At Advanced Hair Clinic, we pay extreme attention to patient education. Over time, we have talked about plenty of hair transplant subjects on our well-read blog, with the sole objective of ensuring that our patients are in the thick of things with the procedure, and mainly, its rehabilitation. You will be able to find a wide array of useful advice on our website, starting with the guidelines on how to wash your hair following a hair transplant, ending with the phases of hair growth, guidelines that are helpful for anyone who is seeking to undergo hair transplantation intervention. In this blog post, we would like to focus on the most common questions our patients ask us.
16 Questions and Answers About Hair Transplants
Is a hair transplant a good solution for hair loss?
For someone to even take into consideration or account a hair transplant surgery, it is vital to first determine some realistic expectations. While it is true that a hair transplant can be an alternative that offers an impressive improvement, it isn’t perforce, to say, the right solution in each case. This might tell you enough about why we pay so much attention to patient education and proper patient selection.
Furthermore, this accentuates the value of having a consultation with a certified hair transplant surgeon to make sure there is some proper guidance and advice. Well-prepared practitioners do not straight-up push you into undergoing surgery since they know very well that other things should be taken into consideration beforehand. Such things include the extent of hair loss, the cause behind it, and the age of the patient.
Hurrying into undergoing a surgical intervention thinking of it as the ultimate solution to hair loss may result in regrettable outcomes. That is why, it would be more correct to take your time thinking of a hair transplant as a last resort, not the very sole alternative.
Can there be hair loss after a transplant?
Though the process is natural at its best it would be very wrong to say that there is not a single chance of that happening. Following your hair follicles uniting into areas where the hair is minimizing or reducing, it sets apart some effort for your skin to bounce back. Certainly, it is no surprise if a portion of your hair drops out for the first three months following the hair transplant. Do not stress during this time. Recovering can take around 6 months to one year. Despite everything, whenever the rehabilitating system and healing are completed, the transplanted follicles begin to develop hair that will round out the bare patches on the scalp. As you get more established, this hair will sustain itself. The evolution of the hair follicles is enduring; returning to their past position is practically impossible. Nevertheless, just like the remainder of your hair follicles in your body, the transplanted follicles have a life expectancy as well. Being a naturally growing part of your body, hair has a lifespan. At some point in the future, they might tardily discontinue the delivery of the same amount of hair they used to deliver before.
What medical conditions can cause hair loss?
For starters, an expert representable authority in skin issues such as a dermatologist, will try to determine the basic reason for your balding. One is the most widely known reason for going bald: genetic male or female pattern hair loss. This kind of going bald is highly possible if you have a family background of hairlessness.
There also exist chemicals that can trigger inborn going bald. It might commence ahead of schedule and pubescence. Oftentimes, balding might occur with an uncomplicated end in the pattern of hair development. Other times, medical procedures, terrible accidents, or even ailments can stir up going bald.
Having said that, your hair will come back without treatment. Some of the other causes behind hair loss include thyroid illness, alopecia areata, menopause, pregnancy or labor, scalp diseases like ringworm, and much more.
What if I’m not a good candidate?
Irrespective of the fact that at first thought a hair transplant does sound tempting, the fact of the matter is that every single person needs to first check some elements and not simply undergo one for having balding issues. There are several things to beware of to be certain that a hair transplant is a proper strategy, yet, below are some of the most significant ones:
- Though there is no age restriction when it comes to a hair relocation method, a paragon competitor would be between 25 and 65 years old. Unfortunately, patients that are above 65 years old generally have dainty hair and this surgery just won’t have any results.
- Moreover, since there is no similarity between every type of balding and hair loss, the best chance for hair transplantation would be for individuals who go through hereditary hairlessness.
- Patients who go through alopecia or any different type of balding will have poor hair follicles, meaning there is no way that the transfer can be effective.
- Two are the most significant components to be taken into account when surveying the measure of going bald: the quality and amount of the donor’s hair and the seriousness of going bald.
- Now this is an extremely important factor: Considering that hair transfers go under the surgery category, good general health is a priority before undergoing hair transplantation.
- Moreover, another important factor is hair type, which plays a crucial role in determining whether or not you are a suitable candidate for hair transplantation.
Come what may, it is best to set up a consultation with a knowledgeable person to create a clear understanding of your state and eligibility for a hair transplant.
Is the hair transplant surgery long?
Hair transplants can be completed in one single long sitting or multiple small sessions. Moreover, it is much more dreary than other kinds of surgeries. The time can vary.
Nevertheless, generally, it depends entirely upon the number of grafts implanted, the patient’s state, and much more. Small interventions that only require around 200 grafts can be done within a couple of hours. Others, more extensive, requiring around 2,500 to 3,000 grafts, necessitate a meeting that withstands two days, or so, contingent on the clinic.
How much of my hair needs to be shaved before the procedure?
This is probably the question mostly asked by our patients- especially because it is quite a crucial point for those who want to maintain their hair procedure silently without being asked too many questions about their appearance. Some suppliers swear that your entire head needs shaving before a hair transplant. Whilst this surely simplifies things for the technician, it is part of hair doctor policy that patients are the ones who get to decide upon this, following their wishes, and it does in no way negatively affect the results. We will not push you to shave your full head.
What needs shaving to make possible the success of the extraction of the grafts is the donor region along with the back and sides. We do recommend getting a haircut before the procedure, with the back and sides shaved and faded into about three centimeters on top. We run the clippers over the donor regions every single time before beginning the transplant, all for the sole purpose of ensuring everything is ready to go, even in case your haircut was given a couple of days ago.
Will it look natural?
Seeing as the FUE hair transplant involves transplanting only one to four hairs at one time, it leaves space for attention to be paid to much more than simply the location of the hair but also the direction and angle it should be transplanted at. This, on the other hand, allows the strategic placement of each hair, giving a more natural outcome.
Are there any complications from surgery?
Like all other surgical procedures, a hair transplant surgery involves some risk too. Yet, the complications coming from the surgical treatment of hair loss are generally rare and very minimalistic. Amongst these, bleeding and/or infection are the most infrequent and minor ones.
As a whole, you should abstain from using aspirin or certain drugs or herbal remedies before surgery. If you have some precise worries on your mind then it would be correct to discuss them with your doctor.
Which is a suitable hair transplant method for me?
Two are the most common hair transplant methods, FUE (follicular unit extraction) and FUT (follicular unit transplantation). Per each, there are separate goals and strengths that both doctors and patients should take into account.
FUT might not be chosen by many due to its longer healing time, and the linear scar it comes with. Nevertheless, it permits a higher performance of donor grafts and has much less breakage. FUE, au contraire, is much less invasive and it requires smaller scars, meaning it additionally creates a better aesthetically pleasing outcome.
Apart from the patient’s wants, picking a proper method is also affected by anatomical aspects. For example, for those with tighter scalps, an FUE hair transplant would be much better than a FUT.
To make sure the technique is suitable for them, patients are pushed into going for a face-to-face consultation. This gives the doctor permission to evaluate the quality of the scalp, the degree of hair loss, and any other fact that will assist in determining the proper method to use. This is additionally a way for you to get into a clever and astute discussion with the surgeon to shrink your alternatives leading to the right strategy.
What do I need to do before my surgery?
Depending on the kind of hair transplant method you decide on, you might have to take care of some pre-op preparations. This involves the following:
- Abstain from utilizing hair products or getting professional hair care treatments days before your intervention.
- Rinse your hair carefully, be it the night or the morning before surgery. Ensure checking with your surgeon if there is a necessity for special shampoos to be used.
- Abstain from smoking, drinking alcohol, or taking vitamin E supplements, at any rate before surgery.
- It is much more secure to miss your daily coffee cup on the day of your surgery.
- If you suffer from diabetes, schedule a discussion with your surgeon to learn how to handle dieting and insulin management on the day of your surgery.
What can I expect from this procedure?
The whole procedure of a hair transplant is a detailed and diligent process that involves donor harvesting and implantation. This, of course, implies that the surgical process takes a while to complete- up to hours. The donor grafts should be carefully harvested to make sure that they will still be workable for implantation. To give a more natural-looking result, these grafts will then be arranged on the recipient's sites.
The results aren’t visible immediately after the surgery. It takes the new grafts months to grow and reach the preferred coverage.
There occurs another shedding around the second to eighth weeks after an FUE or FUT surgery. This goes underway when the new grafts enter the resting stage of the hair cycle, leading to them shedding, particularly so along the recipient area. Take it easy. This happens because it is part of the normality of the healing process, and with time healthy hairs will grow in their place.
If there is something to be excited about when it comes to a hair transplant procedure, it is ultimately the gift of natural-looking results. However, this is not to be taken for granted. Patients must do their best to prepare adequately to secure a safe and pleasing result. That implies selecting a skilled and board-certified surgeon who can appropriately evaluate and address your hair loss worries.
Will people notice that I had something done to my hair?
Ultimately, this depends on the extent of the coverage you like or have as a goal. What is noteworthy is the fact that a knowledgeable surgeon will give priority to natural-looking outcomes. Simply put, if you are a person in their fifties, he or she will give you the hairline of a twenty-year-old.
Undoubtedly, there are concerns about scarring - the reason why most patients favor an FUE approach rather than the FUT one. The results of the first method are as discreet as possible. With the technique's refinement, it is also possible for hair growth to happen over the scar in the donor region.
How much recovery time is needed?
Nine times out of ten, the recovery time needed for a hair transplant is around two weeks. Weeks during which the hair transplants will scab over and then fall off. For a proper healing process and the avoidance of any complications, the surgeon’s guidelines should be carefully followed, as well as the sleeping positions, and the use of safe hair products. You will be given much more recommendations and advice based on your specific situation.
How long does it take for hair to grow back?
It takes transplanted hair generally up to four months to grow back. By then, the expectations are as high as 10-80 percent of hair growth. By the tenth month, your hair will be grown long enough to be styled or trimmed.
Are there any hair transplant risks I should know about?
As with any other surgical procedure, a hair transplant, too, has a high risk of infection. The reason why the employment of the right surgical method and aftercare is so critical is that the break in the skin’s integrity can easily become an entrance for bacteria. Some accompanying risks include swelling and bleeding, due to the scalp trauma caused by the incisions. For the same reason, numbness or lack of sensation in the treated regions of the scalp is also very probable.
One thing you should keep in mind is that settling down for less skilled practitioners might also put you at risk of developing strange-looking tufts of hair. Thus, taking the extra effort to do thorough research of the hair transplant doctor before undergoing the surgery, is one important step for those interested in getting a hair transplant.
Can I expect pain after a hair transplant?
Pain is the most common reaction to physical trauma. The cuts created no matter the size of them, can arouse a painful reaction once the anesthetic has worn off. Nevertheless, as a part of post-op care, dental practitioners will prescribe pain medication. The initiative to find out more about hair transplant operations is a crucial measure toward the path of a successful surgery. Let’s be honest, this surgery is not a snowflake in a blizzard, so it is merely understandable you go into it all set.
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