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• What is Hair Replacement?

What is Hair Replacement?

Hair replacement therapy/surgery has constantly been a source of comedy for many people. Many don’t realize that it is a condition that affects two out of every three men, as well as one in five females. There are many reasons for the condition including frequent shampooing, hat wearing, hormonal changes, and other personal habits. There are at times external factors such as burns and accidents. The process of hair replacement requires that hair be harvested from the back of the head, and used for the areas of hair loss, which means total baldness does not make for an appropriate candidate. Hair texture and quality are indicating factors of how well the treatment will take.

In achieving your goals, it is important to understand what the limitations of the situation are. There is no perfect candidate, as there is no perfect surgery. The final result should be improved appearance and increased self confidence. Depending upon your type of hair loss and reasons for it, there may be some procedures that are better than others.

Pattern baldness in males and females tend to occur at the crown. Usually it happens over a period of time, and is easily remedied, with multiple grafts from the back of the head, to the front. In many cases surgeons will wait a specified length of time to allow for healing and other unforeseen factors to ensure that the desired look is achieved.

Age and degree of baldness are not deciding factors in surgery. The main factor is that there is sufficient hair and established donor sites to graft from. This procedure can be done with local or general anesthesia, depending upon your surgeon, their experience and your health. Discussions with your surgeon will include how the look will be achieved, texture of hair, and quality of hair, and finally the contrast between skin and hair color- this helps in determining the outcome.

Surgery options vary, but there are several standard types of surgery. The most common hair replacement surgery takes lengthy strips of hair with the scalp from the back of the head. That strip is divided into smaller grafts, usually 200-300 smaller grafts. These are then inserted into small incisions in the scalp; ensuring placement will allow the hair to grow naturally in the same direction. Each graft can contain several hairs, but the goal is to maintain a natural look, so 1-2 hairs per graft may be normal. This is known as mini- or micro-grafting.

Another option is skin flap surgery to cover balding areas. With a piece of bald scalp removed, an appropriate section of scalp with hair naturally attached is relocated. In this procedure, scars are covered by new hair growth. Any balding areas on the top of the head can be fixed by stretching parts of the scalp with hair over the hairless areas.

Newer techniques involve tissue expanders. This technique allows for stretching of the skin with hair attached, reducing the size of the bald scalp.

Once surgery is done, there are stitches that may be removed after a week, and you can get back to a normal sort of routine within several days after the removal of your stitches. Your doctor will prescribe appropriate medication for you to control the pain.

Newly transplanted hair will fall out for a month after the procedure. This is natural and will help in the regrowth of the new hair. This type of surgery will need adjustments to remove excess tissue, adjust the hairline and fill in areas that may have not been natural looking. This is to be expected and will help in achieving the final outcome of the procedure.

Discuss with your surgeon what your options are and what the best option for you is. They will be the best source of information and will be bale to tell you what expectations you should have. As with any procedure there are risks, but your surgeon will be able to walk you through the procedure giving you the confidence needed to attain the look you seek.

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