is processed and counted before their implantation in the balding areas. Hair grafts are usually kept in a specific holding solution at a certain temperature.

Implanting Grafts

Graft Implantation during Hair Transplant

Either before or after harvesting, and also preparing the grafts, the surgeon makes tiny incisions in the balding area where the follicular units will be transplanted. The follicular units are then inserted into the incisions and distributed in such a way that the balding areas will be covered in a natural looking manner. The transplanted hair creates the appearance of a hairline that will be undetectable to the average eye.

The process of implanting the follicular units is very meticulous and it should be performed under a microscope or with magnifying loupes by an experienced surgical staff. Special care needs to be taken to prevent damaging the reproductive part of the grafts where the hair stem cells reside.

Transplanted hair follicles become part of the new skin within a few days after implantation.

Areas on the Body Treated by Hair Transplant

While the common perception is that a hair transplant can only treat the scalp, hair can be transplanted on any part of the skin. For example, if patients never had any hair in an area such as the beard, hair can be transplanted to the beard area to give them the facial hair they have always desired. Some areas on the body where hair can be transplanted include:

  • Scalp hair restoration in typical male patterned baldness in men and women
  • Eyebrow transplant
  • Beard and mustache restoration
  • Hairline lowering
  • Body hair transplant on areas such as the chest and pubic area

After the Procedure

After the grafts have been placed in the scalp, the patient will see some stubble as well as some scabbing in the transplanted area that will heal rapidly. The transplanted hair will begin to fall out after a few weeks as the hair goes into a resting phase. However, there is no need to worry. After several months, the hair follicles enter another growth phase and they start to grow as small hair. This baby hair continues to become longer and thicker to the point that it becomes normal mature hair.

Unlike the original follicles in the balding area, the hair that is transplanted is not influenced by the same biological triggers that cause baldness. The transplanted area will produce and grow hair just as it did in the donor area. After completion of the hair growth, transplanted hair does not require any particular care when it is established in the new area of skin.

Designing Hairline before hair transplnat

After Hair Transplant

9 Months post hair transplant

What to do After Hair Transplant

Once the hair transplant has been performed, there are still many steps patients need to follow in order to attain superior results. While each doctor might differ a bit in the follow-up treatment steps, here are some of the general steps that need to be followed:

  • How to wash your hair post-transplant– The first few days patients wash their hair after a hair transplant are crucial in maintaining the delicate work performed by the doctor. Patients should visit their doctor to wash their hair for the first time following surgery in order to be shown the proper way to wash it without disturbing the new grafts.
  • What to expect after Hair Transplant – The overall recovery period following a FUT is 6 to 8 months. In that time, patients need to take steps to care for their transplanted hair properly and also protect their scalp from the sun and other outside influences. Recovery after FUE procedure is usually smoother with minimal to no pain after the procedure. Also, there is no linear scar on the donor area.

Results

Patients need to follow the post-op instructions from their doctor in order to facilitate results that should last a lifetime. The surgeon will inform patients what to expect after their procedure depending on the location of balding and the number and type of grafts that were used. Early results are seen within the first 3 to 4 months but most patients should expect to see their full results in six to twelve months.

Male pattern baldness is usually a progressive condition so there might be more hair loss and a need for one or more procedures in the future for some people. Patient who are prone to advanced stages of hair loss can slow down the process by taking prescription medication given by the hair transplant surgeon.

Complications

It’s important to remember that a hair transplant is a skin level procedure. As such, patients generally see minimal complications following their hairline surgery. The following is a list of general complications patients should be aware of:

  • Post-operative hiccups
  • Swelling of areas near the transplanted hair such as the scalp and forehead
  • Itching
  • Hair thinning, AKA “shock loss“, which is a side effect where patients lose their native hair after hair transplant due to the stress of the procedure
  • Folliculitis are pimple-like skin lesions that can be seen in the transplanted area
  • Linear scar in FUT strip procedures
  • In FUE procedures, scars are small and scattered and they are usually not detectable even if the patient shaves his head

If you have any questions or concerns about the above complications, talk to your doctor before making the final decision about which of our hair transplant procedures to undergo in our medical centers in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills or San Francisco.

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