A hair transplant can give you permanent,natural-looking results

Surgical hair restoration works essentially by extracting hair from a hair-loss resistant area and planting them on the recipient’s balding area.

Who is a good candidate for a hair transplant?

To be considered for a hair transplant, you need two things:

  1. Enough healthy hair on your scalp that can be transplanted to the area that needs hair
  2. The ability to grow hair on the thinning area of your scalp

A dermatologist will give you a thorough scalp exam and can advice you if you are a good candidate for hair transplantation. A blood test may be needed to know the cause of hair loss.

Hair Transplant procedure

Surgery begins with your dermatologist removing the healthy hairs. To give you natural-looking results, your dermatologist may remove the healthy hairs by either cutting a strip of skin with healthy hairs from your scalp or removing individual hairs. This is follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS)

Before the surgeon can transplant the hairs, technicians need to prep the removed hairs and the surgeon must get your scalp ready for the transplant.

Depending on the number of hairs to be transplanted, 2 to 3 members of the hair transplant team may help place the healthy hairs into the area that needs hair. Once all the hairs have been transplanted, your scalp will be bandaged and you will be given instructions for at-home care.

Follicular unit extraction (FUE).

In FUE procedure, the surgeon’s team will shave the back of your scalp. Then, the doctor will remove hair follicles one by one from there. The area heals with small dots, which your existing hair will cover.

After he prepares the grafts, the surgeon cleans and numbs the area where the hair will go, creates holes or slits with a scalpel or needle, and delicately places each graft in one of the holes. He’ll probably get help from other team members to plant the grafts, too.

Depending on the size of the transplant you’re getting, the process will take about 4 to 8 hours. You might need another procedure later on if you continue to lose hair or decide you want thicker hair.

Results from a hair transplant

Most patients see results between 6 and 9 months after surgery. For some patients, it takes 12 months.

It’s important to know that between 2 and 8 weeks after the surgery, the transplanted hair will fall out. This is normal. By the 3rd month, the hair may look thinner than before you had the transplant.

Any medical treatment necessary?

To get the best results from a hair transplant, your dermatologist may recommend medicine that treats hair loss. Medicine helps because hair loss and thinning can continue, even after a hair transplant.

Medicine can prevent or slow down new hair loss and thinning. By doing that, you can keep your natural-looking results for years to come.