A healthy person can lose up to a hundred strands of hair a day. Generally, new hair grows in place of the lost ones. However, sometimes this amount is exceeded and some bald spots on the head start to appear. That can happen to both men and women of all ages, but mostly to adults. Some factors like aging, medication usage, diseases can cause hair loss. Someone suffering from hair loss can be insecure about it and this can affect his/her relationships and performance at work/school. There are lots of products to strengthen the hair strands and follicles or help growing new hair. However, these products may not be enough for some people. For those people, there is an alternative to the medications. Now, almost anyone can have a hair implant to cover or reduce their bald areas on the head.
A hair implant is a great way for getting rid of the bald areas on the head. Surgeons can take follicles from the back of the head and insert them to the bald areas on the head. The procedure is super easy and safe. It does not have a long recovery period and the risks that are included are not big problems. With the developments in techniques, the procedures are completed in hours. Surgeons work with their teams to get the best results from the procedures. Most of the time, hair implants heal well and result successfully. People may claim that implants can cause hair loss, but that is not totally correct. After having an implant, the implanted hair can fall out, but they regrow. Also, it can cause the non-implanted hair to fall out. This loss is called a shock loss and can be temporary or permanent.
Shock Loss After a Hair implant
After a hair implant procedure, you may experience hair loss. This hair loss can be both on the operated area and on the other parts of the scalp. Shock loss is not something that everyone experiences and most of the time it is temporary. Nevertheless, it can be permanent too. Because the surgeon makes cuts, holes, and incisions during a hair implant procedure, other follicles can be damaged. Sutures stretching the skin on the scalp after a FUSS procedure can cause shock loss as well. This trauma caused by the implant can cause the original hair to fall out after the surgery. These reasons generally cause temporary hair loss. If the important parts of the hair are damaged during the procedure, the shock loss can be permanent. Also, after the implant, some hormonal issues can cause permanent shock loss.
To minimize the risk of a shock loss after a hair implant, you should be operated on by an experienced surgeon. Also, some medications like minoxidil can minimize or prevent the effects of shock loss. If you see your original hair is falling out, you should contact your surgeon. He will handle the problem and prescribe medications if necessary. After a temporary shock loss, the hair is supposed to grow back in 1-2 weeks. However, as everyone’s body capabilities are different, the duration of that process can vary.
Risks and Complications Involved In a Hair implant
Most of the time, hair implant procedures are safe and do not cause any complications. However, as it is a surgical operation, it involves some risks. The most common risks of having a hair implant are:
- Infections
- Bleeding
- Itching on the operated area
- Swelling
- Folliculitis
- Sensation loss in some areas of the head
- Implanted hair’s looking artificial
- Implanted hair’s falling out
- Allergic reactions caused by the anesthetic
- Scars that are easy to notice
- Shock Loss
Those complications are not big issues and are not difficult to handle. Your surgeon will inform you about these before the hair implant surgery. After the operation, the surgeon will prescribe the necessary antibiotics and painkillers to help your recovery. So as not to cause any complications, you should be careful about the operated area. Also, following the instructions of your surgeon will minimize any risk.
Hair implant Types
In modern medicine, there are two main types of hair implant procedures. Follicular Unit Strip Surgery (FUSS) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). Depending on your needs and the area to be covered, your surgeon will decide which one you should undergo. Both procedures are easy and safe. For a FUSS procedure, the surgeon numbs the back of the head and takes a strip of skin off. Then, the surgeon and his/her team split that strip of skin into smaller pieces called grafts. On each graft, there are supposed to be 1-10 follicles. The surgeon closes the incision on the donor area with sutures. In the recipient area, the surgeon opens small cuts and holes. The grafts are inserted into those cuts and holes. The surgeon covers the surgical site with bandages and gauzes and the procedure ends. The whole process is supposed to take a few hours.
In an FUE hair implant procedure, there are no incisions involved. The follicles are removed one by one from the donor area. Then, the surgeon again opens small cuts on the recipient area and inserts the follicles. As the follicles are transplanted one by one, this procedure takes more time than the FUSS procedure (around 8 hours). The procedure is done under local anesthesia and is not painful. On both donor and recipient areas, some small dots can occur, but they will be covered by the hair.
Conclusion
Hair implants are awesome solutions for hair loss. Taking follicles from one part of the head and implanting them is a great way to get rid of baldness. It can be done in two different ways. One involving the removal of follicles from a strip of skin taken back from the head. And the other in which follicles are transplanted one by one. There may be some risks involved in both procedures, but generally, no big problem occurs. After a hair implant, sometimes one can lose his/her hair due to shock loss. It is most of the time temporary, but some factors can cause it to be permanent as well. You should contact your surgeon if anything goes wrong.