Hair Transplant Consultation

First, who is a candidate for Hair Replacement?

There are many ways to develop hair loss problems.  The following individuals can benefits from a transplant treatment:

• Men with male-pattern baldness
• Women with thinning hair
• A person who has lost some but not all hair as a result of burns or scalp injury

Hair replacement is not recommended for the following people:

• Women with a wide-spread pattern of hair loss
• Those who do not have sufficient donor sites, meaning an area to take hair from for an actual transplant

How does this procedure work?

Hair transplant is an outpatient hair replacement procedure performed in the surgeon’s office.  There are a few types of grafts:  micro, mini, punch and strip grafts.

• Micro graft:  one or two hairs per graft
• Mini graft:  2 to 4 hairs per graft
• Slit grafts:  4 to 10 hairs per graft
• Punch grafts:  10 to 15 hairs per graft
• Strip grafts:  long thin with 30 to 40 hairs per

The first step in all of these procedures is the use of local anesthetic that is injected into the scalp.  You can also ask for sedation is available, if needed for relaxation and comfort.

In hair grafting, the surgeon first removes a portion of the hair-bearing scalp from the back of the head.  This portion of skin is then cut into small segments with varying amounts of hair in each graft, as described above.  The amounts of hair used are determined so the surgeon can achieve a subtle natural look that blends in with your natural hair.

There may be 50 or more hair-bearing segments transplanted in one session.  Once finished, the donor sites are closed with stitches, which are usually covered by the surrounding hair.  After the grafting, the scalp will be cleaned and covered with gauze and possible a bandage.  Any stitches will be removed approximately 10 days later.

There are usually several grafting/transplanting sessions required to get a normal fullness of hair.   And after each session, a healing process of two to four months is usually recommended.  Therefore, it may take up to a year for you to have a normal full head of hair you are trying to achieve.

This procedure does have some side effects, but most of which will go away within a couple weeks after your procedure.  These side effects include:

• Swelling
• Bruising around the eyes
• Crust may form on the donor and recipient sites of the scalp, sort of like a scabbing
• A lack of feeling or sensation around the donor and recipient sites of the scalp
• Itching in the donor site

The procedure may have minimal discomfort, but in general, the side effects are minor and will improve quickly.