Sam Smith – His Thoughts on Balding and Hair Transplants
The number of men that suffer some form of hair loss is in the millions. Some men accept their hair loss and do not attempt to make any changes to their scalp while others have a hair transplant to address the issue of balding. Sam Smith, the Grammy-winning singer, recently discussed the topic of his hair loss in an interview with Vogue. He shared the reasons he decided to make a change in the appearance of his hairline. Smith also named the person that gave him hair transplant advice that prompted him to have a hair restoration procedure.
Sam Smith Discusses Hair Loss
In his interview with Vogue, Smith said “It’s been a touchy place for me actually. I haven’t actually spoken about this before, so I’m going speak about it, because I don’t actually feel like I have anything to hide. But I was losing my hair..about two years ago and so my hairdresser Paul basically said he thought it would be a good idea for me to get a transplant and to look into it…and I have had a hair transplant. How stunning is it? It’s nice to have hair.”
Hair Transplant Solutions
Sam Smith is certainly correct with that last statement. It is nice to have hair whether you are one of the most well-known and successful music artists in the world or an “everyday person” looking to make a change in the appearance of the scalp. As the name of the procedure suggests, hair transplant surgery is the moving of hair from one area of the body to the thinning/balding area on the scalp of the patient. The hair that is transplanted comes from the body of the actual patient. The hair is not able to be transplanted from the body of another person.
The surgeon typically removes hair grafts from the donor area of the scalp (which is normally the back and sides of the scalp). The hair from the donor area of the head is resistant to balding. This is the main reason the surgeon prefers to take the transplanted hair from this portion of the body.
Patients that do not have enough quality hair in the donor area to move to the scalp can transplant hair from other areas of the body such as the beard.
The surgeon makes small incisions in the targeted area of the scalp where the hair grafts will be inserted (placed). The transplanted hair will grow and provide a fuller hairline as a solution to the issue of balding suffered by the patient.
Hair Transplants – Are The Results Permanent?
Once a patient has a hair transplant, the results will be permanent with no need to have an additional hair restoration procedure performed on the targeted area of the scalp.
However, this does not mean that a patient will not want to undergo additional hair restoration surgery on other areas of the scalp in the future. The hair transplant only prevents balding from occurring again in the section of the scalp where the hair grafts were placed. Balding or thinning hair might occur later in life in other sections of the scalp. If balding does occur in other parts of the scalp, the patient can have a hair transplant performed to obtain permanent hair restoration results in these additional areas on the scalp.
It is also important for the patient to follow any post-op instructions provided by the doctor. Learning the proper way to wash the hair after a transplant, and also avoiding any strenuous exercise or activities for several weeks, will help to ensure the success of the procedure.
Hair Transplant Alternative
There are some patients that want to make a change to the appearance, and amount, of their hair but they are not sure about having a hair transplant. They might be afraid to have a surgical procedure or they might not want to spend the money (yet) on hair restoration surgery. Thankfully, there are some alternatives they can use to address the issue of their hair loss.
Minoxidil, AKA Rogaine, is considered to be a vasodilator which is a medication that works to open the blood vessels. According to the Rogaine website, the product penetrates the scalp to “increase protein production to lengthen your hair’s active growth phase.” Minoxidil is believed to partially enlarge the hair follicles of a patient and also increase the growth phase of the hair cycle.
Once the patient starts to use Rogaine, the product must be used on a daily basis. If the patient stops using the medication for an extended period of time, the hairline will lose the positive changes that have been gained. The hairline will return to its original pre-minoxidil appearance.
Sam Smith Gives the Final Word
Another reason that patients might not want to have a hair transplant is they do not mind being bald. While Sam Smith decided to have a hair transplant, he also said he would not be ashamed of having a bald appearance. According to Smith, “If I was bald, I would still own it, too. Because bald is beautiful.”
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