Hair transplants are light surgical procedures to treat hair loss. In this procedure, a hair restoration practitioner transplants hair-bearing tissue to a scalp’s balding region. The surgeon usually moves follicles from the back or side of the head to the front or top of the head.

Hair transplants are typically done in a medical office under local anaesthesia and should only be done by trained professionals. Usually, excessive hair loss is the reason why people get hair transplants. Also, pattern baldness is the most common cause for the majority of hair loss. Although it is usually hereditary, there are also several other factors that can cause pattern baldness:

• Diet
• Stress
• Illness
• Hormonal imbalance
• Certain types of medication

From this point onward, all the general things you need to know about hair transplant are being discussed. It is good to know all these things before setting an appointment with a medical professional, so by the time you meet him; you are ready with your questions and clarifications.

The Hair Transplant Procedure

The procedure is done in a sterile room in a certified institution. Let’s look at the procedure in detail.

First, the surgeon cleans the patient’s scalp and administers anaesthesia to numb the back of the head. Then, the doctor performs the FUE method of transplant.

The FUE (follicular unit extraction) method is a procedure where the back of the scalp is shaved. Then the doctor removes the hair follicles one by one from there. The area heals with small dots, which will once again be covered by the surrounding hair.

After the surgeon prepares the grafts, he cleans and numbs the area where the hair will go. He creates holes, or slits, with a scalpel or needle. Next, he delicately places each graft in the holes. Depending on the size of the transplant, the process will take about four to eight hours. 

Doctors have been doing hair transplants in the United States since the 1950s, but techniques have changed a lot in recent years.

Modern Hair Transplant Surgery Techniques

Over the course of the hair transplant surgery landscape, multiple methods and techniques have been performed. Direct hair implantation (DHI) and follicular unit extraction (FUE) are the two modern techniques being used today. Each of these methods and techniques come with their own advantages and disadvantages. Direct hair implantation is a more cutting-edge procedure but also costs more. On the other hand, the FUE method is the tried-and-tested method that many people go for.

Candidates for Hair Transplants

A hair transplant roughly falls under the cosmetic surgery category. It could improve one’s confidence and boost self-esteem. Good candidates for a hair transplant most likely include the following:

• Men who suffer from male pattern baldness
• Women with thinning hair
• People who have lost hair from certain accidents and injuries
• People who have undergone chemotherapy and experienced hair loss

Not only it is necessary to know everything that happens in pre and during the procedure, but all patients should also educate themselves with what needs to be done after the surgery. This is a crucial part because only them, the patients are responsible for this. Their surgeons and nurses will no longer be around all day, looking after them.

Postprocedure Recovery 

Because the scalp may feel tender after the surgery, the patient must wear bandages over their scalp for at least one or two days. The surgeon may prescribe antibiotics or an anti-inflammatory drug for postprocedure care. Most people are able to return to work two to five days after the operation.

Within weeks after surgery, the transplanted hair will fall out. After that, new growth will occur within a few months. Some surgeons prescribe hair-growing medications postsurgery to improve hair growth.