An Overview of Hair Transplant

Advertisements in magazines and newspapers taken out by hair loss products and treatment centers often depict a person with a full crop of hair after the treatment. They claim miracle cures and fixes with a high chance of success. However, in reality, not everyone will find it easy to regain the hair that they lost.

If you find yourself in this situation and cannot bear the thought of living with a bald head or receding hairline, then there is always the surgical route by way of hair transplant. You should not worry about what others may think as hair transplant is now more acceptable as compared to previously. Even Elton John had hair transplant done many years ago!

Dermatological surgeons are the best people to consult with regards to hair transplant, as they will be taking into account of the reasons behind the hair loss, the severity of it, and also work out the natural hair line. They will also consider your expectations, situation and lifestyle.

Hair transplant has been in place since the 1950s but has advanced considerably. The process of hair transplanting refers to the process of relocating of permanent hair from the lower back and sides of the head, being transplanted into areas of thinning and balding along the top and towards the front of the head. After a short period of time, the hair that is transplanted grows.

The old method of plug grafting involves the transfer and relocation of plugs of about twelve hair roots. Nowadays mini-grafts are used. These help to create a more natural hair line and nicer looking appearance. By using the combination of mini and micro grafts, it is possible to obtain exceptional results that are hard for anyone to detect that hair transplant has been done.

During the old plug grafting procedure, as many as 600 grafts can be removed from any one patient, although it is recommended that only 50 grafts should be taken in any one treatment session. An instrument called a trephine is used. It has a circular cutting edge and the grafts it can take vary from 2mm to about 5mm in diameter. Nowadays though, the donor tissue is removed with a knife that produces long thin strips, although it would seem that single-strip harvesting now appears to be the superior method.

All these procedures are done under a local anaesthetic on the scalp. A strip of scalp is then removed about half to one inch wide and about four to five inches long. This is then divided up into individual grafts. Some grafts are to contain one or two shafts and others about three to eight shafts. The grafts are then implanted into tiny punctures into the skin in the required spaces.

The hair that exists on the back of the head where the donar strip is taken from will hide the resultant scarring.

You will normally need about three hair transplants to achieve a good head of hair. Obviously, the entire process is going to be more costly than using lotions and potions. It can also be a lot more dramatic as you can suddenly appear with a lot more hair after the hair transplant treatment. However, your dermatological surgeon can help plan such that the appearance of the hair on your head is more gradual.

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What is hair loss?

Baldness (formally alopecia) is the state of lacking hair where it usually would grow, especially on the head. The most common form of baldness is a progressive hair-thinning condition that occurs in adult humans and other primate species.
Alopecia is a set of disorders ranging from male and female pattern alopecia (alopecia androgenetica), to alopecia areata, which involves the loss of some of the hair from the head, alopecia totalis, which involves the loss of all head hair, to the most extreme form, alopecia universalis, which involves the loss of all hair from the head and the body. Treatment for alopecia has limited success. The more hair lost, the less successful the treatment will be. ...
the shedding of scalp hair. There are several types of hair loss, the most common of which is androgenetic alopecia