Hair Transplant Procedure

You lose about 50 to 100 hairs every day, but you may not notice that because new hair grows to replace the lost ones. When new hair fails to produce, you may notice thinning of hair on the crown of your head or a receding hairline. Do not allow balding or hair loss to take the center stage when you can visit your Austin hair transplant specialist for treatment. If you are unhappy with the bald patches on your head, you may be happy to know that a hair transplant can help you restore and prevent further hair loss.

What is a hair transplant?

A hair transplant is a surgical procedure that uses hair from a different body part to fill an area with thin or no hair. Surgeons have been using this procedure since the 1950s, but currently, there are newer techniques that offer even better results. Previously, hair transplants involved using hair plugs in sections with no hair. Unfortunately, this did not provide the most natural results; hair plugs became quite noticeable over time. Today, surgeons transplant follicles one at a time, eliminating the unnatural doll-like hair patients saw in the past.

Who is eligible for a hair transplant?

A good candidate should have healthy and adequate hair on their scalp that a surgeon can transplant in sections with thin or no hair. The transplanted hair should also be able to grow. Your specialists may recommend thoroughly evaluating your scalp to ensure you have both characteristics. A blood test allows your doctor to determine the cause of your hair loss. Other times your specialist may conduct a scalp biopsy. After the test results show you are eligible for a hair transplant, your dermatologist may tell you the results to expect after the procedure. Attaining a full head of hair may be unrealistic; the goal is a fuller head of hair.

What happens during a hair transplant?

For the procedure, your dermatologist will clean your scalp and administer anesthesia to numb the back of your head, so you don’t feel pain. Your surgeon may either use follicular unit strip surgery or follicular unit extraction. Follicular unit strip surgery involves cutting a strip of skin with healthy hairs, and follicular unit extraction involves shaving the back of your head and removing hair follicles one by one. The second approach offers the most natural-looking results, eliminating a long narrow scar on your scalp.

After preparing the grafts, the following steps are similar for both approaches. With the help of other team members, the surgeon will carefully place the grafts into the scalp. Before this, your surgeon makes tiny incisions on your scalps using a scalpel or needle.

Expectations and recovery

Your scalp may feel tender after surgery; pain medications can help alleviate the discomfort. Your surgeon will have you wear bandages for at least two days after the procedure. Antibiotics may help reduce the risk of developing an infection at the surgical site. The transplanted hair falls out within two to three weeks, and new hair starts to grow within a few months.

If you have a receding hairline or bald spots, visit your specialist at Pearce Plastic Surgery for a hair transplant to get fuller hair on your head.