About Hair Transplant
The hair we have on our bodies comes from hair follicles and hair growth occurs in cycles. With androgenic alopecia, the hair follicle shrinks, and the hair growth cycle becomes weaker with each cycle. This leads to the growth of thin hair, and eventually, no hair grows from the follicle, resulting in baldness.
Inherited baldness usually occurs without any side effects.
However, it is important to note that not all balding in adult males comes from androgenic alopecia. Other causes of hair loss that your surgeon may consider include thyroid disease, certain types of cancer, and certain types of medication, such as steroids.
- Before Procedure
- During Procedure
- Results & Recovery
Can male pattern baldness be treated?
Male pattern baldness can be treated through medical and surgical ways. Medical means of treatment of hair loss include the use of finasteride and minoxidil. On the other hand, hair transplant is a surgical way of treating male pattern baldness.
How do I prepare for Hair transplant surgery?
Before the procedure, your surgeon will advise you to stop smoking a few days before due to the fact that smoking interferes with healing of tissues. You may also need to stop medications such as aspirin due to the risk of bleeding associated with it.
Depending on the degree of your hair loss, your surgeon may advise you to use minoxidil or not. You may need to postpone your hair cut to have hair grow on the donor areas so that enough can be harvested.
What is hair transplant and how is it done?
Hair transplant is a surgical procedure which involves transfer of hair follicles from the donor site to the recipient site. The donor site usually is a site resistant to balding such as the back of the head or the regions above the ears.
The donor site is prepared by shaving the hair so that the grafts can become easily accessible. A special punch is then used to pick the grafts from the donor site, separation is then done and then the hair is transferred to the recipient site. This can be done in two ways:
- Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
- Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT)
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) involves the surgeon removing individual hair follicles from the donor site to the recipient site. On the other hand, Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) involves removing a long thin strand of tissue from the back of the hair, then separating the individual follicular units through micro separation using special microscopes.
What do I expect after the surgery?
Your scalp may be sore and even swell after the operation. You will also experience some pain that will be manageable with pain killers. Bleeding may also occur but this will be minimal because the local anesthesia used by the surgeon will shrink the blood vessels.
As with the hair goals, you will need to be patient and realistic because it will take time and probably more than one session to help you achieve your targets.
What are the risks associated with hair transplant?
Hair transplant has its inherent complications that your surgeon will discuss with you on the initial surgical consult. The surgeon will tell you how common these complications are and how he will manage them in case any arises. The complications include:
- Infections
- Bleeding
- Scalp swelling
- Scar tissue formation
- Itching of the scalp
- Numbness