Hair Transplantation Surgery – Medical Hair Restoration

Medical and surgical hair restoration has come a long way in recent years. Modern hair transplantation techniques typically yield excellent results with minimal patient discomfort. A skilled hair transplant surgeon can achieve a level of hair density that will make the surgery look natural. Successfully performing hair transplantation surgery requires knowledge, skill, and artistry. Hair restoration surgeons are usually assisted by expert lab technicians, who help with certain aspects of the procedure. Below you will find information on hair transplantation surgery and what this medical hair restoration option can achieve.

Before Surgery – Schedule a Surgical Hair Restoration Consultation

Potential hair transplantation candidates should first meet with a surgical hair restoration specialist for an initial consultation. During this initial consultation, the hair transplant surgeon will ask what the patient wants to accomplish and then determine whether he or she would be a good candidate for hair transplantation surgery. The surgeon may also discuss the extent of the procedure and the hair transplant surgery cost. Many hair transplant centers charge by the number of micrografts used, with an average cost of $3 to $8 per graft. After addressing any additional concerns, the surgeon instructs the patient on preparation for hair transplantation surgery.

Hair Transplantation Surgery

The evolution of medical hair restoration over just a few years has led to increasingly natural looking results. There are a number of hair transplantation techniques, most of which are based on microsurgery that allows the procedure to be individually tailored to the needs of each patient.

Harvesting the Hair Donor Strip

The most common type of hair transplantation surgery involves removing a donor strip of hair-bearing scalp from the back of the head. The surgeon will determine how large the donor area should be, according to the amount of hair to be transplanted. The donor area is carefully trimmed close to the scalp and then surgically removed under local anesthetic. The scalp is closed using surgical sutures.

Transplanting the Donor Hair

After being removed from the back of the scalp, the donor strip is surgically dissected into follicular units – small tissue grafts sprouting one to four hairs from a single hair follicle. Tiny incisions are made in the recipient region, and the follicular units are carefully inserted. The new hair follicles are distributed so that, over the course of the surgical hair restoration procedure, the balding areas of the scalp will gradually be covered.

Achieving Good Hair Transplant Density

In order to ensure a natural look from medical hair restoration, good hair transplant density is essential. In the early days of medical hair restoration, large clumps of follicles were placed in holes punched in the scalp. The results of these early attempts at surgical hair restoration were alternating areas of dense and thin hair. As techniques and technology have improved, progressively smaller groups of follicles have been transplanted through even smaller incisions. The result is more uniform hair transplant density, contributing to a more natural looking hair pattern.

Recovery after Surgical Hair Restoration

After all of the micrografts have been placed in the scalp, the hair transplantation patient will have stubble in the transplant areas as well as some minor scabbing. The affected scalp should heal rapidly, as should the sutured incision from the donor area. The transplanted hair will fall out after a few weeks, as the hair goes into the resting phase initially. In several months, the hair will start its growing phase again, and the hair should grow at a normal rate. Follicles transplanted during surgical hair restoration are not usually sensitive to the same biological influences as the original follicles in the balding area of the scalp and should therefore produce hair just as they did in the donor area.

Locate a Hair Transplant Surgeon in Your Area

DocShop can help you find an experienced surgical hair restoration specialist in your area who can provide you with detailed information about hair transplantation and methods of achieving exceptional hair transplant density. We encourage you to use DocShop to find a local medical hair restoration specialist.